by Virgil
per medium Aeneas iuuenem totumque recondit;
Through the young body, hiding it hilt-deep therein from light
transiit et parmam mucro, leuia arma minacis,
It pierced the shield and glittering gear wherewith he threatened war,
et tunicam molli mater quam neuerat auro,
And kirtle that his mother erst with gold had broidered o’er,
impleuitque sinum sanguis; tum uita per auras
And flooded all his breast with blood; and woeful down the wind
concessit maesta ad Manis corpusque reliquit. 820
His spirit sought the under-world, and left his corpse behind.
At uero ut uultum uidit morientis et ora,
But when Anchises’ son beheld the face of that dead man,
ora modis Anchisiades pallentia miris,
His face that in a wondrous wise grew faded out and wan,
ingemuit miserans grauiter dextramque tetendit,
Groaning for ruth his hand therewith down toward him did he move,
et mentem patriae subiit pietatis imago.
For o’er his soul the image came of his own father’s love:
‘quid tibi nunc, miserande puer, pro laudibus istis, 825
“O boy, whom all shall weep, what then for such a glorious deed,
quid pius Aeneas tanta dabit indole dignum?
What gift can good Æneas give, thy bounteous valour’s meed?
arma, quibus laetatus, habe tua; teque parentum
Keep thou the arms thou joyedst in. I give thy body here
manibus et cineri, si qua est ea cura, remitto.
Unto thy father’s buried ghosts, if thou thereof hast care.
hoc tamen infelix miseram solabere mortem:
But let this somewhat solace thee for thine unhappy death,
Aeneae magni dextra cadis.’ increpat ultro 830
By great Æneas’ hand thou diest.” Then chiding words he saith
cunctantis socios et terra subleuat ipsum
Unto his fellows hanging back, and lifteth up the dead
sanguine turpantem comptos de more capillos.
From off the lea, where blood defiled the tresses of his head.
Interea genitor Tiberini ad fluminis undam
Meanwhile the father by the wave that ripples Tiber’s breast
uulnera siccabat lymphis corpusque leuabat
With water staunched his bleeding hurt and gave his body rest,
arboris acclinis trunco. procul aerea ramis 835
Leaning against a tree-trunk there: high up amid the tree
dependet galea et prato grauia arma quiescunt.
Hangeth his brazen helm; his arms lie heavy on the lea;
stant lecti circum iuuenes; ipse aeger anhelans
The chosen war-youths stand about: he, sick and panting now,
colla fouet fusus propexam in pectore barbam;
Nurseth his neck, and o’er his breast his combed-down beard lets flow.
multa super Lauso rogitat, multumque remittit
Much about Lausus did he ask, and sore to men he spake
qui reuocent maestique ferant mandata parentis. 840
To bid him back, or warning word from his sad sire to take.
at Lausum socii exanimem super arma ferebant
But Lausus dead his weeping folk were bearing on his shield;
flentes, ingentem atque ingenti uulnere uictum.
A mighty heart, to mighty hand the victory must he yield
agnouit longe gemitum praesaga mali mens.
The father’s soul foretaught of ill, afar their wail he knew,
canitiem multo deformat puluere et ambas
And fouled his hoar hair with the dust, and both his hands upthrew
ad caelum tendit palmas et corpore inhaeret. 845
Toward heaven aloft; then clinging fast unto that lifeless one:
‘tantane me tenuit uiuendi, nate, uoluptas,
“What lust,” saith he, “of longer life so held my heart, O son,
ut pro me hostili paterer succedere dextrae,
That thee, my son, I suffered thus to bare thee to the bane
quem genui? tuane haec genitor per uulnera seruor
Instead of me; that I, thy sire, health of thy hurts I gain,
morte tua uiuens? heu, nunc misero mihi demum
Life of thy death! Ah now at last my exile is become
exitium infelix, nunc alte uulnus adactum! 850
A woe unto my weary heart; yea, now the wound goes home.
idem ego, nate, tuum maculaui crimine nomen,
For I am he who stained thy name, O son, with guilt of mine,
pulsus ob inuidiam solio sceptrisque paternis.
