Sīc Venus et Veneris contrā sīc fīlius ōrsus:325
'Nūlla tuārum audīta mihī neque vīsa sorōrum,
ō quam tē memorem, virgō? namque haud tibi vultus
mortālis, nec vōx hominem sonat; ō, dea certē
(An Phoebī soror? an nymphārum sanguinis ūna?),
Sīs fēlīx nostrumque levēs, quaecumque, labōrem330
et quō sub caelō tandem, quibus orbis in ōrīs
iactēmur doceās: ignārī hominumque locōrumque
errāmus ventō hūc vāstīs et flūctibus āctī.
multa tibi ante ārās nostrā cadet hostia dextrā.'
notes
He replies that he has not, and asks her to tell him what country he has reached (Austin).
325: Sic Venus: sc. inquit (Walpole). Supply locuta est (Robertson). Venus et Veneris...filius: the juxtaposition brings into relief the fact that they do not meet as mother and son (F-B). contra: “in reply” (Walpole). orsus: sc. est (Walpole).
326: audita mihi: sc. est (Walpole). “Heard by me”; mihi is a dative of agent (F-B) (AG 375a). Refers to clamore above (Storr).
327: O quam te memorem: O ought to be followed by a vocative, but Aeneas cannot at once think of the right name with which to address her (Walpole). memorem: deliberative subjunctive (F-B) (AG 444). tibi: sc. est. Dative of possession (Carter) (AG 373).
328: nec vox hominem sonat: sonat is here transitive (Frieze). “Nor does your voice have a human ring.” hominem is an inner (so-called cognate) accusative with sonat (F-B) (AG 390b).
329: Phoebi soror: i.e., Diana: sc. es (F-B). sanguinis: = generis (Carter). Genitive with una (Robertson).
330: sis felix: “be gracious.” sis is an optative subjunctive (F-B) (AG 441). Supply nobis (Robertson). quaecumque: sc. es (F-B).
332: locorumque: -que is elided before the vowel at the beginning of the next line. The syllable so elided is called hypermetric (F-B). In scanning this line notice that there is a syllable too much—hence the line is said to be hypermetrical; the que at the end of the line is to be elided before erramus at the beginning of the next line (Robertson).
334: dextra: ablative of instrument with cadet, which is virtually passive (Walpole) (AG 412).
vocabulary
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.
contrā: (prep. and adv.; prep. w. acc.), over against; opposite to, 1.13; against, 5.370; to, 9.280; on the contrary, 12.779; on the other hand, in reply, 1.76.
fīlius, iī, m.: a son, 1.325. (rel. to fēmina)
ōrdior, ōrsus sum, 4, dep. a. and n.: to weave, spin; to begin; begin to speak; begin, 1.325.
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.
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)
nec or neque: (adv. and conj.), and not; neither, nor, 1.643, et al.; in prohibition, 3.394, et al.; neque (nec) — neque (nec), neither — nor, 5.21, et al.; nec — et, or -que, may be rendered neither — nor, 12.801; 2.534; nec nōn, and also, nor less, 6.183; nec nōn et, and also, 1.707.
Phoebus, ī, m.: Phoebus or Apollo, 1.329, et al.
nympha, ae, f.: a bride, a maiden; a nymph, one of the inferior deities, presiding over fountains, woods, etc., 1.71, et al.
levō, āvī, ātus, 1, a.: to render light; lighten; lift, aid, 1.145; raise, 4.690; (fig.), ease, relieve of (w. abl.); support, rest, 10.834; reënforce, help, 2.452; mitigate, 3.36; allay, 7.495; cure, 7.755; relieve, 7.571. (2. levis)
ōra, ae, f.: a margin, border, 12.924; coast, shore, 3.396; region, 2.91; rim, extremity, 10.477; pl., outline, compass, 9.528.
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)
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.
vāstus, a, um: (adj.), empty, void, wild, waste, 9.323; vast, unbounded, 1.118; huge, enormous, immense, 3.647; deep-, vast-, sounding, 1.245.
hostia, ae, f.: a sacrificial animal; victim, 1.334, et al.
