Ecce autem tēlīs Panthūs ēlapsus Achīvum,

Panthūs Othryadēs, arcis Phoebīque sacerdōs,

sacra manū victōsque deōs parvumque nepōtem320

ipse trahit cursūque āmēns ad līmina tendit.

'Quō rēs summa locō, Panthū? Quam prēndimus arcem?'

Vix ea fātus eram gemitū cum tālia reddit:

'Vēnit summa diēs et inēluctābile tempus

Dardaniae. Fuimus Trōës, fuit Īlium et ingēns325

glōria Teucrōrum; ferus omnia Iuppiter Argōs

trānstulit; incēnsā Danaī dominantur in urbe.

Arduus armātōs mediīs in moenibus astāns

fundit equus victorque Sinōn incendia miscet

īnsultāns. Portīs aliī bipatentibus adsunt,330

mīlia quot magnīs umquam vēnēre Mycēnīs;

obsēdēre aliī tēlīs angusta viārum

oppositīs; stat ferrī aciēs mūcrōne coruscō

stricta, parāta necī; vix prīmī proelia temptant

portārum vigilēs et caecō Mārte resistunt.'335

Tālibus Othryadae dictīs et nūmine dīvum

in flammās et in arma feror, quō trīstis Erīnys,

quō fremitus vocat et sublātus ad aethera clāmor.

Addunt sē sociōs Rhīpeus et maximus armīs

Ēpytus, oblātī per lūnam, Hypanisque Dymāsque340

et laterī adglomerant nostrō, iuvenisque Coroebus

Mygdonidēs—illīs ad Trōiam forte diēbus

vēnerat īnsānō Cassandrae incēnsus amōre

et gener auxilium Priamō Phrygibusque ferēbat,

īnfēlīx quī nōn spōnsae praecepta furentis345

audierit!

Aeneas learns from Panthus that Troy is doomed, but with his comrades plunges into the fight (Bennett). Among the warriors is Coroebus, the loving fiancé of Cassandra. 

318  Archīv(or)um. tēlīs: tēlīs is ablative of separation (AG 400).

319  arcis Phoebīque: i.e. of Phoebus's temple on the acropolis (Bennet); hendiadys (Storr).

320  sacra … victōs … deōs: i.e. the Penates (F-B), which he did not wish to let fall into the hands of the enemy (Carter); the gods are conceived as conquered along with the city (Bennett). 

320  manū: with his own hand (Comstock).

321  cursū: ablative of manner (Pharr) (AG 412); “rapidly, hurriedly” (C-R). 

321  līmina: supply nostra (Pharr). 

321  trahit: zeugma, “he carries (the image) and hurries along (the boy)” (Howson). 

322  quō (in) locō (est) rēs summa:  “in what situation is the state (res summa)?” or “in what spot is the chief conflict” (Pharr), res summa = res publica (F-B). 

322  quam prē(he)ndimus arcem: with a future sense (Pharr) or deliberative force (Bennett), “what place of defense are we to occupy?” (Page); perhaps best taken “what fortress are we seizing?” (Sidgwick). 

323  talia: supply dicta (Pharr). 

323  gemitū: ablative of manner (AG 412). 

324  summa: “the last” (C-F). 

324  inēluctābile tempus: “the inevitable hour” (C-F).

325  Trōes fuimus, fuit Ilium: the perfect of sum is often used euphemistically. He, who "has been," "is not" and so "is dead," (Page); “We have been (but we are no longer) Trojans; Troy is a thing of the past” (Pharr).

326  ferus: “in his anger” (Carter). 

326  et ingens … gloria Teucrorum: the third, far more substantial member of the tricolon (Horsfall). 

327  transtulit: possibly a hint of the literal sense, suggesting the removal of Troy’s great wealth to Greece (Horsfall). 

328  armātōs: supply virōs.

328  mediīs in moenibus: “in the center of the city” (F-B).

329  incendia miscet: “scatters flames about” (F-B); “makes fiery turmoil” (Austin).  

330  portīs bipatentibus: “through open-wide gates”; ablative of route (Pharr); “at the wide-open gates” (F-D); Greek reinforcements are still pouring in through the gates, which were opened at a very early stage (Horsfall). 

330 aliī: as opposed to that portion of the Greeks who have descended from the horse (F-D).

331  vēnēre: = vēnērunt.

331  mīlia quot: “as many thousands as” (F-B); supply est the antecedent tot the subject of adsunt understood. (F-D); anastrophe (Horsfall). 

332  angusta (loca) viārum: “the narrow streets,” lit. “the narrows of the streets”; a peculiar extension of the partitive gen (C-R). 

332  obsēdēre: = obsēdērunt. 

332  tēlīs … oppositīs: “weapons barring the way” (Comstock), ablative of means (AG 409). 

333-4  stat ... necī:  “there stands the line of steel with glittering point, drawn (and) ready for slaughter” (Comstock). 

333  ferrī aciēs: “keen edge of the sword,” “the sharp steel” (C-R).

333  mucrōne coruscō: ablative of description (AG 415) (F-D). 

334  prīmī: either of place “at the entrance” or of time, “first aroused” (Storr). 

334  parāta necī:  pugnaeque parent se (Horsfall); “ready for massacre,” not for a battle (F-B).

335  caecō Mārte: Marte = bellō  or proeliō, “in blind warfare,” that is, fighting in the dark; ablative of place where (Storr) (AG 429); hardly a reference to night fighting …the resistance is “blind” with no plan (Austin). 

336  dictīs: ablative of means or cause (Pharr) (AG 409). 

336  nūmine div(ōr)um: "by divine will," i.e. that Troy shall perish (Knapp).

337  trīstis Erīnys: “the grim Fury of war” (Comstock); “the fell Fury,” i.e. of war (Storr); "the fury of despair" (Howson). 

337  quō ... quō: “whither . . . whither” (F-B).

339-40  Rhipeus ... Epytus ... Hypanis ... Dymas: multiple subjects. 

339  addunt sē sociōs:  supply mihi.

339  armīs: ablative of respect with māximus, “mighty in battle” (Pharr). 

340  oblātī per lūnam: supply mihi, “revealed to my eyes in the moonlight” (Knapp); “recognized in the moonlight” (Carter).

341  laterī nostrō (sē) adglomerant: “join the band at our side” (Page); nostro = meō (F-D).

342  illīs diēbus: ablative of time when (Pharr) (AG 423). 

342  forte: “as it happened” (G-K). 

342  Cassandrae: objective genitive (AG 347).

343  īnsānō: his love is called insanus because it drove all other considerations out of his mind (Carter).

344  gener: he was not yet married to Cassandra; but gener in Latin may denote the prospective as well as actual son-in-law (Bennet).

345-6:  īnfēlīx, quī nōn … audierit: causal subjunctive (AG 539) with qui, "unhappy man, since he did not listen" (Sidgwick). The perfect subjunctive here is used as a historical tense (Bennet). 

345  furentis: to the ancients a raving person was "touched by God" and their utterances were inspired by the divinity (Pharr).

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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/pl/vergil-aeneid/vergil-aeneid-ii-318-346