Sacrifice of the Sow and Alliance with Evander — Virgil, Aeneid Book 8 (lines 81–159), Latin & English

Ecce autem subitum atque oculis mirabile monstrum;

But lo, a sudden wonder and marvelous to the eyes;

candida per silvam cum fetu concolor albo

a white sow, of one color with her white offspring,

procubuit viridique in litore conspicitur sus.

lay through the wood and was seen on the green bank.

Quam pius Aeneas tibi enim,¹ tibi, maxuma Iuno,

To you indeed, to you, greatest Juno, pious Aeneas

mactat sacra ferens et cum grege sistit ad aram.

slays her, offering sacrifice, and sets her with her herd at the altar.

Thybris ea fluvium, quam longa est,² nocte tumentem

Tiber, during all that night, as long as it was, calmed his swelling

leniit, et tacita refluens ita substitit unda,

stream, and flowing back with silent wave stood so still

mitis ut in morem stagni placidaeque paludis

that, in the manner of a gentle pool or quiet marsh,

sterneret aequor aquis, remo ut luctamen abesset.

he smoothed his surface with his waters, so that struggle might be absent from the oar.

Ergo iter inceptum celerant rumore secundo;

Therefore they hasten their begun journey with encouraging acclaim;

labitur uncta vadis abies; mirantur et undae,

the well-pitched pine slides through the shallows; the waves wonder,

miratur nemus insuetum fulgentia longe

the unaccustomed grove wonders to see the far-gleaming

scuta virum fluvio pictasque innare carinas.

shields of the men floating on the river, and the painted hulls.

Olli remigio noctemque diemque fatigant

They weary the night and the day with rowing,

et longos superant flexus variisque teguntur

and overcome the long bends, and are covered by various

arboribus viridisque secant placido aequore silvas.

trees, and cut the green woods on the calm surface.

Sol medium caeli conscenderat igneus orbem,

The fiery sun had climbed the middle circle of heaven,

cum muros arcemque procul ac rara domorum

when they see far off walls and a citadel and scattered

tecta vident, quae nunc Romana potentia caelo

roofs of houses, which now Roman power has made equal

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aequavit, tum res inopes Euandrus habebat:

to heaven, but then Evander held as a poor estate:

ocius advertunt proras urbique propinquant.

swiftly they turn their prows and draw near the city.

Forte die sollemnem illo rex Arcas honorem

By chance on that day the Arcadian king was offering solemn annual honor

Amphitryoniadae magno divisque ferebat

to the great son of Amphitryon (Hercules) and to the gods

ante urbem in luco. Pallas huic filius una,

before the city in a grove. Pallas his son was with him,

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una omnes iuvenum primi pauperque senatus

with him all the chief of the young men and the poor senate

tura dabant, tepidusque cruor fumabat ad aras.

were offering incense, and warm blood was smoking at the altars.

Ut celsas videre rates atque inter opacum

When they saw the tall ships, and that they were gliding in

adlabi nemus et tacitis incumbere remis,

among the shady grove and leaning on silent oars,

terrentur visu subito cunctique relictis

they are terrified by the sudden sight and, leaving their tables,

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consurgunt mensis. Audax quos rumpere Pallas

all rise up. Bold Pallas forbids them to break off

sacra vetat raptoque volat telo obvius ipse

the sacred rites, and snatching up a weapon flies himself to meet them,

et procul e tumulo: Iuvenes, quae causa subegit

and from a mound far off cries: “Young men, what cause has driven you

ignotas temptare vias, quo tenditis? inquit.

to tempt unknown ways? Whither do you hold your course?” he said.

Qui genus?³ Unde domo? Pacemne huc fertis an arma?

”Who are you by race? From what home? Do you bring peace here, or arms?”

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Tum pater Aeneas puppi sic fatur ab alta

Then father Aeneas speaks thus from the high stern,

paciferaeque manu ramum praetendit olivae:

and extends a branch of peaceful olive in his hand:

Troiugenas ac tela vides inimica Latinis,

”You see sons of Troy and weapons hostile to the Latins,

quos illi bello profugos egere superbo.

whom they have driven out as fugitives by a proud war.

Euandrum petimus. Ferte haec et dicite lectos

We seek Evander. Carry this message and say that chosen leaders

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Dardaniae venisse duces socia arma rogantis.

of Dardania have come, asking for allied arms.”

Obstipuit tanto percussus nomine Pallas:

Pallas, struck by so great a name, was amazed:

Egredere o quicumque es ait coramque parentem

”Come forth, whoever you are,” he says, “and speak to my parent face to face,

adloquere ac nostris succede penatibus hospes.

and enter our home as a guest.”

excepitque manu dextramque amplexus inhaesit.

