Obstipuit prīmō aspectū Sīdōnia Dīdō,

cāsū deinde virī tantō, et sīc ōre locūta est:

'Quis tē, nāte deā, per tanta perīcula cāsus615

īnsequitur? Quae vīs immānibus applicat ōrīs?

Tūne ille Aenēās quem Dardaniō Anchīsae

alma Venus Phrygiī genuit Simoëntis ad undam?

Atque equidem Teucrum meminī Sīdōna venīre

fīnibus expulsum patriīs, nova rēgna petentem620

auxiliō Bēlī; genitor tum Bēlus opīmam

vāstābat Cyprum et victor diciōne tenēbat.

Tempore iam ex illō cāsus mihi cognitus urbis

Trōiānae nōmenque tuum rēgēsque Pelasgī.

Ipse hostis Teucrōs īnsignī laude ferēbat625

sēque ortum antīquā Teucrōrum ā stirpe volēbat.

Quārē agite, ō tēctīs, iuvenēs, succēdite nostrīs.

Mē quoque per multōs similis fortūna labōrēs

iactātam hāc dēmum voluit cōnsistere terrā;

nōn ignāra malī miserīs succurrere discō.'630

Sīc memorat; simul Aenēān in rēgia dūcit

tēcta, simul dīvum templīs indīcit honōrem.

Nec minus intereā sociīs ad lītora mittit

vīgintī taurōs, magnōrum horrentia centum

terga suum, pinguīs centum cum mātribus agnōs,635

mūnera laetitiamque diī.

At domus interior rēgālī splendida lūxū

īnstruitur, mediīsque parant convīvia tēctīs:

arte labōrātae vestēs ostrōque superbō,

ingēns argentum mēnsīs, caelātaque in aurō640

fortia facta patrum, seriēs longissima rērum

per tot ducta virōs antīquā ab orīgine gentis.

Dido welcomes Aeneas happily, telling him how she has long known and loved the tale of Troy: she leads him into her home, and prepares to entertain him magnificently (Austin). 

613  Obstipuit: “stood silent and amazed.” As always in Vergil (19 times) the word implies a surprise which for the present moment makes speech impossible (Conway). 

613  primo aspectu: “first at the sight”; prima, though agreeing with aspectu, has an adverbial force (F-B) corresponding to deinde, “next,” “in the second place.” The ablatives are causal: Dido found it hard to speak, because it was her first sight (aspectu) of Aeneas, and then (deinde) because it was terrible to think of his sufferings (casu tanto) (Austin).

614  virī: to go with aspectu as well as casu (F-B). Cāsū … tantō: “at (the thought of) his great suffering” (Comstock). Ablative of specification (AG 418) or cause (AG 404) (Conway). 

616  immānibus: savage, because of the barbarous tribes nearby (F-B). 

617  Tūne ille Aenēās: supply es; “are you that famous Aeneas?” (F-B). Dido can scarcely believe her eyes (Austin). 

617  Dardaniō Anchīsae: here we have hiatus (Dardaniō Anchīsae does not elide) and a spondee in the fifth foot. Such an unusual combination accords with the speaker's astonishment. Vergil allows it only three times, and only in proper names (F-B). 

618  alma: the regular epithet of mothers, and especially appropriate Vergil here (Conway). 

618  ad undam: “by the stream” (Comstock). 

619  Teucrum meminī Sīdōna venīre: “I remember Teucer's coming to Sidon.” Teucer was a son of Telamon, who drove him from Salamis because he returned home from Troy without his brother Ajax. Teucer therefore sought refuge with Belus, king of Sidon (F-B). 

619  Sīdōna: the accusative form is Greek (Austin). 

620  nova rēgna petentem: Teucer was bidden by an oracle to found a new city, and with Belus’s help, he established this city in Cyprus (Bennett).

621  Genitor: “(my) father” (Bennett).

623  cāsus: “the calamity, fate” (Conway), this word is vague on purpose to be delicate (Sidgwick). 

623  tempore iam ex illō: “from that time till now” (Comstock). 

623  iam  elided; this, with me, te, and se, makes up the small group of monosyllables elided with any frequency in the Aeneid. Elision of iam occurs in certain patterns, one of which is that a monosyllable precedes it, another that a preposition follows, as here (Austin). 

624  rēgēsque Pelasgī: “the Greek princes” including Agamemnon and Menelaus. The Pelasgi are supposed to have inhabited Greece prior to the Hellenes; yet in Homer the Pelasgi are allied with the Trojans (F-B). 

625  Ipse hostis: “he himself (Teucer), through an enemy” (Bennett).

626  ortum … volēbat: supply esse (Carter), “wished it to be understood that he was descended.” volo is sometimes used, as here, equivalent to habere volo (F-D).

627  iuvenēs: “heroes” (Knapp). 

627  tēctīs: asking him to become her guest (Comstock).

630  discō: “I am learning.” Her own bitter experiences are still teaching her; non ignara has the force of a strong positive (Austin).

631  rēgia … tēcta: “royal palace” (Comstock).

632  dīvum templīs indīcit honōrem: “orders a sacrifice” (P-H), templis: ablative of place where (AG 429.4) (Bennett).

633  nec minus: “likewise” (Bennett).

635  terga: “bodies,” as often, for corpora (F-D). 

635  suum: genitive plural of sus. Note the adjectives and nouns in chiastic order (F-B). 

636  mūnera laetitiamque diī: possibly old genitive form of dies “day,” or it could be dei “god” (Carter, Comstock), munera and laetitiam are in apposition with the foregoing accusatives. She sends these things “as presents and the enjoyment of the day,” i.e. means of enjoying the day; a hendiadys equivalent to “gifts for a day of enjoyment” (F-D) or “the joyous gifts of the wine-god” (P-H), the gifts were given in addition to usual gifts of hospitality to enable companions to join in on the festivities (G-K). 

637  splendida: “resplendent” (Carter). 

637  domus interior: the palace within.

638  mediīs … tēctīs: “in the central hall” (Comstock).

639  vestēs: couch-coverings; supply sunt (Carter). 

640  ingēns argentum: “a great mass of silver plate” (Carter). 

640  Caelata: “chased” or “embossed” (Carter).

641  fortia facta: “brave deeds” (Carter). 

642  ducta: “transmitted” or “derived” (F-D).

article Nav

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/ar/vergil-aeneid/vergil-aeneid-i-613-642