§5.556omnibus in morem tonsa coma pressa corona; §5.557cornea bina ferunt praefixa hastilia ferro; §5.558pars levis umero pharetras; it pectore summo §5.559flexilis obtorti per collum circulus auri.
All had their hair pressed by a shorn crown, according to custom; they carry two cornel-wood spears tipped with iron; some bear light quivers on their shoulder; at the top of the breast goes a pliant ring of twisted gold around the neck.
§5.560Tres equitum numero turmae, ternique vagantur §5.561ductores: pueri bis seni quemque secuti §5.562agmine partito fulgent paribusque magistris.
Three are the squadrons of horsemen in number, and three leaders ride about: twice six boys following each shine in the divided troop and with equal teachers.
§5.563Una acies iuvenum, ducit quam parvus ovantem §5.564nomen avi referens Priamus,—tua clara, Polite, §5.565progenies, auctura Italos,—quem Thracius albis §5.566portat equus bicolor maculis, vestigia primi §5.567alba pedis frontemque ostentans arduus albam.
One battle-line of the youth, which young Priam leads rejoicing, bearing his grandfather's name—your illustrious offspring, Polites, destined to increase the Italians—whom a Thracian horse carries, two-colored with white spots, displaying white hoofs of its foremost foot as it steps and, tall, displaying a white forehead.
Another is Atys, from whom the Latin Atii have drawn their lineage, little Atys, a boy beloved by the boy Iulus.
§5.570Extremus, formaque ante omnis pulcher, Iulus §5.571Sidonio est invectus equo, quem candida Dido §5.572esse sui dederat monumentum et pignus amoris.
Last, and beautiful in form before all, Iulus rode on a Sidonian horse, which fair Dido had given to be a monument of herself and a pledge of love.
The rest of the youth are carried on the horses of the elder Sicilian Acestes.
§5.575Excipiunt plausu pavidos, gaudentque tuentes §5.576Dardanidae, veterumque adgnoscunt ora parentum.
The Trojans receive them with applause as they are fearful, and rejoice beholding them, and recognize the features of their old parents.
§5.577Postquam omnem laeti consessum oculosque suorum §5.578lustravere in equis, signum clamore paratis §5.579Epytides longe dedit insonuitque flagello.
After they, joyful, had traversed on their horses the whole assembly and the eyes of their people, Epytides from afar gave the signal with a shout to them ready, and cracked his whip.
§5.580Olli discurrere pares, atque agmina terni §5.581diductis solvere choris, rursusque vocati §5.582convertere vias infestaque tela tulere.
They galloped apart in equal numbers, and the three leaders broke their ranks into separated groups, and called back again, they reversed their paths and bore hostile weapons.
§5.583Inde alios ineunt cursus aliosque recursus §5.584adversi spatiis, alternosque orbibus orbes §5.585impediunt, pugnaeque cient simulacra sub armis; §5.586et nunc terga fuga nudant, nunc spicula vertunt §5.587infensi, facta pariter nunc pace feruntur.
Then they enter upon other courses and other retreats opposite in their spaces, and entangle alternating circles with circles, and stir up images of battle under arms; and now they lay bare their backs in flight, now they turn their darts hostilely, now having made peace they ride together.
§5.588Ut quondam Creta fertur Labyrinthus in alta §5.589parietibus textum caecis iter, ancipitemque §5.590mille viis habuisse dolum, qua signa sequendi §5.591falleret indeprensus et inremeabilis error; §5.592haud alio Teucrum nati vestigia cursu §5.593impediunt texuntque fugas et proelia ludo, §5.594delphinum similes, qui per maria umida nando §5.595Carpathium Libycumque secant,
Just as once the Labyrinth in high Crete is said to have had a path woven with blind walls, and an ambiguous deception with a thousand ways, where an undetected and irretraceable error would deceive the signs of following; in no other course do the sons of the Trojans entangle their steps and weave flights and battles in play, like dolphins, which swimming through the watery seas cleave the Carpathian and Libyan waters.
§5.596Hunc morem cursus atque haec certamina primus §5.597Ascanius, Longam muris cum cingeret Albam, §5.598rettulit, et priscos docuit celebrare Latinos, §5.599quo puer ipse modo, secum quo Troïa pubes; §5.600Albani docuere suos; hinc maxima porro §5.601accepit Roma, et patrium servavit honorem; §5.602Troiaque nunc pueri, Troianum dicitur agmen.
