Aeneid 1.335–371

Aen. 1.335Tum Venus: Haud equidem tālī mē dignor honōre;

Then Venus: 'No, I do not think myself worthy of such an honour;

Note. Haud … dignor: dignor takes the ablative, 'I do not deem myself worthy of'. Venus keeps up the pretence.

Aen. 1.336virginibus Tyriīs mōs est gestāre pharetram,
purpureōque altē sūrās vincīre cothurnō.

it is the custom for Tyrian girls to carry a quiver and to bind their calves high with the purple boot.

Note. virginibus Tyriīs mōs est: dative of possession, 'it is the custom for Tyrian girls'. The purple cothurnus was a high laced boot.

Aen. 1.338Pūnica regna vidēs, Tyriōs et Agēnoris urbem;

You see a Punic kingdom, Tyrians and the city of Agenor;

Note. Agēnoris urbem: Agenor was a legendary king of Tyre, Dido's ancestor. Pūnica regna: the Romans' word for Carthaginian (Poenī, Pūnicus).

Aen. 1.339sed fīnēs Libycī, genus intractābile bellō.

but the land around is Libyan, a race not to be tamed in war.

Note. fīnēs Libycī [sunt]: the territory around is Libyan. genus intractābile bellō: in apposition, 'a race not to be handled in war' (ablative of respect).

Aen. 1.340Imperium Dīdō Tyriā regit urbe profecta,
germānum fugiēns.

Dido rules the empire, who set out from the city of Tyre fleeing her brother.

Note. germānum fugiēns: Dido's brother Pygmalion. Tyriā … urbe profecta: ablative of place from which, without a preposition.

Aen. 1.341Longa est iniūria, longae
ambāgēs;

Long is the wrong, long the winding story;

Note. ambāgēs: 'windings', a long and roundabout story. Venus will give only the summa fastīgia, 'the chief heads'.

Aen. 1.342sed summa sequar fastīgia rērum.

but I will follow the chief points of it.

Aen. 1.343Huic coniūnx Sychaeus erat, dītissimus agrī
Phoenīcum, et magnō miserae dīlēctus amōre,
345cui pater intāctam dederat, prīmīsque iugārat
ōminibus.

Her husband was Sychaeus, the richest in land of the Phoenicians, loved with a great love by the unhappy woman; her father had given her to him untouched and joined them with the first rites of marriage.

Note. Huic: to Dido. dītissimus agrī: genitive of respect after a superlative, 'richest in land'. miserae: dative of agent with the perfect participle dīlēctus. intāctam: 'a virgin'. iugārat = iugāverat (syncope); prīmīs … ōminibus, 'with the first omens', means her first marriage.

Aen. 1.346Sed regna Tyrī germānus habēbat
Pygmaliōn, scelere ante aliōs immānior omnēs.

But the kingdom of Tyre was held by her brother Pygmalion, more monstrous in crime than all others.

Note. scelere ante aliōs immānior omnēs: ante aliōs omnēs strengthens the comparative, 'more monstrous than all others'.

Aen. 1.348Quōs inter medius vēnit furor.

Between the two men madness came.

Note. Quōs inter: anastrophe, the preposition placed after its object (inter quōs).

Aen. 1.348Ille Sychaeum
impius ante ārās, atque aurī caecus amōre,
350clam ferrō incautum superat, sēcūrus amōrum
germānae;

He, impious before the altars and blind with love of gold, caught Sychaeus off guard in secret with the sword, careless of his sister's love;

Note. ante ārās: the murder takes place at the altar, adding sacrilege to murder. aurī caecus amōre: 'blind with love of gold'. sēcūrus amōrum germānae: 'careless of his sister's love', genitive with sēcūrus.

Aen. 1.351factumque diū cēlāvit, et aegram,
multa malus simulāns, vānā spē lūsit amantem.

and for a long time he hid the deed, and with many wicked pretences mocked the sick lover with empty hope.

Note. aegram … amantem: 'the sick lover', Dido sick with grief and longing. multa … simulāns: 'pretending many things'.

Aen. 1.353Ipsa sed in somnīs inhumātī vēnit imāgō
coniugis, ōra modīs attollēns pallida mīrīs,
355crūdēlēs ārās trāiectaque pectora ferrō
nūdāvit, caecumque domus scelus omne retēxit.

But in her sleep the very ghost of her unburied husband came, raising a face pale in strange ways; he laid bare the cruel altars and his breast pierced with the sword, and uncovered the whole hidden crime of the house.

Note. Ipsa … imāgō: 'the ghost itself'. inhumātī … coniugis: Sychaeus' body has not been buried, so his ghost walks. ōra … pallida: ōra is plural for singular, common in poetry.

Aen. 1.357Tum celerāre fugam patriāque excēdere suādet,
auxiliumque viae veterēs tellūre reclūdit
thēsaurōs, ignōtum argentī pondus et aurī.

Then he urges her to hurry her flight and leave her country, and as help for the journey he uncovers old treasures in the ground, an unknown weight of silver and gold.

Note. celerāre, excēdere: infinitives with suādet, 'urges her to hasten'. auxilium viae: in apposition to thēsaurōs, 'as help for the journey'.

Aen. 1.360Hīs commōta fugam Dīdō sociōsque parābat:
conveniunt, quibus aut odium crūdēle tyrannī
aut metus ācer erat;

Moved by this, Dido made ready her flight and her companions: those gather who felt either fierce hatred of the tyrant or sharp fear;

Note. quibus … erat: dative of possession: 'who had either fierce hatred … or sharp fear'.

Aen. 1.362nāvīs, quae forte parātae,
corripiunt, onerantque aurō: portantur avārī
Pygmaliōnis opēs pelagō;

they seize ships that happened to be ready and load them with gold: the wealth of greedy Pygmalion is carried over the sea;

Note. nāvīs: accusative plural (= nāvēs). quae forte parātae [erant].

Aen. 1.364dux fēmina factī.

a woman was the leader of the deed.

Note. dux fēmina factī: a famous half-line of four words: 'a woman led the venture'. Short half-lines like this are a sign that the Aeneid was left unrevised at Vergil's death.

Aen. 1.365Dēvēnēre locōs, ubi nunc ingentia cernis
moenia surgentemque novae Karthāginis arcem,
mercātīque solum, factī dē nōmine Byrsam,
taurīnō quantum possent circumdare tergō.

They came to the place where you now see huge walls and the rising citadel of new Carthage, and bought ground, called Byrsa from the deed, as much as they could encircle with a bull's hide.

Note. Dēvēnēre = dēvēnērunt. The story of the oxhide: Dido was offered as much land as a bull's hide could cover, cut the hide into thin strips, and enclosed a whole hill. Greek byrsa means 'hide', the name of Carthage's citadel. factī dē nōmine: 'from the name of the deed'. quantum … possent: relative clause of characteristic, 'as much as they could …'.

Aen. 1.369Sed vōs quī tandem, quibus aut vēnistis ab ōrīs,
370quōve tenētis iter?

But who are you, then? From what shores have you come, or where are you heading?'

Note. Sed vōs quī [estis]: interrogative quī, 'who are you?'. quōve: quō ('to where?') + -ve ('or').

Aen. 1.370Quaerentī tālibus ille
suspīrāns, īmōque trahēns ā pectore vōcem:

As she asked, he answered with such words, sighing and drawing his voice from deep in his chest:

Note. Quaerentī: dative, '(to her) asking'. tālibus [verbīs] is understood; the main verb ('he answered') is left out.