The Aeneid

by Virgil

Rome,

fix your sight, and stand purpose, to look Your Roman race, and Julian progeny. The strong Caesar waits his critical hour, Impatient for the world, and grasps his promis’d pow’r. But subsequent behold the kids of shape divine, Caesar himself, exalted in his line; Augustus, promis’d oft, and lengthy foretold, Sent to the realm that Saturn rul’d of old; Born to restore a higher age of gold. Afric and India shall his pow’r obey; He shall make bigger his propagated sway

who shall in triumph journey, And to the Capitol his chariot manual, From triumph over’d Corinth, wealthy with Grecian spoils. And yet every other, fam’d for warlike toils, On Argos shall impose the Roman laws, And at the Greeks revenge the Trojan motive; Shall drag in chains their Achillean race; Shall vindicate his ancestors’ shame,

Rome, ’tis thine alone, with awful sway, To rule mankind, and make the sector obey, Disposing peace and war via thy very own majestic manner; To tame the proud, the fetter’d slave to free: These are imperial arts, and worth thee.”

Ascanius this observ’d, and smiling stated: “See, we eat the plates on which we fed.” The speech had omen, that the Trojan race Should discover repose, and this the time and vicinity.

Grant that the Fates have firm’d, by using their decree, The Trojan race to reign in Italy; At least I can defer the nuptial day, And with protracted wars the peace put off: With blood the pricey alliance will be sold, And both the humans near destruction added;

This dream all-pow’rful Juno sends; I endure Her powerful mandates, and her words you pay attention. Haste; arm your Ardeans; issue to the plain; With fate to buddy, attack the Trojan educate:

Defying earth and heav’n. Etruria lost, He brings to Turnus’ aid his baffled host.

Then Clausus got here,

’Twas he, the noble Claudian race begot, The Claudian race, ordain’d, in times to come, To percentage the greatness of imperial Rome.

fair Camilla came, And led her warlike troops, a warrior dame; Unbred to spinning, within the loom unskill’d, She chose the nobler Pallas of the sphere.

This is thy glad home, the clime where destiny Ordains thee to restore the Trojan kingdom. Fear now not! The conflict shall end in lasting peace,

Thy son Ascanius, in this empty space, Shall construct a royal metropolis, of lasting repute,

Saturn got here, who fled the pow’r of Jove, Robb’d of his geographical regions, and banish’d from above. The men, dispers’d on hills, to towns he brought, And legal guidelines ordain’d, and civil customs taught, And Latium call’d the land where safe he lay

When love’s truthful goddess, annoying for her son, (New tumults rising, and new wars started,) Couch’d along with her husband in his golden bed, With these appealing phrases invokes his resource; And, that her appealing speech his thoughts may circulate, Inspires every accent with the charms of love:

In hollow caves the fires of Aetna glow. The Cyclops right here their heavy hammers deal; Loud strokes, and hissings of tormented steel, Are heard around; the boiling waters roar, And smoky flames thro’ fuming tunnels jump. Hither the Father of the Fire, through night, Thro’ the brown air precipitates his flight.

These figures, at the protect divinely wrought, By Vulcan labour’d, and by means of Venus introduced, With pleasure and wonder fill the hero’s idea. Unknown the names, he yet admires the grace, And bears aloft the repute and fortune of his

race.

With joy, those satisfied omens I obey, And comply with to the conflict the god that leads the manner.”

Those woods, that holy grove, my lengthy pleasure, I gave the Trojan prince, to hurry his flight. Now, fill’d with worry, on their behalf I come; Let neither winds o’erset, nor waves intomb The floating forests of the sacred pine; But let it's their protection to be mine.”

try to burn the ocean, Than singe my sacred pines. But you, my fee, Loos’d out of your crooked anchors, release at big, Exalted every a nymph: forsake the sand, And swim the seas, at Cybele’s command.”

They plunge their prows, and dive, and spring again: As many beauteous maids the billows sweep,

Their fates I fear not, or useless oracles.

’Tis in the fate of Turnus to ruin, With sword and fireplace, the faithless race of Troy.

Shall such affronts as those by myself inflame The Grecian brothers, and the Grecian name? My cause and theirs is one; a fatal strife, And final break, for a ravish’d wife.

They found the careless host dispers’d upon the obvious, Who, gorg’d, and inebriated with wine, supinely snore.

Messapus’ helm he finds some of the rest, And laces on, and wears the waving crest. Proud of their conquest, prouder in their prey, They leave the camp,

His shining helm Euryalus betray’d,

O glad friends! For, if my verse can supply Immortal existence, your reputation shall ever live, Fix’d as the Capitol’s foundation lies,

To see such numbers whom so few had kill’d.

Turnus, wak’ning with the mild, All clad in armour, calls his troops to combat. His martial guys with fierce harangue he fir’d, And his personal ardour in their souls inspir’d. This done—to provide new terror to his foes, The heads of Nisus and his pal he suggests, Rais’d excessive on pointed spears—a ghastly sight: Loud peals of shouts ensue, and barbarous pride.

You shall not locate the sons of Atreus right here, Nor want the frauds of sly Ulysses worry.

Sing, dance, and howl, by turns, in Ida’s colour: Resign the battle to men, who understand the martial exchange!”

“Suffice it thee, thy father’s worth son, The warlike prize thou hast already gained. The god of archers offers thy adolescents a element Of his very own reward, nor envies equal art.

Plung’d inside the flood, and made the waters fly.

Why this protracted struggle, when my commands Pronounc’d a peace, and gave the Latian lands? What worry or wish on either element divides Our heav’ns, and fingers our powers on diff’rent sides?

What should I tell of tempests on the main, Of Aeolus usurping Neptune’s reign? Of Iris sent, with Bacchanalian warmness T’ encourage the matrons, and destroy the fleet? Now Juno to the Stygian sky descends, Solicits hell for useful resource, and hands the fiends.

Did I or Iris deliver this mad recommendation, Or made the fool himself the fatal choice?

Did I with hearth the Trojan metropolis deface, Or prevent from go back your exil’d race? Was I the purpose of mischief, or the person Whose lawless lust the deadly conflict started out?

The conflict henceforward be surrender’d to destiny: Each to his right fortune stand or fall; Equal and unconcern’d I appearance on all. Rutulians, Trojans, are the equal to me; And both shall draw the masses their fates decree. Let these assault, if Fortune be their pal; And, if she favours those, permit those shield: The Fates will locate their way.”

Tarchon, immediately, the treaty signs, And to the Trojan troops the Tuscan joins.

A choir of Nereids meet him on the flood, Once his personal galleys, hewn from Ida’s timber; But now, as many nymphs, the ocean they sweep,

But armour scal’d with gold was no defence Against the fated sword,

Pallas th’ come upon seeks, but, ere he throws, To Tuscan Tiber therefore deal with’d his vows:

O mortals, blind in fate, who never understand To undergo excessive fortune, or bear the low! The time shall come, while Turnus, but in useless, Shall desire untouch’d the trophies of the slain;

Thy Turnus broke All regulations of battle by using one relentless stroke, When Pallas fell: so deems, nor deems on my own My father’s shadow, however my residing son.”

How fierce in combat, with courage undecay’d! Judge if such warriors want immortal aid.”

From your almighty pow’r your attractive spouse Might advantage the grace of period’ning Turnus’ existence, Securely snatch him from the fatal fight, And deliver him to his elderly father’s sight.

I provide you go away to take your Turnus as a result From immediate fate, and might up to now dispense.

if a farther idea you entertain, To alternate the fates; you feed your hopes in vain.”