Aeneid

When Turnus had assembled all his pow'rs,

Ut belli signum Laurenti Turnus ab arce

His standard planted on Laurentum's tow'rs;

extulit et rauco strepuerunt cornua cantu,

When now the sprightly trumpet, from afar,

utque acris concussit equos utque impulit arma,

Had giv'n the signal of approaching war,

extemplo turbati animi, simul omne tumultu

Had rous'd the neighing steeds to scour the fields,

coniurat trepido Latium saevitque iuventus

While the fierce riders clatter'd on their shields;

effera. Ductores primi Messapus et Ufens

Trembling with rage, the Latian youth prepare

contemptorque deum Mezentius undique cogunt

To join th' allies, and headlong rush to war.

auxilia et latos vastant cultoribus agros.

Fierce Ufens, and Messapus, led the crowd,

mittitur et magni Venulus Diomedis ad urbem,

With bold Mezentius, who blasphem'd aloud.

qui petat auxilium et Latio consistere Teucros,

These thro' the country took their wasteful course,

advectum Aenean classi victosque penatis

The fields to forage, and to gather force.

inferre et fatis regem se dicere posci

Then Venulus to Diomede they send,

edoceat multasque viro se adiungere gentis

To beg his aid Ausonia to defend,

Dardanio et late Latio increbrescere nomen.

Declare the common danger, and inform

Quid struat his coeptis, quem, si Fortuna sequatur,

The Grecian leader of the growing storm:

eventum pugnae cupiat, manifestius ipsi

Aeneas, landed on the Latian coast,

quam Turno regi aut regi apparere Latino.

With banish'd gods, and with a baffled host,

Talia per Latium. Quae Laomedontius heros

Yet now aspir'd to conquest of the state,

cuncta videns magno curarum fluctuat aestu,

And claim'd a title from the gods and fate;

atque animum nunc huc celerem, nunc dividit illuc.

What num'rous nations in his quarrel came,

In partisque rapit varias perque omnia versat:

And how they spread his formidable name.

sicut aquae tremulum labris ubi lumen aenis

What he design'd, what mischief might arise,

sole repercussum aut radiantis imagine lunae

If fortune favor'd his first enterprise,

omnia pervolitat late loca iamque sub auras

Was left for him to weigh, whose equal fears,

erigitur summique ferit lacuaria tecti.

And common interest, was involv'd in theirs.

Nox erat, et terras animalia fessa per omnis

While Turnus and th' allies thus urge the war,

alituum pecudumque genus sopor altus habebat:

The Trojan, floating in a flood of care,

cum pater in ripa gelidique sub aetheris axe

Beholds the tempest which his foes prepare.

Aeneas, tristi turbatus pectora bello,

This way and that he turns his anxious mind;

procubuit seramque dedit per membra quietem.

Thinks, and rejects the counsels he design'd;

Huic deus ipse loci fluvio Tiberinus amoeno

Explores himself in vain, in ev'ry part,

populeas inter senior se attollere frondes

And gives no rest to his distracted heart.

visus; eum tenuis glauco velabat amictu

So, when the sun by day, or moon by night,

carbasus, et crinis umbrosa tegebat harundo,

Strike on the polish'd brass their trembling light,

tum sic adfari et curas his demere dictis:

The glitt'ring species here and there divide,

O sate gente deum, Troianam ex hostibus urbem

And cast their dubious beams from side to side;

qui revehis nobis aeternaque Pergama servas,

Now on the walls, now on the pavement play,

exspectate solo Laurenti arvisque Latinis,

And to the ceiling flash the glaring day.

hic tibi certa domus, certi, ne absiste, penates;

'T was night; and weary nature lull'd asleep

neu belli terrere minis: tumor omnis et irae

The birds of air, and fishes of the deep,

concessere deum.

And beasts, and mortal men. The Trojan chief

Iamque tibi, ne vana putes haec fingere somnum,

Was laid on Tiber's banks, oppress'd with grief,

litoreis ingens inventa sub ilicibus sus,

And found in silent slumber late relief.

triginta capitum fetus enixa, iacebit,

Then, thro' the shadows of the poplar wood,

alba, solo recubans, albi circum ubera nati.

Arose the father of the Roman flood;

Hic locus urbis erit, requies ea certa laborum

An azure robe was o'er his body spread,

ex quo ter denis urbem redeuntibus annis

A wreath of shady reeds adorn'd his head:

Ascanius clari condet cognominis Albam.

Thus, manifest to sight, the god appear'd,

Haud incerta cano. Nunc qua ratione quod instat

And with these pleasing words his sorrow cheer'd:

expedias victor, paucis (adverte) docebo.

"Undoubted offspring of ethereal race,

Arcades his oris, genus a Pallante profectum,

O long expected in this promis'd place!

qui regem Euandrum comites, qui signa secuti,

Who thro' the foes hast borne thy banish'd gods,

delegere locum et posuere in montibus urbem

Restor'd them to their hearths, and old abodes;

Pallantis proavi de nomine Pallanteum.

This is thy happy home, the clime where fate

Hi bellum adsidue ducunt cum gente Latina;

Ordains thee to restore the Trojan state.

hos castris adhibe socios et foedera iunge.

Fear not! The war shall end in lasting peace,

Ipse ego te ripis et recto flumine ducam,

And all the rage of haughty Juno cease.

adversum remis superes subvectus ut amnem.

And that this nightly vision may not seem

Surge age, nate dea, primisque cadentibus astris

Th' effect of fancy, or an idle dream,

Iunoni fer rite preces iramque minasque

A sow beneath an oak shall lie along,

supplicibus supera votis. Mihi victor honorem

All white herself, and white her thirty young.

persolves. Ego sum pleno quem flumine cernis

When thirty rolling years have run their race,

stringentem ripas et pinguia culta secantem,

Thy son Ascanius, on this empty space,

caeruleus Thybris, caelo gratissimus amnis.

