Aeneid

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Meantime the Trojan cuts his wat'ry way,

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Fix'd on his voyage, thro' the curling sea;

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Then, casting back his eyes, with dire amaze,

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Sees on the Punic shore the mounting blaze.

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The cause unknown; yet his presaging mind

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The fate of Dido from the fire divin'd;

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He knew the stormy souls of womankind,

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What secret springs their eager passions move,

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How capable of death for injur'd love.

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Dire auguries from hence the Trojans draw;

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Till neither fires nor shining shores they saw.

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Now seas and skies their prospect only bound;

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An empty space above, a floating field around.

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But soon the heav'ns with shadows were o'erspread;

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A swelling cloud hung hov'ring o'er their head:

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Livid it look'd, the threat'ning of a storm:

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Then night and horror ocean's face deform.

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The pilot, Palinurus, cried aloud:

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"What gusts of weather from that gath'ring cloud

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My thoughts presage! Ere yet the tempest roars,

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Stand to your tackle, mates, and stretch your oars;

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Contract your swelling sails, and luff to wind."

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The frighted crew perform the task assign'd.

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Then, to his fearless chief: "Not Heav'n," said he,

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"Tho' Jove himself should promise Italy,

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Can stem the torrent of this raging sea.

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Mark how the shifting winds from west arise,

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And what collected night involves the skies!

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Nor can our shaken vessels live at sea,

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Much less against the tempest force their way.

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'T is fate diverts our course, and fate we must obey.

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Not far from hence, if I observ'd aright

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The southing of the stars, and polar light,

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Sicilia lies, whose hospitable shores

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In safety we may reach with struggling oars."

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Aeneas then replied: "Too sure I find

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We strive in vain against the seas and wind:

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Now shift your sails; what place can please me more

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Than what you promise, the Sicilian shore,

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Whose hallow'd earth Anchises' bones contains,

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And where a prince of Trojan lineage reigns?"

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The course resolv'd, before the western wind

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They scud amain, and make the port assign'd.

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Meantime Acestes, from a lofty stand,

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Beheld the fleet descending on the land;

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And, not unmindful of his ancient race,

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Down from the cliff he ran with eager pace,

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And held the hero in a strict embrace.

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Of a rough Libyan bear the spoils he wore,

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And either hand a pointed jav'lin bore.

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His mother was a dame of Dardan blood;

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His sire Crinisus, a Sicilian flood.

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He welcomes his returning friends ashore

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With plenteous country cates and homely store.

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Now, when the following morn had chas'd away

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The flying stars, and light restor'd the day,

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Aeneas call'd the Trojan troops around,

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And thus bespoke them from a rising ground:

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"Offspring of heav'n, divine Dardanian race!

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The sun, revolving thro' th' ethereal space,

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The shining circle of the year has fill'd,

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Since first this isle my father's ashes held:

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And now the rising day renews the year;

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A day for ever sad, for ever dear.

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This would I celebrate with annual games,

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With gifts on altars pil'd, and holy flames,

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Tho' banish'd to Gaetulia's barren sands,

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Caught on the Grecian seas, or hostile lands:

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But since this happy storm our fleet has driv'n

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(Not, as I deem, without the will of Heav'n)

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Upon these friendly shores and flow'ry plains,

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Which hide Anchises and his blest remains,

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Let us with joy perform his honors due,

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And pray for prosp'rous winds, our voyage to renew;

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Pray, that in towns and temples of our own,

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The name of great Anchises may be known,

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And yearly games may spread the gods' renown.

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Our sports Acestes, of the Trojan race,

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With royal gifts ordain'd, is pleas'd to grace:

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Two steers on ev'ry ship the king bestows;

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His gods and ours shall share your equal vows.

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Besides, if, nine days hence, the rosy morn

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Shall with unclouded light the skies adorn,

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That day with solemn sports I mean to grace:

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Light galleys on the seas shall run a wat'ry race;

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Some shall in swiftness for the goal contend,

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And others try the twanging bow to bend;

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The strong, with iron gauntlets arm'd, shall stand

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Oppos'd in combat on the yellow sand.

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Let all be present at the games prepar'd,

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And joyful victors wait the just reward.

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But now assist the rites, with garlands crown'd."

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He said, and first his brows with myrtle bound.

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Then Helymus, by his example led,

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And old Acestes, each adorn'd his head;

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Thus young Ascanius, with a sprightly grace,

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His temples tied, and all the Trojan race.

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Aeneas then advanc'd amidst the train,

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By thousands follow'd thro' the flow'ry plain,

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To great Anchises' tomb; which when he found,

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He pour'd to Bacchus, on the hallow'd ground,

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Two bowls of sparkling wine, of milk two more,

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And two (from offer'd bulls) of purple gore,

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With roses then the sepulcher he strow'd

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And thus his father's ghost bespoke aloud:

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"Hail, O ye holy manes! hail again,

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Paternal ashes, now review'd in vain!

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The gods permitted not, that you, with me,

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Should reach the promis'd shores of Italy,

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Or Tiber's flood, what flood soe'er it be."

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Scarce had he finish'd, when, with speckled pride,

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A serpent from the tomb began to glide;

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His hugy bulk on sev'n high volumes roll'd;

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Blue was his breadth of back, but streak'd with scaly gold:

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Thus riding on his curls, he seem'd to pass

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A rolling fire along, and singe the grass.

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More various colors thro' his body run,

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Than Iris when her bow imbibes the sun.

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Betwixt the rising altars, and around,

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The sacred monster shot along the ground;

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With harmless play amidst the bowls he pass'd,

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And with his lolling tongue assay'd the taste:

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Thus fed with holy food, the wondrous guest

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Within the hollow tomb retir'd to rest.

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The pious prince, surpris'd at what he view'd,

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The fun'ral honors with more zeal renew'd,

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Doubtful if this place's genius were,

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Or guardian of his father's sepulcher.

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Five sheep, according to the rites, he slew;

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As many swine, and steers of sable hue;

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New gen'rous wine he from the goblets pour'd.

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And call'd his father's ghost, from hell restor'd.

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The glad attendants in long order come,

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Off'ring their gifts at great Anchises' tomb:

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Some add more oxen: some divide the spoil;

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Some place the chargers on the grassy soil;

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Some blow the fires, and off entrails broil.

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Now came the day desir'd. The skies were bright

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With rosy luster of the rising light:

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The bord'ring people, rous'd by sounding fame

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Of Trojan feasts and great Acestes' name,

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The crowded shore with acclamations fill,

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Part to behold, and part to prove their skill.

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And first the gifts in public view they place,

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Green laurel wreaths, and palm, the victors' grace:

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Within the circle, arms and tripods lie,

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Ingots of gold and silver, heap'd on high,

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And vests embroider'd, of the Tyrian dye.

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The trumpet's clangor then the feast proclaims,

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And all prepare for their appointed games.

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Four galleys first, which equal rowers bear,

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Advancing, in the wat'ry lists appear.

