At Cytherēa novās artēs, nova pectore versat

cōnsilia, ut faciem mūtātus et ōra Cupīdō

prō dulcī Ascaniō veniat, dōnīsque furentem

incendat rēgīnam atque ossibus implicet ignem.660

quippe domum timet ambiguam Tyriōsque bilinguīs;

ūrit atrōx Iūnō et sub noctem cūra recursat.

Ergō hīs āligerum dictīs adfātur Amōrem:

'Nāte, meae vīrēs, mea magna potentia, sōlus

nāte patris summī quī tēla Typhōea temnis,665

ad tē cōnfugiō et supplex tua nūmina poscō.

Frāter ut Aenēās pelagō tuus omnia circum

lītora iactētur odiīs Iūnōnis acerbae,

nōta tibi, et nostrō doluistī saepe dolōre.

nunc Phoenissa tenet Dīdō blandīsque morātur670

vōcibus, et vereor quō sē Iūnōnia vertant

hospitia: haud tantō cessābit cardine rērum.

Quōcircā capere ante dolīs et cingere flammā

rēgīnam meditor, nē quō sē nūmine mūtet,

sed magnō Aenēae mēcum teneātur amōre.675

Quā facere id possīs nostram nunc accipe mentem:

Rēgius accītū cārī genitōris ad urbem

Sīdoniam puer īre parat, mea maxima cūra,

dōna ferēns pelagō et flammīs restantia Trōiae;

Hunc ego sōpītum somnō super alta Cythēra680

aut super Īdalium sacrātā sēde recondam,

nē quā scīre dolōs mediusve occurrere possit.

Tū faciem illīus noctem nōn amplius ūnam

falle dolō et nōtōs puerī puer indue vultūs,

ut, cum tē gremiō accipiet laetissima Dīdō685

rēgālēs inter mēnsās laticemque Lyaeum,

cum dabit amplexūs atque ōscula dulcia fīget,

occultum īnspīrēs ignem fallāsque venēnō.'

Pāret Amor dictīs cārae genetrīcis, et ālās

exuit et gressū gaudēns incēdit Iǖlī.690

At Venus Ascaniō placidam per membra quiētem

inrigat, et fōtum gremiō dea tollit in altōs

Īdaliae lūcōs, ubi mollis amāracus illum

flōribus et dulcī aspīrāns complectitur umbrā.

Venus plots to inflame Dido with love for Aeneas: she arranges with Cupid that he shall substitute himself for Ascanius (Austin). 

657  novās artēs: “new wiles” (Carter). Novas looks back to the last intervention of Venus, 586-91, and may perhaps carry something of the bad sense of the word (Conway). 

658  Faciem mūtātus et ōra: “his face and features changed” (Sidgwick).

660  ossibus … ignem: bones, especially marrow, were considered the home of passionate feelings (Comstock).

661  domum ambiguam: i.e. it is uncertain how the attitude of Dido and her court might change (Bennett). 

661  Tyriōsque bilinguīs: described as “double tongued” the Carthaginians being liars was a common stereotype for the Romans (H-P).

662  ūrit: supply eam, i.e. Venus (Carter). “Juno’s hostility frets her”; urit is used of the effects of worry (Austin). 

662  sub noctem: “as night draws near” (Comstock). Venus is thought of as worrying more by night than by day, as though she were a human being (Carter).

664  meae vīrēs, mea magna potentia: in apposition to nate, equivalent to two relative clauses parallel with qui … temnis (Austin). 

664  sōlus: the nominative is used, although the adjective really depends upon the vocative nate. Probably it is thought of as a dependent clause (qui) solus (es) (Carter)

665  tēla Typhōea: Jupiter’s thunderbolt that killed Typhoeus. Cupid is the only god that is stronger than Jupiter and his thunderbolts (H-P).

666  ad tē cōnfugiō: “I take refuge with you”; the compound generally implies reaching a safe haven after difficulty (Conway). 