Shall build a royal town, of lasting fame,

Hic mihi magna domus, celsis caput urbibus, exit.

Which from this omen shall receive the name.

Dixit, deinde lacu fluvius se condidit alto,

Time shall approve the truth. For what remains,

ima petens; nox Aenean somnusque reliquit.

And how with sure success to crown thy pains,

Surgit et aetherii spectans orientia solis

With patience next attend. A banish'd band,

lumina rite cavis undam de flumine palmis

Driv'n with Evander from th' Arcadian land,

sustinet ac talis effundit ad aethera voces:

Have planted here, and plac'd on high their walls;

Nymphae, Laurentes nymphae, genus amnibus unde est,

Their town the founder Pallanteum calls,

tuque, o Thybri tuo genitor cum flumine sancto,

Deriv'd from Pallas, his great-grandsire's name:

accipite Aenean et tandem arcete periclis.

But the fierce Latians old possession claim,

With war infesting the new colony.

These make thy friends, and on their aid rely.

To thy free passage I submit my streams.

Wake, son of Venus, from thy pleasing dreams;

And, when the setting stars are lost in day,

To Juno's pow'r thy just devotion pay;

With sacrifice the wrathful queen appease:

Her pride at length shall fall, her fury cease.

When thou return'st victorious from the war,

Perform thy vows to me with grateful care.

The god am I, whose yellow water flows

Around these fields, and fattens as it goes:

Tiber my name; among the rolling floods

Renown'd on earth, esteem'd among the gods.

This is my certain seat. In times to come,

My waves shall wash the walls of mighty Rome."

He said, and plung'd below. While yet he spoke,

His dream Aeneas and his sleep forsook.

He rose, and looking up, beheld the skies

With purple blushing, and the day arise.

Then water in his hollow palm he took

From Tiber's flood, and thus the pow'rs bespoke:

"Laurentian nymphs, by whom the streams are fed,

And Father Tiber, in thy sacred bed

Quo te cumque lacus miserantem incommoda nostra

Receive Aeneas, and from danger keep.

fonte tenet, quocumque solo pulcherrimus exis,

Whatever fount, whatever holy deep,

semper honore meo, semper celebrabere donis

Conceals thy wat'ry stores; where'er they rise,

corniger hesperidum fluvius regnator aquarum.

And, bubbling from below, salute the skies;

Adsis o tantum et propius tua numina firmes.

Thou, king of horned floods, whose plenteous urn

sic memorat geminasque legit de classe biremis

Suffices fatness to the fruitful corn,

remigioque aptat, socios simul instruit armis.

For this thy kind compassion of our woes,

Ecce autem subitum atque oculis mirabile monstrum;

Shalt share my morning song and ev'ning vows.

candida per silvam cum fetu concolor albo

But, O be present to thy people's aid,

procubuit viridique in litore conspicitur sus.

And firm the gracious promise thou hast made!"

Quam pius Aeneas tibi enim, tibi, maxuma Iuno,

Thus having said, two galleys from his stores,

mactat sacra ferens et cum grege sistit ad aram.

With care he chooses, mans, and fits with oars.

Thybris ea fluvium, quam longa est, nocte tumentem

Now on the shore the fatal swine is found.

leniit, et tacita refluens ita substitit unda,

Wondrous to tell!- She lay along the ground:

mitis ut in morem stagni placidaeque paludis

Her well-fed offspring at her udders hung;

sterneret aequor aquis, remo ut luctamen abesset.

She white herself, and white her thirty young.

Ergo iter inceptum celerant rumore secundo;

Aeneas takes the mother and her brood,

labitur uncta vadis abies; mirantur et undae,

And all on Juno's altar are bestow'd.

miratur nemus insuetum fulgentia longe

The foll'wing night, and the succeeding day,

scuta virum fluvio pictasque innare carinas.

Propitious Tiber smooth'd his wat'ry way:

Olli remigio noctemque diemque fatigant

He roll'd his river back, and pois'd he stood,

et longos superant flexus variisque teguntur

A gentle swelling, and a peaceful flood.

arboribus viridisque secant placido aequore silvas.

The Trojans mount their ships; they put from shore,

Sol medium caeli conscenderat igneus orbem,

Borne on the waves, and scarcely dip an oar.

cum muros arcemque procul ac rara domorum

Shouts from the land give omen to their course,

tecta vident, quae nunc Romana potentia caelo

And the pitch'd vessels glide with easy force.

aequavit, tum res inopes Euandrus habebat:

The woods and waters wonder at the gleam

ocius advertunt proras urbique propinquant.

Of shields, and painted ships that stem the stream.

Forte die sollemnem illo rex Arcas honorem

One summer's night and one whole day they pass

Amphitryoniadae magno divisque ferebat

Betwixt the greenwood shades, and cut the liquid glass.

ante urbem in luco. Pallas huic filius una,

The fiery sun had finish'd half his race,

una omnes iuvenum primi pauperque senatus

Look'd back, and doubted in the middle space,

tura dabant, tepidusque cruor fumabat ad aras.

When they from far beheld the rising tow'rs,

Ut celsas videre rates atque inter opacum

The tops of sheds, and shepherds' lowly bow'rs,

adlabi nemus et tacitis incumbere remis,

Thin as they stood, which, then of homely clay,

terrentur visu subito cunctique relictis

Now rise in marble, from the Roman sway.

consurgunt mensis. Audax quos rumpere Pallas

These cots (Evander's kingdom, mean and poor)

sacra vetat raptoque volat telo obvius ipse

The Trojan saw, and turn'd his ships to shore.

et procul e tumulo: Iuvenes, quae causa subegit

'T was on a solemn day: th' Arcadian states,

ignotas temptare vias, quo tenditis? inquit.

