Vergil, Aeneid II 650-670

Tālia perstābat memorāns fīxusque manēbat.650

Nōs contrā effūsī lacrimīs coniūnxque Creǖsa

Ascaniusque omnisque domus, nē vertere sēcum

cūncta pater fātōque urgentī incumbere vellet.

Abnegat inceptōque et sēdibus haeret in īsdem.

Rūrsus in arma feror mortemque miserrimus optō.655

nam quod cōnsilium aut quae iam fortūna dabātur?

'Mēne efferre pedem, genitor, tē posse relictō

spērāstī tantumque nefās patriō excidit ōre?

Sī nihil ex tantā superīs placet urbe relinquī,

et sedet hoc animō peritūraeque addere Trōiae660

tēque tuōsque iuvat, patet istī iānua lētō,

iamque aderit multō Priamī dē sanguine Pyrrhus,

nātum ante ōra patris, patrem quī obtruncat ad ārās.

Hoc erat, alma parēns, quod mē per tēla, per ignēs

ēripis, ut mediīs hostem in penetrālibus utque665

Ascanium patremque meum iūxtāque Creǖsam

alterum in alterius mactātōs sanguine cernam?

Arma, virī, ferte arma; vocat lūx ultima victōs.

Reddite mē Danaīs; sinite īnstaurāta revīsam

proelia. Numquam omnēs hodiē moriēmur inultī.'670

notes

Aeneas vainly pleads with his Father (F-B) and offers a passionate outburst in reply, addressed successively to father, mother, and men (Horsfall).

650 perstābat: figuratively, “he persisted.”

650 fīxus: used literally, “fixed” in his position and place (F-D), the literal and metaphorical sense are both intended (Storr).

651 nōs: the plural for the singular (F-D), = egō (Knapp).

651 effūsī (sumus) lacrimīs: “we were dissolved in tears,” in prose, effundi in lacrimas. (Storr).

652 nē: dependent on the request implied in effusi lacrimis (Howson), introduces a substantive clause of purpose (F-B). Oramus is to be supplied from the context (Storr).

652-53 vertere sēcum / cūncta: "bring all ruin along with him" (Fairclough).

653 fātō urgentī incumbere: a difficult phrase: “to add fresh weight to the fate (death) already impending” (F-D), "add weight to our crushing doom" (Fairclough). incumbere may borrow a metaphor from those who fall on their swords (incumbere ferro or gladio) (Henry).

653 vellet: "consent," "be willing" "allow himself" (> volo).

654 (in eōdem) inceptō et sēdibus haeret in īsdem: the use of this verb here almost amounts to a play upon the word. If translated literally “sticks to his purpose and seat” (Howson), zeugma (H-H).

655 feror: “I am impelled,” of the impulse rather than the actual movement (Sidgwick).

656 cōnsilium ... fortūna: “device,” or “chance,” i.e. of safety (Comstock).

656 quae iam fortūna dabātur: “what chance (of safety) was offered now?” (Page). Observe that there is no verb of speaking to introduce the following direct speech. The hurry and high-strung feeling are best given by the abruptness (Sidgwick).

657 Mēne: -ne stresses the significant word (Austin).

658 spērā(vi)stī: joined with the pres. instead of the fut infin., because posse supplies the notion of futurity (Storr).

658 tantum nefās: “so impious a speech” (Comstock).

659 nihil: subject of relinquī (Pharr).

660 sedet hoc animō: supply est tibi, “this is fixed in your desire” (F-D).

peritūraeque ... iuvat: this clause explains hoc, “if it is your pleasure to cast yourself and your family into the coming ruin of Troy” (F-B).

661 istī: “that of yours,” this scornful use of iste is very common in arguing with an opponent (Page).

661 tēque tuōsque: objects of addere (Pharr).

662 iam: “soon” (F-B).

662 multō dē sanguine: “(fresh) from all the blood” (Page).

663 (quī obtruncat) nātum, (quī) patrem obtruncat: the present tense marks the continuing consequence of a previous happening: Pyrrhus’ act is past, but he is “butcher Pyrrhus” still (Austin).

664 hoc erat (illud) quod: “was it this for which” (F-D), hoc is predicate, explained by ut cernam, and the subject of erat is the clause quod … eripis (Austin).

664 alma parēns = Venus.

665 ut ... utque: note the repetition, indicating the excitement of the speaker (F-B); purpose clause (G-K).

667 in alterius sanguine: “in the blood of each other.”

667 cernam: the present subjunctive is used, since the time of the main thought is really present (F-D).

668 lūx ultima: “the last light of life” (F-B).

668 vocat: i.e. death calls us (G-K).

669 sinite revīsam: “suffer me to see once more” (Sidgwick); such parataxis is common with verbs expressing longing (Horsfall).

669 īnstaurāta: = īnstaurem et (Pharr).

670 Numquam ... hodiē: "never this day." We might say the same in English, “never” being an impassioned form of denial (Sidgwick).

vocabulary

CORE VOCABULARY

perstō, stitī, stātus, 1, n.: to continue standing; remain fixed, 5.812; persist, 2.650.

