Vergil, Aeneid IV 279-295

Manuscripts: M 279-292, 293-295 | P

279–295: Aeneas, awestruck by such a warning, ponders anxiously what to do and at last sends orders to prepare the fleet for sea, hoping himself to find a happy opportunity for breaking the news to Dido (Page).

279: at vērō: the use of the two particles makes the statement very strong (F-B). amēns: bewildered rather than frenzied (Pease). aspectū obmūtuit āmēns: “aghast at the sight, was struck dumb” (F-B). Aeneas is brought up with a jolt, and is “distraught and tongue-tied at the vision” (Austin).

280: horrōre: ablative of cause (AG 404); a good instance of horror used partly in a metaphorical sense = “with dread,” partly in a literal one = “bristling,” in this case a situation that causes one’s hair to stand on end (Page).

281: ārdet abīre: “he burns (with desire) to depart” (Page). Here is the dilemma: he is afire to go, and to go quickly (fugā), but the land that he must leave is sweet; in dulcēs we have a fleeting glimpse of Aeneas’ real feelings (Austin). dulcēs: note the striking contrast between dulcēs and ardet abīre, which expresses the conflict in the mind of Aeneas between love and duty (Pease).

283: heu, quid agat?: dubitative (or deliberative) subjunctive (AG 444), the present being a vivid construction for the imperfect (Stephenson). So also audeat and sūmat (284). Aeneas would say directly to himself quid agam? The poet repeats his words in indirect discourse “alas (he says) what is he to do?” (Page). quō...adfātū: “with what address can he now approach the passion-frenzied queen?” (Page). ambīre: “to canvass” (Austin); admirably used here to hint at cunning and treachery (Page): “to approach,” literally “to go round,” as if in danger of a hostile reception (Frieze). The verb implies that the situation is delicate and tact is needed (F-B).

284: quae prīma exōrdia sūmat: “what opening words he should choose first?” The pleonasm of prīma exōrdia emphasizes the embarrassment felt (F-B). The same sense of cunning and falsehood inherent in ambīre (283) is suggested by the rhetorical term exōrdium and also by sūmat “adopt” (284) (Page). exōrdia: properly of the laying down of a web, and so again appropriate; here too I cannot see how Page finds a sense of falsehood in it. Vergil simply means “how is he to set about a beginning?” (Austin)

286: in partēsque rapit variās: “hurries (his thoughts) in different directions”; he thinks rapidly of various expedients (Frieze). versat: (intensified), “turns (his thoughts) rapidly” (G-K).

287: alternantī: supply eī; “(to him) as he wavered” (F-B), i.e., whether to inform Dido or not (G-K). Alternantī may be used intransitively, but sententiās is easily supplied (Page). Haec goes with sententia (Frieze).

288: Mnēsthea Sergestumque...Serestum: the particularizing by name is characteristic of Vergil (Austin). vocat: his plan is explained by what he does (Frieze). A verb of ordering is implied: “summoning them he directs them to...” (G-K).

289: classem aptent tacitī: “they are to fit out the fleet and never say a word” (Austin). sociōsque...cōgant: “and they must call their mates to join them at the shore (Austin). aptent, cōgant, parent, and dissimulent: present subjunctives in indirect command (preceded by the implied eīs imperat ut...) (AG 588) (Frieze). Again, as with agat, 283, the vivid present instead of imperfect (Stephenson).

290: arma parent: either “arms” (for defense in case of interference) or “equipments,” “tackle” for the ships (G-K). rēbus novandīs: dative gerundive (AG ); “for forming new plans,” or “for renewing their adventures” (Frieze). quae...sit causa: indirect question (AG 574); “hide the cause of changing their plans” (F-B).

291–3: sēsē...temptātūrum: (supply esse); indirect discourse, depending on dīcēns or putāns implied in vocat (288) (Frieze): “saying that he meantime will try...” The subjunctive is an indirect command, while the accusative with infinitive is an indirect discourse (Page). The phrase temptāre aditūs is from military language (F-B).

291–2: quandō...amōrēs: “since Dido, his best, knew nothing and never dreamed of the breaking of so strong a love” (Austin).

291: optima: “best of women” (G-K). An epithet skillfully adapted to intensify Aeneas’ difficulty who felt obliged to act so unkindly toward this “kindest of friends” (Stephenson).

292: nesciat: subjunctive dependent clause in indirect discourse (AG 592) (G-K). spēret: “expect” or “anticipate,” used of ill as well as of good expectation (G-K). Spērō is common with the present infinitive where it means not “hope” but “expect,” and the reference is not to something which may happen in the future but is already happening in the present (Page). rumpī: present infinitive, because the matter is already in progress (Frieze).

293: aditūs: “the approaches,” or “avenues” (to her feelings) (Chase). The ways of addressing her so as to give the least offense (Frieze). quae: supply sint (Chase). Subjunctive in indirect question, depending on the preceding (G-K).

293-4: mollissima...tempora: “the softest moments” are the moments when Dido would be softest (Stephenson); “the tenderest time (i.e., the happiest place and time) for speech (Page).

294: quīs rēbus dexter modus: “what plan propitious for his purpose” (Page). Supply sit, subjunctive in the continuing indirect question; rēbus is dative after dexter; “adapted to circumstances” (Frieze); “for the business” (G-K). dexter: “skillful” and “favorable”; “what is a good way for his purpose” (Austin). ōcius: supply dictō; “quicker than said” (Frieze). omnēs: i.e., the Trojan chiefs (Frieze).