Night Raid and Slaughter in the Enemy Camp — Virgil, Aeneid Book 9 (lines 294–368), Latin & English

294

atque animum patriae strinxit pietatis imago.¹

and the image of fatherly love touched his soul.

295

Tum sic effatur:

Then thus he speaks:

Sponde digna tuis ingentibus omnia coeptis.

”Expect all things worthy of your mighty undertakings.

Namque erit ista mihi genetrix nomenque Creusae

For she shall be a mother to me, and only the name of Creusa

solum defuerit, nec partum gratia talem²

shall be lacking, nor does small gratitude await

parva manet. Casus factum quicumque sequentur,

such an offspring. Whatever fortunes shall follow the deed,

300

per caput hoc iuro, per quod pater ante solebat:

I swear by this head, by which my father before was accustomed to swear:

quae tibi polliceor reduci rebusque secundis,

what I promise to you on your return and in prosperous times,

haec eadem matrique tuae generique manebunt.

these same things shall remain for both your mother and your family.”

Sic ait inlacrimans; umero simul exuit ensem

Thus he speaks weeping; at the same time he strips from his shoulder the sword

auratum, mira quem fecerat arte Lycaon

gilded, which Gnosian Lycaon had made with wondrous art

305

Gnosius atque habilem vagina aptarat eburna.

and had fitted, easy to handle, in an ivory sheath.

Dat Niso Mnestheus pellem horrentisque leonis

Mnestheus gives to Nisus the skin and shaggy spoils of a lion;

exuvias; galeam fidus permutat Aletes.

the spoils; faithful Aletes exchanges his helmet.

Protinus armati incedunt; quos omnis euntis

Straightway, armed, they advance; all the band of leaders

primorum manus ad portas iuvenumque senumque

both young and old, escort them as they go to the gates

310

prosequitur votis. Nec non et pulcher Iulus,

with prayers. And also beautiful Iulus,

ante annos animumque gerens curamque virilem,

bearing a manly mind and concern beyond his years,

multa patri mandata dabat portanda: sed aurae

was giving many mandates to be carried to his father: but the breezes

omnia discerpunt et nubibus inrita donant.

tear them all away and give them useless to the clouds.

Egressi superant fossas noctisque per umbram

Having gone out, they cross the ditches, and through the shadow of the night

315

castra inimica petunt, multis tamen ante futuri

they seek the hostile camp, yet destined first to be a destruction to many.

exitio. Passim somno vinoque per herbam

Everywhere through the grass, relaxed by sleep and wine, they see

corpora fusa vident, arrectos litore currus,

bodies stretched out, chariots tilted on the shore,

inter lora rotasque viros, simul arma iacere,

men between reins and wheels, at the same time weapons lying,

vina simul. Prior Hyrtacides sic ore locutus:

and wine-vessels likewise. First the son of Hyrtacus thus spoke:

320

Euryale, audendum dextra; nunc ipsa vocat res.

”Euryalus, we must dare with the right hand; now the thing itself calls.

Hac iter est. Tu, ne qua manus se attollere nobis

Here is our path. You, lest any band be able to raise itself against us

a tergo possit, custodi et consule longe;

from behind, keep watch and look out far off;

haec ego vasta dabo et lato te limite ducam.

I will lay these waste and lead you on a broad path.”

Sic memorat vocemque premit; simul ense superbum

Thus he speaks and checks his voice; at the same time with his sword he attacks proud

325

Rhamnetem adgreditur, qui forte tapetibus altis

Rhamnes, who by chance, piled on high carpets,

exstructus toto proflabat pectore somnum.

was blowing out sleep from his whole breast.

Rex idem et regi Turno gratissimus augur,

At once a king and an augur most pleasing to king Turnus,

sed non augurio potuit depellere pestem.

but he could not drive away destruction with his augury.

Tris iuxta famulos temere inter tela iacentis

Nearby he attacks three servants lying heedlessly among weapons,

330

armigerumque Remi premit aurigamque sub ipsis

and the armor-bearer of Remus and the charioteer, found right under the horses

nanctus equis ferroque secat pendentia colla;

and cuts their drooping necks with the sword;

tum caput ipsi aufert domino truncumque relinquit

then he takes away the head of the lord himself and leaves the trunk

sanguine singultantem; atro tepefacta cruore

gurgling with blood; warmed with black gore

terra torique madent. Nec non Lamyrumque Lamumque

the earth and the couches are soaked. And also Lamyrus and Lamus

335

et iuvenem Serranum, illa qui plurima nocte

and the young Serranus, who had played very much on that night,

luserat, insignis facie, multoque iacebat

distinguished in face, and was lying, his limbs conquered

membra deo victus: felix, si³ protinus illum

by the heavy god: happy, if straightway he had made

aequasset nocti ludum in lucemque tulisset.

that play equal to the night and had prolonged it into the dawn.

