Vergil, Aeneid I 65-75

'Aeole (namque tibī dīvum pater atque hominum rēx65

et mulcēre dedit flūctūs et tollere ventō),

gēns inimīca mihī Tyrrhēnum nāvigat aequor

Īlium in Ītaliam portāns victōsque Penātēs:

incute vim ventīs submersāsque obrue puppēs,

aut age dīversōs et dissice corpora pontō.70

Sunt mihi bis septem praestantī corpore nymphae,

quārum quae fōrmā pulcherrima Dēïopēa,

cōnūbiō iungam stabilī propriamque dicābō,

omnēs ut tēcum meritīs prō tālibus annōs

exigat et pulchrā faciat tē prōle parentem.'75

    Manuscripts: M | R 65-72, 73-75

    Juno asks Aeolus to cause a storm, offering him a beautiful nymph as bride if he does her will (Austin). 

    65: namque: gives the reason for appealing to him (F-B). elliptical (Frieze). divum: = divorum (F-B) (AG 49 note).

    66: mulcere, tollere: accus. after dedit (Walpole) (AG 580d). vento: to be taken both with mulcere and tollere (Storr).

    67: Tyrrhenum aequor: the mare Tuscum (or inferum), or the Tyrrhenian sea, to the north of Sicily. As navigare is, strictly speaking, intransitive, aequor is really an inner object (F-B) (AG 388d).

    68: Ilium: They “carried Ilium” (Troy) because they were on their way to found a new city to continue the old race (G-K).

    69: ventis: dative (F-B) (AG 370a). submersas obrue: = sumerge et obrue (Storr). “sink and overwhelm”; a compressed idiomatic expression. In submersas we have an instance of prolepsis or anticipation. The form implies that the action precedes that of obrue, but logically it follows (F-B) (AG 640).

    70: age diversos: sc. eos (F-B).

    71: sunt mihi: “I have”; mihi is dative of possession (Bennett). praestanti corpore: ablative of quality (F-B) (AG 415a).

    72–73: Dēiopēam, quae (est) pulcherrima eārum (nymphārum) formā, iungam (tibi) et (eam) dicābō (tuam) propriam.

    72: quarum: = earumque, partitive gen. with pulcherrima (Wetherell). Genitive of the whole, dependent upon eam understood, the antecedent of quae (Bennett). quae: subject of est understood (Bennett). forma: ablative of specification (F-B). Abl. of respect after superl. (Robertson). Deiopea: in apposition with quae (Bennett). Put by attraction in the case of the relative quae, instead of the accusative, which would have been the regular construction (Frieze).

    73: cōnūbiō: trisyllable by synizesis (P-H) (AG 603c, N). Abl. of means (Comstock). iungam: supply tibi (Wetherell).

    75: exigat...faciat: subj. of purpose (Walpole) (AG 563). prole: ablative of quality (F-B) (AG 415). Ablative of means (Frieze) (AG 405b). te...parentem: double acc. after faciat (Robertson) (AG 393 predicate accusative).

    CORE VOCABULARY

    Aeolus, ī, m.: Aeolus. 1. The god who ruled over the winds, 1.52. 2. A follower of Aeneas from Lyrnesus, 12.542.

    mulceō, mulsī, mulsus or mulctus, 2, a.: to stroke; lick, 8.634; (fig.), soothe, caress, comfort, 1.197; mitigate, soften, calm, 1.66; to make harmonious, charm, 7.34.

    Tyrrhēnus, a, um: adj. (Tyrrhēnī), Tyrrhenian; Etruscan, Tuscan, 1.67; subst., Tyrrhēnus, ī, m., a Tuscan, 10.787.

    nāvigō, āvī, ātus, 1, n. and a.: to sail; set sail, 4.237; w. acc., sail over, sail upon, 1.67. (nāvis and agō)

    Īlium, iī, n.: Troy, 1.68, et al.

    Ītalia, ae (Ī by poetic (epic) license), f.: Italy, 1.2, et al.

    Penātēs, ium, m.: gods of the household; hearth-, fireside gods, 2.514, et al.; tutelary gods of the state as a national family, 1.68; (fig.), fireside, hearth, dwelling-house, abode, 1.527. (penus)

    incutiō, cussī, cussus, 3, a.: to strike into or upon; add, put into, 1.69. (1. in and quatiō)

    summergō, mersī, mersus, 3, a.: to plunge beneath; submerge, sink, 1.40. (sub and mergō)

    obruō, uī, utus, 3, a.: to cover over; bury; overwhelm, 1.69; overpower, 2.424; destroy, 5.692.

    puppis, is, f.: the hinder part of a ship; the stern, 5.12; (by synecdoche), a vessel, boat, ship, 1.69; (meton.), crew, 8.497.

    dīsiciō, iēcī, iectus, 3, a.: to throw, cast asunder; overthrow, demolish, 8.355; scatter, disperse, 1.70; cleave, 12.308. (dis- and iaciō)

    bis: (adv.), twice, 1.381. (in composition bi-)

    septem: (num. adj.), seven, freq.

    praestāns, antis, comp., praestantior, ius: excellent, superior, distinguished, 5.361; w. gen., 12.19.

    nympha, ae, f.: a bride, a maiden; a nymph, one of the inferior deities, presiding over fountains, woods, etc., 1.71, et al.

    Dēiopēa, ae, f.: a nymph in the train of Juno, 1.72.

    cōnūbium (sometimes trisyll.), iī, n.: nuptials, marriage, 1.73; wedlock, nuptial rite, 3.136; marriage tie, nuptial bond, 3.319. (con- and nūbō, wed)

    stabilis, e: adj. (stō), steadfast, lasting, permanent, 1.73.

    dicō, āvī, ātus, 1, a.: devote, consecrate, 5.60; pronounce, 1.73. (rel. to dīcō)

    meritum, ī, n.: a thing deserved; desert; service, favor, merit, 1.74. (mereō)

    prōlēs, is, f.: that which springs forth; offspring, race, progeny, 1.75; lineage, 3.180.

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    Suggested Citation

    Christopher Francese and Meghan Reedy, Vergil: Aeneid Selections. Carlisle, Pennsylvania: Dickinson College Commentaries, 2016. ISBN: 978-1-947822-08-5. https://dcc.dickinson.edu/vergil-aeneid/vergil-aeneid-i-65-75