Aeneid

But anxious cares already seiz'd the queen:

At regina gravi iamdudum saucia cura

She fed within her veins a flame unseen;

volnus alit venis, et caeco carpitur igni.

The hero's valor, acts, and birth inspire

Multa viri virtus animo, multusque recursat

Her soul with love, and fan the secret fire.

gentis honos: haerent infixi pectore voltus

His words, his looks, imprinted in her heart,

verbaque, nec placidam membris dat cura quietem.

Improve the passion, and increase the smart.

Postera Phoebea lustrabat lampade terras,

Now, when the purple morn had chas'd away

umentemque Aurora polo dimoverat umbram,

The dewy shadows, and restor'd the day,

cum sic unanimam adloquitur male sana sororem:

Her sister first with early care she sought,

Anna soror, quae me suspensam insomnia terrent!

And thus in mournful accents eas'd her thought:

Quis novus hic nostris successit sedibus hospes,

"My dearest Anna, what new dreams affright

quem sese ore ferens, quam forti pectore et armis!

My lab'ring soul! what visions of the night

Credo equidem, nec vana fides, genus esse deorum.

Disturb my quiet, and distract my breast

Degeneres animos timor arguit: heu, quibus ille

With strange ideas of our Trojan guest!

iactatus fatis! Quae bella exhausta canebat!

His worth, his actions, and majestic air,

Si mihi non animo fixum immotumque sederet,

A man descended from the gods declare.

ne cui me vinclo vellem sociare iugali,

Fear ever argues a degenerate kind;

postquam primus amor deceptam morte fefellit;

His birth is well asserted by his mind.

si non pertaesum thalami taedaeque fuisset,

Then, what he suffer'd, when by Fate betray'd!

huic uni forsan potui succumbere culpae.

What brave attempts for falling Troy he made!

Anna, fatebor enim, miseri post fata Sychaei

Such were his looks, so gracefully he spoke,

coniugis et sparsos fraterna caede Penatis,

That, were I not resolv'd against the yoke

solus hic inflexit sensus, animumque labantem

Of hapless marriage, never to be curst

impulit: adgnosco veteris vestigia flammae.

With second love, so fatal was my first,

Sed mihi vel tellus optem prius ima dehiscat,

To this one error I might yield again;

vel Pater omnipotens adigat me fulmine ad umbras,

For, since Sichaeus was untimely slain,

pallentis umbras Erebi noctemque profundam,

This only man is able to subvert

ante, Pudor, quam te violo, aut tua iura resolvo.

The fix'd foundations of my stubborn heart.

Ille meos, primus qui me sibi iunxit, amores

And, to confess my frailty, to my shame,

abstulit; ille habeat secum servetque sepulchro.

Somewhat I find within, if not the same,

Sic effata sinum lacrimis implevit obortis.

Too like the sparkles of my former flame.

Anna refert: O luce magis dilecta sorori,

But first let yawning earth a passage rend,

solane perpetua maerens carpere iuventa,

And let me thro' the dark abyss descend;

nec dulcis natos, Veneris nec praemia noris?

First let avenging Jove, with flames from high,

Id cinerem aut Manis credis curare sepultos?

Drive down this body to the nether sky,

Esto: aegram nulli quondam flexere mariti,

Condemn'd with ghosts in endless night to lie,

non Libyae, non ante Tyro; despectus Iarbas

Before I break the plighted faith I gave!

ductoresque alii, quos Africa terra triumphis

No! he who had my vows shall ever have;

dives alit: placitone etiam pugnabis amori?

For, whom I lov'd on earth, I worship in the grave."

Nec venit in mentem, quorum consederis arvis?

She said: the tears ran gushing from her eyes,

Hinc Gaetulae urbes, genus insuperabile bello,

And stopp'd her speech. Her sister thus replies:

et Numidae infreni cingunt et inhospita Syrtis;

"O dearer than the vital air I breathe,

hinc deserta siti regio, lateque furentes

Will you to grief your blooming years bequeath,

Barcaei. Quid bella Tyro surgentia dicam,

Condemn'd to waste in woes your lonely life,

germanique minas?

Without the joys of mother or of wife?

Dis equidem auspicibus reor et Iunone secunda

Think you these tears, this pompous train of woe,

hunc cursum Iliacas vento tenuisse carinas.

Are known or valued by the ghosts below?

Quam tu urbem, soror, hanc cernes, quae surgere regna

I grant that, while your sorrows yet were green,

coniugio tali! Teucrum comitantibus armis

It well became a woman, and a queen,

Punica se quantis attollet gloria rebus!

The vows of Tyrian princes to neglect,

Tu modo posce deos veniam, sacrisque litatis

To scorn Hyarbas, and his love reject,

indulge hospitio, causasque innecte morandi,

With all the Libyan lords of mighty name;

dum pelago desaevit hiemps et aquosus Orion,

But will you fight against a pleasing flame!

quassataeque rates, dum non tractabile caelum.

This little spot of land, which Heav'n bestows,

His dictis incensum animum inflammavit amore,

On ev'ry side is hemm'd with warlike foes;

spemque dedit dubiae menti, solvitque pudorem.

Gaetulian cities here are spread around,

Principio delubra adeunt, pacemque per aras

And fierce Numidians there your frontiers bound;

exquirunt; mactant lectas de more bidentis

Here lies a barren waste of thirsty land,

legiferae Cereri Phoeboque patrique Lyaeo,

And there the Syrtes raise the moving sand;

Iunoni ante omnis, cui vincla iugalia curae.