Impastus ceu plena leo per ovilia turbans

Just like a starving lion raging through full sheepfolds

340

(suadet enim vesana fames) manditque trahitque

(for mad hunger urges him on) both chews and tears

molle pecus mutumque metu, fremit ore cruento:

the gentle flock, mute with fear, and roars with bloody mouth:

nec minor Euryali caedes; incensus et ipse

nor less is the slaughter of Euryalus; he too, inflamed,

perfurit ac multam in medio sine nomine plebem,

rages and attacks many nameless common folk in his path,

Fadumque Herbesumque subit Rhoetumque Abarimque,

and approaches Fadus and Herbesus and Rhoetus and Abaris,

345

ignaros, Rhoetum vigilantem et cuncta videntem,

unsuspecting, except Rhoetus who was awake and seeing everything,

sed magnum metuens se post cratera tegebat;

but, fearing, was hiding himself behind a huge mixing-bowl;

pectore in adverso totum cui comminus ensem

into whose confronting breast, as he rose, he buried his whole sword

condidit adsurgenti et multa morte recepit.

at close quarters, and drew it back with abundant death.

Purpuream vomit ille animam et cum sanguine mixta

He vomits his purple life-blood, and, dying, brings back

350

vina refert moriens; hic furto fervidus instat.

wine mixed with blood; the other, glowing, presses on with his stealthy work.

Iamque ad Messapi socios tendebat; ibi ignem

And now he was moving toward the companions of Messapus; there he saw

deficere extremum et religatos rite videbat

the last fire dying out, and the horses duly tied

carpere gramen equos: breviter cum talia Nisus.

cropping the grass: when Nisus briefly spoke such things,

sensit enim nimia caede atque cupidine ferri:

(for he perceived that they were being carried away by too much slaughter and desire):

355

Absistamus, ait, nam lux inimica propinquat.

”Let us depart,” he said, “for the hostile light approaches.

Poenarum exhaustum satis est, via facta per hostis.

Enough of punishment has been drained, a way is made through the enemy.”

Multa virum solido argento perfecta relinquunt

They leave behind many things of men, finished in solid silver,

armaque craterasque simul pulchrosque tapetas.

both arms and mixing-bowls likewise, and beautiful carpets.

Euryalus phaleras Rhamnetis et aurea bullis

Euryalus snatches the trappings of Rhamnes and the belt golden with studs,

360

cingula, Tiburti Remulo ditissimus olim

which once the very wealthy

quae mittit dona hospitio cum iungeret absens

Caedicus, while absent, sent as a gift of hospitality to Remulus of Tibur when he was joining him;

Caedicus, ille suo moriens dat habere nepoti,

the latter, dying, gave them to his grandson to have.

haec rapit atque umeris nequiquam fortibus aptat.

These he snatches and fits upon his in-vain strong shoulders.

365

Tum galeam Messapi habilem cristisque decoram

Then the helmet of Messapus, easy to fit and beautiful with crests, he puts on. They depart from the camp and head for safety.

induit. Excedunt castris et tuta capessunt.

Meanwhile, horsemen sent ahead from the Latin city,

Interea praemissi equites ex urbe Latina,cetera dum legio campis instructa moratur,

while the rest of the legion, drawn up on the plains, delays,

Syntax notes3 items

9.294patriae... pietatis imago
The feminine genitive singular patriae, from the adjective patrius (of a father), modifies pietatis (devotion), describing how the thought of filial devotion to one's father was stirred in Ascanius by the display of Euryalus' love for his mother.
9.298partum... talem
The fourth-declension noun partus (offspring or birth) in the accusative singular talem partum serves as the object of expectation for gratia (gratitude/favor) as the subject of manet, meaning that no small gratitude awaits her for giving birth to such a son.
9.337felix, si...
A contrary-to-fact conditional sentence with the pluperfect subjunctives aequasset and tulisset in the protasis, where the main apodosis is omitted except for the exclamation felix (happy would he have been), making a concise poetic lament.

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-22)urn:cts:latinLit:phi0690.phi003.humanitext-lat2:9.294-9.368