Aeneid Book I

lines 401-519

Now proceed and guide (your) step where the road leads you.”

Venus spoke and, turning away with her rosy neck,

gleamed, and her ambrosial hair breather the divine odor from her head;

her clothing flowed to her lowest feet,

and a true goddess was evident by (her) stride.

He (Aeneas) when he recognizes his mother

followed (her) with such a voice:

“Why do even you, cruel, mock me, your son, with false

images so often? Why is it not given to join right hand

to right hand and to hear true voices and to reply?

He blamed by such things and hastened his walk to the walls.

But Venus enclosed (them) proceeding by an obscure fog,

and the goddess poured around with an abundant robe of a cloud,

lest anyone might be able to discern them (or anything) touch them

or to make a hindrance or to demand the reasons for (their) coming.

(Venus) herself, uplifted, departs to Paphos and happily revisits her home(s),

where (there is) a temple to her, and (where) her hundred altars

burn with Sabean incense and are fragrant with fresh wreaths.

(Aeneas and Achates), meanwhile, hurried along the way, where a path shows itself.

And now they were ascending the hill, which hangs over the city very much

with its imposing size and looks out on opposing citadels from above.

Aeneas admires the structure (of the city), formerly huts,

he admires the gates and the uproar and the pavement of the roads.

The eager Tyrians urge on: a part (of the Tyrians) extend the city walls,

and make the citadel and roll up the rocks with (their) hands,

and a part choose the place for a house and enclose it by a ditch;

they choose the laws and the magistrates and the revered senate.

Here some excavate the harbor; here others establish the foundations for theaters,

they cut out immense columns from the rocks,

tall ornaments for future stages.

As the labor busies bees in the new summer through the flowery country under the sun,

when they lead forth offspring and adults of the race,

or when they stow flowing honey and

strech the storerooms with sweet nectar,

or accept loads of the coming (bees), or with a line having been made,

they keep the lazy swarm, the drones, away from the hive;

the toil glows and the fragrant honeys smell of thyme.

“O fortunate ones, the walls of whom now rise!”

Aeneas says and looks up at the height of the city.

He bears himself, enclosed with a cloud (marvelous to tell)

throush the middle (of the men) and mingles with the men, and he is not discerned by anyone.

There was a sacred grove in the middle (of the) city, the happiest of shadows,

in which place, having been tossed by the waves and the storm,

the Phoenicians immediately excavated the sign, which regal Juno had showed,

the head of a spirited horse; for (she had showed that) in this way

(her) people would be distinguished in war and easily live through the ages.

Here Phoenician Dido built a huge temple to Juno,

opulent with gifts and divine favor of the goddess

for whom the bronze threshold rose with their steps and

beams were fastened with bronze, and the hinge creaked with the bronze gates.

Here first the strange thing having been presented soothed (his) fear in the grove,

here first Aeneas dared to hope for safety

and better to trust in his shattered affairs.

For while he surveys everything beneath the huge temple,

waiting for the queen, while he admires what is the fortune for the city,

and the deeds of the artists among themselves, and the toil of their task,

he sees Trojan battles in order,

and now the wars made known by fame through the entire world,

he sees the sons of Atrides and Priam, and Achilles, cruel to both.

He halted and, crying, said, “Achates, now what place,

what region in the world is not full of our labors?

Behold Priam. Here also there are their prizes for merit,

there are tears for deeds and human woes touching,

Dismiss (your) fear; this fame brings some safety to you.”

Thus he spoke and he fed his soul with an idle painting,

lamenting many things, and moistened (his) face with a copious river.

For he saw how on this side the Greeks, fighting, fled around Pergama,

how the Trojan youth pressed them;

How on this side the Trojans fled, how plumed Achilles pressed (them) by his chariot.

And not far from here, crying, he recognizes the tents of Rhesus,

with (its) snowy cloth, which betrayed (tents)

bloody Tydides devastated with much slaughter in the first dream,

and turned away eager horsed to the (Greeks) camp sooner than

they had eaten the fodder of Try and before they had drank of the Xanthus.

In another part, Troilus, fleeing from loose arms,

and unlucky boy, and ill-mathced, having met with Achilles,

he is carried, he clings to the horses and the carriage, on his back in vain,

however, holding the reins; both his neck and his hair pulled

along the ground, and the dust is marked by the turning spear,

Meanwhile Trojan women with disheveled hair were going to the temple

of not impartial Minerva and were humbly bringing a gown,

sad and having beaten their chests with their hands:

The divinity, having turned away, held her eyes fixed to the ground.

Achilles dragged lifeless Hector three times around the Trojan walls

and sold the body for gold.

Then indeed (Aeneas) gave a huge lament from (his) deepest heart,

when he saw the spoils, and the chariot(s), and the very body

of his friend, and Priam holding unarmed hands.

(He) also recognized him, having mingled with Greek leaders,

and (he recognized) the Eastern army and the arms of black Memnon.

Penthesilea, raging, leads the Amazon troops with light crescent shields

and is eager in the middle of the soldiers,

the warrior fastening a golden belt beneath an exposed breast,

the girl dares to run together with the men.

While to a Trojan Aeneas these seem marvelous,

while he is dazed and clings to the view, fastened on one,

the queen Dido, most beautiful in form, went to the temple

(and to) the young man, with a large crowd gathering,

as Diana trains dancers on the banks of the Eurotas or through the Cynthaus mountain ridges,

whom a thousand Nymphs followed, and gathered here around Oreades.

She carries a quiver on her shoulder and proceeding towers above all goddesses,

(the joys of Latona master her speechless heart)

Such was Dido, happy, she was carrying herself

through the middle (of the men) urging on the work and the future kingdom.

Then in the entrance of the shrine, in the middle of the vault of the temple,

she sits down, surrounded by arms, and resting on the tall throne,

she was giving laws and decrees, and work and toil to (her) men,

and was equalizing with a fair share or was assigning (work) by lot:

When suddenly Aeneas sees that Antheus and Sergestus,

and strong Cloanthus and others of the Trojans approach as a great crowd,

whom the black storm had scattered in the sea

and had borne away deep within to other shores.

At the same time he (Aeneas) stood agape, and Achates was astounded

by both happiness and fear; eager, they were ardent

to join their right hands, but the unknown affair perplexed their souls.

They disguise (their souls) and wrapped in the hollow cloud they speculate what

the fortune for the men may be, on which shore they may leave,

why they may be coming, for the gathered (men) from all the ships

were going, begging for grace and were seeking the temple with shouting.

(the remainder of book I of the Aeneid is not in the textbook.)


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