Barcaean troops besiege the narrow shore,

Ipsa, tenens dextra pateram, pulcherrima Dido

And from the sea Pygmalion threatens more.

candentis vaccae media inter cornua fundit,

Propitious Heav'n, and gracious Juno, lead

aut ante ora deum pinguis spatiatur ad aras,

This wand'ring navy to your needful aid:

instauratque diem donis, pecudumque reclusis

How will your empire spread, your city rise,

pectoribus inhians spirantia consulit exta.

From such a union, and with such allies?

Heu vatum ignarae mentes! quid vota furentem,

Implore the favor of the pow'rs above,

quid delubra iuvant? Est mollis flamma medullas

And leave the conduct of the rest to love.

interea, et tacitum vivit sub pectore volnus.

Continue still your hospitable way,

Uritur infelix Dido, totaque vagatur

And still invent occasions of their stay,

urbe furens, qualis coniecta cerva sagitta,

Till storms and winter winds shall cease to threat,

quam procul incautam nemora inter Cresia fixit

And planks and oars repair their shatter'd fleet."

These words, which from a friend and sister came,

With ease resolv'd the scruples of her fame,

And added fury to the kindled flame.

Inspir'd with hope, the project they pursue;

On ev'ry altar sacrifice renew:

A chosen ewe of two years old they pay

To Ceres, Bacchus, and the God of Day;

Preferring Juno's pow'r, for Juno ties

The nuptial knot and makes the marriage joys.

The beauteous queen before her altar stands,

And holds the golden goblet in her hands.

A milk-white heifer she with flow'rs adorns,

And pours the ruddy wine betwixt her horns;

And, while the priests with pray'r the gods invoke,

She feeds their altars with Sabaean smoke,

With hourly care the sacrifice renews,

And anxiously the panting entrails views.

What priestly rites, alas! what pious art,

What vows avail to cure a bleeding heart!

A gentle fire she feeds within her veins,

Where the soft god secure in silence reigns.

Sick with desire, and seeking him she loves,

From street to street the raving Dido roves.

So when the watchful shepherd, from the blind,

Wounds with a random shaft the careless hind,

Distracted with her pain she flies the woods,

Bounds o'er the lawn, and seeks the silent floods,

With fruitless care; for still the fatal dart

Sticks in her side, and rankles in her heart.

And now she leads the Trojan chief along

The lofty walls, amidst the busy throng;

pastor agens telis, liquitque volatile ferrum

Displays her Tyrian wealth, and rising town,

nescius; illa fuga silvas saltusque peragrat

Which love, without his labor, makes his own.

Dictaeos; haeret lateri letalis arundo.

This pomp she shows, to tempt her wand'ring guest;

Nunc media Aenean secum per moenia ducit,

Her falt'ring tongue forbids to speak the rest.

Sidoniasque ostentat opes urbemque paratam;

When day declines, and feasts renew the night,

incipit effari, mediaque in voce resistit;

Still on his face she feeds her famish'd sight;

nunc eadem labente die convivia quaerit,

She longs again to hear the prince relate

Iliacosque iterum demens audire labores

His own adventures and the Trojan fate.

exposcit, pendetque iterum narrantis ab ore.

He tells it o'er and o'er; but still in vain,

Post, ubi digressi, lumenque obscura vicissim

For still she begs to hear it once again.

luna premit suadentque cadentia sidera somnos,

The hearer on the speaker's mouth depends,

sola domo maeret vacua, stratisque relictis

And thus the tragic story never ends.

incubat, illum absens absentem auditque videtque;

Then, when they part, when Phoebe's paler light

aut gremio Ascanium, genitoris imagine capta,

Withdraws, and falling stars to sleep invite,

detinet, infandum si fallere possit amorem.

She last remains, when ev'ry guest is gone,

Non coeptae adsurgunt turres, non arma iuventus

Sits on the bed he press'd, and sighs alone;

exercet, portusve aut propugnacula bello

Absent, her absent hero sees and hears;

tuta parant; pendent opera interrupta, minaeque

Or in her bosom young Ascanius bears,

murorum ingentes aequataque machina caelo.

And seeks the father's image in the child,

Quam simul ac tali persensit peste teneri

If love by likeness might be so beguil'd.

cara Iovis coniunx, nec famam obstare furori,

Meantime the rising tow'rs are at a stand;

talibus adgreditur Venerem Saturnia dictis:

No labors exercise the youthful band,

Egregiam vero laudem et spolia ampla refertis

Nor use of arts, nor toils of arms they know;

tuque puerque tuus, magnum et memorabile numen,

The mole is left unfinish'd to the foe;

una dolo divom si femina victa duorum est!

The mounds, the works, the walls, neglected lie,

Nec me adeo fallit veritam te moenia nostra

Short of their promis'd heighth, that seem'd to threat the sky,

suspectas habuisse domos Karthaginis altae.

But when imperial Juno, from above,

Sed quis erit modus, aut quo nunc certamine tanto?

Saw Dido fetter'd in the chains of love,

Quin potius pacem aeternam pactosque hymenaeos

Hot with the venom which her veins inflam'd,

exercemus? Habes, tota quod mente petisti:

And by no sense of shame to be reclaim'd,

ardet amans Dido, traxitque per ossa furorem.

With soothing words to Venus she begun:

Communem hunc ergo populum paribusque regamus

"High praises, endless honors, you have won,

auspiciis; liceat Phrygio servire marito,

And mighty trophies, with your worthy son!

dotalisque tuae Tyrios permittere dextrae.

Two gods a silly woman have undone!

