Aen. 1.8Mūsa, mihi causās memorā, quō nūmine laesō,
quidve dolēns, rēgīna deum tot volvere cāsūs
10īnsignem pietāte virum, tot adīre labōrēs
impulerit.Muse, tell me the causes: what offence to her divine will, or what grievance, drove the queen of the gods to make a man famous for his devotion roll through so many misfortunes and face so many labours.Note. Vergil calls on the Muse, as Homer did. quō nūmine laesō: an ablative absolute in an indirect question, 'what divine will of hers having been offended'. quidve dolēns: 'or grieving at what'. rēgīna deum: deum = deōrum. volvere cāsūs: 'to roll through misfortunes', an image of the wheel of fortune. īnsignem pietāte: pietās is Aeneas' defining quality: duty to gods, family and country. impulerit: perfect subjunctive in the indirect question. Aen. 1.11Tantaene animīs caelestibus īrae?Can heavenly minds hold such anger?Note. A famous half-line question: 'Is there such anger in heavenly minds?' animīs caelestibus is a dative of possession; supply sunt. Tantaene = tantae + -ne.
Lectitō › Vergil › Aeneid, Book 1 › Aeneid 1.8–11
Vergil · Aeneid I
Aeneid 1.8–11
Why was Juno angry?
In brief. The poet asks the Muse to explain what drove the queen of the gods to inflict so much suffering on a man known for his devotion, and wonders whether gods can feel such anger.
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Read in LectitōGrammar in this passage: ablative absolute ×1, indirect statement ×2
Latin vocabulary for this passage (23 words)
| ego, meī, pers. pron. | I |
| causa, -ae, f. | cause, reason; abl. causā, for the sake of |
| memorō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | remind of, mention |
| quī, quae, quod, interrog. pron. adj. | what? |
| nūmen, -inis n. | divine power, divinity |
| laedō, -ere, laesī, laesus | hurt, injure; break (an oath) |
| quis, quid, interrog. pron. | who? which? what? |
| doleō, -ēre, doluī, dolitum | grieve, be pained |
| rēgīna, -ae, f. | queen |
| deus, -ī, m. | god |
| tot (indecl.) | so many |
| volvō, -ere, volvī, volūtus | roll, turn over; ponder (multa sēcum volvere) |
| cāsus, -ūs, m. | fall; chance, accident |
| īnsignis, -e | notable, remarkable |
| pietās, -ātis f. | dutifulness, devotion to family and gods |
| vir, virī, m. | man |
| adeō, -īre, -iī, -itus | go to, approach |
| labor, -ōris, m. | labor, toil |
| impellō, -pellere, -pulī, -pulsus | drive or urge on, incite, urge |
| tantus, -a, -um | so great or much |
| animus, -ī, m. | mind; heart; spirit, courage |
| caelestis, -e | heavenly; pl. as noun: the gods |
| īra, -ae, f. | anger, wrath |
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.