Atque ubi iam patriae perventum ad līmina sēdis
antīquāsque domōs, genitor, quem tollere in altōs635
optābam prīmum montīs prīmumque petēbam,
abnegat excīsā vītam prōdūcere Trōiā
exsiliumque patī. 'Vōs ō, quibus integer aevī
sanguis,' ait, 'solidaeque suō stant rōbore vīrēs,
vōs agitāte fugam.640
Mē sī caelicolae voluissent dūcere vītam,
hās mihi servāssent sēdēs. Satis ūna superque
vīdimus excidia et captae superāvimus urbī.
Sīc ō sīc positum adfātī discēdite corpus.
Ipse manū mortem inveniam; miserēbitur hostis645
exuviāsque petet. Facilis iactūra sepulcrī.
Iam prīdem invīsus dīvīs et inūtilis annōs
dēmoror, ex quō mē dīvum pater atque hominum rēx
fulminis adflāvit ventīs et contigit ignī.'
notes
Aeneas returns home, but finds Anchises unwilling to depart (Carter).
634 perventum: supply est, impersonal, “when I had reached” (F-B).
635 antīquās: it has been the abode of a long line of ancestors (F-D), epithet of affection (Knapp), a variation on patriae limina sedis (Austin).
635 tollere: take with optabam (G-K).
636 primumque petēbam: “whom first I sought to find” (Storr).
636 optābam: the word suggests a high hope (Austin).
637 excīsā Troia: ablative absolute (Pharr).
637 abnegat prōdūcere: negat se producturum. (F-B).
638-39 vōs ... sanguis: “You whose blood no age has dulled,” emphatic and effective expression (Sidgwick).
638 quibus: dative of possession (Pharr).
638 aevī: the genitive of specification (AG 349.d) after integer is poetic (LS integer I.B.2).
639 sanguis: supply est.
639 solidaeque … virēs: "whose strength stands firm in all its native vigor" (H-H).
640 agitāte: “urge forward” (F-D), “busy yourselves with” (Storr).
641-42 si voluissent … servā(vi)ssent: condition contrary to fact (Pharr).
641 ducere: “prolong” (Comstock), = producere (Knapp).
642 vīdimus … satis ūna superque: compressed expression “enough and more than enough it is I have seen.” satis superque is a common expression.
643 et captae superāvimus urbī: “and have survived one capture of the city,” the sense of una is to be continued; superavimus has the construction and meaning of superesse (F-B). urbī is dative with compound (Pharr).
644 Sīc … positum: “thus lying, yea, thus” (F-D), helplessly (G-K).
644 adfātī: "having addressed" > adfor. corpus is the direct object. Anchises means that he is as good as dead already and asks to be left just as he is, laid out for burial, with the ritual words of farewell to comfort him (Austin).
645 ipse manū: must go together = ipse mea manu, “with my own hand” (Sidgwick). Others take manū as equivalent to pugnandō (as in 11.116 bellum finire manu). ipse manū in Vergil normally means "I myself with my own hand." But the words that follow (hostis ... exuvias) suggest an attempt to fight.
645-46 miserēbitur hostis / exuviāsque petet: the enemy, in compassion to the wretched old man who endeavors to fight, will put an end to his troubles by killing him, and will be the more ready to do so in order to get possession of his spoils. (Henry)
646 iactūra (est): the ancients believed that the soul could not rest in peace till the body had been sprinkled with earth. Anchises is so weary and heartsick that he is reckless of this (F-D).
647-48 iam prīdem ... annōs / dēmoror: “too long have I delayed the years” (which wish to bear me to death) (Pharr).
647 invīsus dīvīs: Anchises was thunder-struck and lamed by Jupiter for having boasted of the love of Venus (Chase).
648 ex (eō tempore) quō: “ever since” (H-H).
649 fulminis adflāvit (mihi) ventīs: "breathed (on me) with the winds of his thunderbolt."
649 ignī: ablative after contigit (pf. > contingo). ignis = fulmen is poetic (LS ignis I).
vocabulary
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.
genitor, ōris, m.: he who begets; father, sire, 1.155, et al. (gignō)
abnegō, āvī, ātus, 1, a.: to deny, refuse, with acc. and dat., 7.424, with inf., 2.637; alone, 2.654.
excīdō, cīdī, cīsus, 3, a.: to cut out, 1.429; cut off, away, or down, 2.481; destroy, 2.637. (ex and caedō)
prōdūcō, dūxī, ductus, 3, a.: to lead, draw forth, carry, bring, conduct, lead forth, 9.487; breed, produce, 12.900; prolong, protract, 2.637.
Trōia, ae, f.: 1. Troy, the capital of the Troad, 2.625, et al. 2. A city built by Helenus in Epirus, 3.349. 3. A part of the city of Acesta in Sicily, 5.756. 4. The name of an equestrian game of Roman boys, 5.602.
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.
solidus, a, um: (adj.), the whole, whole, entire, 6.253; massive, 2.765; solid, hard, 6.552; sound, unimpaired, 2.639.
rōbur, oris, n.: hard oak or wood, 6.181; a tree, 8.315; (meton.), timber, a wooden structure; fabric, 2.260; (fig.), sturdiness, strength, firmness, courage, vigor, 2.639; pl., rōbora, wood, timber, 4.399; vigor, flower, 8.518.
caelicola, ae, c.: an inhabitant of heaven; a god, 2.641, et al. (caelum and colō)
excidium, iī, n.: a complete cutting or tearing down; razing, demolition, destruction. (exscindō)
adfor, fātus sum, 1, dep. a.: to speak to; address, 1.663; beseech, supplicate, 2.700; bid adieu, farewell to, 2.644.
misereō, uī, itus, 2, n., and misereor, itus sum, 2, dep. n.: to pity, commiserate, have compassion, 2.645; impers., miseret (mē, tē, etc.), w. genit. of the object of pity, it grieves me for, I pity, etc., 5.354. (miser)
exuviae, ārum, f.: that which has been taken off; a garment, vestment, 4.496; armor, arms; spoils, 2.275; memorials, relics, 4.651; skin, 2.473; hide, 11.577. (exuō)
iactūra, ae, f.: a throwing away; loss, 2.646. (iaciō)
iamprīdem: (adv.), some time before or since; long ago, long since, 2.647, freq.
invīsus, a, um: hated, hateful, odious, 1.387; (act.), inimical, an enemy, hostile, 11.364.
inūtilis, e: (adj.), useless, 2.510; helpless, 10.794.
dēmoror, ātus sum, 1, dep. a. and n.: to linger, protract, 2.648; detain, 3.481; wait for, await, 10.30.
fulmen, inis, n.: lightning, 10.177; thunderbolt, 2.649, et al.; thunder, 1.230. (fulgeō)
adflō, āvī, ātus, 1, n. and a.: to blow upon; breathe upon, 5.739; blast, 2.649; inspire, 6.50; impart, 1.591.