Olli—sensit enim simulata mente locutam,

Nor am I ignorant, you both suspect

quo regnum Italiae Libycas averteret oras—

This rising city, which my hands erect:

sic contra est ingressa Venus: Quis talia demens

But shall celestial discord never cease?

abnuat, aut tecum malit contendere bello,

'T is better ended in a lasting peace.

si modo, quod memoras, factum fortuna sequatur.

You stand possess'd of all your soul desir'd:

Sed fatis incerta feror, si Iuppiter unam

Poor Dido with consuming love is fir'd.

esse velit Tyriis urbem Troiaque profectis,

Your Trojan with my Tyrian let us join;

miscerive probet populos, aut foedera iungi.

So Dido shall be yours, Aeneas mine:

Tu coniunx tibi fas animum temptare precando.

One common kingdom, one united line.

Perge; sequar . Tum sic excepit regia Iuno:

Eliza shall a Dardan lord obey,

Mecum erit iste labor: nunc qua ratione, quod instat

And lofty Carthage for a dow'r convey."

confieri possit, paucis, adverte, docebo.

Then Venus, who her hidden fraud descried,

Venatum Aeneas unaque miserrima Dido

Which would the scepter of the world misguide

in nemus ire parant, ubi primos crastinus ortus

To Libyan shores, thus artfully replied:

extulerit Titan, radiisque retexerit orbem.

"Who, but a fool, would wars with Juno choose,

His ego nigrantem commixta grandine nimbum,

And such alliance and such gifts refuse,

dum trepidant alae, saltusque indagine cingunt,

If Fortune with our joint desires comply?

desuper infundam, et tonitru caelum omne ciebo.

The doubt is all from Jove and destiny;

Diffugient comites et nocte tegentur opaca:

Lest he forbid, with absolute command,

speluncam Dido dux et Troianus eandem

To mix the people in one common land-

devenient; adero, et, tua si mihi certa voluntas,

Or will the Trojan and the Tyrian line

conubio iungam stabili propriamque dicabo,

In lasting leagues and sure succession join?

hic hymenaeus erit. —Non adversata petenti

But you, the partner of his bed and throne,

adnuit, atque dolis risit Cytherea repertis.

May move his mind; my wishes are your own."

Oceanum interea surgens Aurora reliquit.

"Mine," said imperial Juno, "be the care;

It portis iubare exorto delecta iuventus;

Time urges, now, to perfect this affair:

retia rara, plagae, lato venabula ferro,

Attend my counsel, and the secret share.

Massylique ruunt equites et odora canum vis.

When next the Sun his rising light displays,

Reginam thalamo cunctantem ad limina primi

And gilds the world below with purple rays,

Poenorum exspectant, ostroque insignis et auro

The queen, Aeneas, and the Tyrian court

stat sonipes, ac frena ferox spumantia mandit.

Shall to the shady woods, for sylvan game, resort.

Tandem progreditur, magna stipante caterva,

There, while the huntsmen pitch their toils around,

Sidoniam picto chlamydem circumdata limbo.

And cheerful horns from side to side resound,

Cui pharetra ex auro, crines nodantur in aurum,

A pitchy cloud shall cover all the plain

aurea purpuream subnectit fibula vestem.

With hail, and thunder, and tempestuous rain;

Nec non et Phrygii comites et laetus Iulus

The fearful train shall take their speedy flight,

incedunt. Ipse ante alios pulcherrimus omnis

Dispers'd, and all involv'd in gloomy night;

One cave a grateful shelter shall afford

To the fair princess and the Trojan lord.

I will myself the bridal bed prepare,

If you, to bless the nuptials, will be there:

So shall their loves be crown'd with due delights,

And Hymen shall be present at the rites."

The Queen of Love consents, and closely smiles

At her vain project, and discover'd wiles.

The rosy morn was risen from the main,

And horns and hounds awake the princely train:

They issue early thro' the city gate,

Where the more wakeful huntsmen ready wait,

With nets, and toils, and darts, beside the force

Of Spartan dogs, and swift Massylian horse.

The Tyrian peers and officers of state

For the slow queen in antechambers wait;

Her lofty courser, in the court below,

Who his majestic rider seems to know,

Proud of his purple trappings, paws the ground,

And champs the golden bit, and spreads the foam around.

The queen at length appears; on either hand

The brawny guards in martial order stand.

A flow'r'd simar with golden fringe she wore,

And at her back a golden quiver bore;

Her flowing hair a golden caul restrains,

A golden clasp the Tyrian robe sustains.

Then young Ascanius, with a sprightly grace,

Leads on the Trojan youth to view the chase.

But far above the rest in beauty shines

The great Aeneas, the troop he joins;

infert se socium Aeneas atque agmina iungit.

Like fair Apollo, when he leaves the frost

Qualis ubi hibernam Lyciam Xanthique fluenta

Of wint'ry Xanthus, and the Lycian coast,

deserit ac Delum maternam invisit Apollo,

When to his native Delos he resorts,

instauratque choros, mixtique altaria circum

Ordains the dances, and renews the sports;

Cretesque Dryopesque fremunt pictique Agathyrsi;

Where painted Scythians, mix'd with Cretan bands,

ipse iugis Cynthi graditur, mollique fluentem

Before the joyful altars join their hands:

fronde premit crinem fingens atque implicat auro;

Himself, on Cynthus walking, sees below

tela sonant umeris: haud illo segnior ibat

The merry madness of the sacred show.

Aeneas; tantum egregio decus enitet ore.

Green wreaths of bays his length of hair inclose;

Postquam altos ventum in montis atque invia lustra,

A golden fillet binds his awful brows;

ecce ferae, saxi deiectae vertice, caprae

His quiver sounds: not less the prince is seen

decurrere iugis; alia de parte patentis

In manly presence, or in lofty mien.

transmittunt cursu campos atque agmina cervi

Now had they reach'd the hills, and storm'd the seat

pulverulenta fuga glomerant montisque relinquunt.

