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.
notes
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).
vocabulary
obstipēscō, stipuī (stupuī), 3, inc. n.: to become stupefied; to be astonished, amazed, 1.613.
aspectus, ūs, m.: a looking at; (meton.), that which is looked at; a vision, 9.657; a view, sight, 4.314; appearance, presence, 1.613. (aspiciō)
Sīdōnius, a, um: (adj.), of Sidon; Sidonian; Phoenician, Tyrian, 1.678, et al.
Dīdō, ūs or ōnis, f.: Dido, daughter of Belus, king of Phoenicia, who fled from her brother Pygmalion to Africa, where she founded the city of Carthage, 1.299.
īnsequor, secūtus sum, 3, dep. a.: to follow up, pursue, follow, 5.321; press on, follow up; succeed, 1.87; persecute, pursue, 1.241; w. inf., proceed, 3.32.
immānis, e: (adj.), vast, huge, immense, 1.110; wild, savage, barbarous, 1.616; cruel, ruthless, 1.347; unnatural, monstrous, hideous, 6.624; (adv.), immāne, wildly, fiercely, 12.535.
applicō, āvī or uī, ātus or itus, 1, a.: to fold upon; join to; impel, drive to, 1.616; fasten, nail to, 12.303. (ad and plicō)
ōra, ae, f.: a margin, border, 12.924; coast, shore, 3.396; region, 2.91; rim, extremity, 10.477; pl., outline, compass, 9.528.
Aenēās, ae, m.: 1. A Trojan chief, son of Venus and Anchises, and hero of the Aeneid, 1.92. 2. Aenēās Silvius, one of the Alban kings, 6.769.
Dardanius, a, um: adj. (Dardanus), Dardanian, Trojan, 5.711; subst., Dardanius, iī, m., the Dardanian; the Trojan, 12.14.
Anchīsēs, ae, m.: son of Capys and Themis, and father of Aeneas by Venus, 2.687, et al.
almus, a, um: adj. (alō), giving nourishment; fostering, genial, blessing, blessed, benign, 1.306; fruitful; gracious, kind, kindly, propitious, 7.774.
Venus, eris, f.: Venus, goddess of love and beauty, identified by the Romans with Aphrodite, daughter of Jupiter and Dione, 1.411, et al.; (meton.), love, lust, 6.26.
Phrygius, a, um: Phrygian, Trojan, 1.381; subst., Phrygiae, ārum, f., Phrygian or Trojan women, 518. (Phryx)
Simoīs, Simoentis, m.: a river which falls into the Scamander near Troy, 1.100, et al.
equidem: (adv.), indeed, at least, certainly, surely; w. first person, for my part, 1.238. (demonstr. e or ec and quidem)
Teucer (Teucrus), crī, m.: 1. Teucer, first king of Troy, son of the river-god Scamander, and father-in-law of Dardanus, 1.235. 2. Teucer, son of Telamon and Hesione, half-brother of Ajax, and founder of Salamis in Cyprus, 1.619.
meminī, isse, def. a. and n.: (w. acc., gen., or inf.), to have in mind; remember, be mindful, recollect, 1.203; distinguish, 3.202. (rel. to mēns)
Sīdōn, ōnis, f.: one of the capitals of Phoenicia, 1.619.
expellō, pulī, pulsus, 3, a.: to drive out; drive or carry up; banish, 1.620; repel, drive, 10.354.
patrius, a, um: adj. (pater), pertaining to one's father or ancestors; a father's, 2.658; paternal, natural to a father, 1.643; exacted by a father, 7.766; due to, felt for a father or parent, 9.294; ancestral, hereditary, 3.249; of one's country, native, 3.281; belonging to the nation, of the country, 11.374.
Bēlus, ī, m.: 1. Belus, king of Tyre and Sidon, and father of Dido, 1.621. 2. The founder of the line of kings from whom Dido was descended, 1.729.
genitor, ōris, m.: he who begets; father, sire, 1.155, et al. (gignō)
opīmus, a, um: adj. (ops), rich, fertile, 1.621; sumptuous, 3.224; spolia opīma, the arms taken by a general from a general slain in battle, 6.855.
vāstō, āvī, ātus, 1, a.: to make void or empty; to desolate, lay waste, ravage, devastate, 1.471, et al.; deprive of, strip, rob, with acc. and abl., 8.8. (vāstus)
Cyprus, ī, f.: a large island in the Eastern Mediterranean, 1.622.
diciō, ōnis, f.: dominion, power, sway, rule, 1.622. (only in gen., dat., acc., and abl. sing.)
Trōiānus, a, um: adj. (Trōia), Trojan, 1.19; subst., Trōiānus, ī, m., a Trojan, 1.286; pl., Trōiānī, ōrum, m., the Trojans, 5.688.
Pelasgus, a, um: adj. (Pelasgī), Pelasgian; Greek, 6.503.