Thrust forth by Fate from fatherland and sceptre of my line:
debueram patriae poenas odiisque meorum:
I should have paid the penalty unto my country’s hate,
omnis per mortis animam sontem ipse dedissem!
And given up my guilty soul to death, my very fate.
nunc uiuo neque adhuc homines lucemque relinquo. 855
I live: I leave not sons of men, nor let the light go by —
sed linquam.’ simul hoc dicens attollit in aegrum
— Yet will I leave them.” So he spake, and on his halting thigh
se femur et, quamquam uis alto uulnere tardat,
Rose up, and, howsoe’er his hurt might drag his body down,
haud deiectus equum duci iubet. hoc decus illi,
Unvanquished yet, he called his horse, his very pleasures crown,
hoc solamen erat, bellis hoc uictor abibat
And glory; who had borne him forth victorious from all war;
omnibus. adloquitur maerentem et talibus infit: 860
And thus he spake unto the beast that seemed to sorrow sore:
‘Rhaebe, diu, res si qua diu mortalibus ulla est,
“Rhoebus, o’erlong — if aught be long to men that pass away —
uiximus. aut hodie uictor spolia illa cruenti
Have we twain lived: those bloody spoils shalt thou bring home today,
et caput Aeneae referes Lausique dolorum
And carrying Æneas’ head avenge my Lausus’ woe.
ultor eris mecum, aut, aperit si nulla uiam uis,
Or if our might no more may make a road whereby to go,
occumbes pariter; neque enim, fortissime, credo, 865
Thou too shalt fall: I deem indeed thou, stout-heart, hast no will
iussa aliena pati et dominos dignabere Teucros.’
To suffer other men’s commands, or Trojan joy fulfil.”
dixit, et exceptus tergo consueta locauit
And therewithal he backeth him, and as he used of old
membra manusque ambas iaculis onerauit acutis,
Settleth his limbs: good store of shafts his either hand doth hold:
aere caput fulgens cristaque hirsutus equina.
His head is glittering o’er with brass, and horse-hair shags his crest.
sic cursum in medios rapidus dedit. aestuat ingens 870
So midmost of the fight he bears, and ever in his breast
uno in corde pudor mixtoque insania luctu.
Swelleth the mighty sea of shame and mingled miseries.
atque hic Aenean magna ter uoce uocauit. 873
And now across the fight his voice thrice on Æneas cries.
Aeneas agnouit enim laetusque precatur:
Æneas knew it well forsooth, and joyfully he prayed:
‘sic pater ille deum faciat, sic altus Apollo!
“So grant the Father of the Gods! So may Apollo aid
incipias conferre manum.’
That thou may’st fall on me in fight!”
tantum effatus et infesta subit obuius hasta.
So much he spake, and went his way to meet the foeman’s shaft;
ille autem: ‘quid me erepto, saeuissime, nato
But spake the other: “Bitter wretch, who took�
�st away my son,
terres? haec uia sola fuit qua perdere posses:
Why fright me now? by that one way my heart might be undone:
nec mortem horremus nec diuum parcimus ulli. 880
No death I dread, no God that is, in battle would I spare.
desine, nam uenio moriturus et haec tibi porto
Enough — I come to thee to die; but first these gifts I bear.”
dona prius.’ dixit, telumque intorsit in hostem;
He spake the word, and ‘gainst the foe a dart withal he cast,
inde aliud super atque aliud figitque uolatque
And shaft on shaft he lays on him about him flitting fast,
ingenti gyro, sed sustinet aureus umbo.
Wide circling; but the golden boss through all the storm bore out
ter circum astantem laeuos equitauit in orbis 885
Thrice while Æneas faceth him he rides the ring about,
tela manu iaciens, ter secum Troius heros
Casting the weapons from his hand; and thrice the Trojan lord
immanem aerato circumfert tegmine siluam.