Of salvage beasts, in dens, their last retreat.

At puer Ascanius mediis in vallibus acri

The cry pursues the mountain goats: they bound

gaudet equo, iamque hos cursu, iam praeterit illos,

From rock to rock, and keep the craggy ground;

spumantemque dari pecora inter inertia votis

Quite otherwise the stags, a trembling train,

optat aprum, aut fulvum descendere monte leonem.

In herds unsingled, scour the dusty plain,

Interea magno misceri murmure caelum

And a long chase in open view maintain.

incipit; insequitur commixta grandine nimbus;

The glad Ascanius, as his courser guides,

et Tyrii comites passim et Troiana iuventus

Spurs thro' the vale, and these and those outrides.

Dardaniusque nepos Veneris diversa per agros

His horse's flanks and sides are forc'd to feel

tecta metu petiere; ruunt de montibus amnes.

The clanking lash, and goring of the steel.

Speluncam Dido dux et Troianus eandem

Impatiently he views the feeble prey,

deveniunt: prima et Tellus et pronuba Iuno

Wishing some nobler beast to cross his way,

dant signum; fulsere ignes et conscius aether

And rather would the tusky boar attend,

conubiis, summoque ulularunt vertice nymphae.

Or see the tawny lion downward bend.

Ille dies primus leti primusque malorum

Meantime, the gath'ring clouds obscure the skies:

causa fuit; neque enim specie famave movetur,

From pole to pole the forky lightning flies;

nec iam furtivum Dido meditatur amorem:

The rattling thunders roll; and Juno pours

coniugium vocat; hoc praetexit nomine culpam.

A wintry deluge down, and sounding show'rs.

Extemplo Libyae magnas it Fama per urbes—

The company, dispers'd, to converts ride,

Fama, malum qua non aliud velocius ullum;

And seek the homely cots, or mountain's hollow side.

mobilitate viget, viresque adquirit eundo,

The rapid rains, descending from the hills,

parva metu primo, mox sese attollit in auras,

To rolling torrents raise the creeping rills.

ingrediturque solo, et caput inter nubila condit.

The queen and prince, as love or fortune guides,

Illam Terra parens, ira inritata deorum,

One common cavern in her bosom hides.

extremam (ut perhibent) Coeo Enceladoque sororem

Then first the trembling earth the signal gave,

progenuit, pedibus celerem et pernicibus alis,

And flashing fires enlighten all the cave;

monstrum horrendum, ingens, cui, quot sunt corpore plumae

Hell from below, and Juno from above,

tot vigiles oculi subter, mirabile dictu,

And howling nymphs, were conscious of their love.

tot linguae, totidem ora sonant, tot subrigit aures.

From this ill-omen'd hour in time arose

Nocte volat caeli medio terraeque per umbram,

Debate and death, and all succeeding woes.

stridens, nec dulci declinat lumina somno;

The queen, whom sense of honor could not move,

luce sedet custos aut summi culmine tecti,

No longer made a secret of her love,

turribus aut altis, et magnas territat urbes;

But call'd it marriage, by that specious name

tam ficti pravique tenax, quam nuntia veri.

To veil the crime and sanctify the shame.

Haec tum multiplici populos sermone replebat

The loud report thro' Libyan cities goes.

gaudens, et pariter facta atque infecta canebat:

Fame, the great ill, from small beginnings grows:

venisse Aenean, Troiano sanguine cretum,

Swift from the first; and ev'ry moment brings

cui se pulchra viro dignetur iungere Dido;

New vigor to her flights, new pinions to her wings.

nunc hiemem inter se luxu, quam longa, fovere

Soon grows the pigmy to gigantic size;

regnorum immemores turpique cupidine captos.

Her feet on earth, her forehead in the skies.

Haec passim dea foeda virum diffundit in ora.

Inrag'd against the gods, revengeful Earth

Protinus ad regem cursus detorquet Iarban,

Produc'd her last of the Titanian birth.

incenditque animum dictis atque aggerat iras.

Swift is her walk, more swift her winged haste:

Hic Hammone satus, rapta Garamantide Nympha,

A monstrous phantom, horrible and vast.

templa Iovi centum latis immania regnis,

As many plumes as raise her lofty flight,

centum aras posuit, vigilemque sacraverat ignem,

So many piercing eyes inlarge her sight;

excubias divom aeternas, pecudumque cruore

Millions of opening mouths to Fame belong,

pingue solum et variis florentia limina sertis.

And ev'ry mouth is furnish'd with a tongue,

Isque amens animi et rumore accensus amaro

And round with list'ning ears the flying plague is hung.

dicitur ante aras media inter numina divom

She fills the peaceful universe with cries;

multa Iovem manibus supplex orasse supinis:

No slumbers ever close her wakeful eyes;

Iuppiter omnipotens, cui nunc Maurusia pictis

By day, from lofty tow'rs her head she shews,

gens epulata toris Lenaeum libat honorem,

And spreads thro' trembling crowds disastrous news;

aspicis haec, an te, genitor, cum fulmina torques,

With court informers haunts, and royal spies;

nequiquam horremus, caecique in nubibus ignes

Things done relates, not done she feigns, and mingles truth with

terrificant animos et inania murmura miscent?

lies.

Femina, quae nostris errans in finibus urbem

Talk is her business, and her chief delight

To tell of prodigies and cause affright.