The king and prince, without the city gates,

Qui genus? Unde domo? Pacemne huc fertis an arma?

Then paid their off'rings in a sacred grove

Tum pater Aeneas puppi sic fatur ab alta

To Hercules, the warrior son of Jove.

paciferaeque manu ramum praetendit olivae:

Thick clouds of rolling smoke involve the skies,

Troiugenas ac tela vides inimica Latinis,

And fat of entrails on his altar fries.

quos illi bello profugos egere superbo.

But, when they saw the ships that stemm'd the flood,

Euandrum petimus. Ferte haec et dicite lectos

And glitter'd thro' the covert of the wood,

Dardaniae venisse duces socia arma rogantis.

They rose with fear, and left th' unfinish'd feast,

Obstipuit tanto percussus nomine Pallas:

Till dauntless Pallas reassur'd the rest

Egredere o quicumque es ait coramque parentem

To pay the rites. Himself without delay

adloquere ac nostris succede penatibus hospes.

A jav'lin seiz'd, and singly took his way;

excepitque manu dextramque amplexus inhaesit.

Then gain'd a rising ground, and call'd from far:

Progressi subeunt luco fluviumque relinquunt.

"Resolve me, strangers, whence, and what you are;

Tum regem Aeneas dictis adfatur amicis:

Your bus'ness here; and bring you peace or war?"

Optume Graiugenum, cui me Fortuna precari

High on the stern Aeneas his stand,

et vitta comptos voluit praetendere ramos,

And held a branch of olive in his hand,

non equidem extimui, Danaum quod ductor et Arcas

While thus he spoke: "The Phrygians' arms you see,

quodque a stirpe fores geminis coniunctus Atridis;

Expell'd from Troy, provok'd in Italy

sed mea me virtus et sancta oracula divom

By Latian foes, with war unjustly made;

cognatique patres, tua terris didita fama,

At first affianc'd, and at last betray'd.

coniunxere tibi et fatis egere volentem.

This message bear: 'The Trojans and their chief

Dardanus, Iliacae primus pater urbis et auctor,

Bring holy peace, and beg the king's relief.'

Electra, ut Grai perhibent, Atlantide cretus,

Struck with so great a name, and all on fire,

advehitur Teucros; Electram maxumus Atlas

The youth replies: "Whatever you require,

edidit, aetherios umero qui sustinet orbes

Your fame exacts. Upon our shores descend.

vobis Mercurius pater est, quem candida Maia

A welcome guest, and, what you wish, a friend."

Cyllenae gelido conceptum vertice fudit;

He said, and, downward hasting to the strand,

at Maiam, auditis si quicquam credimus, Atlas,

Embrac'd the stranger prince, and join'd his hand.

idem Atlas generat, caeli qui sidera tollit.

Conducted to the grove, Aeneas broke

Sic genus amborum scindit se sanguine ab uno.

The silence first, and thus the king bespoke:

His fretus non legatos neque prima per artem

"Best of the Greeks, to whom, by fate's command,

temptamenta tui pepigi: me, me ipse meumque

I bear these peaceful branches in my hand,

obieci caput et supplex ad limina veni.

Undaunted I approach you, tho' I know

Gens eadem, quae te, crudeli Daunia bello

Your birth is Grecian, and your land my foe;

From Atreus tho' your ancient lineage came,

And both the brother kings your kindred claim;

Yet, my self-conscious worth, your high renown,

Your virtue, thro' the neighb'ring nations blown,

Our fathers' mingled blood, Apollo's voice,

Have led me hither, less by need than choice.

Our founder Dardanus, as fame has sung,

And Greeks acknowledge, from Electra sprung:

Electra from the loins of Atlas came;

Atlas, whose head sustains the starry frame.

Your sire is Mercury, whom long before

On cold Cyllene's top fair Maia bore.

Maia the fair, on fame if we rely,

Was Atlas' daughter, who sustains the sky.

Thus from one common source our streams divide;

Ours is the Trojan, yours th' Areadian side.

Rais'd by these hopes, I sent no news before,

Nor ask'd your leave, nor did your faith implore;

But come, without a pledge, my own ambassador.

The same Rutulians, who with arms pursue

The Trojan race, are equal foes to you.

Our host expell'd, what farther force can stay

The victor troops from universal sway?

Then will they stretch their pow'r athwart the land,

And either sea from side to side command.

insequitur; nos si pellant, nihil afore credunt,

Receive our offer'd faith, and give us thine;

quin omnem Hesperiam penitus sua sub iuga mittant

Ours is a gen'rous and experienc'd line:

et mare quod supra teneant quodque adluit infra.

We want not hearts nor bodies for the war;

Accipe daque fidem: sunt nobis fortia bello

In council cautious, and in fields we dare."

pectora, sunt animi et rebus spectata iuventus.

He said; and while spoke, with piercing eyes

Dixerat Aeneas. Ille os oculosque loquentis

Evander view'd the man with vast surprise,

iamdudum et totum lustrabat lumine corpus.

Pleas'd with his action, ravish'd with his face:

Tum sic pauca refert: Ut te, fortissime Teucrum,

Then answer'd briefly, with a royal grace:

accipio agnoscoque libens! Ut verba parentis

"O valiant leader of the Trojan line,

et vocem Anchisae magni voltumque recordor!

In whom the features of thy father shine,

Nam memini Hesionae visentem regna sororis

How I recall Anchises! how I see

Laomedontiaden Priamum, Salamina petentem,

His motions, mien, and all my friend, in thee!

protinus Arcadiae gelidos invisere finis.