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The speedy Dolphin, that outstrips the wind,

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Bore Mnestheus, author of the Memmian kind:

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Gyas the vast Chimaera's bulk commands,

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Which rising, like a tow'ring city stands;

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Three Trojans tug at ev'ry lab'ring oar;

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Three banks in three degrees the sailors bore;

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Beneath their sturdy strokes the billows roar.

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Sergesthus, who began the Sergian race,

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In the great Centaur took the leading place;

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Cloanthus on the sea-green Scylla stood,

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From whom Cluentius draws his Trojan blood.

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Far in the sea, against the foaming shore,

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There stands a rock: the raging billows roar

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Above his head in storms; but, when 't is clear,

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Uncurl their ridgy backs, and at his foot appear.

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In peace below the gentle waters run;

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The cormorants above lie basking in the sun.

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On this the hero fix'd an oak in sight,

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The mark to guide the mariners aright.

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To bear with this, the seamen stretch their oars;

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Then round the rock they steer, and seek the former shores.

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The lots decide their place. Above the rest,

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Each leader shining in his Tyrian vest;

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The common crew with wreaths of poplar boughs

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Their temples crown, and shade their sweaty brows:

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Besmear'd with oil, their naked shoulders shine.

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All take their seats, and wait the sounding sign:

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They gripe their oars; and ev'ry panting breast

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Is rais'd by turns with hope, by turns with fear depress'd.

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The clangor of the trumpet gives the sign;

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At once they start, advancing in a line:

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With shouts the sailors rend the starry skies;

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Lash'd with their oars, the smoky billows rise;

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Sparkles the briny main, and the vex'd ocean fries.

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Exact in time, with equal strokes they row:

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At once the brushing oars and brazen prow

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Dash up the sandy waves, and ope the depths below.

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Not fiery coursers, in a chariot race,

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Invade the field with half so swift a pace;

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Not the fierce driver with more fury lends

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The sounding lash, and, ere the stroke descends,

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Low to the wheels his pliant body bends.

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The partial crowd their hopes and fears divide,

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And aid with eager shouts the favor'd side.

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Cries, murmurs, clamors, with a mixing sound,

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From woods to woods, from hills to hills rebound.

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Amidst the loud applauses of the shore,

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Gyas outstripp'd the rest, and sprung before:

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Cloanthus, better mann'd, pursued him fast,

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But his o'er-masted galley check'd his haste.

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The Centaur and the Dolphin brush the brine

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With equal oars, advancing in a line;

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And now the mighty Centaur seems to lead,

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And now the speedy Dolphin gets ahead;

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Now board to board the rival vessels row,

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The billows lave the skies, and ocean groans below.

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They reach'd the mark. Proud Gyas and his train

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In triumph rode, the victors of the main;

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But, steering round, he charg'd his pilot stand

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More close to shore, and skim along the sand-

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"Let others bear to sea!" Menoetes heard;

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But secret shelves too cautiously he fear'd,

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And, fearing, sought the deep; and still aloof he steer'd.

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With louder cries the captain call'd again:

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"Bear to the rocky shore, and shun the main."

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He spoke, and, speaking, at his stern he saw

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The bold Cloanthus near the shelvings draw.

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Betwixt the mark and him the Scylla stood,

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And in a closer compass plow'd the flood.

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He pass'd the mark; and, wheeling, got before:

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Gyas blasphem'd the gods, devoutly swore,

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Cried out for anger, and his hair he tore.

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Mindless of others' lives (so high was grown

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His rising rage) and careless of his own,

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The trembling dotard to the deck he drew;

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Then hoisted up, and overboard he threw:

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This done, he seiz'd the helm; his fellows cheer'd,

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Turn'd short upon the shelfs, and madly steer'd.

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Hardly his head the plunging pilot rears,

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Clogg'd with his clothes, and cumber'd with his years:

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Now dropping wet, he climbs the cliff with pain.

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The crowd, that saw him fall and float again,

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Shout from the distant shore; and loudly laugh'd,

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To see his heaving breast disgorge the briny draught.

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The following Centaur, and the Dolphin's crew,

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Their vanish'd hopes of victory renew;

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While Gyas lags, they kindle in the race,

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To reach the mark. Sergesthus takes the place;

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Mnestheus pursues; and while around they wind,

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Comes up, not half his galley's length behind;

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Then, on the deck, amidst his mates appear'd,

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And thus their drooping courage he cheer'd:

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"My friends, and Hector's followers heretofore,

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Exert your vigor; tug the lab'ring oar;

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Stretch to your strokes, my still unconquer'd crew,

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Whom from the flaming walls of Troy I drew.

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In this, our common int'rest, let me find

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That strength of hand, that courage of the mind,

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As when you stemm'd the strong Malean flood,

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And o'er the Syrtes' broken billows row'd.

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I seek not now the foremost palm to gain;

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Tho' yet- but, ah! that haughty wish is vain!

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Let those enjoy it whom the gods ordain.

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But to be last, the lags of all the race!-

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Redeem yourselves and me from that disgrace."

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Now, one and all, they tug amain; they row

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At the full stretch, and shake the brazen prow.

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The sea beneath 'em sinks; their lab'ring sides

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Are swell'd, and sweat runs gutt'ring down in tides.

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Chance aids their daring with unhop'd success;

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Sergesthus, eager with his beak to press

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Betwixt the rival galley and the rock,

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Shuts up th' unwieldly Centaur in the lock.

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The vessel struck; and, with the dreadful shock,

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Her oars she shiver'd, and her head she broke.

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The trembling rowers from their banks arise,

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And, anxious for themselves, renounce the prize.

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With iron poles they heave her off the shores,

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And gather from the sea their floating oars.

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The crew of Mnestheus, with elated minds,

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Urge their success, and call the willing winds;

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Then ply their oars, and cut their liquid way

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In larger compass on the roomy sea.

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As, when the dove her rocky hold forsakes,

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Rous'd in a fright, her sounding wings she shakes;

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The cavern rings with clatt'ring; out she flies,

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And leaves her callow care, and cleaves the skies:

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At first she flutters; but at length she springs

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To smoother flight, and shoots upon her wings:

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So Mnestheus in the Dolphin cuts the sea;

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And, flying with a force, that force assists his way.

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Sergesthus in the Centaur soon he pass'd,

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Wedg'd in the rocky shoals, and sticking fast.

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In vain the victor he with cries implores,

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And practices to row with shatter'd oars.

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Then Mnestheus bears with Gyas, and outflies:

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The ship, without a pilot, yields the prize.

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Unvanquish'd Scylla now alone remains;

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Her he pursues, and all his vigor strains.

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Shouts from the fav'ring multitude arise;

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Applauding Echo to the shouts replies;

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Shouts, wishes, and applause run rattling thro' the skies.

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These clamors with disdain the Scylla heard,

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Much grudg'd the praise, but more the robb'd reward:

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Resolv'd to hold their own, they mend their pace,

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All obstinate to die, or gain the race.

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Rais'd with success, the Dolphin swiftly ran;

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For they can conquer, who believe they can.

