Aeneid 1.402–417

The goddess revealed

In brief. As Venus turns away, her divine beauty reveals who she is. Aeneas complains that she keeps deceiving him with disguises, but she wraps him and Achates in a mist so that no one can see them, then departs for Paphos.

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Aen. 1.402Dīxit, et āvertēns roseā cervīce refulsit,
ambrosiaeque comae dīvīnum vertice odōrem
spīrāvēre, pedēs vestis dēflūxit ad īmōs,
405et vēra incessū patuit dea.She spoke, and as she turned away her rosy neck shone, and her ambrosial hair breathed a divine fragrance from her head; her dress flowed down to her feet, and by her walk she showed herself a true goddess.Note. āvertēns: 'as she turned away'. ambrosiae comae: ambrosia is the food and perfume of the gods. vēra incessū patuit dea: 'by her walk she was revealed as a true goddess'; the gods were recognised by their gliding gait. Aen. 1.405Ille ubi mātrem
adgnōvit, tālī fugientem est vōce secūtus:
Quid nātum totiēns, crūdēlis tū quoque, falsīs
lūdis imāginibus?When he recognised his mother, he followed her as she fled with these words: 'Why do you, cruel you too, so often mock your son with false shapes?Note. Quid: 'why?'. crūdēlis tū quoque: 'you too are cruel', i.e. like Juno. falsīs … imāginibus: ablative of means, 'with false shapes'. Aen. 1.408Cūr dextrae iungere dextram
nōn datur, ac vērās audīre et reddere vōcēs?Why am I not allowed to join right hand to right hand, and hear and return true words?' Aen. 1.410Tālibus incūsat, gressumque ad moenia tendit:
at Venus obscūrō gradientēs āere saepsit,
et multō nebulae circum dea fūdit amictū,
cernere nē quis eōs, neu quis contingere posset,
mōlīrīve moram, aut veniendī poscere causās.With such words he reproaches her and makes his way toward the walls: but Venus surrounded them as they walked with dark air, and the goddess poured around them a thick cloak of mist, so that no one could see them or touch them, or make delay, or ask the reasons for their coming.Note. obscūrō … āere: āer here means mist or haze, as in Homer. circum … fūdit: tmesis, the compound circumfundō split in two. nē quis … neu quis: negative purpose clauses; quis after nē is indefinite. veniendī … causās: gerund in the genitive, 'the reasons for coming'.

Aen. 1.415Ipsa Paphum sublīmis abit, sēdēsque revīsit
laeta suās, ubi templum illī, centumque Sabaeō
tūre calent ārae, sertīsque recentibus hālant.She herself goes off on high to Paphos and gladly revisits her home, where her temple is, and a hundred altars glow with Sabaean incense and breathe with fresh garlands.Note. Paphum: Paphos on Cyprus, Venus' chief shrine. sublīmis: predicative, 'aloft'. illī: dative of possession, 'her temple'. Sabaean incense came from southern Arabia.

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Grammar in this passage: indirect statement ×1, gerunds and gerundives ×1, purpose clauses ×2

Latin vocabulary for this passage (91 words)

