The Assault on the Walls and Ascanius' First Kill — Virgil, Aeneid Book 9 (lines 516–592), Latin & English

516

immanem Teucri molem volvuntque ruuntque,

The Trojans roll and push down a huge mass,

quae stravit Rutulos late armorumque resolvit

which laid low the Rutulians far and wide and broke the coverings

tegmina. Nec curant caeco contendere Marte

of their armor. No longer do the daring Rutulians care to contend in blind

amplius audaces Rutuli, sed pellere vallo

warfare, but strive to drive them from the rampart

520

missilibus certant.

with missiles.

Parte alia horrendus visu quassabat Etruscam

In another part, terrifying to behold, Mezentius was brandishing his Etruscan

pinum et fumiferos infert Mezentius ignis;

pine and bringing in smoky fires;

at Messapus equum domitor, Neptunia proles,

but Messapus, tamer of horses, offspring of Neptune,

rescindit vallum et scalas in moenia poscit.

tears down the rampart and calls for ladders to the walls.

525

Vos, o Calliope,¹ precor, adspirate canenti,

You, O Calliope, I pray, inspire me as I sing,

quas ibi tum ferro strages, quae funera Turnus

what slaughter Turnus then dealt there with the sword, what deaths

ediderit, quem quisque virum demiserit Orco;

he produced, which man each warrior sent down to Orcus;

et mecum ingentis oras evolvite belli,

and unroll with me the vast borders of the war.

530

Turris erat vasto suspectu et pontibus altis,

There was a tower of vast height, with high bridges,

opportuna loco, summis quam viribus omnes

advantageous in its position, which all the Italians with their utmost

expugnare Itali summaque evertere opum vi

strength were striving to storm, and to overturn with the highest power of their resources;

certabant, Troes contra defendere saxis

in response, the Trojans were defending it with stones

perque cavas densi tela intorquere fenestras.

and thickly hurl weapons through the hollow windows.

535

Princeps ardentem coniecit lampada Turnus

Turnus was the first to fling a burning torch

et flammam adfixit lateri, quae plurima vento

and fixed the flame to its side; which, multiplied by the wind,

corripuit tabulas et postibus haesit adesis.

seized the planks and clung to the consumed door-posts.

Turbati trepidare intus frustraque malorum

Terrified, those within panic and in vain desire

velle fugam. Dum se glomerant retroque residunt

flight from their ills. While they crowd together and retreat

540

in partem, quae peste caret, tum pondere turris

to that part which is free from the plague, then by its weight the tower

procubuit subito et caelum tonat omne fragore.

suddenly collapsed, and the whole sky thunders with the crash.

Semineces ad terram, immani mole secuta,

Half-dead to the ground they come, the huge mass following them,

confixique suis telis et pectora duro

pierced by their own weapons, and their breasts transfixed

transfossi ligno veniunt. Vix unus Helenor

by the hard wood. Scarcely did Helenor alone

545

et Lycus elapsi. Quorum primaevus Helenor,

and Lycus escape. Of whom Helenor, in the prime of youth,

Maeonio regi quem serva Licymnia furtim

whom the slave Licymnia had secretly reared

sustulerat vetitisque ad Troiam miserat armis,

for the Maeonian king, and had sent to Troy with forbidden arms,

ense levis nudo parmaque inglorius alba;

light-armed with a bare sword and inglorious with a blank shield;

isque ubi se Turni media inter milia vidit,

and when he saw himself in the midst of Turnus’ thousands,

550

hinc acies atque hinc acies adstare Latinas:²

and that Latin lines stood there on this side and on that:

ut fera, quae densa venantum saepta corona

just as a wild beast, hemmed in by a dense ring of hunters,

contra tela furit seseque haud nescia morti

rages against their weapons, and not ignorant of its fate flings itself

inicit et saltu supra venabula fertur,

upon death, and is carried by a leap over the hunting-spears,

haud aliter iuvenis medios moriturus in hostis

not otherwise did the youth rush into the midst of the enemy,

555

inruit et, qua tela videt densissima, tendit.

ready to die, and press forward where he saw the weapons thickest.

At pedibus longe melior Lycus inter et hostis

But Lycus, far swifter on his feet, flees through the enemy

inter et arma fuga muros tenet altaque certat

and through the weapons, reaches the walls, and strives to grasp

prendere tecta manu sociumque attingere dextras.

the high roofs with his hand and reach the right hands of his comrades.