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Both urge their oars, and fortune both supplies,

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And both perhaps had shar'd an equal prize;

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When to the seas Cloanthus holds his hands,

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And succor from the wat'ry pow'rs demands:

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"Gods of the liquid realms, on which I row!

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If, giv'n by you, the laurel bind my brow,

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Assist to make me guilty of my vow!

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A snow-white bull shall on your shore be slain;

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His offer'd entrails cast into the main,

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And ruddy wine, from golden goblets thrown,

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Your grateful gift and my return shall own."

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The choir of nymphs, and Phorcus, from below,

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With virgin Panopea, heard his vow;

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And old Portunus, with his breadth of hand,

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Push'd on, and sped the galley to the land.

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Swift as a shaft, or winged wind, she flies,

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And, darting to the port, obtains the prize.

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The herald summons all, and then proclaims

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Cloanthus conqu'ror of the naval games.

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The prince with laurel crowns the victor's head,

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And three fat steers are to his vessel led,

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The ship's reward; with gen'rous wine beside,

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And sums of silver, which the crew divide.

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The leaders are distinguish'd from the rest;

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The victor honor'd with a nobler vest,

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Where gold and purple strive in equal rows,

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And needlework its happy cost bestows.

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There Ganymede is wrought with living art,

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Chasing thro' Ida's groves the trembling hart:

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Breathless he seems, yet eager to pursue;

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When from aloft descends, in open view,

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The bird of Jove, and, sousing on his prey,

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With crooked talons bears the boy away.

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In vain, with lifted hands and gazing eyes,

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His guards behold him soaring thro' the skies,

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And dogs pursue his flight with imitated cries.

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Mnestheus the second victor was declar'd;

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And, summon'd there, the second prize he shard.

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A coat of mail, brave Demoleus bore,

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More brave Aeneas from his shoulders tore,

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In single combat on the Trojan shore:

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This was ordain'd for Mnestheus to possess;

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In war for his defense, for ornament in peace.

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Rich was the gift, and glorious to behold,

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But yet so pond'rous with its plates of gold,

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That scarce two servants could the weight sustain;

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Yet, loaded thus, Demoleus o'er the plain

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Pursued and lightly seiz'd the Trojan train.

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The third, succeeding to the last reward,

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Two goodly bowls of massy silver shar'd,

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With figures prominent, and richly wrought,

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And two brass caldrons from Dodona brought.

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Thus all, rewarded by the hero's hands,

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Their conqu'ring temples bound with purple bands;

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And now Sergesthus, clearing from the rock,

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Brought back his galley shatter'd with the shock.

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Forlorn she look'd, without an aiding oar,

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And, houted by the vulgar, made to shore.

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As when a snake, surpris'd upon the road,

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Is crush'd athwart her body by the load

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Of heavy wheels; or with a mortal wound

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Her belly bruis'd, and trodden to the ground:

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In vain, with loosen'd curls, she crawls along;

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Yet, fierce above, she brandishes her tongue;

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Glares with her eyes, and bristles with her scales;

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But, groveling in the dust, her parts unsound she trails:

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So slowly to the port the Centaur tends,

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But, what she wants in oars, with sails amends.

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Yet, for his galley sav'd, the grateful prince

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Is pleas'd th' unhappy chief to recompense.

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Pholoe, the Cretan slave, rewards his care,

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Beauteous herself, with lovely twins as fair.

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From thence his way the Trojan hero bent

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Into the neighb'ring plain, with mountains pent,

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Whose sides were shaded with surrounding wood.

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Full in the midst of this fair valley stood

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A native theater, which, rising slow

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By just degrees, o'erlook'd the ground below.

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High on a sylvan throne the leader sate;

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A num'rous train attend in solemn state.

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Here those that in the rapid course delight,

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Desire of honor and the prize invite.

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The rival runners without order stand;

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The Trojans mix'd with the Sicilian band.

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First Nisus, with Euryalus, appears;

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Euryalus a boy of blooming years,

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With sprightly grace and equal beauty crown'd;

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Nisus, for friendship to the youth renown'd.

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Diores next, of Priam's royal race,

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Then Salius joined with Patron, took their place;

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(But Patron in Arcadia had his birth,

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And Salius his from Arcananian earth;)

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Then two Sicilian youths- the names of these,

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Swift Helymus, and lovely Panopes:

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Both jolly huntsmen, both in forest bred,

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And owning old Acestes for their head;

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With sev'ral others of ignobler name,

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Whom time has not deliver'd o'er to fame.

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To these the hero thus his thoughts explain'd,

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In words which gen'ral approbation gain'd:

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"One common largess is for all design'd,

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(The vanquish'd and the victor shall be join'd,)

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Two darts of polish'd steel and Gnosian wood,

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A silver-studded ax, alike bestow'd.

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The foremost three have olive wreaths decreed:

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The first of these obtains a stately steed,

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Adorn'd with trappings; and the next in fame,

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The quiver of an Amazonian dame,

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With feather'd Thracian arrows well supplied:

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A golden belt shall gird his manly side,

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Which with a sparkling diamond shall be tied.

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The third this Grecian helmet shall content."

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He said. To their appointed base they went;

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With beating hearts th' expected sign receive,

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And, starting all at once, the barrier leave.

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Spread out, as on the winged winds, they flew,

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And seiz'd the distant goal with greedy view.

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Shot from the crowd, swift Nisus all o'erpass'd;

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Nor storms, nor thunder, equal half his haste.

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The next, but tho' the next, yet far disjoin'd,

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Came Salius, and Euryalus behind;

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Then Helymus, whom young Diores plied,

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Step after step, and almost side by side,

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His shoulders pressing; and, in longer space,

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Had won, or left at least a dubious race.

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Now, spent, the goal they almost reach at last,

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When eager Nisus, hapless in his haste,

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Slipp'd first, and, slipping, fell upon the plain,

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Soak'd with the blood of oxen newly slain.

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The careless victor had not mark'd his way;

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But, treading where the treach'rous puddle lay,

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His heels flew up; and on the grassy floor

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He fell, besmear'd with filth and holy gore.

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Not mindless then, Euryalus, of thee,

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Nor of the sacred bonds of amity,

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He strove th' immediate rival's hope to cross,

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And caught the foot of Salius as he rose.

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So Salius lay extended on the plain;

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Euryalus springs out, the prize to gain,

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And leaves the crowd: applauding peals attend

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The victor to the goal, who vanquish'd by his friend.

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Next Helymus; and then Diores came,

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By two misfortunes made the third in fame.

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But Salius enters, and, exclaiming loud

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For justice, deafens and disturbs the crowd;

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Urges his cause may in the court be heard;

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And pleads the prize is wrongfully conferr'd.

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But favor for Euryalus appears;

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His blooming beauty, with his tender tears,

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Had brib'd the judges for the promis'd prize.

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Besides, Diores fills the court with cries,

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Who vainly reaches at the last reward,

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If the first palm on Salius be conferr'd.

