Numanus' Taunts and Ascanius' Archery — Virgil, Aeneid Book 9 (lines 593–667), Latin & English

593

cui Remulo cognomen erat,¹ Turnique minorem

who had the surname Remulus, and had recently

germanam nuper thalamo sociatus habebat.

married Turnus’ younger sister and had her as his wife.

595

Is primam ante aciem digna atque indigna relatu

He, before the front line, shouting things fit and unfit

vociferans tumidusque novo praecordia regno

to repeat, and puffed up in his heart by his new royalty,

ibat et ingentem sese clamore ferebat:

was marching and bearing himself grandly with a loud cry:

Non pudet obsidione iterum valloque teneri,

”Are you not ashamed to be held again by siege and rampart,

bis capti Phryges, et morti praetendere muros?

you twice-captured Phrygians, and to extend walls against death?

600

En qui nostra sibi bello conubia poscunt!

Behold those who demand our marriages for themselves by war!

Quis deus Italiam, quae vos dementia adegit²

What god, what madness drove you to Italy?

Non hic Atridae nec fandi fictor Ulixes:

Here are no sons of Atreus, nor Ulysses, fabricator of speech:

durum a stirpe genus natos ad flumina primum

a race of hardy stock, we carry our newborn infants to the rivers

deferimus saevoque gelu duramus et undis,

and harden them with the cruel frost and waves;

605

venatu invigilant pueri silvasque fatigant,

our boys stay awake for the hunt and tire out the forests,

flectere ludus equos et spicula tendere cornu.

their play is to guide horses and stretch arrows from the bow.

At patiens operum parvoque adsueta iuventus

But our youth, patient of labor and accustomed to little,

aut rastris terram domat aut quatit oppida bello.

either tames the earth with rakes or shakes towns in war.

Omne aevum ferro teritur, versaque iuvencum

Our whole age is worn with iron, and with the turned spear

610

terga fatigamus hasta; nec tarda senectus

we weary the backs of bullocks; nor does slow old age

debilitat vires animi mutatque vigorem:

weaken our spirits’ strength or change our vigor:

canitiem galea premimus, semperque recentis

we press our gray hair with the helmet, and it is always our joy

comportare iuvat praedas et vivere rapto.

to bring together fresh plunder and to live by plunder.

Vobis picta croco et fulgenti murice vestis,

You have garments painted with saffron and glittering purple,

615

desidiae cordi, iuvat indulgere choreis,

idleness is dear to your heart, you love to indulge in dances,

et tunicae manicas et habent redimicula mitrae.

and your tunics have sleeves, and your turbans have ribbons.

O vere Phrygiae, neque enim Phryges, ite per alta

O truly Phrygian women, for indeed you are not Phrygian men, go over the high

Dindyma ubi adsuetis biforem dat tibia cantum!

Dindymus where the pipe gives its two-stopped song to those accustomed to it!

Tympana vos buxusque vocat Berecyntia Matris

The tambourines and the Berecyntian boxwood flute of the Mother of Ida call you;

620

Idaeae sinite arma viris et cedite ferro.

leave arms to men and yield to iron.”

Talia iactantem dictis ac dira canentem

Ascanius did not endure him boasting such things with words

non tulit Ascanius nervoque obversus equino³

and chanting dire insults, and facing him, on a horsehair string

contendit telum diversaque bracchia ducens

he drew his arrow and, drawing his arms apart,

constitit, ante Iovem supplex per vota precatus:

he stood, having first prayed suppliantly to Jupiter with vows:

625

Iuppiter omnipotens, audacibus adnue coeptis.

”All-powerful Jupiter, nod assent to my bold enterprise.

Ipse tibi ad tua templa feram sollemnia dona

I myself will bring solemn gifts to your temples,

et statuam ante aras aurata fronte iuvencum

and I will place before your altars a white bullock with gilded forehead,

candentem pariterque caput cum matre ferentem,

holding its head as high as its mother’s,

iam cornu petat et pedibus qui spargat harenam.

which already butts with its horn and scatters the sand with its hooves.”

630

Audiit et caeli Genitor de parte serena

The Father of heaven heard, and from a clear part of heaven

intonuit laevum, sonat una fatifer arcus:

thundered on the left; at the same time the fate-bearing bow resounded:

effugit horrendum stridens adducta sagitta

the drawn arrow sped away, whistling terribly,

perque caput Remuli venit et cava tempora ferro

and went through the head of Remulus, and pierced his hollow temples

traicit. I, verbis virtutem inlude superbis!

with its iron head. “Go, mock valor with proud words!

635

His capti Phryges haec Rutulis responsa remittunt.

These answers the twice-captured Phrygians send back to the Rutulians.”