This custom of the course and these contests Ascanius first renewed, when he girt Alba Longa with walls, and taught the ancient Latins to celebrate them, in the same manner as he himself, a boy, and with him the Trojan youth had done; the Albans taught their own; from here in turn greatest Rome received it, and preserved the ancestral honor; and now the boys are called 'Troy', and the troop 'Trojan'.
§5.603Hac celebrata tenus sancto certamina patri.
Thus far the contests were celebrated for the holy father.
§5.604Hic primum fortuna fidem mutata novavit.
Here first Fortune changed and renewed her faith.
§5.605Dum variis tumulo referunt sollemnia ludis, §5.606Irim de caelo misit Saturnia Iuno §5.607Iliacam ad classem, ventosque adspirat eunti, §5.608multa movens, necdum antiquum saturata dolorem.
While they pay the solemn rites at the tomb with various games, Saturnian Juno sent Iris from heaven to the Trojan fleet, and breathes winds upon her as she goes, pondering many things, not yet having sated her ancient grief.
She, hastening her way through a rainbow of a thousand colors, runs down her swift path, a maiden seen by none.
§5.611Conspicit ingentem concursum, et litora lustrat, §5.612desertosque videt portus classemque relictam.
She beholds the vast gathering, and surveys the shores, and sees the harbors deserted and the fleet abandoned.
§5.613At procul in sola secretae Troades acta §5.614amissum Anchisen flebant, cunctaeque profundum §5.615pontum adspectabant flentes.
But far off on the lonely shore, the Trojan women apart were weeping for lost Anchises, and all, weeping, were gazing at the deep sea.
Heu tot vada fessis §5.616et tantum superesse maris!
vox omnibus una.
'Alas, that so many shoals for the weary and so much of the sea still remains!' was the one voice of all.
§5.617Urbem orant; taedet pelagi perferre laborem.
They pray for a city; they are weary of enduring the labor of the deep.
§5.618Ergo inter medias sese haud ignara nocendi §5.619conicit, et faciemque deae vestemque reponit; §5.620fit Beroë, Tmarii coniunx longaeva Dorycli, §5.621cui genus et quondam nomen natique fuissent; §5.622ac sic Dardanidum mediam se matribus infert: §5.623O miserae, quas non manus
inquit
Achaïca bello
Therefore she flings herself into their midst, not ignorant of doing harm, and lays aside the face and vesture of a goddess; she becomes Beroe, the aged wife of Tmarian Doryclus, to whom once there had been family, name, and children; and thus she introduces herself into the midst of the Trojan mothers: 'O wretched women, whom no Achaean hand in war,' she says, 'dragged to death under the walls of your homeland!
O unhappy race, for what destruction does Fortune reserve you?
§5.626Septuma post Troiae exscidium iam vertitur aestas, §5.627cum freta, cum terras omnes, tot inhospita saxa §5.628sideraque emensae ferimur, dum per mare magnum §5.629Italiam sequimur fugientem, et volvimur undis.
The seventh summer since the destruction of Troy is now turning, while we are carried, having measured seas, all lands, so many inhospitable rocks and stars, while through the great sea we pursue a fleeing Italy, and are tossed by the waves.
§5.630Hic Erycis fines fraterni, atque hospes Acestes: §5.631quis prohibet muros iacere et dare civibus urbem?
Here are the brotherly borders of Eryx, and the host Acestes: who prevents us from casting up walls and giving a city to our citizens?
§5.632O patria et rapti nequiquam ex hoste Penates, §5.633nullane iam Troiae dicentur moenia? Nusquam
O homeland, and Penates snatched in vain from the enemy, will no walls now be called those of Troy?
§5.634Hectoreos amnes, Xanthum et Simoenta, videbo?
Shall I nowhere see Hectorean rivers, Xanthus and Simois?
§5.635Quin agite et mecum infaustas exurite puppes.
Nay, come and burn with me the ill-omened ships.
§5.636Nam mihi Cassandrae per somnum vatis imago
For to me the image of the prophetess Cassandra in my sleep'