Bears round a mighty thicket set in brazen battle-board.
inde ubi tot traxisse moras, tot spicula taedet
But when such tarrying wearieth him, such plucking forth of spears,
uellere, et urgetur pugna congressus iniqua,
And standing in such ill-matched fight the heart within him wears,
multa mouens animo iam tandem erumpit et inter 890
Turning the thing o’er manywise, he breaketh forth to speed
bellatoris equi caua tempora conicit hastam.
A shaft amid the hollow brow of that war-famous steed:
tollit se arrectum quadripes et calcibus auras
Then beating of the air with hoof uprears the four-foot thing
uerberat, effusumque equitem super ipse secutus
And with his fallen master falls, and ‘neath his cumbering
implicat eiectoque incumbit cernuus armo.
Weighs down his shoulders brought to earth, and heavy on him lies.
clamore incendunt caelum Troesque Latinique. 895
Then Trojan men and Latin men with shouting burn the skies,
aduolat Aeneas uaginaque eripit ensem
And swift Æneas runneth up and pulleth forth his sword,
et super haec: ‘ubi nunc Mezentius acer et illa
And crieth o’er him: “Where is now Mezentius, eager lord?
effera uis animi?’ contra Tyrrhenus, ut auras
Where is the fierce heart?” Unto whom the Tuscan spake, when he
suspiciens hausit caelum mentemque recepit:
Got sense again, and breathed the air, and o’er him heaven did see:
‘hostis amare, quid increpitas mortemque minaris? 900
“O bitter foe, why chidest thou? why slayest thou with words?
nullum in caede nefas, nec sic ad proelia ueni,
Slay me and do no wrong! death-safe I came not mid the swords;
nec tecum meus haec pepigit mihi foedera Lausus.
And no such covenant of war for us my Lausus bought:
unum hoc per si qua est uictis uenia hostibus oro:
One thing I pray, if vanquished men of grace may gain them aught,
corpus humo patiare tegi. scio acerba meorum
Let the earth hide me! well I know how bitter and how nigh
circumstare odia: hunc, oro, defende furorem 905
My people’s wrath draws in on me: put thou their fury by,
et me consortem nati concede sepulcro.’
And in the tomb beside my son I pray thee let me lie.”
haec loquitur, iuguloque haud inscius accipit ensem
He saith, and open-eyed receives the sword-point in his throat,
undantique animam diffundit in arma cruore.
And o’er his arms in waves of blood his life and soul doth float.
LIBER XI
BOOK XI.
Oceanum interea surgens Aurora reliquit:
Meanwhile Aurora risen up from bed of ocean wends,
Aeneas, quamquam et sociis dare tempus humandis
And King Æneas, though his grief bids him in burying friends
praecipitant curae turbataque funere mens est,
To wear the day, and though his heart the death of men dismays,
uota deum primo uictor soluebat Eoo.
Yet to the Gods of Dawning-tide the worship duly pays.
ingentem quercum decisis undique ramis 5
From a great oak on every side the branches doth he shear,
constituit tumulo fulgentiaque induit arma,
And setteth on a mound bedight in gleaming battle-gear
Mezenti ducis exuuias, tibi magne tropaeum
The spoils of King Mezentius: a gift to thee it stood,
bellipotens; aptat rorantis sanguine cristas
O Might of War! Thereon he set the crest with blood bedewed,
telaque trunca uiri, et bis sex thoraca petitum
The broken shafts, the mail-coat pierced amid the foughten field
perfossumque locis, clipeumque ex aere sinistrae 10
With twice six dints: on the left arm he tied the brazen shield,
subligat atque ensem collo suspendit eburnum.
And round about the neck he hung the ivory-hilted sword.
tum socios (namque omnis eum stipata tegebat
Then to his friends, a mighty hedge of duke and battle-lord,
turba ducum) sic incipiens hortatur ouantis:
He turned, and to their joyous hearts these words withal he said:
‘maxima res effecta, uiri; timor omnis abesto,
“The most is done, and for the rest let all your fears lie dead:
quod superest; haec sunt spolia et de rege superbo 15
Lo here the first-fruits! battle-spoil won from a haughty king:
primitiae manibusque meis Mezentius hic est.