Hoc tantum Ascanius. Teucri clamore sequuntur

Thus far Ascanius. The Trojans follow with a shout

laetitiaque fremunt animosque ad sidera tollunt.

and roar with joy, and raise their spirits to the stars.

Aetheria tum forte plaga crinitus Apollo

Then by chance in the ethereal region long-haired Apollo

desuper Ausonias acies urbemque videbat,

was looking down upon the Ausonian lines and the city from above,

640

nube sedens, atque his victorem adfatur Iulum:

sitting on a cloud, and addresses victorious Iulus with these words:

Macte nova virtute,⁴ puer: sic itur ad astra,

”A blessing on your young courage, boy: thus is the path to the stars,

dis genite et geniture deos. Iure omnia bella

son of gods and ancestor of gods. By right all wars to come

gente sub Assaraci fato ventura resident,

under the fate shall subside under the race of Assaracus,

nec te Troia capit. Simul haec effatus ab alto

nor does Troy contain you.” As soon as he spoke these words, he cast himself from the high

645

aethere se misit, spirantis dimovet auras

ether, parts the breathing breezes,

Ascaniumque petit. Forma tum vertitur oris

and seeks Ascanius. Then he changes his facial form

antiquum in Buten; hic Dardanio Anchisae

into ancient Butes; he formerly was armor-bearer to Dardanian Anchises

armiger ante fuit fidusque ad limina custos,

and a faithful guard at his threshold;

tum comitem Ascanio pater addidit. Ibat Apollo

then the father had added him as a companion to Ascanius. Apollo went,

650

omnia longaevo similis, vocemque coloremque

like the old man in everything, voice, color,

et crinis albos et saeva sonoribus arma,

white hair, and arms fierce in their sound,

atque his ardentem dictis adfatur Iulum:

and addresses the eager Iulus with these words:

Sit satis, Aenide, telis impune Numanum⁵

”Let it be enough, son of Aeneas, that Numanus has fallen

oppetiisse tuis; primam hanc tibi magnus, Apollo

by your weapons without harm to you; this first praise great Apollo

655

concedit laudem et paribus non invidet armis:

grants to you, and envies not your equal arms:

cetera parce, puer, bello. Sic orsus Apollo

for the rest, boy, spare yourself from war.” Thus having spoken, Apollo

mortalis medio aspectus sermone reliquit

left mortal sight in the midst of his discourse,

et procul in tenuem ex oculis evanuit auram.

and vanished from their eyes far away into thin air.

Agnovere deum proceres divinaque tela

The Dardanian chiefs recognized the god and his divine weapons,

660

Dardanidae pharetramque fuga sensere sonantem.

and perceived his quiver rattling in his flight.

Ergo avidum pugnae dictis ac numine Phoebi

Therefore they restrain Ascanius, eager for battle, by the words

Ascanium prohibent, ipsi in certamina rursus

and authority of Phoebus, and themselves enter the contests again

succedunt animasque in aperta pericula mittunt.

and cast their lives into open dangers.

It clamor totis per propugnacula muris,

A clamor goes along the whole walls through the battlements;

665

intendunt acris arcus amentaque torquent.

they bend their eager bows and twist the thongs.

Sternitur omne solum telis, tum scuta cavaeque

The whole ground is strewn with weapons, then shields and hollow

dant sonitum flictu galeae, pugna aspera surgit:

helmets give a sound in clashing, a fierce battle rises:

Syntax notes5 items

9.593cui Remulo cognomen erat
A dative of possession with the relative pronoun cui. The proper name Remulo, which logically would be nominative in apposition to cognomen, is attracted into the dative case (dative attraction) by cui.
9.601Quis deus Italiam, quae vos dementia adegit
The first clause Quis deus Italiam lacks a predicate verb, which must be supplied either by sharing adegit from the following clause or supplying a similar verb meaning 'drove' or 'brought'.
9.622nervoque obversus equino
obversus is a nominative participle modifying Ascanius. nervoque equino can be construed either as a dative dependent on obversus (turning toward/facing the horsehair string) or an ablative of instrument with contendit (aimed/stretched with a horsehair string). Interpreting as dative with obversus is adopted here.
9.641Macte nova virtute
The vocative form macte (originally from mactus) functions idiomatically with an ablative of cause or specification (virtute) to mean 'be blessed/increased in your new courage' or 'bravo on your courage'.
9.653Sit satis, Aenide, telis impune Numanum
The subject of the impersonal phrase sit satis is the accusative-and-infinitive clause Numanum... oppetiisse (that Numanus fell). impune is an adverb meaning 'with impunity' or 'without harm to yourself', indicating that Ascanius was not retaliated against.

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-22)urn:cts:latinLit:phi0690.phi003.humanitext-lat2:9.593-9.667