Teucrī, ōrum, m.: the Trojans, descendants of Teucer, 1.38, et al.; adj., Teucrian, Trojan, 9.779, et al. (Teucer)
īnsīgnis, e: beautiful, 3.468; splendid, adorned, 4.134; conspicuous, 6.808; marked, renowned, distinguished, 1.10; illustrious, glorious, 10.450. (in and sīgnum)
stirps, stirpis, f.: the lower part of the trunk together with the roots of plants and trees; the extremity, end; root; trunk, tree, 12.770; (fig.), origin, descent, lineage, stock, race, 1.626, et al.
quārē: (adv. interrog. and rel.), on account of what thing? why? wherefore? on account of which thing, for which reason, wherefore, 1.627. (abl. of quī and rēs)
age, agite: (imperat. of ago), onward! away! come on!
ō: (interj. expressing joy, grief, astonishment, desire, or indignation), O! oh! ah! w. voc., 2.281, et al.; w. sī and the subj., oh that, 11.415; sometimes placed after the word to which it relates, 2.281.
succēdō, cessī, cessus, 3, n. and a.: to go, come up to or under, with dat., or acc. and prep., or without a case, to go up to, visit, 8.507; ascend, 12.235; come up to, advance to, 2.478; approach, 7.214; encounter, 10.847; enter, 1.627; creep under, disappear beneath, 5.93; to descend into the earth, to be buried, 11.103; take up, take upon one's self, 2.723; go under, be yoked to, 3.541; to follow, 11.481; to turn out well; succeed, come to pass, 11.794. (sub and cēdō)
iactō, āvī, ātus, 1, freq. a.: to throw often or much; toss to and fro; toss, freq.; hurl, cast, 2.459; thrust out, 5.376; aim, 5.433; (fig.), throw out words, utter, say, 1.102; of the mind, revolve, meditate, 1.227; sē iactāre, boast, exalt one's self, rejoice, glory, 1.140; prae sē iactāre, to make pretense of, 9.134; p., iactāns, antis, arrogant, assuming, ambitious, 6.815. (iaciō)
dēmum: (adv.), at length, at last, 1.629; at least, indeed, especially. (dē with n. superl. ending -mum, hence, perhaps meaning downmost)
ignārus, a, um: (adj.), not knowing; freq.; unaware, ignorant, 11.154; often w. genit., ignorant of, 1.630; unsuspicious of, 2.106; unconscious, 9.345; not knowing the land; (pass.), unknown, a stranger, 10.706.
succurrō, currī, cursus, 3, n.: to run up; run to assist; with dat., to aid, succor, relieve, help, 1.630; impers., succurrit, it comes into the mind, occurs, seems, 2.317. (sub and currō)
memorō, āvī, ātus, 1, a.: to call to memory; mention, rehearse, relate, 1.8; say, speak, 3.182; name, 1.327; mention proudly, boast of, 5.392. (memor)
indīcō, dīxī, dictus, 3, a.: to declare, 7.616; ordain, appoint, 5.758; order, summon, 11.737.
intereā: (adv.), amid these things; meanwhile, in the meantime, 1.418, et al.
vīgintī: (num. adj. indecl.), twenty, 1.634.
taurus, ī, m.: a bull, steer, ox, bullock, 2.202, et al.
horrēns, entis: bristling, bristly, 1.634; rough, roughening, 1.165; fierce, 10.237. (horreō)
sūs, suis, c.: a hog, swine, 1.635; sow, 3.390.
pinguis, e: (adj.), fat, 1.215; well-fed, 1.635; fertile; reeking, 4.62; fat or rich with victims, 9.585.
agnus, ī, m.: a lamb, 1.635.
laetitia, ae, f.: joy, 1.514, et al. (laetus)
interior, ius: (adj.), inner, interior; interior or inner part of, 1.637; on the inner side, 5.170; superl., intimus, a, um, innermost, 1.243. (compar. of obs. interus, rel. to inter)
rēgālis, e: adj. (rēx), belonging to a king; regal, kingly, royal, 1.673.
splendidus, a, um: adj. (splendeō), gleaming, shining, bright, brilliant; splendid, sumptuous, stately, 1.637.
lūxus, ūs, m.: excess, extravagance; luxury, sumptuousness, magnificence, 1.637; wanton pleasure, sensuality, 4.193.
īnstruō, strūxi, strūctus, 3, n.: to build upon; build up; arrange, draw up ships or troops, 2.254; 8.676; prepare, 1.638; furnish, equip, supply, 3.231; support, 6.831; instruct, train, 2.152.
ostrum, ī, n.: the purple fluid of the murex; purple dye, purple, 5.111; purple cloth, covering or drapery, 1.700; purple decoration, 10.722; purple trappings, housings, 7.277.
caelō, āvī, ātus, 1, a.: to cut in relief; carve, engrave, chase, emboss, 1.640. (caelum, a chisel)
seriēs, em, ē, f.: a chain of things, train, row, succession, series, 1.641. (2. serō)
orīgō, inis, f.: a source, origin, beginning, 1.372; descent, lineage, birth, 1.286; source, root, founder, 12.166. (orior)