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Then thus the prince: "Let no disputes arise:

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Where fortune plac'd it, I award the prize.

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But fortune's errors give me leave to mend,

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At least to pity my deserving friend."

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He said, and, from among the spoils, he draws

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(Pond'rous with shaggy mane and golden paws)

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A lion's hide: to Salius this he gives.

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Nisus with envy sees the gift, and grieves.

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"If such rewards to vanquish'd men are due."

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He said, "and falling is to rise by you,

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What prize may Nisus from your bounty claim,

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Who merited the first rewards and fame?

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In falling, both an equal fortune tried;

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Would fortune for my fall so well provide!"

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With this he pointed to his face, and show'd

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His hand and all his habit smear'd with blood.

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Th' indulgent father of the people smil'd,

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And caus'd to be produc'd an ample shield,

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Of wondrous art, by Didymaon wrought,

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Long since from Neptune's bars in triumph brought.

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This giv'n to Nisus, he divides the rest,

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And equal justice in his gifts express'd.

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The race thus ended, and rewards bestow'd,

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Once more the princes bespeaks th' attentive crowd:

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"If there he here whose dauntless courage dare

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In gauntlet-fight, with limbs and body bare,

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His opposite sustain in open view,

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Stand forth the champion, and the games renew.

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Two prizes I propose, and thus divide:

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A bull with gilded horns, and fillets tied,

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Shall be the portion of the conqu'ring chief;

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A sword and helm shall cheer the loser's grief."

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Then haughty Dares in the lists appears;

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Stalking he strides, his head erected bears:

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His nervous arms the weighty gauntlet wield,

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And loud applauses echo thro' the field.

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Dares alone in combat us'd to stand

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The match of mighty Paris, hand to hand;

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The same, at Hector's fun'rals, undertook

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Gigantic Butes, of th' Amycian stock,

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And, by the stroke of his resistless hand,

Primary

Stretch'd the vast bulk upon the yellow sand.

Primary

Such Dares was; and such he strode along,

Primary

And drew the wonder of the gazing throng.

Primary

His brawny back and ample breast he shows,

Primary

His lifted arms around his head he throws,

Primary

And deals in whistling air his empty blows.

Primary

His match is sought; but, thro' the trembling band,

Primary

Not one dares answer to the proud demand.

Primary

Presuming of his force, with sparkling eyes

Primary

Already he devours the promis'd prize.

Primary

He claims the bull with awless insolence,

Primary

And having seiz'd his horns, accosts the prince:

Primary

"If none my matchless valor dares oppose,

Primary

How long shall Dares wait his dastard foes?

Primary

Permit me, chief, permit without delay,

Primary

To lead this uncontended gift away."

Primary

The crowd assents, and with redoubled cries

Primary

For the proud challenger demands the prize.

Primary

Acestes, fir'd with just disdain, to see

Primary

The palm usurp'd without a victory,

Primary

Reproach'd Entellus thus, who sate beside,

Primary

And heard and saw, unmov'd, the Trojan's pride:

Primary

"Once, but in vain, a champion of renown,

Primary

So tamely can you bear the ravish'd crown,

Primary

A prize in triumph borne before your sight,

Primary

And shun, for fear, the danger of the fight?

Primary

Where is our Eryx now, the boasted name,

Primary

The god who taught your thund'ring arm the game?

Primary

Where now your baffled honor? Where the spoil

Primary

That fill'd your house, and fame that fill'd our isle?"

Primary

Entellus, thus: "My soul is still the same,

Primary

Unmov'd with fear, and mov'd with martial fame;

Primary

But my chill blood is curdled in my veins,

Primary

And scarce the shadow of a man remains.

Primary

O could I turn to that fair prime again,

Primary

That prime of which this boaster is so vain,

Primary

The brave, who this decrepid age defies,

Primary

Should feel my force, without the promis'd prize."

Primary

He said; and, rising at the word, he threw

Primary

Two pond'rous gauntlets down in open view;

Primary

Gauntlets which Eryx wont in fight to wield,

Primary

And sheathe his hands with in the listed field.

Primary

With fear and wonder seiz'd, the crowd beholds

Primary

The gloves of death, with sev'n distinguish'd folds

Primary

Of tough bull hides; the space within is spread

Primary

With iron, or with loads of heavy lead:

Primary

Dares himself was daunted at the sight,

Primary

Renounc'd his challenge, and refus'd to fight.

Primary

Astonish'd at their weight, the hero stands,

Primary

And pois'd the pond'rous engines in his hands.

Primary

"What had your wonder," said Entellus, "been,

Primary

Had you the gauntlets of Alcides seen,

Primary

Or view'd the stern debate on this unhappy green!

Primary

These which I bear your brother Eryx bore,

Primary

Still mark'd with batter'd brains and mingled gore.

Primary

With these he long sustain'd th' Herculean arm;

Primary

And these I wielded while my blood was warm,

Primary

This languish'd frame while better spirits fed,

Primary

Ere age unstrung my nerves, or time o'ersnow'd my head.

Primary

But if the challenger these arms refuse,

Primary

And cannot wield their weight, or dare not use;

Primary

If great Aeneas and Acestes join

Primary

In his request, these gauntlets I resign;

Primary

Let us with equal arms perform the fight,

Primary

And let him leave to fear, since I resign my right."

Primary

This said, Entellus for the strife prepares;

Primary

Stripp'd of his quilted coat, his body bares;

Primary

Compos'd of mighty bones and brawn he stands,

Primary

A goodly tow'ring object on the sands.

Primary

Then just Aeneas equal arms supplied,

Primary

Which round their shoulders to their wrists they tied.

Primary

Both on the tiptoe stand, at full extent,

Primary

Their arms aloft, their bodies inly bent;

Primary

Their heads from aiming blows they bear afar;

Primary

With clashing gauntlets then provoke the war.

Primary

One on his youth and pliant limbs relies;

Primary

One on his sinews and his giant size.

Primary

The last is stiff with age, his motion slow;

Primary

He heaves for breath, he staggers to and fro,

Primary

And clouds of issuing smoke his nostrils loudly blow.

Primary

Yet equal in success, they ward, they strike;

Primary

Their ways are diff'rent, but their art alike.

Primary

Before, behind, the blows are dealt; around

Primary

Their hollow sides the rattling thumps resound.

Primary

A storm of strokes, well meant, with fury flies,

Primary

And errs about their temples, ears, and eyes.

Primary

Nor always errs; for oft the gauntlet draws

Primary

A sweeping stroke along the crackling jaws.

Primary

Heavy with age, Entellus stands his ground,

Primary

But with his warping body wards the wound.

Primary

His hand and watchful eye keep even pace;

Primary

While Dares traverses and shifts his place,

Primary

And, like a captain who beleaguers round

Primary

Some strong-built castle on a rising ground,

Primary

Views all th' approaches with observing eyes:

Primary

This and that other part in vain he tries,

Primary

And more on industry than force relies.