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)

fīgō, fīxī, fīxus, 3, a.: to fix or fasten; freq., the object in or on which, in the abl., 1.212; abl. w. prep., 6.636; acc. w. prep., 9.408; fasten up, suspend from, 3.287; hang up, 1.248; set up, establish, make, 6.622; transfix, pierce, 5.516; hurl (fix by hurling), 10.883; wound, 10.343; inscribe, 11.84.

effundō, fūdī, fūsus, 3, a.: to pour out or forth; shed, 2.271; throw, cast out, 7.780; cast, 6.339; overthrow, 11.485; bring out, 9.68; unbind, dishevel, 4.509; dissolve, 2.651; let loose, throw out, 5.818; spend, lose, waste, 5.446; of words, utter, 5.780; (pass.), effundī, dart, 5.145; flow, 6.686. (ex and fundō)

Creūsa, ae, f.: the wife of Aeneas, and daughter of Priam, 2.562.

Ascanius, iī, m.: Ascanius, son of Aeneas, and traditional founder of Alba Longa, 1.267.

urgeō, ursī, 2, a. and n.: to drive, impel, press forward, 1.111; ply, hasten, 9.489; press, oppress, crush, bear down, 3.579; press around, inclose, surround, hem in, 11.524; weigh upon, oppress, close, 10.745; overpower, 2.653; attack, 10.375; punish, torture, 6.561.

incumbō, cubuī, cubitus, 3, n.: to lay one's self upon; lean or recline upon; (w. dat.), lie on or stretch over, 2.205; fall upon, 1.84; bend to, ply, 5.15; hasten, urge, press on, 2.653; overhang, 2.514; press or bend toward, 5.325; (w. ad and acc.), lean, hang, incline, 8.236; absolute, bend to, urge on the work, 4.397.

abnegō, āvī, ātus, 1, a.: to deny, refuse, with acc. and dat., 7.424, with inf., 2.637; alone, 2.654.

inceptum, ī, n.: a beginning; deliberation, 11.469; undertaking, design, purpose, 1.37; measure, movement, 12.566. (incipiō)

haereō, haesī, haesus, 2, n.: to stick; foll. by dat., or by abl. w. or without a prep.; hang, cling, adhere, cling to, 1.476, et al.; stop, stand fixed, 6.559; halt, 11.699; adhere to as companion, 10.780; stick to in the chase, 12.754; persist, 2.654; dwell, 4.4; pause, hesitate, 3.597; be fixed or decreed, 4.614.

efferō, extulī, ēlātus, ferre, irreg. a.: to bear, or bring out or forth, 2.297; bear away, rescue, 3.150; raise, elevate, lift up or high, 1.127; elate, puff up, 11.715; efferre gressum or pedem, walk, go, come forth, 2.753; efferre sē, arise, 3.215. (ex and ferō)

genitor, ōris, m.: he who begets; father, sire, 1.155, et al. (gignō)

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.

excidō, cidī, 3, n.: to fall out; fall from; drop, come from, 2.658; come down, descend, 9.113; depart, 1.26. (ex and cadō)

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.

tuī, ōrum, m.: your friends, kinsmen, countrymen, descendants, etc., 3.488; freq. (tuus)

iānua, ae, f.: the outer door or gate, 2.493; entrance, way, 2.661. (Iānus)

lētum, ī, n.: death, destruction, 2.134, et al. (cf. dēleō)

Priamus, ī, m.: 1. Priam, son of Laomedon, king of Troy, 1.458, et al. 2. A Trojan youth, son of Polites and grandson of King Priam, 5.564.

Pyrrhus, ī, m.: Pyrrhus Neoptolemus, son of Achilles, killed by Orestes, 3.296, et al.

obtruncō, āvī, ātus, 1, a.: to lop off; cut down; cut to pieces, slay, 2.663.

almus, a, um: adj. (alō), giving nourishment; fostering, genial, blessing, blessed, benign, 1.306; fruitful; gracious, kind, kindly, propitious, 7.774.

quod: (conj.), as to which thing; in that, that, indeed that, because; but, moreover, however, freq.; quod sī, but if, indeed if, if however, 6.133.

penetrālis, e: adj. (penetrō), innermost, inner, 2.297; subst., penetrālia, ium, n., the interior of a house; sanctuary, shrine, chapel (of a dwelling or temple), 2.484, et al.

iūxtā: (adv. and prep. w. acc.), near, close, near by, 2.513; at the same time, 2.666; near to, 3.506.

māctō, āvī, ātus, 1, a.: to magnify by worship; to sacrifice, immolate, 2.202; slay, slaughter, 8.294, et al.

Danaī, ōrum, m.: the Greeks, 2.327.

īnstaurō, āvī, ātus, 1, a.: to build; perform, celebrate, 3.62; revive, resolve anew, 2.451; celebrate anew, 4.63; renew, 2.669; repay, requite, 6.530.

revīsō, 3, a. and n.: to look at again; visit again, return to see; return to, 2.760; revisit, 3.318.

inultus, a, um: (adj.), unavenged, 2.670.

media

Maps and Images

Brant: Decision to Flee from Troy

Suggested Citation