Long tho' it be, 't is fresh within my mind,

Tum mihi prima genas vestibat flore iuventas,

When Priam to his sister's court design'd

mirabarque duces Teucros, mirabar et ipsum

A welcome visit, with a friendly stay,

Laomedontiaden, sed cunctis altior ibat

And thro' th' Arcadian kingdom took his way.

Anchises: mihi mens iuvenali ardebat amore

Then, past a boy, the callow down began

compellare virum et dextrae coniungere dextram.

To shade my chin, and call me first a man.

Accessi et cupidus Phenei sub moenia duxi.

I saw the shining train with vast delight,

Ille mihi insignem pharetram Lyciasque sagittas

And Priam's goodly person pleas'd my sight:

discedens chlamydemque auro dedit intertextam

But great Anchises, far above the rest,

frenaque bina meus quae nunc habet aurea Pallas.

With awful wonder fir'd my youthful breast.

Ergo et quam petitis iuncta est mihi foedere dextra,

I long'd to join in friendship's holy bands

et lux cum primum terris se crastina reddet,

Our mutual hearts, and plight our mutual hands.

auxilio laetos dimittam opibusque iuvabo.

I first accosted him: I sued, I sought,

Interea sacra haec, quando huc venistis amici,

And, with a loving force, to Pheneus brought.

annua, quae differre nefas, celebrate faventes

He gave me, when at length constrain'd to go,

nobiscum et iam nunc sociorum adsuescite mensis.

A Lycian quiver and a Gnossian bow,

Haec ubi dicta, dapes iubet et sublata reponi

A vest embroider'd, glorious to behold,

pocula gramineoque viros locat ipse sedili

And two rich bridles, with their bits of gold,

praecipuumque toro et villosi pelle leonis

Which my son's coursers in obedience hold.

accipit Aenean solioque invitat acerno.

The league you ask, I offer, as your right;

Tum lecti iuvenes certatim araeque sacerdos

And, when to-morrow's sun reveals the light,

viscera tosta ferunt taurorum onerantque canistris

With swift supplies you shall be sent away.

dona laboratae Cereris Bacchumque ministrant.

Now celebrate with us this solemn day,

Vescitur Aeneas simul et Troiana iuventus

Whose holy rites admit no long delay.

perpetui tergo bovis et lustralibus extis.

Honor our annual feast; and take your seat,

Postquam exempta fames et amor compressus edendi,

With friendly welcome, at a homely treat."

rex Euandrus ait: Non haec sollemnia nobis,

Thus having said, the bowls (remov'd for fear)

has ex more dapes, hanc tanti numinis aram

The youths replac'd, and soon restor'd the cheer.

vana superstitio veterumque ignara deorum

On sods of turf he set the soldiers round:

inposuit: saevis, hospes Troiane, periclis

A maple throne, rais'd higher from the ground,

servati facimus meritosque novamus honores.

Receiv'd the Trojan chief; and, o'er the bed,

Iam primum saxis suspensam hanc aspice rupem,

A lion's shaggy hide for ornament they spread.

disiectae procul ut moles desertaque montis

The loaves were serv'd in canisters; the wine

stat domus et scopuli ingentem traxere ruinam.

In bowls; the priest renew'd the rites divine:

Hic spelunca fuit, vasto summota recessu,

Broil'd entrails are their food, and beef's continued chine.

semihominis Caci facies quam dira tenebat

But when the rage of hunger was repress'd,

solis inaccessam radiis; semperque recenti

Thus spoke Evander to his royal guest:

caede tepebat humus, foribusque adfixa superbis

"These rites, these altars, and this feast, O king,

ora virum tristi pendebant pallida tabo.

From no vain fears or superstition spring,

Huic monstro Volcanus erat pater: illius atros

Or blind devotion, or from blinder chance,

ore vomens ignis magna se mole ferebat.

Or heady zeal, or brutal ignorance;

Attulit et nobis aliquando optantibus aetas

But, sav'd from danger, with a grateful sense,

auxilium adventumque dei. Nam maximus ultor,

The labors of a god we recompense.

tergemini nece Geryonae spoliisque superbus

See, from afar, yon rock that mates the sky,

Alcides aderat taurosque hac victor agebat

About whose feet such heaps of rubbish lie;

ingentis, vallemque boves amnemque tenebant.

Such indigested ruin; bleak and bare,

At furiis Caci mens effera, nequid inausum

How desart now it stands, expos'd in air!

aut intractatum scelerisve dolive fuisset,

'T was once a robber's den, inclos'd around

quattuor a stabulis praestanti corpore tauros

With living stone, and deep beneath the ground.

avertit, totidem forma superante iuvencas;

The monster Cacus, more than half a beast,

atque hos, nequa forent pedibus vestigia rectis,

This hold, impervious to the sun, possess'd.

cauda in speluncam tractos versisque viarum

The pavement ever foul with human gore;

indiciis raptos saxo occultabat opaco:

Heads, and their mangled members, hung the door.

quaerenti nulla ad speluncam signa ferebant.

Vulcan this plague begot; and, like his sire,

Interea, cum iam stabulis saturata moveret

Black clouds he belch'd, and flakes of livid fire.

Amphytrioniades armenta abitumque pararet,

Time, long expected, eas'd us of our load,

discessu mugire boves atque omne querelis

And brought the needful presence of a god.

impleri nemus et colles clamore relinqui.

Th' avenging force of Hercules, from Spain,

reddidit una boum vocem vastoque sub antro

Arriv'd in triumph, from Geryon slain:

mugiit et Caci spem custodita fefellit.

Thrice liv'd the giant, and thrice liv'd in vain.

Hic vero Alcidae furiis exarserat atro

His prize, the lowing herds, Alcides drove

Near Tiber's bank, to graze the shady grove.

Allur'd with hope of plunder, and intent

By force to rob, by fraud to circumvent,

The brutal Cacus, as by chance they stray'd,

Four oxen thence, and four fair kine convey'd;

And, lest the printed footsteps might be seen,

He dragg'd 'em backwards to his rocky den.