She fills the people's ears with Dido's name,

Who, lost to honor and the sense of shame,

Admits into her throne and nuptial bed

A wand'ring guest, who from his country fled:

Whole days with him she passes in delights,

And wastes in luxury long winter nights,

Forgetful of her fame and royal trust,

Dissolv'd in ease, abandon'd to her lust.

The goddess widely spreads the loud report,

And flies at length to King Hyarba's court.

When first possess'd with this unwelcome news

Whom did he not of men and gods accuse?

This prince, from ravish'd Garamantis born,

A hundred temples did with spoils adorn,

In Ammon's honor, his celestial sire;

A hundred altars fed with wakeful fire;

And, thro' his vast dominions, priests ordain'd,

Whose watchful care these holy rites maintain'd.

The gates and columns were with garlands crown'd,

And blood of victim beasts enrich'd the ground.

He, when he heard a fugitive could move

The Tyrian princess, who disdain'd his love,

His breast with fury burn'd, his eyes with fire,

Mad with despair, impatient with desire;

Then on the sacred altars pouring wine,

He thus with pray'rs implor'd his sire divine:

"Great Jove! propitious to the Moorish race,

Who feast on painted beds, with off'rings grace

Thy temples, and adore thy pow'r divine

With blood of victims, and with sparkling wine,

exiguam pretio posuit, cui litus arandum

Seest thou not this? or do we fear in vain

cuique loci leges dedimus, conubia nostra

Thy boasted thunder, and thy thoughtless reign?

reppulit, ac dominum Aenean in regna recepit.

Do thy broad hands the forky lightnings lance?

Et nunc ille Paris cum semiviro comitatu,

Thine are the bolts, or the blind work of chance?

Maeonia mentum mitra crinemque madentem

A wand'ring woman builds, within our state,

subnexus, rapto potitur: nos munera templis

A little town, bought at an easy rate;

quippe tuis ferimus, famamque fovemus inanem.

She pays me homage, and my grants allow

Talibus orantem dictis arasque tenentem

A narrow space of Libyan lands to plow;

audiit omnipotens, oculosque ad moenia torsit

Yet, scorning me, by passion blindly led,

regia et oblitos famae melioris amantes.

Admits a banish'd Trojan to her bed!

Tum sic Mercurium adloquitur ac talia mandat:

And now this other Paris, with his train

Vade age, nate, voca Zephyros et labere pennis,

Of conquer'd cowards, must in Afric reign!

Dardaniumque ducem, Tyria Karthagine qui nunc

(Whom, what they are, their looks and garb confess,

exspectat, fatisque datas non respicit urbes,

Their locks with oil perfum'd, their Lydian dress.)

adloquere, et celeris defer mea dicta per auras.

He takes the spoil, enjoys the princely dame;

Non illum nobis genetrix pulcherrima talem

And I, rejected I, adore an empty name."

promisit, Graiumque ideo bis vindicat armis;

His vows, in haughty terms, he thus preferr'd,

sed fore, qui gravidam imperiis belloque frementem

And held his altar's horns. The mighty Thund'rer heard;

Italiam regeret, genus alto a sanguine Teucri

Then cast his eyes on Carthage, where he found

proderet, ac totum sub leges mitteret orbem.

The lustful pair in lawless pleasure drown'd,

Si nulla accendit tantarum gloria rerum,

Lost in their loves, insensible of shame,

nec super ipse sua molitur laude laborem,

And both forgetful of their better fame.

Ascanione pater Romanas invidet arces?

He calls Cyllenius, and the god attends,

Quid struit, aut qua spe inimica in gente moratur,

By whom his menacing command he sends:

nec prolem Ausoniam et Lavinia respicit arva?

"Go, mount the western winds, and cleave the sky;

Naviget: haec summa est; hic nostri nuntius esto.

Then, with a swift descent, to Carthage fly:

Dixerat. Ille patris magni parere parabat

There find the Trojan chief, who wastes his days

imperio; et primum pedibus talaria nectit

In slothful not and inglorious ease,

aurea, quae sublimem alis sive aequora supra

Nor minds the future city, giv'n by fate.

seu terram rapido pariter cum flamine portant;

To him this message from my mouth relate:

tum virgam capit: hac animas ille evocat Orco

'Not so fair Venus hop'd, when twice she won

pallentis, alias sub Tartara tristia mittit,

Thy life with pray'rs, nor promis'd such a son.

dat somnos adimitque, et lumina morte resignat.

Hers was a hero, destin'd to command

Illa fretus agit ventos, et turbida tranat

A martial race, and rule the Latian land,

nubila; iamque volans apicem et latera ardua cernit

Who should his ancient line from Teucer draw,

Atlantis duri, caelum qui vertice fulcit,

And on the conquer'd world impose the law.'

Atlantis, cinctum adsidue cui nubibus atris

If glory cannot move a mind so mean,

piniferum caput et vento pulsatur et imbri;

Nor future praise from fading pleasure wean,

nix umeros infusa tegit; tum flumina mento

Yet why should he defraud his son of fame,

praecipitant senis, et glacie riget horrida barba.

And grudge the Romans their immortal name!

Hic primum paribus nitens Cyllenius alis

What are his vain designs! what hopes he more

constitit; hinc toto praeceps se corpore ad undas

From his long ling'ring on a hostile shore,

misit, avi similis, quae circum litora, circum

Regardless to redeem his honor lost,

piscosos scopulos humilis volat aequora iuxta.

And for his race to gain th' Ausonian coast!

Haud aliter terras inter caelumque volabat,

Bid him with speed the Tyrian court forsake;

litus harenosum Libyae ventosque secabat

With this command the slumb'ring warrior wake."

materno veniens ab avo Cyllenia proles.