Primary

With hands on high, Entellus threats the foe;

Primary

But Dares watch'd the motion from below,

Primary

And slipp'd aside, and shunn'd the long descending blow.

Primary

Entellus wastes his forces on the wind,

Primary

And, thus deluded of the stroke design'd,

Primary

Headlong and heavy fell; his ample breast

Primary

And weighty limbs his ancient mother press'd.

Primary

So falls a hollow pine, that long had stood

Primary

On Ida's height, or Erymanthus' wood,

Primary

Torn from the roots. The diff'ring nations rise,

Primary

And shouts and mingled murmurs rend the skies,

Primary

Acestus runs with eager haste, to raise

Primary

The fall'n companion of his youthful days.

Primary

Dauntless he rose, and to the fight return'd;

Primary

With shame his glowing cheeks, his eyes with fury burn'd.

Primary

Disdain and conscious virtue fir'd his breast,

Primary

And with redoubled force his foe he press'd.

Primary

He lays on load with either hand, amain,

Primary

And headlong drives the Trojan o'er the plain;

Primary

Nor stops, nor stays; nor rest nor breath allows;

Primary

But storms of strokes descend about his brows,

Primary

A rattling tempest, and a hail of blows.

Primary

But now the prince, who saw the wild increase

Primary

Of wounds, commands the combatants to cease,

Primary

And bounds Entellus' wrath, and bids the peace.

Primary

First to the Trojan, spent with toil, he came,

Primary

And sooth'd his sorrow for the suffer'd shame.

Primary

"What fury seiz'd my friend? The gods," said he,

Primary

"To him propitious, and averse to thee,

Primary

Have giv'n his arm superior force to thine.

Primary

'T is madness to contend with strength divine."

Primary

The gauntlet fight thus ended, from the shore

Primary

His faithful friends unhappy Dares bore:

Primary

His mouth and nostrils pour'd a purple flood,

Primary

And pounded teeth came rushing with his blood.

Primary

Faintly he stagger'd thro' the hissing throng,

Primary

And hung his head, and trail'd his legs along.

Primary

The sword and casque are carried by his train;

Primary

But with his foe the palm and ox remain.

Primary

The champion, then, before Aeneas came,

Primary

Proud of his prize, but prouder of his fame:

Primary

"O goddess-born, and you, Dardanian host,

Primary

Mark with attention, and forgive my boast;

Primary

Learn what I was, by what remains; and know

Primary

From what impending fate you sav'd my foe."

Primary

Sternly he spoke, and then confronts the bull;

Primary

And, on his ample forehead aiming full,

Primary

The deadly stroke, descending, pierc'd the skull.

Primary

Down drops the beast, nor needs a second wound,

Primary

But sprawls in pangs of death, and spurns the ground.

Primary

Then, thus: "In Dares' stead I offer this.

Primary

Eryx, accept a nobler sacrifice;

Primary

Take the last gift my wither'd arms can yield:

Primary

Thy gauntlets I resign, and here renounce the field."

Primary

This done, Aeneas orders, for the close,

Primary

The strife of archers with contending bows.

Primary

The mast Sergesthus' shatter'd galley bore

Primary

With his own hands he raises on the shore.

Primary

A flutt'ring dove upon the top they tie,

Primary

The living mark at which their arrows fly.

Primary

The rival archers in a line advance,

Primary

Their turn of shooting to receive from chance.

Primary

A helmet holds their names; the lots are drawn:

Primary

On the first scroll was read Hippocoon.

Primary

The people shout. Upon the next was found

Primary

Young Mnestheus, late with naval honors crown'd.

Primary

The third contain'd Eurytion's noble name,

Primary

Thy brother, Pandarus, and next in fame,

Primary

Whom Pallas urg'd the treaty to confound,

Primary

And send among the Greeks a feather'd wound.

Primary

Acestes in the bottom last remain'd,

Primary

Whom not his age from youthful sports restrain'd.

Primary

Soon all with vigor bend their trusty bows,

Primary

And from the quiver each his arrow chose.

Primary

Hippocoon's was the first: with forceful sway

Primary

It flew, and, whizzing, cut the liquid way.

Primary

Fix'd in the mast the feather'd weapon stands:

Primary

The fearful pigeon flutters in her bands,

Primary

And the tree trembled, and the shouting cries

Primary

Of the pleas'd people rend the vaulted skies.

Primary

Then Mnestheus to the head his arrow drove,

Primary

With lifted eyes, and took his aim above,

Primary

But made a glancing shot, and missed the dove;

Primary

Yet miss'd so narrow, that he cut the cord

Primary

Which fasten'd by the foot the flitting bird.

Primary

The captive thus releas'd, away she flies,

Primary

And beats with clapping wings the yielding skies.

Primary

His bow already bent, Eurytion stood;

Primary

And, having first invok'd his brother god,

Primary

His winged shaft with eager haste he sped.

Primary

The fatal message reach'd her as she fled:

Primary

She leaves her life aloft; she strikes the ground,

Primary

And renders back the weapon in the wound.

Primary

Acestes, grudging at his lot, remains,

Primary

Without a prize to gratify his pains.

Primary

Yet, shooting upward, sends his shaft, to show

Primary

An archer's art, and boast his twanging bow.

Primary

The feather'd arrow gave a dire portent,

Primary

And latter augurs judge from this event.

Primary

Chaf'd by the speed, it fir'd; and, as it flew,

Primary

A trail of following flames ascending drew:

Primary

Kindling they mount, and mark the shiny way;

Primary

Across the skies as falling meteors play,

Primary

And vanish into wind, or in a blaze decay.

Primary

The Trojans and Sicilians wildly stare,

Primary

And, trembling, turn their wonder into pray'r.

Primary

The Dardan prince put on a smiling face,

Primary

And strain'd Acestes with a close embrace;

Primary

Then, hon'ring him with gifts above the rest,

Primary

Turn'd the bad omen, nor his fears confess'd.

Primary

"The gods," said he, "this miracle have wrought,

Primary

And order'd you the prize without the lot.

Primary

Accept this goblet, rough with figur'd gold,

Primary

Which Thracian Cisseus gave my sire of old:

Primary

This pledge of ancient amity receive,

Primary

Which to my second sire I justly give."

Primary

He said, and, with the trumpets' cheerful sound,

Primary

Proclaim'd him victor, and with laurel-crown'd.

Primary

Nor good Eurytion envied him the prize,

Primary

Tho' he transfix'd the pigeon in the skies.

Primary

Who cut the line, with second gifts was grac'd;

Primary

The third was his whose arrow pierc'd the mast.

Primary

The chief, before the games were wholly done,

Primary

Call'd Periphantes, tutor to his son,

Primary

And whisper'd thus: "With speed Ascanius find;

Primary

And, if his childish troop be ready join'd,

Primary

On horseback let him grace his grandsire's day,

Primary

And lead his equals arm'd in just array."

Primary

He said; and, calling out, the cirque he clears.

Primary

The crowd withdrawn, an open plain appears.