Quem Turnus, pariter cursu teloque secutus,

Whom Turnus, following him equally with speed and weapon,

560

increpat his victor: Nostrasne evadere, demens,

taunts him in victory with these words: “Did you hope, madman, that you could escape

sperasti te posse manus? Simul adripit ipsum

our hands?” At the same time, he seizes him as he hangs

pendentem et magna muri cum parte revellit.

and tears him down along with a huge piece of the wall.

Qualis ubi aut leporem aut candenti corpore cycnum

Just as when either a hare or a swan of shining body,

sustulit alta petens pedibus Iovis armiger uncis

the armour-bearer of Jupiter, seeking the heights, has carried up in its curved claws,

565

quaesitum aut matri multis balatibus agnum

or as the wolf of Mars has snatched from the sheepfolds a lamb

Martius a stabulis rapuit lupus. Undique clamor

sought by its mother with many bleatings. From all sides the clamor

tollitur: invadunt et fossas agere complent;

arises; they rush in and fill the trenches, piling them up;

ardentis taedas alii ad fastigia iactant.

others throw burning torches to the roofs.

Ilioneus saxo atque ingenti fragmine montis

Ilioneus with a stone, even a huge fragment of a mountain,

570

Lucetium portae subeuntem ignisque ferentem,

lays low Lucetius as he approached the gate and carried fire;

Emathiona Liger, Corynaeum sternit Asilas,

Liger slays Emathion, Asilas kills Corynaeus,

hic iaculo bonus, hic longe fallente sagitta,

the one good with the javelin, the other with the far-deceiving arrow;

Ortygium Caeneus, victorem Caenea Turnus,

Caeneus slays Ortygius, and victorious Turnus slays Caeneus,

Turnus Ityn Cloniumque, Dioxippum Promolumque

Turnus slays Itys and Clonius, Dioxippum and Promolum,

575

et Sagarim et summis stantem pro turribus Idan,

and Sagaris and Idas who was standing on the highest towers;

Privernum Capys. Hunc primo levis hasta Themillae

Capys slays Privernus. Him first the light spear of Themilla

strinxerat: ille manum proiecto tegmine demens

had grazed; he, foolishly throwing away his shield, had brought his hand

ad volnus tulit; ergo alis adlapsa sagitta

to the wound; therefore an arrow came gliding on wings,

et laevo infixa est lateri manus abditaque intus³

and his hand was pinned to his left side, and hidden deep within

580

spiramenta animae letali volnere rupit.

it broke the passages of his breath with a deadly wound.

Stabat in egregiis Arcentis filius armis,

The son of Arcens stood in magnificent armor,

pictus acu chlamydem et ferrugine clarus Hibera,

his cloak embroidered and bright with Iberian rust-color,

insignis facie, genitor quem miserat Arcens,

distinguished in beauty, whom his father Arcens had sent,

eductum Matris luco Symaethia circum

reared in the grove of the Mother around the Symaethian

585

flumina, pinguis ubi et placabilis ara Palici:

rivers, where there is a rich and placable altar of Palicus:

stridentem fundam positis Mezentius hastis

Mezentius, laying aside his spears, himself with three turns

ipse ter adducta circum caput egit habena

of the cord whirled the thong around his head,

et media adversi liquefacto tempora plumbo

and split open the middle of the temple of his opposing enemy with the melted lead,

diffidit ac multa porrectum extendit harena.

and stretched him out at full length upon the deep sand.

590

Tum primum bello celerem intendisse sagittam

Then first in war is Ascanius said to have aimed

dicitur⁴ ante feras solitus terrere fugaces

a swift arrow, accustomed before to terrify fleeing beasts,

Ascanius fortemque manu fudisse Numanum,

and to have laid low the brave Numanus with his hand,

Syntax notes4 items

9.525Vos, o Calliope
The pronoun vos is plural, addressing the Muses as a collective, while the vocative Calliope is singular. This rhetorical shift addresses Calliope as the representative of the entire sisterhood of Muses.
9.550hinc acies atque hinc acies adstare Latinas
An accusative with infinitive (A.C.I.) construction introduced by the verb vidit in line 549. Standing in coordination with se ... vidit, it indicates that he perceived the Latin lines standing on either side.
9.579manus abditaque intus
The perfect participle abdita (nominative feminine singular) agrees with manus rather than sagitta. It vividly depicts the hand being pinned by the arrow to the left flank, becoming hidden deep within the wound or garments.
9.590Tum primum bello celerem intendisse sagittam / dicitur
A personal construction of the passive dicitur ("is said") taking the nominative subject Ascanius and governing the perfect active infinitives intendisse and fudisse (line 592), meaning "Ascanius is said then for the first time to have aimed... and to have routed...".

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-22)urn:cts:latinLit:phi0690.phi003.humanitext-lat2:9.516-9.592