Book 2.559-620
At me tum primum saevus circumstetit horror.
But then first the horrible
cruelty surrounded me.
Obstipui: subiit cari genitoris imago,
I stood dazed: the image of my
dear father came up,
Ut regem aequaevum crudely vulnere vidi
Just as I saw the king, equally
breathing out life because
Vitam exhalantem, subiit deserta Creusa
Of a cruel wound, deserted
Cruesa comes up,
Et direpta domus et parvi casus Iuli.
and the forsaken house and the
cause of small Iulus.
Respicio et quae sit me circum copia lustro.
I look back and I traverse what
of abundance is around me.
Deseruere omnes defessi, et corpora saltu
Worn out, everything left me,
and sent wretched bodies
Ad terram misère aut ignibus aegra dedere.
Toward the earth with a leap or
gave them to the fire.
Iamque adeo super unus eram, cum limina Vestae
And already indeed I was
surviving alone, when I see
Servantem et tacitam secreta in sede latentem
Helen serving the threshold of
Vesta and lurking with no sound
Tyndarida aspicio; dant claram incendia lucem
In a settled place; the fires
they give a bright light
Erranti passimque oculos per cuncta ferenti.
To my eyes wandering and
carrying through everything all around.
Illa sibi infestos eversa ob Pergama Teucros
That one, the same Fury of Troy
and of the homeland,
Et Danaum poenam et deserti coniugis iras
Fearing beforehand the hostile
Trojans on account of Troy overturned and the punishment from the Greeks and
the anger of her abandoned husband,
Praemetuens, Troiae et patriae communis Erinys,
had hidden herself and (her
being) hateful,
Abdiderat sese atque aris invisa sedebat.
Was sitting at the altar.
575
Exarsere ignes animo; subit ira cadentem
Fires flared in mind; anger
arises to avenge the falling
Ulcisci patriam et sceleratas sumere poenas.
Country and to exact wicked
punishments.
“Scilicet haec Spartam incolumis patriasque Mycenas
“To be sure, will this unharmed
woman look upon Sparta
aspiciet, partoque ibit regina triumpho?
And the fatherland of Mycenas
and will she proceed a queen, triumph having been produced?
Coniugiumque domumque patris natosque videbit
Will she see her marriage and
the father’s home and her children
Iliadum turba et Phrygiis comitata ministris?
Accompanied by a crowd of Trojan
women and Phrygian maids?
Occiderit ferro Priamus? Troia arserit igni?
Will Priam have fallen by the
sword? Will Troy have burned by fire?
Dardanium totiens sudarit sanguine litus?
Will the Dardanian shore have
sweated so often with blood?
Non ita. Namque etsi nullum memorabile nomen
Not so. And for although there
is no memorable name
Feminea in poena est, habet haec victoria laudem;
In the punishment of a woman,
this victory holds praise;
Exstinxisse nefas tamen et susumpisse merentes
I will be praised nevertheless
to have extinguished the unspeakable thing
Laudabor poenas, animumque explesse iuvabit
And deserving penalties, and it
will be pleasing to have fulfilled
Ultricis famam et cineres satiasse meorum.”
The reason and to have satiated
the ashes of mine.”
588
Talia iactabam et furiata mente ferebar,
I was saying such things and was
being born with a furious mind,
Cum mihi se, non ante oculis tam clara, videndam
When to me myself, not seen
before to clear eyes, my nuturing
Obtulit et pura per noctem in luce refulsit
Parent presented herself and
shown through the night in pure light
Alma parens, confessa deam qualisque videri
Having revealed the goddess and
of such things and
Caelicolis et quanta solet, dextraque prehensum
What size she appeared to
heaven-dwellers? And having seized me with her right hand
Continuity roseoque haec insuper addidit ore;
Checked and added these things with her red mouth;
“nate, quis indomitas tantus dolor excitat iras?
Son, what of such great grief
excites undominated anger?
Quid furis? Aut quonam nostri tibi cura recessit?
Why do you anger? Or where has
your care for us receeded?
Non prius aspicies ubi fessum aetate parentem
Will you not first see where you
have left the father Anchises,
Liqueris Anchisen, superet coniunxne Creusa
Worn with age, and if your wife
Cruesa and boy Ascanius
Ascaniusque puer? Quos omnes undique Graiae
Survives? All of whom Greek
soldiers wander on
Circum errant acies et, ni mea cura resistat,
All sides and unless me care
resisted,
Iam flammae tulerint inimicus et hauserit ensis.
Already the enemy flames would
have borne and the sword would have drained.
Non tibi Tyndaridis facies invisa Lacaenae
The hated face of the Lacaenean
Helen
Culpatusve Paris, divum inclementia, divum
Or Paris not blamed by you, the
mercilessness of the gods, of the gods?,
Has evertit opes sternitque a culmine Troiam.
Overturns these riches and lays
low Troy from its height.
604
Aspice (namque omnem, quae nunc obducta tuenti
Look (and for I will remove all
of the clouds, which now dulls
Mortales hebetat visus tibi et umida circum
Mortal sights, drawn around you
as you watch,
Caligat, nubem eripiam; tu ne qua parentis
And damply darkens around; you
do not fear
Iussa time neu praeceptis parere recusa):
Any commands of your parent nor
decline what has been bid):
Saxa vides, mixtoque undantem pulvere fumum,
Here you see the scattered rocks
and the smoke swelling with mixed in dust,
Neptunus muros magnoque emote tridenti
Neptune shakes the walls and the
foundations, displaced with
Fundamenta quatit totamque a sedibus urbem
A great trident and tears the
whole city from its
Eruit. Hic Iuno Scaeas saevissima portas
Base. Here, most cruel Juno
first holds the Scaean gates
Prima tenet sociumque furens a navibus agmen
And raging, girded with iron,
calls the helping troops
Ferro accincta vocat.
From the ships.
Iam summas arces Tritonia, respice, Pallas
Even now Tritonian Pallas
occupies the highest citadels, look back,
Insedit nimbo effulgens et Gorgone saeva.
Gleamin from a cloud and with a
cruel Gorgon.
Ipse pater Danais animos viresque secundas
The father himself supplies
spirits and favorable strength to the Greeks
Sufficit, ipse deos in Dardana suscitat arma.
He himself stirs the gods on
Trojan arms.
Eripe, nate, fugam finemque impone labori;
Son, seize flight and place a
limit on struggle;
Nusquam abero et tutum patriot e limine sistam.”
Nowhere will I be away, and I
will set you safe on the threshold of your ancestors.