Primary

And now the noble youths, of form divine,

Primary

Advance before their fathers, in a line;

Primary

The riders grace the steeds; the steeds with glory shine.

Primary

Thus marching on in military pride,

Primary

Shouts of applause resound from side to side.

Primary

Their casques adorn'd with laurel wreaths they wear,

Primary

Each brandishing aloft a cornel spear.

Primary

Some at their backs their gilded quivers bore;

Primary

Their chains of burnish'd gold hung down before.

Primary

Three graceful troops they form'd upon the green;

Primary

Three graceful leaders at their head were seen;

Primary

Twelve follow'd ev'ry chief, and left a space between.

Primary

The first young Priam led; a lovely boy,

Primary

Whose grandsire was th' unhappy king of Troy;

Primary

His race in after times was known to fame,

Primary

New honors adding to the Latian name;

Primary

And well the royal boy his Thracian steed became.

Primary

White were the fetlocks of his feet before,

Primary

And on his front a snowy star he bore.

Primary

Then beauteous Atys, with Iulus bred,

Primary

Of equal age, the second squadron led.

Primary

The last in order, but the first in place,

Primary

First in the lovely features of his face,

Primary

Rode fair Ascanius on a fiery steed,

Primary

Queen Dido's gift, and of the Tyrian breed.

Primary

Sure coursers for the rest the king ordains,

Primary

With golden bits adorn'd, and purple reins.

Primary

The pleas'd spectators peals of shouts renew,

Primary

And all the parents in the children view;

Primary

Their make, their motions, and their sprightly grace,

Primary

And hopes and fears alternate in their face.

Primary

Th' unfledg'd commanders and their martial train

Primary

First make the circuit of the sandy plain

Primary

Around their sires, and, at th' appointed sign,

Primary

Drawn up in beauteous order, form a line.

Primary

The second signal sounds, the troop divides

Primary

In three distinguish'd parts, with three distinguish'd guides

Primary

Again they close, and once again disjoin;

Primary

In troop to troop oppos'd, and line to line.

Primary

They meet; they wheel; they throw their darts afar

Primary

With harmless rage and well-dissembled war.

Primary

Then in a round the mingled bodies run:

Primary

Flying they follow, and pursuing shun;

Primary

Broken, they break; and, rallying, they renew

Primary

In other forms the military shew.

Primary

At last, in order, undiscern'd they join,

Primary

And march together in a friendly line.

Primary

And, as the Cretan labyrinth of old,

Primary

With wand'ring ways and many a winding fold,

Primary

Involv'd the weary feet, without redress,

Primary

In a round error, which denied recess;

Primary

So fought the Trojan boys in warlike play,

Primary

Turn'd and return'd, and still a diff'rent way.

Primary

Thus dolphins in the deep each other chase

Primary

In circles, when they swim around the wat'ry race.

Primary

This game, these carousels, Ascanius taught;

Primary

And, building Alba, to the Latins brought;

Primary

Shew'd what he learn'd: the Latin sires impart

Primary

To their succeeding sons the graceful art;

Primary

From these imperial Rome receiv'd the game,

Primary

Which Troy, the youths the Trojan troop, they name.

Primary

Thus far the sacred sports they celebrate:

Primary

But Fortune soon resum'd her ancient hate;

Primary

For, while they pay the dead his annual dues,

Primary

Those envied rites Saturnian Juno views;

Primary

And sends the goddess of the various bow,

Primary

To try new methods of revenge below;

Primary

Supplies the winds to wing her airy way,

Primary

Where in the port secure the navy lay.

Primary

Swiftly fair Iris down her arch descends,

Primary

And, undiscern'd, her fatal voyage ends.

Primary

She saw the gath'ring crowd; and, gliding thence,

Primary

The desart shore, and fleet without defense.

Primary

The Trojan matrons, on the sands alone,

Primary

With sighs and tears Anchises' death bemoan;

Primary

Then, turning to the sea their weeping eyes,

Primary

Their pity to themselves renews their cries.

Primary

"Alas!" said one, "what oceans yet remain

Primary

For us to sail! what labors to sustain!"

Primary

All take the word, and, with a gen'ral groan,

Primary

Implore the gods for peace, and places of their own.

Primary

The goddess, great in mischief, views their pains,

Primary

And in a woman's form her heav'nly limbs restrains.

Primary

In face and shape old Beroe she became,

Primary

Doryclus' wife, a venerable dame,

Primary

Once blest with riches, and a mother's name.

Primary

Thus chang'd, amidst the crying crowd she ran,

Primary

Mix'd with the matrons, and these words began:

Primary

"O wretched we, whom not the Grecian pow'r,

Primary

Nor flames, destroy'd, in Troy's unhappy hour!

Primary

O wretched we, reserv'd by cruel fate,

Primary

Beyond the ruins of the sinking state!

Primary

Now sev'n revolving years are wholly run,

Primary

Since this improsp'rous voyage we begun;

Primary

Since, toss'd from shores to shores, from lands to lands,

Primary

Inhospitable rocks and barren sands,

Primary

Wand'ring in exile thro' the stormy sea,

Primary

We search in vain for flying Italy.

Primary

Now cast by fortune on this kindred land,

Primary

What should our rest and rising walls withstand,

Primary

Or hinder here to fix our banish'd band?

Primary

O country lost, and gods redeem'd in vain,

Primary

If still in endless exile we remain!

Primary

Shall we no more the Trojan walls renew,

Primary

Or streams of some dissembled Simois view!

Primary

Haste, join with me, th' unhappy fleet consume!

Primary

Cassandra bids; and I declare her doom.

Primary

In sleep I saw her; she supplied my hands

Primary

(For this I more than dreamt) with flaming brands:

Primary

'With these,' said she, 'these wand'ring ships destroy:

Primary

These are your fatal seats, and this your Troy.'

Primary

Time calls you now; the precious hour employ:

Primary

Slack not the good presage, while Heav'n inspires

Primary

Our minds to dare, and gives the ready fires.

Primary

See! Neptune's altars minister their brands:

Primary

The god is pleas'd; the god supplies our hands."

Primary

Then from the pile a flaming fire she drew,

Primary

And, toss'd in air, amidst the galleys threw.

Primary

Wrapp'd in amaze, the matrons wildly stare:

Primary

Then Pyrgo, reverenc'd for her hoary hair,

Primary

Pyrgo, the nurse of Priam's num'rous race:

Primary

"No Beroe this, tho' she belies her face!

Primary

What terrors from her frowning front arise!

Primary

Behold a goddess in her ardent eyes!

Primary

What rays around her heav'nly face are seen!

Primary

Mark her majestic voice, and more than mortal mien!

Primary

Beroe but now I left, whom, pin'd with pain,

Primary

Her age and anguish from these rites detain,"

Primary

She said. The matrons, seiz'd with new amaze,

Primary

Roll their malignant eyes, and on the navy gaze.

Primary

They fear, and hope, and neither part obey:

Primary

They hope the fated land, but fear the fatal way.

Primary

The goddess, having done her task below,

Primary

Mounts up on equal wings, and bends her painted bow.