Hermes obeys; with golden pinions binds

Ut primum alatis tetigit magalia plantis,

His flying feet, and mounts the western winds:

Aenean fundantem arces ac tecta novantem

And, whether o'er the seas or earth he flies,

conspicit; atque illi stellatus iaspide fulva

With rapid force they bear him down the skies.

ensis erat, Tyrioque ardebat murice laena

But first he grasps within his awful hand

demissa ex umeris, dives quae munera Dido

The mark of sov'reign pow'r, his magic wand;

fecerat, et tenui telas discreverat auro.

With this he draws the ghosts from hollow graves;

Continuo invadit: Tu nunc Karthaginis altae

With this he drives them down the Stygian waves;

fundamenta locas, pulchramque uxorius urbem

With this he seals in sleep the wakeful sight,

exstruis, heu regni rerumque oblite tuarum?

And eyes, tho' clos'd in death, restores to light.

Ipse deum tibi me claro demittit Olympo

Thus arm'd, the god begins his airy race,

regnator, caelum ac terras qui numine torquet;

And drives the racking clouds along the liquid space;

ipse haec ferre iubet celeris mandata per auras:

Now sees the tops of Atlas, as he flies,

quid struis, aut qua spe Libycis teris otia terris?

Whose brawny back supports the starry skies;

Si te nulla movet tantarum gloria rerum,

Atlas, whose head, with piny forests crown'd,

nec super ipse tua moliris laude laborem,

Is beaten by the winds, with foggy vapors bound.

Ascanium surgentem et spes heredis Iuli

Snows hide his shoulders; from beneath his chin

respice, cui regnum Italiae Romanaque tellus

The founts of rolling streams their race begin;

debentur. Tali Cyllenius ore locutus

A beard of ice on his large breast depends.

mortalis visus medio sermone reliquit,

Here, pois'd upon his wings, the god descends:

et procul in tenuem ex oculis evanuit auram.

Then, rested thus, he from the tow'ring height

At vero Aeneas aspectu obmutuit amens,

Plung'd downward, with precipitated flight,

arrectaeque horrore comae, et vox faucibus haesit.

Lights on the seas, and skims along the flood.

Ardet abire fuga dulcisque relinquere terras,

As waterfowl, who seek their fishy food,

attonitus tanto monitu imperioque deorum.

Less, and yet less, to distant prospect show;

By turns they dance aloft, and dive below:

Like these, the steerage of his wings he plies,

And near the surface of the water flies,

Till, having pass'd the seas, and cross'd the sands,

He clos'd his wings, and stoop'd on Libyan lands:

Where shepherds once were hous'd in homely sheds,

Now tow'rs within the clouds advance their heads.

Arriving there, he found the Trojan prince

New ramparts raising for the town's defense.

A purple scarf, with gold embroider'd o'er,

(Queen Dido's gift,) about his waist he wore;

A sword, with glitt'ring gems diversified,

For ornament, not use, hung idly by his side.

Then thus, with winged words, the god began,

Resuming his own shape: "Degenerate man,

Thou woman's property, what mak'st thou here,

These foreign walls and Tyrian tow'rs to rear,

Forgetful of thy own? All-pow'rful Jove,

Who sways the world below and heav'n above,

Has sent me down with this severe command:

What means thy ling'ring in the Libyan land?

If glory cannot move a mind so mean,

Nor future praise from flitting pleasure wean,

Regard the fortunes of thy rising heir:

The promis'd crown let young Ascanius wear,

To whom th' Ausonian scepter, and the state

Of Rome's imperial name is ow'd by fate."

So spoke the god; and, speaking, took his flight,

Involv'd in clouds, and vanish'd out of sight.

The pious prince was seiz'd with sudden fear;

Heu quid agat? Quo nunc reginam ambire furentem

Mute was his tongue, and upright stood his hair.

audeat adfatu? Quae prima exordia sumat?

Revolving in his mind the stern command,

Atque animum nunc huc celerem, nunc dividit illuc,

He longs to fly, and loathes the charming land.

in partisque rapit varias perque omnia versat.

What should he say? or how should he begin?

Haec alternanti potior sententia visa est:

What course, alas! remains to steer between

Mnesthea Sergestumque vocat fortemque Serestum,

Th' offended lover and the pow'rful queen?

classem aptent taciti sociosque ad litora cogant,

This way and that he turns his anxious mind,

arma parent, et quae rebus sit causa novandis

And all expedients tries, and none can find.

dissimulent; sese interea, quando optuma Dido

Fix'd on the deed, but doubtful of the means,

nesciat et tantos rumpi non speret amores,

After long thought, to this advice he leans:

temptaturum aditus, et quae mollissima fandi

Three chiefs he calls, commands them to repair

tempora, quis rebus dexter modus. Ocius omnes

The fleet, and ship their men with silent care;

imperio laeti parent ac iussa facessunt.

Some plausible pretense he bids them find,

At regina dolos—quis fallere possit amantem?

To color what in secret he design'd.

praesensit, motusque excepit prima futuros,

Himself, meantime, the softest hours would choose,

omnia tuta timens. Eadem impia Fama furenti

Before the love-sick lady heard the news;

detulit armari classem cursumque parari.

And move her tender mind, by slow degrees,

Saevit inops animi, totamque incensa per urbem

To suffer what the sov'reign pow'r decrees:

bacchatur, qualis commotis excita sacris

Jove will inspire him, when, and what to say.

Thyias, ubi audito stimulant trieterica Baccho

They hear with pleasure, and with haste obey.

orgia, nocturnusque vocat clamore Cithaeron.

But soon the queen perceives the thin disguise:

Tandem his Aenean compellat vocibus ultro:

(What arts can blind a jealous woman's eyes!)