The tracks averse a lying notice gave,

And led the searcher backward from the cave.

"Meantime the herdsman hero shifts his place,

To find fresh pasture and untrodden grass.

The beasts, who miss'd their mates, fill'd all around

With bellowings, and the rocks restor'd the sound.

One heifer, who had heard her love complain,

Roar'd from the cave, and made the project vain.

Alcides found the fraud; with rage he shook,

And toss'd about his head his knotted oak.

Swift as the winds, or Scythian arrows' flight,

He clomb, with eager haste, th' aerial height.

Then first we saw the monster mend his pace;

Fear his eyes, and paleness in his face,

Confess'd the god's approach. Trembling he springs,

As terror had increas'd his feet with wings;

Nor stay'd for stairs; but down the depth he threw

His body, on his back the door he drew

felle dolor: rapit arma manu nodisque gravatum

(The door, a rib of living rock; with pains

robur et aerii cursu petit ardua montis.

His father hew'd it out, and bound with iron chains):

Tum primum nostri Cacum videre timentem

He broke the heavy links, the mountain clos'd,

turbatumque oculis: fugit ilicet ocior Euro

And bars and levers to his foe oppos'd.

speluncamque petit, pedibus timor addidit alas.

The wretch had hardly made his dungeon fast;

Ut sese inclusit ruptisque immane catenis

The fierce avenger came with bounding haste;

deiecit saxum, ferro quod et arte paterna

Survey'd the mouth of the forbidden hold,

pendebat, fultosque emuniit obice postis,

And here and there his raging eyes he roll'd.

ecce furens animis aderat Tirynthius omnemque

He gnash'd his teeth; and thrice he compass'd round

accessum lustrans huc ora ferebat et illuc,

With winged speed the circuit of the ground.

dentibus infrendens. Ter totum fervidus ira

Thrice at the cavern's mouth he pull'd in vain,

lustrat Aventini montem, ter saxea temptat

And, panting, thrice desisted from his pain.

limina nequiquam, ter fessus valle resedit.

A pointed flinty rock, all bare and black,

Stabat acuta silex, praecisis undique saxis

Grew gibbous from behind the mountain's back;

speluncae dorso insurgens, altissima visu,

Owls, ravens, all ill omens of the night,

dirarum nidis domus opportuna volucrum.

Here built their nests, and hither wing'd their flight.

Hanc, ut prona iugo laevum incumbebat in amnem,

The leaning head hung threat'ning o'er the flood,

dexter in adversum nitens concussit et imis

And nodded to the left. The hero stood

avolsam solvit radicibus; inde repente

Adverse, with planted feet, and, from the right,

inpulit, inpulsu quo maximus intonat aether

Tugg'd at the solid stone with all his might.

dissultant ripae refluitque exterritus amnis.

Thus heav'd, the fix'd foundations of the rock

At specus et Caci detecta apparuit ingens

Gave way; heav'n echo'd at the rattling shock.

regia, et umbrosae penitus patuere cavernae:

Tumbling, it chok'd the flood: on either side

non secus ac siqua penitus vi terra dehiscens

The banks leap backward, and the streams divide;

infernas reseret sedes et regna recludat

The sky shrunk upward with unusual dread,

pallida, dis invisa, superque immane barathrum

And trembling Tiber div'd beneath his bed.

cernatur, trepident inmisso lumine manes.

The court of Cacus stands reveal'd to sight;

Ergo insperata deprensum luce repente

The cavern glares with new-admitted light.

inclusumque cavo saxo atque insueta rudentem

So the pent vapors, with a rumbling sound,

desuper Alcides telis premit omniaque arma

Heave from below, and rend the hollow ground;

advocat et ramis vastisque molaribus instat.

A sounding flaw succeeds; and, from on high,

Ille autem, neque enim fuga iam super ulla pericli,

The gods with hate beheld the nether sky:

faucibus ingentem fumum (mirabile dictu)

The ghosts repine at violated night,

evomit involvitque domum caligine caeca,

And curse th' invading sun, and sicken at the sight.

prospectum eripiens oculis, glomeratque sub antro

The graceless monster, caught in open day,

fumiferam noctem commixtis igne tenebris.

Inclos'd, and in despair to fly away,

Non tulit Alcides animis seque ipse per ignem

Howls horrible from underneath, and fills

praecipiti iecit saltu, qua plurimus undam

His hollow palace with unmanly yells.

fumus agit nebulaque ingens specus aestuat atra.

The hero stands above, and from afar

Hic Cacum in tenebris incendia vana vomentem

Plies him with darts, and stones, and distant war.

corripit in nodum complexus et angit inhaerens

He, from his nostrils huge mouth, expires

elisos oculos et siccum sanguine guttur.

Black clouds of smoke, amidst his father's fires,

Panditur extemplo foribus domus atra revolsis,

Gath'ring, with each repeated blast, the night,

abstractaeque boves abiurataeque rapinae

To make uncertain aim, and erring sight.

caelo ostenduntur, pedibusque informe cadaver

The wrathful god then plunges from above,

protrahitur. Nequeunt expleri corda tuendo

And, where in thickest waves the sparkles drove,

terribilis oculos, voltum villosaque saetis

There lights; and wades thro' fumes, and gropes his way,

pectora semiferi atque extinctos faucibus ignis.

Half sing'd, half stifled, till he grasps his prey.

Ex illo celebratus honos, laetique minores

The monster, spewing fruitless flames, he found;

servavere diem, primusque Potitius auctor

He squeez'd his throat; he writh'd his neck around,

et domus Herculei custos Pinaria sacri.

And in a knot his crippled members bound;

Hanc aram luco statuit, quae maxuma semper

Then from their sockets tore his burning eyes:

dicetur nobis et erit quae maxuma semper.