And he welcomed him with his hand, and grasping his right hand clung to it.

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Progressi subeunt luco fluviumque relinquunt.

Advancing, they enter the grove and leave the river.

Tum regem Aeneas dictis adfatur amicis:

Then Aeneas addresses the king with friendly words:

Optume Graiugenum,⁴ cui me Fortuna precari

”O best of the sons of Greece, to whom Fortune willed me to pray

et vitta comptos voluit praetendere ramos,

and to extend branches adorned with ribbons,

non equidem extimui, Danaum quod ductor et Arcas

I indeed did not fear because you were a leader of the Danaans and an Arcadian,

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quodque a stirpe fores geminis coniunctus Atridis;

and because you were joined by ancestry to the twin sons of Atreus;

sed mea me virtus et sancta oracula divom

but my own worth, and the holy oracles of the gods,

cognatique patres, tua terris didita fama,

and our kindred fathers, and your fame spread through the lands,

coniunxere tibi et fatis egere volentem.

have joined me to you and driven me by the fates as one willing.

Dardanus, Iliacae primus pater urbis et auctor,

Dardanus, the first father and founder of the Iliac city,

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Electra, ut Grai perhibent, Atlantide cretus,

sprung from Electra, daughter of Atlas, as the Greeks relate,

advehitur Teucros; Electram maxumus Atlas

sails to the Trojans; mightiest Atlas begot Electra,

edidit, aetherios umero qui sustinet orbes

he who supports the celestial spheres on his shoulder.

vobis Mercurius pater est, quem candida Maia

To you, Mercury is father, whom fair Maia

Cyllenae gelido conceptum vertice fudit;

conceived and brought forth on the cold summit of Cyllene;

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at Maiam, auditis si quicquam credimus, Atlas,

but Maia, if we believe at all in what we have heard, Atlas,

idem Atlas generat, caeli qui sidera tollit.

the same Atlas begot, who raises the stars of heaven.

Sic genus amborum scindit se sanguine ab uno.

Thus the lineage of both branches off from one blood.

His fretus non legatos neque prima per artem

Relying on these things, I did not arrange embassies nor first attempts

temptamenta tui pepigi: me, me ipse meumque

of you through artifice: myself, I have exposed myself and my own head,

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obieci caput et supplex ad limina veni.

and have come as a suppliant to your threshold.

Gens eadem, quae te, crudeli Daunia bello

The same Daunian nation that pursues you with cruel war

insequitur; nos si pellant, nihil afore credunt,

pursues us; if they drive us out, they believe nothing will prevent them

quin omnem Hesperiam penitus sua sub iuga mittant

from sending all Hesperia utterly under their yoke,

et mare quod supra teneant quodque adluit infra.

and holding the sea which is above and that which washes it below.

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Accipe daque fidem: sunt nobis fortia bello

Receive and give faith: we have hearts strong in war,

pectora, sunt animi et rebus spectata iuventus.

we have courage, and youth tried in action.”

Dixerat Aeneas. Ille os oculosque loquentis

Aeneas had spoken. He had long been scanning the face and eyes of the speaker,

iamdudum et totum lustrabat lumine corpus.

and his whole body with his gaze.

Tum sic pauca refert: Ut te, fortissime Teucrum,

Then he briefly replies thus: “How gladly, bravest of the Trojans,

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accipio agnoscoque libens! Ut verba parentis

I receive and recognize you! How I recall the words of your parent,

et vocem Anchisae magni voltumque recordor!

the voice and face of great Anchises!

Nam memini Hesionae visentem regna sororis

For I remember that Priam, son of Laomedon, visiting the realms of his sister Hesione

Laomedontiaden Priamum, Salamina petentem,

and seeking Salamis, went on

protinus Arcadiae gelidos invisere finis.

to visit the cold borders of Arcadia.”

Syntax notes4 items

8.84tibi enim
Here enim does not function as a causal conjunction ("for"), but as an assertive/emphatic particle reinforcing the pronoun: "to you indeed, to you."
8.86quam longa est
An idiomatic relative clause with ea... nocte, meaning "for as long as it (the night) was, all night long."
8.114Qui genus?
The noun genus (race) is an accusative of specification (Greek accusative), meaning "Who are you in respect of race?"
8.127Graiugenum
An archaic contracted form of the genitive plural of the first declension (with suffix -um instead of -arum), used by Virgil for poetic dignity.

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-22)urn:cts:latinLit:phi0690.phi003.humanitext-lat2:8.81-8.159