Dissimulare etiam sperasti, perfide, tantum

She was the first to find the secret fraud,

posse nefas, tacitusque mea decedere terra?

Before the fatal news was blaz'd abroad.

Nec te noster amor, nec te data dextera quondam,

Love the first motions of the lover hears,

nec moritura tenet crudeli funere Dido?

Quick to presage, and ev'n in safety fears.

Quin etiam hiberno moliris sidere classem,

Nor impious Fame was wanting to report

et mediis properas aquilonibus ire per altum,

The ships repair'd, the Trojans' thick resort,

crudelis? Quid, si non arva aliena domosque

And purpose to forsake the Tyrian court.

ignotas peteres, sed Troia antiqua maneret,

Frantic with fear, impatient of the wound,

Troia per undosum peteretur classibus aequor

And impotent of mind, she roves the city round.

Mene fugis? Per ego has lacrimas dextramque tuam te

Less wild the Bacchanalian dames appear,

(quando aliud mihi iam miserae nihil ipsa reliqui)

When, from afar, their nightly god they hear,

per conubia nostra, per inceptos hymenaeos,

And howl about the hills, and shake the wreathy spear.

si bene quid de te merui, fuit aut tibi quicquam

At length she finds the dear perfidious man;

dulce meum, miserere domus labentis, et istam—

Prevents his form'd excuse, and thus began:

oro, si quis adhuc precibus locus—exue mentem.

"Base and ungrateful! could you hope to fly,

Te propter Libycae gentes Nomadumque tyranni

And undiscover'd scape a lover's eye?

odere, infensi Tyrii; te propter eundem

Nor could my kindness your compassion move.

exstinctus pudor, et, qua sola sidera adibam,

Nor plighted vows, nor dearer bands of love?

fama prior. Cui me moribundam deseris, hospes?

Or is the death of a despairing queen

Hoc solum nomen quoniam de coniuge restat.

Not worth preventing, tho' too well foreseen?

Quid moror? An mea Pygmalion dum moenia frater

Ev'n when the wintry winds command your stay,

destruat, aut captam ducat Gaetulus Iarbas?

You dare the tempests, and defy the sea.

Saltem si qua mihi de te suscepta fuisset

False as you are, suppose you were not bound

ante fugam suboles, si quis mihi parvulus aula

To lands unknown, and foreign coasts to sound;

luderet Aeneas, qui te tamen ore referret,

Were Troy restor'd, and Priam's happy reign,

non equidem omnino capta ac deserta viderer.

Now durst you tempt, for Troy, the raging main?

Dixerat. Ille Iovis monitis immota tenebat

See whom you fly! am I the foe you shun?

lumina, et obnixus curam sub corde premebat.

Now, by those holy vows, so late begun,

Tandem pauca refert: Ego te, quae plurima fando

By this right hand, (since I have nothing more

enumerare vales, numquam, regina, negabo

To challenge, but the faith you gave before;)

promeritam; nec me meminisse pigebit Elissae,

I beg you by these tears too truly shed,

dum memor ipse mei, dum spiritus hos regit artus.

By the new pleasures of our nuptial bed;

Pro re pauca loquar. Neque ego hanc abscondere furto

If ever Dido, when you most were kind,

speravi—ne finge—fugam, nec coniugis umquam

Were pleasing in your eyes, or touch'd your mind;

praetendi taedas, aut haec in foedera veni.

By these my pray'rs, if pray'rs may yet have place,

Me si fata meis paterentur ducere vitam

Pity the fortunes of a falling race.

auspiciis et sponte mea componere curas,

For you I have provok'd a tyrant's hate,

urbem Troianam primum dulcisque meorum

Incens'd the Libyan and the Tyrian state;

reliquias colerem, Priami tecta alta manerent,

For you alone I suffer in my fame,

et recidiva manu posuissem Pergama victis.

Bereft of honor, and expos'd to shame.

Sed nunc Italiam magnam Gryneus Apollo,

Whom have I now to trust, ungrateful guest?

Italiam Lyciae iussere capessere sortes:

(That only name remains of all the rest!)

hic amor, haec patria est. Si te Karthaginis arces,

What have I left? or whither can I fly?

Phoenissam, Libycaeque aspectus detinet urbis,

Must I attend Pygmalion's cruelty,

quae tandem, Ausonia Teucros considere terra,

Or till Hyarba shall in triumph lead

invidia est? Et nos fas extera quaerere regna.

A queen that proudly scorn'd his proffer'd bed?

Me patris Anchisae, quotiens umentibus umbris

Had you deferr'd, at least, your hasty flight,

nox operit terras, quotiens astra ignea surgunt,

And left behind some pledge of our delight,

Some babe to bless the mother's mournful sight,

Some young Aeneas, to supply your place,

Whose features might express his father's face;

I should not then complain to live bereft

Of all my husband, or be wholly left."

Here paus'd the queen. Unmov'd he holds his eyes,

By Jove's command; nor suffer'd love to rise,

Tho' heaving in his heart; and thus at length replies:

"Fair queen, you never can enough repeat

Your boundless favors, or I own my debt;

Nor can my mind forget Eliza's name,

While vital breath inspires this mortal frame.

This only let me speak in my defense:

I never hop'd a secret flight from hence,

Much less pretended to the lawful claim

Of sacred nuptials, or a husband's name.

For, if indulgent Heav'n would leave me free,

And not submit my life to fate's decree,

My choice would lead me to the Trojan shore,

Those relics to review, their dust adore,

And Priam's ruin'd palace to restore.

But now the Delphian oracle commands,

And fate invites me to the Latian lands.