dīcō, dīcere, dīxī, dictus	say, speak; diem dīcere, to appoint or set a day
et, conj.	and; et ... et, both ... and
āvertō, -ere, āvertī, āversum	turn away, turn aside
roseus, -a, -um	rosy, pink
cervīx, -īcis f.	neck (often pl.)
refulgeō, -fulgēre, -fulsī	flash back, shine
ambrosius, -a, -um	ambrosial, divinely fragrant
que, enclitic conj.	and
coma, -ae f.	hair, a head of hair; foliage
dīvīnus, -a, -um	divine, of the gods
vertex, -icis m.	top of the head, crown; summit
odor, -ōris, m.	smell, odor
spīrō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus	breathe; (of wind) blow
pēs, pedis, m.	foot
vestis, -is, f.	clothing, dress, robe
dēfluō, -ere, -flūxī	flow down, fall down
ad, prep. with acc.	to, toward; at, near; for
īmus, -a, -um	lowest (ab īmō: from the bottom)
vērus, -a, -um	true; rē vērā, in truth, in fact
incessus, -ūs m.	walk, gait
pateō, -ēre, -uī	lie open; extend, stretch
dea, -ae f.	goddess
ille, illa, illud, dem. pron.	that; he, she, it, they; ille ... hīc, see hīc
ubi, adv.	where; conj., when
māter, mātris, f.	mother
agnōscō, -gnōscere, -gnōvī, -gnitus, recognize
tālis, -e	such
fugiō, fugere, fūgī, fugitūrus	flee, run away
sum, esse, fuī, futūrus	be
vōx, vōcis, f.	voice; word
sequor, sequī, secūtus	follow
quis, quid, interrog. pron.	who? which? what?
nātus, -ī m.	son; (pl.) children
totiēns (adv.)	so often, so many times
crūdēlis, -e	cruel
tū, tuī, pers. pron.	thou, you
quoque, adv.	also
falsus, -a, -um	feigned, pretended, false
lūdō, -ere, lūsī, lūsum	play; mock, deceive
imāgō, -inis f.	likeness, image, portrait
cūr, adv.	why
dextra, -ae, f.	right hand (manus understood)
iungō, iungere, iūnxī, iūnctus	join; yoke, harness
nōn, adv.	not
dō, dare, dedī, datus	give
atque, ac (conj.)	and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants)
audiō, -īre, -īvī, -ītus	hear; listen or attend to
reddō, -dere, -didī, -ditus	give back, return, restore; render
incūsō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum	blame, rebuke
gressus, -ūs m.	step, pace; course
moenia, -ium, n. plur.	walls
tendō, -ere, tetendī, tentum	stretch out; hold out
at, conj.	but
obscūrus, -a, -um	dark
gradior, gradī, gressus sum	step, walk, go
āēr, āeris, m.	air
saepiō, -īre, saepsī, saeptus	fence in, enclose; protect
multus, -a, -um	much, great; plur., many
nebula, -ae f.	mist, cloud
circum, prep. with acc.	around
fundō, -ere, fūdī, fūsum	pour; rout, scatter (an enemy)
amictus, -ūs m.	cloak, wrap, garment
cernō, cernere, crēvī, certus or crētus	discern, perceive, make out
nē, adv.	not; nē ... quidem, not ... even; conj., that not, lest
quis, qua, quid, indef. pron.	any one, anybody, anything, some one, somebody, something
is, ea, id, dem. pron.	this, that; he, she, it, they
nēve or neu, conj.	and that not, and not, nor
contingō, -ere, -tigī, -tāctum	touch, reach
possum, posse, potuī	be able, have power, can
mōlior, -īrī, -ītus sum	work at, contrive, plot
mora, -ae, f.	delay
aut, conj.	or; aut ... aut, either ... or
veniō, venīre, vēnī, ventus	come
poscō, poscere, poposcī	ask, demand
causa, -ae, f.	cause, reason; abl. causā, for the sake of
ipse, ipsa, ipsum, intensive pron.	self, himself, herself, itself, themselves; often to be rendered by very
sublīmis, -e	high, lofty; in sublīme: up on high
abeō, -īre, -iī, -itūrus	go away, depart
sēdēs, -is, f.	seat, abode
revīsō, -ere	go back to see, revisit
laetus, -a, -um	glad, joyful
suus, -a, -um	his, her, its, or their own; his, her, its, their
templum, -ī, n.	sanctuary, temple
centum, indecl. adj.	one hundred
Sabaeus, -a, -um	Sabaean, of Saba in southern Arabia, the land of incense
tūs, tūris n.	incense
caleō, -ēre, -uī	be warm, be hot
āra, -ae, f.	altar
sertum, -ī n. (usu. pl. serta)	garland, wreath of flowers
recēns, -entis	recent, fresh
hālō, -āre	breathe out; be fragrant

Vergil, Aeneid I. Latin text: J. B. Greenough (Boston, 1881), public domain; digital text from the Perseus Digital Library, CC BY-SA. Word analysis: LatinCy, then every word checked and corrected by hand. Vocabulary: F. Ritchie (1903, public domain) and entries written for this app. English translation, notes and grammar hints: written for this app.