Roll'd on a heap, the breathless robber lies.

Quare agite, o iuvenes, tantarum in munere laudum

The doors, unbarr'd, receive the rushing day,

cingite fronde comas et pocula porgite dextris

And thoro' lights disclose the ravish'd prey.

communemque vocate deum et date vina volentes.

The bulls, redeem'd, breathe open air again.

Dixerat, Herculea bicolor cum populus umbra

Next, by the feet, they drag him from his den.

velavitque comas foliisque innexa pependit

The wond'ring neighborhood, with glad surprise,

et sacer implevit dextram scyphus. Ocius omnes

Behold his shagged breast, his giant size,

in mensam laeti libant divosque precantur.

His mouth that flames no more, and his extinguish'd eyes.

Devexo interea propior fit Vesper Olympo,

From that auspicious day, with rites divine,

iamque sacerdotes primusque Potitius ibant,

We worship at the hero's holy shrine.

pellibus in morem cincti, flammasque ferebant.

Potitius first ordain'd these annual vows:

Instaurant epulas et mensae grata secundae

As priests, were added the Pinarian house,

dona ferunt cumulantque oneratis lancibus aras.

Who rais'd this altar in the sacred shade,

tum Salii ad cantus incensa altaria circum

Where honors, ever due, for ever shall be paid.

populeis adsunt evincti tempora ramis,

For these deserts, and this high virtue shown,

hic iuvenum chorus, ille senum; qui carmine laudes

Ye warlike youths, your heads with garlands crown:

Herculeas et facta ferunt: ut prima novercae

Fill high the goblets with a sparkling flood,

monstra manu geminosque premens eliserit angues,

And with deep draughts invoke our common god."

ut bello egregias idem disiecerit urbes,

This said, a double wreath Evander twin'd,

Troiamque Oechaliamque, ut duros mille labores

And poplars black and white his temples bind.

rege sub Eurystheo fatis Iunonis iniquae

Then brims his ample bowl. With like design

The rest invoke the gods, with sprinkled wine.

Meantime the sun descended from the skies,

And the bright evening star began to rise.

And now the priests, Potitius at their head,

In skins of beasts involv'd, the long procession led;

Held high the flaming tapers in their hands,

As custom had prescrib'd their holy bands;

Then with a second course the tables load,

And with full chargers offer to the god.

The Salii sing, and cense his altars round

With Saban smoke, their heads with poplar bound-

One choir of old, another of the young,

To dance, and bear the burthen of the song.

The lay records the labors, and the praise,

And all th' immortal acts of Hercules:

First, how the mighty babe, when swath'd in bands,

The serpents strangled with his infant hands;

Then, as in years and matchless force he grew,

Th' Oechalian walls, and Trojan, overthrew.

Besides, a thousand hazards they relate,

Procur'd by Juno's and Eurystheus' hate:

"Thy hands, unconquer'd hero, could subdue

The cloud-born Centaurs, and the monster crew:

Nor thy resistless arm the bull withstood,

pertulerit. Tu nubigenas, invicte, bimembris

Nor he, the roaring terror of the wood.

Hylaeeumque Pholumque, manu, tu Cresia mactas

The triple porter of the Stygian seat,

prodigia et vastum Nemeae sub rupe leonem.

With lolling tongue, lay fawning at thy feet,

Te Stygii tremuere lacus, te ianitor Orci

And, seiz'd with fear, forgot his mangled meat.

ossa super recubans antro semesa cruento;

Th' infernal waters trembled at thy sight;

nec te ullae facies, non terruit ipse Typhoeus,

Thee, god, no face of danger could affright;

arduus arma tenens; non te rationis egentem

Not huge Typhoeus, nor th' unnumber'd snake,

Lernaeus turba capitum circumstetit anguis.

Increas'd with hissing heads, in Lerna's lake.

Salve, vera Iovis proles, decus addite divis,

Hail, Jove's undoubted son! an added grace

et nos et tua dexter adi pede sacra secundo.

To heav'n and the great author of thy race!

Talia carminibus celebrant; super omnia Caci

Receive the grateful off'rings which we pay,

speluncam adiciunt spirantemque ignibus ipsum.

And smile propitious on thy solemn day!"

Consonat omne nemus strepitu collesque resultant.

In numbers thus they sung; above the rest,

Exim se cuncti divinis rebus ad urbem

The den and death of Cacus crown the feast.

perfectis referunt. Ibat rex obsitus aevo

The woods to hollow vales convey the sound,

et comitem Aenean iuxta natumque tenebat

The vales to hills, and hills the notes rebound.

ingrediens varioque viam sermone levabat.

The rites perform'd, the cheerful train retire.

miratur facilisque oculos fert omnia circum

Betwixt young Pallas and his aged sire,

Aeneas capiturque locis et singula laetus

The Trojan pass'd, the city to survey,

exquiritque auditque virum monimenta priorum.

And pleasing talk beguil'd the tedious way.

Tum rex Euandrus, Romanae conditor arcis:

The stranger cast around his curious eyes,

Haec nemora indigenae fauni nymphaeque tenebant

New objects viewing still, with new surprise;

gensque virum truncis et duro robore nata,

With greedy joy enquires of various things,

quis neque mos neque cultus erat, nec iungere tauros

And acts and monuments of ancient kings.

aut componere opes norant aut parcere parto,

Then thus the founder of the Roman tow'rs:

sed rami atque asper victu venatus alebat.

"These woods were first the seat of sylvan pow'rs,

Primus ab aetherio venit Saturnus Olympo,

Of Nymphs and Fauns, and salvage men, who took

arma Iovis fugiens et regnis exsul ademptis.

Their birth from trunks of trees and stubborn oak.