Lo this is all Mezentius now, mine own hands’ fashioning.
nunc iter ad regem nobis murosque Latinos.
Now toward the King and Latin walls all open lies the way;
arma parate, animis et spe praesumite bellum,
Up hearts, for war! and let your hope foregrip the battle-day,
ne qua mora ignaros, ubi primum uellere signa
That nought of sloth may hinder you, or take you unaware,
adnuerint superi pubemque educere castris, 20
When Gods shall bid the banners up, and forth with men ye fare
impediat segnisue metu sententia tardet.
From out of camp, — that craven dread clog not your spirits then:
interea socios inhumataque corpora terrae
Meanwhile give we unto the earth these our unburied men,
mandemus, qui solus honos Acheronte sub imo est.
The only honour they may have in nether Acheron.
ite,’ ait ‘egregias animas, quae sanguine nobis
Come, fellows, to those noble souls who with their blood have won
hanc patriam peperere suo, decorate supremis 25
A country for us, give those gifts, the last that they may spend.
muneribus, maestamque Euandri primus ad urbem
And first unto Evander’s town of sorrow shall I send
mittatur Pallas, quem non uirtutis egentem
That Pallas, whom, in nowise poor of valour or renown,
abstulit atra dies et funere mersit acerbo.’
The black day reft away from us in bitter death to drown.”
Sic ait inlacrimans, recipitque ad limina gressum
With weeping eyes he drew aback, e’en as the word he said,
corpus ubi exanimi positum Pallantis Acoetes 30
Unto the threshold of the place where Pallas, cold and dead,
seruabat senior, qui Parrhasio Euandro
The old Acoetes watched, who erst of that Parrhasian King,
armiger ante fuit, sed non felicibus a
eque
Evander, was the shield-bearer, but now was following
tum comes auspiciis caro datus ibat alumno.
His well-belovèd foster-child in no such happy wise;
circum omnis famulumque manus Troianaque turba
But round him were the homemen’s band and Trojan companies,
et maestum Iliades crinem de more solutae. 35
And Ilian wives with loosened locks in guise of sorrow sore.
ut uero Aeneas foribus sese intulit altis
But when Æneas entereth now beneath the lofty door
ingentem gemitum tunsis ad sidera tollunt
From beaten breast great moan they cast up to the starry heaven;
pectoribus, maestoque immugit regia luctu.
And wailing of their woeful cheer through all the house is driven.
ipse caput niuei fultum Pallantis et ora
The King himself when he beheld the pillowed head at rest,
ut uidit leuique patens in pectore uulnus 40
The snow-white face, the open wound wrought on the smooth young breast
cuspidis Ausoniae, lacrimis ita fatur obortis:
By that Ausonian spear, so spake amid his gathered tears:
‘tene,’ inquit ‘miserande puer, cum laeta ueniret,
“O boy bewept, despite the gifts my happy Fortune bears
inuidit Fortuna mihi, ne regna uideres
Doth she still grudge it thee to see my kingdom glorious,
nostra neque ad sedes uictor ueherere paternas?
Or come a victor back again unto thy father’s house?
non haec Euandro de te promissa parenti 45
Not such the promise that I gave on that departing day
discedens dederam, cum me complexus euntem
Unto thy father, whose embrace then sped me on my way
mitteret in magnum imperium metuensque moneret
To mighty lordship, while his fear gave forth the warning word
acris esse uiros, cum dura proelia gente.
That with fierce folk I had to do, hard people of the sword.
et nunc ille quidem spe multum captus inani
Now he, deceived by empty hope, belike pours forth the prayer,
fors et uota facit cumulatque altaria donis, 50
And pileth up the gifts for nought upon the altars fair,
nos iuuenem exanimum et nil iam caelestibus ullis
While we — in woe with honours vain — about his son we stand,
debentem uano maesti comitamur honore.
Dead now, and no more owing aught to any heavenly hand.
infelix, nati funus crudele uidebis!
Unhappy, thou shalt look upon thy dead unhappy son!
hi nostri reditus exspectatique triumphi?