The Death of Nisus and the Lament of Euryalus' Mother — Virgil, Aeneid Book 9 (lines 441–515), Latin & English

441

proturbant. Instat non setius ac¹ rotat ensem

They push him back. He presses on nonetheless and whirls his

fulmineum, donec Rutuli clamantis in ore

lightning sword, until he plunged it in the opposing mouth of the shouting

condidit adverso et moriens animam abstulit hosti.

Rutulian, and dying, snatched away the life of his enemy.

Tum super exanimum sese proiecit amicum

Then, pierced through, he threw himself over his breathless friend,

445

confossus placidaque ibi demum morte quievit.

and there at last rested in peaceful death.

Fortunati ambo! Siquid mea carmina possunt,

Fortunate both! If my songs have any power,

nulla dies umquam memori vos eximet aevo,

no day shall ever erase you from remembering time,

dum domus Aeneae Capitoli immobile saxum

as long as the house of Aeneas shall dwell near the Capitol’s immovable

accolet imperiumque pater Romanus habebit.

rock, and the Roman father holds imperial power.

450

Victores praeda Rutuli spoliisque potiti

The victorious Rutulians, having gained the booty and spoils,

Volcentem exanimum flentes in castra ferebant.

were carrying the lifeless Volcens, weeping, into the camp.

Nec minor in castris luctus Rhamnete reperto

Nor was there less grief in the camp when Rhamnes was found

exsangui et primis una tot caede peremptis,

bloodless, and so many leaders slain together in one slaughter,

Serranoque Numaque. Ingens concursus ad ipsa

both Serranus and Numa. A huge crowd runs to the bodies

455

corpora seminecisque viros tepidaque recentem

themselves, and the half-dead men, and to the place fresh with warm

caede locum et plenos spumanti sanguine rivos.

slaughter, and to the streams full of foaming blood.

Agnoscunt spolia inter se galeamque nitentem

They recognize the spoils among themselves, the shining helmet

Messapi et multo phaleras sudore receptas.

of Messapus, and the trappings recovered with much sweat.

Et iam prima novo spargebat lumine terras

And now the early Aurora, leaving the saffron bed of Tithonus,

460

Tithoni croceum linquens Aurora cubile:

was sprinkling the earth with new light.

iam sole infuso, iam rebus luce retectis

Now with the sun poured in, now with things revealed by light,

Turnus in arma viros, armis circumdatus ipse,

Turnus, himself surrounded by arms, rouses the men to arms,

suscitat, aeratasque acies in proelia cogit

and urges his bronze-clad lines into battle,

quisque suas variisque acuunt rumoribus iras.

each commander his own, and they sharpen their anger with various rumors.

465

Quin ipsa arrectis (visu miserabile) in hastis

Nay, even (a pitiful sight) on uplifted spears

praefigunt capita et multo clamore sequuntur

they impale the heads themselves of Euryalus and Nisus,

Euryali et Nisi.

and follow with loud shouting.

Aeneadae duri murorum in parte sinistra

The hardy Trojans drew up their line on the left part of the walls—

opposuere aciem, nam dextera cingitur amni,

for the right is girded by the river—

470

ingentisque tenent fossas et turribus altis

and they hold the vast trenches, and on the high towers

stant maesti; simul ora virum praefixa movebant,

they stand sorrowful; at the same time, the impaled heads of the men moved them,

nota nimis miseris atroque fluentia tabo.

only too well known to the wretched ones, and dripping with black gore.

Interea pavidam volitans pennata per urbem

Meanwhile, winged Rumor, flying through the trembling city,

nuntia Fama ruit matrisque adlabitur auris

rushes as a messenger and glides to the ears of the mother

475

Euryali. At subitus miserae calor ossa reliquit,

of Euryalus. But suddenly the warmth left the bones of the wretched woman,

excussi manibus radii revolutaque pensa.

the shuttles were shaken from her hands, and the spun wool was unrolled.

Evolat infelix et femineo ululatu,

The unhappy woman flies out and with a womanly wail,

scissa comam,² muros amens atque agmina cursu

tearing her hair, out of her mind, she seeks the walls and the front lines

prima petit, non illa virum, non illa pericli

in her course, unmindful of the men, unmindful of danger

480

telorumque memor; caelum dehinc questibus implet:

and of weapons; then she fills the sky with her laments:

Hunc ego te, Euryale, aspicio? Tune illa senectae

”Is this how I look upon you, Euryalus? Could you, the late repose

sera meae requies, potuisti linquere solam,

of my old age, leave me alone,

crudelis? Nec te, sub tanta pericula missum,

cruel one? Nor, when you were sent into such great dangers,

adfari extremum miserae data copia matri?

was the opportunity given to your wretched mother to address you for the last time?