Is genus indocile ac dispersum montibus altis

Nor laws they knew, nor manners, nor the care

composuit legesque dedit Latiumque vocari

Of lab'ring oxen, or the shining share,

maluit, his quoniam latuisset tutis in oris.

Nor arts of gain, nor what they gain'd to spare.

Aurea quae perhibent illo sub rege fuere

Their exercise the chase; the running flood

saecula. Sic placida populos in pace regebat,

Supplied their thirst, the trees supplied their food.

deterior donec paulatim ac decolor aetas

Then Saturn came, who fled the pow'r of Jove,

et belli rabies et amor successit habendi.

Robb'd of his realms, and banish'd from above.

Tum manus Ausonia et gentes venere Sicanae,

The men, dispers'd on hills, to towns he brought,

saepius et nomen posuit Saturnia tellus;

And laws ordain'd, and civil customs taught,

tum reges asperque immani corpore Thybris,

And Latium call'd the land where safe he lay

a quo post Itali fluvium cognomine Thybrim

From his unduteous son, and his usurping sway.

diximus, amisit verum vetus Albula nomen;

With his mild empire, peace and plenty came;

me pulsum patria pelagique extrema sequentem

And hence the golden times deriv'd their name.

Fortuna omnipotens et ineluctabile fatum

A more degenerate and discolor'd age

his posuere locis matrisque egere tremenda

Succeeded this, with avarice and rage.

Carmentis nymphae monita et deus auctor Apollo.

Th' Ausonians then, and bold Sicanians came;

Vix ea dicta: dehinc progressus monstrat et aram

And Saturn's empire often chang'd the name.

et Carmentalem Romani nomine portam

Then kings, gigantic Tybris, and the rest,

quam memorant, nymphae priscum Carmentis honorem,

With arbitrary sway the land oppress'd:

vatis fatidicae, cecinit quae prima futuros

For Tiber's flood was Albula before,

Aeneadas magnos et nobile Pallanteum.

Till, from the tyrant's fate, his name it bore.

Hinc lucum ingentem quem Romulus acer Asylum

I last arriv'd, driv'n from my native home

rettulit et gelida monstrat sub rupe Lupercal,

By fortune's pow'r, and fate's resistless doom.

Parrhasio dictum Panos de more Lycaei.

Long toss'd on seas, I sought this happy land,

Nec non et sacri monstrat nemus Argileti

Warn'd by my mother nymph, and call'd by Heav'n's command."

testaturque locum et letum docet hospitis Argi.

Thus, walking on, he spoke, and shew'd the gate,

Hinc ad Tarpeiam sedem et Capitolia ducit,

Since call'd Carmental by the Roman state;

aurea nunc, olim silvestribus horrida dumis.

Where stood an altar, sacred to the name

Iam tum religio pavidos terrebat agrestis

Of old Carmenta, the prophetic dame,

dira loci, iam tum silvam saxumque tremebant.

Who to her son foretold th' Aenean race,

Hoc nemus, hunc, inquit, frondoso vertice collem

Sublime in fame, and Rome's imperial place:

(quis deus incertum est) habitat deus: Arcades ipsum

Then shews the forest, which, in after times,

credunt se vidisse Iovem, cum saepe nigrantem

Fierce Romulus for perpetrated crimes

aegida concuteret dextra nimbosque cieret.

A sacred refuge made; with this, the shrine

Haec duo praeterea disiectis oppida muris,

Where Pan below the rock had rites divine:

reliquias veterumque vides monimenta virorum.

Then tells of Argus' death, his murder'd guest,

Hanc Ianus pater, hanc Saturnus condidit arcem:

Whose grave and tomb his innocence attest.

Ianiculum huic, illi fuerat Saturnia nomen.

Thence, to the steep Tarpeian rock he leads;

Talibus inter se dictis ad tecta subibant

Now roof'd with gold, then thatch'd with homely reeds.

pauperis Euandri passimque armenta videbant

A reverent fear (such superstition reigns

Romanoque foro et lautis mugire Carinis.

Among the rude) ev'n then possess'd the swains.

Ut ventum ad sedes: Haec, inquit, limina victor

Some god, they knew- what god, they could not tell-

Alcides subiit, haec illum regia cepit.

Did there amidst the sacred horror dwell.

Aude, hospes, contemnere opes et te quoque dignum

Th' Arcadians thought him Jove; and said they saw

finge deo rebusque veni non asper egenis.

The mighty Thund'rer with majestic awe,

Who took his shield, and dealt his bolts around,

And scatter'd tempests on the teeming ground.

Then saw two heaps of ruins, (once they stood

Two stately towns, on either side the flood,)

Saturnia's and Janicula's remains;

And either place the founder's name retains.

Discoursing thus together, they resort

Where poor Evander kept his country court.

They view'd the ground of Rome's litigious hall;

(Once oxen low'd, where now the lawyers bawl;)

Then, stooping, thro' the narrow gate they press'd,

When thus the king bespoke his Trojan guest:

"Mean as it is, this palace, and this door,

Receiv'd Alcides, then a conqueror.

Dare to be poor; accept our homely food,

Which feasted him, and emulate a god."

Then underneath a lowly roof he led

The weary prince, and laid him on a bed;

The stuffing leaves, with hides of bears o'erspread.

Now Night had shed her silver dews around,

And with her sable wings embrac'd the ground,

When love's fair goddess, anxious for her son,

(New tumults rising, and new wars begun,)

Couch'd with her husband in his golden bed,

With these alluring words invokes his aid;

dixit et angusti subter fastigia tecti

And, that her pleasing speech his mind may move,

ingentem Aenean duxit stratisque locavit

Inspires each accent with the charms of love:

effultum foliis et pelle Libystidis ursae.

"While cruel fate conspir'd with Grecian pow'rs,

Nox ruit et fuscis tellurem amplectitur alis.