Primary

Struck with the sight, and seiz'd with rage divine,

Primary

The matrons prosecute their mad design:

Primary

They shriek aloud; they snatch, with impious hands,

Primary

The food of altars; fires and flaming brands.

Primary

Green boughs and saplings, mingled in their haste,

Primary

And smoking torches, on the ships they cast.

Primary

The flame, unstopp'd at first, more fury gains,

Primary

And Vulcan rides at large with loosen'd reins:

Primary

Triumphant to the painted sterns he soars,

Primary

And seizes, in this way, the banks and crackling oars.

Primary

Eumelus was the first the news to bear,

Primary

While yet they crowd the rural theater.

Primary

Then, what they hear, is witness'd by their eyes:

Primary

A storm of sparkles and of flames arise.

Primary

Ascanius took th' alarm, while yet he led

Primary

His early warriors on his prancing steed,

Primary

And, spurring on, his equals soon o'erpass'd;

Primary

Nor could his frighted friends reclaim his haste.

Primary

Soon as the royal youth appear'd in view,

Primary

He sent his voice before him as he flew:

Primary

"What madness moves you, matrons, to destroy

Primary

The last remainders of unhappy Troy!

Primary

Not hostile fleets, but your own hopes, you burn,

Primary

And on your friends your fatal fury turn.

Primary

Behold your own Ascanius!" While he said,

Primary

He drew his glitt'ring helmet from his head,

Primary

In which the youths to sportful arms he led.

Primary

By this, Aeneas and his train appear;

Primary

And now the women, seiz'd with shame and fear,

Primary

Dispers'd, to woods and caverns take their flight,

Primary

Abhor their actions, and avoid the light;

Primary

Their friends acknowledge, and their error find,

Primary

And shake the goddess from their alter'd mind.

Primary

Not so the raging fires their fury cease,

Primary

But, lurking in the seams, with seeming peace,

Primary

Work on their way amid the smold'ring tow,

Primary

Sure in destruction, but in motion slow.

Primary

The silent plague thro' the green timber eats,

Primary

And vomits out a tardy flame by fits.

Primary

Down to the keels, and upward to the sails,

Primary

The fire descends, or mounts, but still prevails;

Primary

Nor buckets pour'd, nor strength of human hand,

Primary

Can the victorious element withstand.

Primary

The pious hero rends his robe, and throws

Primary

To heav'n his hands, and with his hands his vows.

Primary

"O Jove," he cried, "if pray'rs can yet have place;

Primary

If thou abhorr'st not all the Dardan race;

Primary

If any spark of pity still remain;

Primary

If gods are gods, and not invok'd in vain;

Primary

Yet spare the relics of the Trojan train!

Primary

Yet from the flames our burning vessels free,

Primary

Or let thy fury fall alone on me!

Primary

At this devoted head thy thunder throw,

Primary

And send the willing sacrifice below!"

Primary

Scarce had he said, when southern storms arise:

Primary

From pole to pole the forky lightning flies;

Primary

Loud rattling shakes the mountains and the plain;

Primary

Heav'n bellies downward, and descends in rain.

Primary

Whole sheets of water from the clouds are sent,

Primary

Which, hissing thro' the planks, the flames prevent,

Primary

And stop the fiery pest. Four ships alone

Primary

Burn to the waist, and for the fleet atone.

Primary

But doubtful thoughts the hero's heart divide;

Primary

If he should still in Sicily reside,

Primary

Forgetful of his fates, or tempt the main,

Primary

In hope the promis'd Italy to gain.

Primary

Then Nautes, old and wise, to whom alone

Primary

The will of Heav'n by Pallas was foreshown;

Primary

Vers'd in portents, experienc'd, and inspir'd

Primary

To tell events, and what the fates requir'd;

Primary

Thus while he stood, to neither part inclin'd,

Primary

With cheerful words reliev'd his lab'ring mind:

Primary

"O goddess-born, resign'd in ev'ry state,

Primary

With patience bear, with prudence push your fate.

Primary

By suff'ring well, our Fortune we subdue;

Primary

Fly when she frowns, and, when she calls, pursue.

Primary

Your friend Acestes is of Trojan kind;

Primary

To him disclose the secrets of your mind:

Primary

Trust in his hands your old and useless train;

Primary

Too num'rous for the ships which yet remain:

Primary

The feeble, old, indulgent of their ease,

Primary

The dames who dread the dangers of the seas,

Primary

With all the dastard crew, who dare not stand

Primary

The shock of battle with your foes by land.

Primary

Here you may build a common town for all,

Primary

And, from Acestes' name, Acesta call."

Primary

The reasons, with his friend's experience join'd,

Primary

Encourag'd much, but more disturb'd his mind.

Primary

'T was dead of night; when to his slumb'ring eyes

Primary

His father's shade descended from the skies,

Primary

And thus he spoke: "O more than vital breath,

Primary

Lov'd while I liv'd, and dear ev'n after death;

Primary

O son, in various toils and troubles toss'd,

Primary

The King of Heav'n employs my careful ghost

Primary

On his commands: the god, who sav'd from fire

Primary

Your flaming fleet, and heard your just desire.

Primary

The wholesome counsel of your friend receive,

Primary

And here the coward train and woman leave:

Primary

The chosen youth, and those who nobly dare,

Primary

Transport, to tempt the dangers of the war.

Primary

The stern Italians will their courage try;

Primary

Rough are their manners, and their minds are high.

Primary

But first to Pluto's palace you shall go,

Primary

And seek my shade among the blest below:

Primary

For not with impious ghosts my soul remains,

Primary

Nor suffers with the damn'd perpetual pains,

Primary

But breathes the living air of soft Elysian plains.

Primary

The chaste Sibylla shall your steps convey,

Primary

And blood of offer'd victims free the way.

Primary

There shall you know what realms the gods assign,

Primary

And learn the fates and fortunes of your line.

Primary

But now, farewell! I vanish with the night,

Primary

And feel the blast of heav'n's approaching light."

Primary

He said, and mix'd with shades, and took his airy flight.

Primary

"Whither so fast?" the filial duty cried;

Primary

"And why, ah why, the wish'd embrace denied?"

Primary

He said, and rose; as holy zeal inspires,

Primary

He rakes hot embers, and renews the fires;

Primary

His country gods and Vesta then adores

Primary

With cakes and incense, and their aid implores.

Primary

Next, for his friends and royal host he sent,

Primary

Reveal'd his vision, and the gods' intent,

Primary

With his own purpose. All, without delay,

Primary

The will of Jove, and his desires obey.

Primary

They list with women each degenerate name,

Primary

Who dares not hazard life for future fame.

Primary

These they cashier: the brave remaining few,

Primary

Oars, banks, and cables, half consum'd, renew.

Primary

The prince designs a city with the plow;

Primary

The lots their sev'ral tenements allow.

Primary

This part is nam'd from Ilium, that from Troy,

Primary

And the new king ascends the throne with joy;

Primary

A chosen senate from the people draws;

Primary

Appoints the judges, and ordains the laws.