That is the promis'd place to which I steer,

And all my vows are terminated there.

If you, a Tyrian, and a stranger born,

With walls and tow'rs a Libyan town adorn,

Why may not we- like you, a foreign race-

Like you, seek shelter in a foreign place?

As often as the night obscures the skies

With humid shades, or twinkling stars arise,

admonet in somnis et turbida terret imago;

Anchises' angry ghost in dreams appears,

me puer Ascanius capitisque iniuria cari,

Chides my delay, and fills my soul with fears;

quem regno Hesperiae fraudo et fatalibus arvis.

And young Ascanius justly may complain

Nunc etiam interpres divom, Iove missus ab ipso—

Of his defrauded and destin'd reign.

testor utrumque caput—celeris mandata per auras

Ev'n now the herald of the gods appear'd:

detulit; ipse deum manifesto in lumine vidi

Waking I saw him, and his message heard.

intrantem muros, vocemque his auribus hausi.

From Jove he came commission'd, heav'nly bright

Desine meque tuis incendere teque querelis:

With radiant beams, and manifest to sight

Italiam non sponte sequor.

(The sender and the sent I both attest)

Talia dicentem iamdudum aversa tuetur,

These walls he enter'd, and those words express'd.

huc illuc volvens oculos, totumque pererrat

Fair queen, oppose not what the gods command;

luminibus tacitis, et sic accensa profatur:

Forc'd by my fate, I leave your happy land."

Nec tibi diva parens, generis nec Dardanus auctor,

Thus while he spoke, already she began,

perfide; sed duris genuit te cautibus horrens

With sparkling eyes, to view the guilty man;

Caucasus, Hyrcanaeque admorunt ubera tigres.

From head to foot survey'd his person o'er,

Nam quid dissimulo, aut quae me ad maiora reservo?

Nor longer these outrageous threats forebore:

Num fletu ingemuit nostro? Num lumina flexit?

"False as thou art, and, more than false, forsworn!

Num lacrimas victus dedit, aut miseratus amantem est?

Not sprung from noble blood, nor goddess-born,

Quae quibus anteferam? Iam iam nec maxuma Iuno,

But hewn from harden'd entrails of a rock!

nec Saturnius haec oculis pater aspicit aequis.

And rough Hyrcanian tigers gave thee suck!

Nusquam tuta fides. Eiectum litore, egentem

Why should I fawn? what have I worse to fear?

excepi, et regni demens in parte locavi;

Did he once look, or lent a list'ning ear,

amissam classem, socios a morte reduxi.

Sigh'd when I sobb'd, or shed one kindly tear?-

Heu furiis incensa feror! Nunc augur Apollo,

All symptoms of a base ungrateful mind,

nunc Lyciae sortes, nunc et Iove missus ab ipso

So foul, that, which is worse, 'tis hard to find.

interpres divom fert horrida iussa per auras.

Of man's injustice why should I complain?

Scilicet is Superis labor est, ea cura quietos

The gods, and Jove himself, behold in vain

sollicitat. Neque te teneo, neque dicta refello.

Triumphant treason; yet no thunder flies,

I, sequere Italiam ventis, pete regna per undas.

Nor Juno views my wrongs with equal eyes;

Spero equidem mediis, si quid pia numina possunt,

Faithless is earth, and faithless are the skies!

supplicia hausurum scopulis, et nomine Dido

Justice is fled, and Truth is now no more!

saepe vocaturum. Sequar atris ignibus absens,

I sav'd the shipwrack'd exile on my shore;

et, cum frigida mors anima seduxerit artus,

With needful food his hungry Trojans fed;

omnibus umbra locis adero. Dabis, improbe, poenas.

I took the traitor to my throne and bed:

Audiam et haec Manis veniet mihi fama sub imos.

Fool that I was- 't is little to repeat

His medium dictis sermonem abrumpit, et auras

The rest- I stor'd and rigg'd his ruin'd fleet.

aegra fugit, seque ex oculis avertit et aufert,

I rave, I rave! A god's command he pleads,

linquens multa metu cunctantem et multa parantem

And makes Heav'n accessary to his deeds.

dicere. Suscipiunt famulae, conlapsaque membra

Now Lycian lots, and now the Delian god,

marmoreo referunt thalamo stratisque reponunt.

Now Hermes is employ'd from Jove's abode,

At pius Aeneas, quamquam lenire dolentem

To warn him hence; as if the peaceful state

solando cupit et dictis avertere curas,

Of heav'nly pow'rs were touch'd with human fate!

multa gemens magnoque animum labefactus amore,

But go! thy flight no longer I detain-

iussa tamen divom exsequitur, classemque revisit.

Go seek thy promis'd kingdom thro' the main!

Tum vero Teucri incumbunt, et litore celsas

Yet, if the heav'ns will hear my pious vow,

deducunt toto naves: natat uncta carina;

The faithless waves, not half so false as thou,

frondentisque ferunt remos et robora silvis

Or secret sands, shall sepulchers afford

infabricata, fugae studio.

To thy proud vessels, and their perjur'd lord.

Migrantis cernas, totaque ex urbe ruentis.

Then shalt thou call on injur'd Dido's name:

Ac velut ingentem formicae farris acervum

Dido shall come in a black sulph'ry flame,

cum populant, hiemis memores, tectoque reponunt;

When death has once dissolv'd her mortal frame;

it nigrum campis agmen, praedamque per herbas

Shall smile to see the traitor vainly weep:

convectant calle angusto; pars grandia trudunt

Her angry ghost, arising from the deep,

obnixae frumenta umeris; pars agmina cogunt

Shall haunt thee waking, and disturb thy sleep.