To level with the ground the Trojan tow'rs,

At Venus haud animo nequiquam exterrita mater

I ask'd not aid th' unhappy to restore,

Laurentumque minis et duro mota tumultu

Nor did the succor of thy skill implore;

Volcanum adloquitur thalamoque haec coniugis aureo

Nor urg'd the labors of my lord in vain,

incipit et dictis divinum adspirat amorem:

A sinking empire longer to sustain,

Dum bello Argolici vastabant Pergama reges

Tho'much I ow'd to Priam's house, and more

debita casurasque inimicis ignibus arces,

The dangers of Aeneas did deplore.

non ullum auxilium miseris, non arma rogavi

But now, by Jove's command, and fate's decree,

artis opisque tuae nec te, carissime coniunx,

His race is doom'd to reign in Italy:

incassumve tuos volui exercere labores,

With humble suit I beg thy needful art,

quamvis et Priami deberem plurima natis

O still propitious pow'r, that rules my heart!

et durum Aeneae flevissem saepe laborem.

A mother kneels a suppliant for her son.

Nunc Iovis imperiis Rutulorum constitit oris:

By Thetis and Aurora thou wert won

ergo eadem supplex venio et sanctum mihi numen

To forge impenetrable shields, and grace

arma rogo genetrix nato. Te filia Nerei,

With fated arms a less illustrious race.

te potuit lacrimis Tithonia flectere coniunx.

Behold, what haughty nations are combin'd

Aspice qui coeant populi, quae moenia clausis

Against the relics of the Phrygian kind,

ferrum acuant portis in me exscidiumque meorum.

With fire and sword my people to destroy,

Dixerat et niveis hinc atque hinc diva lacertis

And conquer Venus twice, in conqu'ring Troy."

cunctantem amplexu molli fovet. Ille repente

She said; and straight her arms, of snowy hue,

accepit solitam flammam, notusque medullas

About her unresolving husband threw.

intravit calor et labefacta per ossa cucurrit:

Her soft embraces soon infuse desire;

non secus atque olim tonitru cum rupta corusco

His bones and marrow sudden warmth inspire;

ignea rima micans percurrit lumine nimbos.

And all the godhead feels the wonted fire.

Sensit laeta dolis et formae conscia coniunx.

Not half so swift the rattling thunder flies,

Tum pater aeterno fatur devinctus amore:

Or forky lightnings flash along the skies.

Quid causas petis ex alto? Fiducia cessit

The goddess, proud of her successful wiles,

quo tibi, diva, mei? Similis si cura fuisset,

And conscious of her form, in secret smiles.

tum quoque fas nobis Teucros armare fuisset:

Then thus the pow'r, obnoxious to her charms,

nec pater omnipotens Troiam nec fata vetabant

Panting, and half dissolving in her arms:

stare decemque alios Priamum superesse per annos.

"Why seek you reasons for a cause so just,

Et nunc, si bellare paras atque haec tibi mens est,

Or your own beauties or my love distrust?

quidquid in arte mea possum promittere curae,

Long since, had you requir'd my helpful hand,

quod fieri ferro liquidove potest electro,

Th' artificer and art you might command,

quantum ignes animaeque valent, absiste precando

To labor arms for Troy: nor Jove, nor fate,

viribus indubitare tuis. Ea verba locutus

Confin'd their empire to so short a date.

optatos dedit amplexus placidumque petivit

And, if you now desire new wars to wage,

coniugis infusus gremio per membra soporem.

My skill I promise, and my pains engage.

Inde ubi prima quies medio iam noctis abactae

Whatever melting metals can conspire,

curriculo expulerat somnum, cum femina primum,

Or breathing bellows, or the forming fire,

cui tolerare colo vitam tenuique Minerva

Is freely yours: your anxious fears remove,

impositum, cinerem et sopitos suscitat ignes,

And think no task is difficult to love."

noctem addens operi, famulasque ad lumina longo

Trembling he spoke; and, eager of her charms,

exercet penso, castum ut servare cubile

He snatch'd the willing goddess to his arms;

coniugis et possit parvos educere natos:

Till in her lap infus'd, he lay possess'd

haud secus Ignipotens nec tempore segnior illo

Of full desire, and sunk to pleasing rest.

mollibus e stratis opera ad fabrilia surgit.

Now when the Night her middle race had rode,

Insula Sicanium iuxta latus Aeoliamque

And his first slumber had refresh'd the god-

erigitur Liparen, fumantibus ardua saxis,

The time when early housewives leave the bed;

quam subter specus et Cyclopum exesa caminis

When living embers on the hearth they spread,

antra Aetnaea tonant validique incudibus ictus

Supply the lamp, and call the maids to rise-

auditi referunt gemitus striduntque cavernis

With yawning mouths, and with half-open'd eyes,

stricturae Chalybum et fornacibus ignis anhelat,

They ply the distaff by the winking light,

Volcani domus et Volcania nomine tellus.

And to their daily labor add the night:

Hoc tunc ignipotens caelo descendit ab alto.

Thus frugally they earn their children's bread,

Ferrum exercebant vasto Cyclopes in antro,

And uncorrupted keep the nuptial bed-

Brontesque Steropesque et nudus membra Pyragmon.

Not less concern'd, nor at a later hour,

His informatum manibus iam parte polita

Rose from his downy couch the forging pow'r.

fulmen erat, toto genitor quae plurima caelo

Sacred to Vulcan's name, an isle there lay,

deicit in terras, pars inperfecta manebat.

Betwixt Sicilia's coasts and Lipare,

Tris imbris torti radios, tris nubis aquosae

Rais'd high on smoking rocks; and, deep below,

addiderant, rutili tris ignis et alitis austri:

In hollow caves the fires of Aetna glow.