Primary

Then, on the top of Eryx, they begin

Primary

A rising temple to the Paphian queen.

Primary

Anchises, last, is honor'd as a god;

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A priest is added, annual gifts bestow'd,

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And groves are planted round his blest abode.

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Nine days they pass in feasts, their temples crown'd;

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And fumes of incense in the fanes abound.

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Then from the south arose a gentle breeze

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That curl'd the smoothness of the glassy seas;

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The rising winds a ruffling gale afford,

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And call the merry mariners aboard.

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Now loud laments along the shores resound,

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Of parting friends in close embraces bound.

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The trembling women, the degenerate train,

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Who shunn'd the frightful dangers of the main,

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Ev'n those desire to sail, and take their share

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Of the rough passage and the promis'd war:

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Whom good Aeneas cheers, and recommends

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To their new master's care his fearful friends.

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On Eryx's altars three fat calves he lays;

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A lamb new-fallen to the stormy seas;

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Then slips his haulsers, and his anchors weighs.

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High on the deck the godlike hero stands,

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With olive crown'd, a charger in his hands;

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Then cast the reeking entrails in the brine,

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And pour'd the sacrifice of purple wine.

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Fresh gales arise; with equal strokes they vie,

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And brush the buxom seas, and o'er the billows fly.

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Meantime the mother goddess, full of fears,

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To Neptune thus address'd, with tender tears:

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"The pride of Jove's imperious queen, the rage,

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The malice which no suff'rings can assuage,

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Compel me to these pray'rs; since neither fate,

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Nor time, nor pity, can remove her hate:

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Ev'n Jove is thwarted by his haughty wife;

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Still vanquish'd, yet she still renews the strife.

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As if 't were little to consume the town

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Which aw'd the world, and wore th' imperial crown,

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She prosecutes the ghost of Troy with pains,

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And gnaws, ev'n to the bones, the last remains.

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Let her the causes of her hatred tell;

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But you can witness its effects too well.

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You saw the storm she rais'd on Libyan floods,

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That mix'd the mounting billows with the clouds;

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When, bribing Aeolus, she shook the main,

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And mov'd rebellion in your wat'ry reign.

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With fury she possess'd the Dardan dames,

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To burn their fleet with execrable flames,

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And forc'd Aeneas, when his ships were lost,

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To leave his foll'wers on a foreign coast.

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For what remains, your godhead I implore,

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And trust my son to your protecting pow'r.

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If neither Jove's nor Fate's decree withstand,

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Secure his passage to the Latian land."

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Then thus the mighty Ruler of the Main:

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"What may not Venus hope from Neptune's reign?

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My kingdom claims your birth; my late defense

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Of your indanger'd fleet may claim your confidence.

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Nor less by land than sea my deeds declare

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How much your lov'd Aeneas is my care.

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Thee, Xanthus, and thee, Simois, I attest.

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Your Trojan troops when proud Achilles press'd,

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And drove before him headlong on the plain,

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And dash'd against the walls the trembling train;

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When floods were fill'd with bodies of the slain;

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When crimson Xanthus, doubtful of his way,

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Stood up on ridges to behold the sea;

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(New heaps came tumbling in, and chok'd his way;)

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When your Aeneas fought, but fought with odds

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Of force unequal, and unequal gods;

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I spread a cloud before the victor's sight,

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Sustain'd the vanquish'd, and secur'd his flight;

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Ev'n then secur'd him, when I sought with joy

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The vow'd destruction of ungrateful Troy.

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My will's the same: fair goddess, fear no more,

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Your fleet shall safely gain the Latian shore;

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Their lives are giv'n; one destin'd head alone

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Shall perish, and for multitudes atone."

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Thus having arm'd with hopes her anxious mind,

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His finny team Saturnian Neptune join'd,

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Then adds the foamy bridle to their jaws,

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And to the loosen'd reins permits the laws.

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High on the waves his azure car he guides;

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Its axles thunder, and the sea subsides,

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And the smooth ocean rolls her silent tides.

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The tempests fly before their father's face,

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Trains of inferior gods his triumph grace,

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And monster whales before their master play,

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And choirs of Tritons crowd the wat'ry way.

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The marshal'd pow'rs in equal troops divide

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To right and left; the gods his better side

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Inclose, and on the worse the Nymphs and Nereids ride.

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Now smiling hope, with sweet vicissitude,

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Within the hero's mind his joys renew'd.

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He calls to raise the masts, the sheets display;

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The cheerful crew with diligence obey;

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They scud before the wind, and sail in open sea.

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Ahead of all the master pilot steers;

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And, as he leads, the following navy veers.

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The steeds of Night had travel'd half the sky,

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The drowsy rowers on their benches lie,

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When the soft God of Sleep, with easy flight,

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Descends, and draws behind a trail of light.

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Thou, Palinurus, art his destin'd prey;

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To thee alone he takes his fatal way.

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Dire dreams to thee, and iron sleep, he bears;

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And, lighting on thy prow, the form of Phorbas wears.

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Then thus the traitor god began his tale:

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"The winds, my friend, inspire a pleasing gale;

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The ships, without thy care, securely sail.

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Now steal an hour of sweet repose; and I

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Will take the rudder and thy room supply."

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To whom the yawning pilot, half asleep:

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"Me dost thou bid to trust the treach'rous deep,

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The harlot smiles of her dissembling face,

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And to her faith commit the Trojan race?

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Shall I believe the Siren South again,

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And, oft betray'd, not know the monster main?"

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He said: his fasten'd hands the rudder keep,

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And, fix'd on heav'n, his eyes repel invading sleep.

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The god was wroth, and at his temples threw

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A branch in Lethe dipp'd, and drunk with Stygian dew:

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The pilot, vanquish'd by the pow'r divine,

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Soon clos'd his swimming eyes, and lay supine.

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Scarce were his limbs extended at their length,

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The god, insulting with superior strength,

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Fell heavy on him, plung'd him in the sea,

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And, with the stern, the rudder tore away.

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Headlong he fell, and, struggling in the main,

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Cried out for helping hands, but cried in vain.

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The victor daemon mounts obscure in air,

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While the ship sails without the pilot's care.

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On Neptune's faith the floating fleet relies;

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But what the man forsook, the god supplies,

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And o'er the dang'rous deep secure the navy flies;

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Glides by the Sirens' cliffs, a shelfy coast,

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Long infamous for ships and sailors lost,

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And white with bones. Th' impetuous ocean roars,

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And rocks rebellow from the sounding shores.

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The watchful hero felt the knocks, and found

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The tossing vessel sail'd on shoaly ground.

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Sure of his pilot's loss, he takes himself

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The helm, and steers aloof, and shuns the shelf.

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Inly he griev'd, and, groaning from the breast,

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Deplor'd his death; and thus his pain express'd:

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"For faith repos'd on seas, and on the flatt'ring sky,

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Thy naked corpse is doom'd on shores unknown to lie."