666  tua nūmina poscō: “I ask for your aid” (Carter). 

667  ut: “how” (Sidgwick).

668  odiīs: repeated acts of hostility (odio would have been metrically possible) (Austin).

669  nōta: supply sunt. We would expect notum est (Carter). 

669  doluistī…dolōre: “You have grieved with my grief” (Comstock).

670  Phoenessa: significant; Dido’s race is under Juno’s protection (Austin). 

670  blandīs: malicious; Dido has said nothing that could be fairly be called “wheedling” (Austin).

671  et vereor quō sē Iūnōnia vertant hospitia: “and I fear for what turn (these) Junonian hospitalities may take” (Chase). 

672  haud cessābit: “she (i.e. Juno) will by no means be idle” (Comstock). 

672  tantō cardine rērum: “at so great a crisis of affairs” (Bennett).

673  flammā: “with burning love” (F-D), “the flames of love” (G-K).

674  nē quō … teneātur: “that she may not be changed by any divine influence, but may be held,” etc. Ut supplied before teneatur is suggested by the foregoing ne (F-D),”influence of some divinity”, i.e. Juno (G-K).

675  mēcum: “in common with me,” i.e. “as well as I” (F-D).

676  Quā: “in what manner?” The question depends on accipe mentem (F-D).

677  rēgius puer: Ascanius (Bennett). 

677  accītū: At the summons” (Bennett). A rare word, and only here in verse; like some other words of this type, it is used in the ablative only (iussu, iniussu) (Austin).

678  puer: equivalent to filius, as the collocation with genitoris shows (Austin).

679  Pelagō et flammīs: ablative with restantia. The preposition de, which would regularly be used, is omitted (F-D). 

680  sōpītum somnō: “lulled to sleep” somno is ablative of means (AG 409)  (Bennett); sopitum “unconscious’ (Conway). The dominance of s-sounds in these two lines suggests a whispered, secret scheme (Austin). 

682  nē quā: “lest in any way” (Bennett). 

682  dolōs: “wiles” (F-D). Here first mentioned, to prepare Cupid for what follows; or, in other words, to rouse the reader’s curiosity (Conway). 

682  mediusve occurrere: = intervenire, “interfere” (F-D), “or mar (my schemes) by intervention” (Page).

683  faciem ... falle: “counterfeit his form” (F-D) 

683  noctem nōn amplius ūnam: “for one night only,” literally “for one night - no more" (Comstock). 

684  puer: “yourself a boy” (Comstock). 

686  rēgālēs … Lyaeum: “amidst the royal banquet and the flow of wine” (F-D). 

688  īnspīrēs: supply ei (Conway). 

688  fallās: supply eam (Conway). 

690  gressū gaudēns incēdit: equivalent to gressu gaudet incedere. The god takes delight in assuming the form and gait of lulus (F-D). Gressu contrasted with alas; he is now in human form instead of a winged god (Conway). 

691  Ascaniō: dative of reference (AG 376), equivalent to a possessive genitive (F-D). 

691-2  placidam per membra quiētem / inrigat: “bathes his limbs in dewy slumber” (Comstock). These lines have a magic softness; the rhythm is smooth and gentle, there are many mutes and liquids: an epic view of a comforting anesthetic (Austin). 

692  inrigat: “she diffuses” (F-D), the image of sleep coming down as a dew (Chase). 

692  fōtum: “cuddled.” 

693  Īdaliae: another form for Idalium (F-D). 

693  Amāracus: majoram, which originated in North Africa. It was associated with weddings, and Lucretius names its juices as used by the exclusus amator to anoint the doorposts of his love (Austin). 

694  flōribus … umbrā: a complex sentence, with floribus and umbra both dependent on both aspirans and complectitur, an ingenious arrangement which hints at the entwining embrace of the mesh of blossoms. (Austin). 

694  adspīrāns: “breathing (odors) upon (him)” (F-D). 

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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/tr/vergil-aeneid/vergil-aeneid-i-657-694