485

Heu, terra ignota canibus data praeda Latinis

Alas, you lie in an unknown land, given as prey to Latin dogs

alitibusque iaces, nec te, tua funera³ mater

and birds! Nor did I, your mother, lead you out for your burial,

produxi pressive oculos aut volnera lavi,

or close your eyes, or wash your wounds,

veste tegens, tibi quam noctes festina diesque

covering you with the robe which in haste by night and day

urgebam et tela curas solabar anilis.

I was urging on, and with the loom was solacing my old-age cares.

490

Quo sequar, aut quae nunc artus avolsaque membra

Where shall I follow, or what land now holds your limbs and torn members

et funus lacerum tellus habet? Hoc mihi de te,

and mangled corpse? Is this what you bring back to me of yourself,

nate, refers? Hoc sum terraque marique secuta?

my son? Is this what I followed over land and sea?

Figite me, siqua est pietas, in me omnia tela

Pierce me, if there is any piety! Cast all your weapons at me,

conicite, o Rutuli, me primam absumite ferro:

O Rutulians, consume me first with the sword!

495

aut tu, magne pater divom, miserere tuoque

Or do thou, great father of the gods, have pity, and with thy weapon

invisum hoc detrude caput sub Tartara telo,

thrust down this hated head under Tartarus,

quando aliter nequeo crudelem abrumpere vitam.

since otherwise I cannot break off this cruel life.”

Hoc fletu concussi animi, maestusque per omnis

Minds were shaken by this weeping, and a mournful groan

it gemitus: torpent infractae ad proelia vires.

goes through all: their broken strength for battle lies torpid.

500

Illam incendentem luctus Idaeus et Actor

As she was inflaming their grief, Idaeus and Actor,

Illionei monitu et multum lacrimantis Iuli

at the warning of Ilioneus and the deeply weeping Iulus,

corripiunt interque manus sub tecta reponunt.

seize her and bear her back in their arms under the roofs.

At tuba terribilem sonitum procul aere canoro

But the trumpet from afar clanged its terrible sound with singing bronze;

increpuit; sequitur clamor caelumque remugit.

a shout follows, and the sky echoes back.

505

Adcelerant acta pariter testudine Volsci

The Volscians hasten, having driven forward their testudo in equal ranks,

et fossas implere parant ac vellere vallum.

and prepare to fill the trenches and tear down the rampart.

Quaerunt pars aditum et scalis ascendere muros,

Some seek an approach and to ascend the walls with ladders,

qua rara est acies interlucetque corona

where the line is thin and the ring of defenders shines through,

non tam spissa viris. Telorum effundere contra

not so thick with men. In response, the Trojans pour out every kind

510

omne genus Teucri ac duris detrudere contis,

of weapon and thrust them down with hard poles,

adsueti longo muros defendere bello.

accustomed to defend the walls from a long war.

Saxa quoque infesto volvebant pondere, siqua

They also rolled down stones of hostile weight, if by any means

possent tectam aciem perrumpere: cum tamen omnis

might break through the covered line; although the enemy gladly

ferre iuvat subter densa testudine casus;

bears all hazards beneath their dense testudo;

515

nec iam sufficiunt. Nam qua globus imminet ingens,

but now they are no longer sufficient. For where a huge mass threatens,

Syntax notes3 items

9.441non setius ac
non setius functions as an adverbial phrase meaning 'nonetheless' (equivalent to non secus), and ac acts as a coordinating conjunction ('and') connecting instat and rotat. Although non setius ac can mean 'no otherwise than,' here it marks a contextual transition.
9.478scissa comam
The perfect passive participle scissa (nominative feminine singular of scindo, 'to tear') is followed by comam (accusative singular of 'hair') as an accusative of specification (Greek accusative), or the participle is used in a middle/reflexive sense ('tearing her own hair').
9.486tua funera
Apposition to te ('you'), or the direct object of produxi ('escorted to the grave') meaning 'your funeral procession' or 'your corpse'. The neuter plural funera is a poetic plural referring to the funeral rites or the body itself.

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-22)urn:cts:latinLit:phi0690.phi003.humanitext-lat2:9.441-9.515