Quōs ubi cōnfertōs ārdēre in proelia vīdī,

incipiō super hīs: 'Iuvenēs, fortissima frūstrā

pectora, sī vōbīs audentem extrēma cupīdō

certa sequī, quae sit rēbus fortūna vidētis:350

excessēre omnēs adytīs ārīsque relictīs

dī quibus imperium hoc steterat; succurritis urbī

incēnsae. moriāmur et in media arma ruāmus.

Ūna salūs victīs nūllam spērāre salūtem.'

Sīc animīs iuvenum furor additus. Inde, lupī ceu355

raptōrēs ātrā in nebulā, quōs improba ventris

exēgit caecōs rabiēs catulīque relictī

faucibus exspectant siccīs, per tēla, per hostīs

vādimus haud dubiam in mortem mediaeque tenēmus

urbis iter; nox ātra cavā circumvolat umbrā.360

Quis clādem illīus noctis, quis fūnera fandō

explicet aut possit lacrimīs aequāre labōrēs?

Urbs antīqua ruit multōs domināta per annōs;

plūrima perque viās sternuntur inertia passim

corpora perque domōs et rēligiōsa deōrum365

līmina. Nec sōlī poenās dant sanguine Teucrī;

quondam etiam victīs redit in praecordia virtūs

victōrēsque cadunt Danaī. crūdēlis ubīque

lūctus, ubīque pavōr et plūrima mortis imāgō.

Aeneas as commander first emerges encouraging his men on what would now be called a suicide mission: there is no hope and they can only try to die well (Horsfall).

347  ārdēre in: “to be eager for” (F-B); the present inf., after verbs of sense, is often equivalent to the pres. participle (Chase). 

quōs ubi: connecting relative (AG 308.f); in English we would use the demonstrative (Bennet). 

ubi ... vīdī: Aeneas immediately shows a capacity for command; he sees he has been joined not by a few random and dispirited stragglers, but by men eager for combat and willing to fight as a body (Horsfall).

348  super: take adverbially (Storr). 

348  hīs: supply verbis, ablative of manner (F-D) (AG 412). 

349  pectora: in apposition to iuvenēs. It is used with a tone of affection, like our “dear hearts.” (F-B). 

349-50  sī vōbīs ... sequī: supply mē agreeing with audentem, “if your desire is fixed to follow me in my final venture,” literally “daring the last.” With cupīdō supply est (F-B). 

349  vōbīs: dative of possession (Pharr) (AG 373). 

350  quae sit rēbus fortūna vidētis: “you see what is the fate of our cause,” sit is subjunctive of indirect question (AG 574); rebus, dative of possession (AG 373)  or dative of reference (AG 376).  

352  quibus: “by whose aid this empire once stood,” (Page); “through whom,” ablative of means (F-D)  (AG 409). 

353  moriāmur et ruāmus: jussive subjunctive (AG 439); indicates priority of interest, instead of the usual priority of time (Pharr).

354  ūna salūs: supply est,  predicate nominative: “to hope for no safety (is) the only safety of the conquered”  (F-D) (AG 283). 

354  spērāre: in apposition with salus (F-B). 

354  victīs: dative of possession (AG 373).

355  additus: supply est.

355  sic: summarizing the effect of a speech; apparently not thus elsewhere in Vergil (Horsfal). 

356  imprōba ventrīs rabies: “the belly's lawless rage,” improbus is used by Vergil in many connections, but always implies the absence of all seemliness or restraint (F-B).

357  caecōs: as predicate, “blind to danger” (Comstock). 

358  siccīs: "thirsting for blood” (H-H). 

358  per … per: the repetition of the preposition takes the place of a conjunction (Carter).

359  haud dubiam: “certain” (Comstock). 

359  in: “to meet” or “to” (C-R).

359-360  mediae … urbis iter: “the road to the heart of the city,” i.e. to the arx. Genitive of possession (AG 343) (F-B), partitive genitive (AG 346). 

360  circumvolat: night could be thought of as winged (Carter).

361-2  quis … explicet: “who can tell in speech?” The expression is a prelude to the account not of his own exploits, but of the scene of slaughter which they now witnessed in the streets (G-K). Conditional, deliberative, or potential subjunctive (AG  444,  446). 

362  aequāre: “to keep pace with” (Austin).

363  domināta: literally “having ruled.” The line is singularly impressive (F-B). 

364  plūrima … inertia … corpora: “lifeless,” referring to the corpses of the slain; or “helpless,” with reference to the bodies of old men, women, and children, and persons unfit for war (F-D). 

364  perque: -que is correlative with the -que in the next line (Bennet).

365  et: “and even” (Pharr). 

365  rēligiōsa deōrum līmina: i.e. no place affords safety, not even the temples of the gods (Bennett).

366  poenās dant sanguine: "suffer punishment with blood," i.e. suffer death (F-D).

367  quondam: here used in its proper sense "at a certain time,”  "sometimes” (Howson). "at times," used like olim of indefinite time, not of definite past or definite future (Austin). 

367  victis: dative of reference  (AG 376).

368  crūdēlis lūctus (est): cruelty is transferred from the author or cause to the effect (G-K).

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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/pt/vergil-aeneid/vergil-aeneid-ii-347-369