Aeneid 12.311–345

Aen. 12.311At pius Aenēās dextram tendēbat inermem
nūdātō capite atque suōs clāmōre vocābat:
Quō ruitis?

But dutiful Aeneas was stretching out his unarmed right hand, his head bare, and calling to his men with a shout: 'Where are you rushing?

Note. pius Aenēās tries to stop the fighting: dextram … inermem, his 'unarmed right hand', and nūdātō capite, 'with head bare', show that he means peace. Quō ruitis?: 'Where are you rushing?'

Aen. 12.313Quaeve ista repēns discordia surgit?

Or what is this sudden strife that is rising?

Note. Quaeve: quae (interrogative) + -ve, 'or what …?' repēns: 'sudden'.

Aen. 12.314Ō cohibēte īrās!

Oh, restrain your anger!

Note. Ō cohibēte īrās: 'Restrain your anger!'

Aen. 12.314Ictum iam foedus et omnēs
315compositae lēgēs;

The treaty is already struck and all its terms agreed;

Note. Ictum … foedus: supply est; foedus īcere, 'to strike a treaty'. compositae lēgēs: 'the terms have been settled'.

Aen. 12.315mihi iūs concurrere sōlī;

the right to fight is mine alone;

Note. mihi iūs … sōlī: 'the right is mine alone', to fight (concurrere).

Aen. 12.316mē sinite atque auferte metūs;

leave it to me and put away your fears;

Note. mē sinite: 'leave (it) to me'. auferte metūs: 'put away your fears'.

Aen. 12.316ego foedera faxō
firma manū;

I will make the treaty firm with my own hand;

Note. faxō: an old future (perfect) form of faciō, 'I will make'. foedera … firma: 'the treaty firm', predicative.

Aen. 12.317Turnum dēbent haec iam mihi sacra.

these rites already owe Turnus to me.'

Note. Turnum dēbent … mihi: 'these rites already owe Turnus to me': by the sacrifice, Turnus is now pledged to fight me.

Aen. 12.318Hās inter vōcēs, media inter tālia verba
ecce virō strīdēns ālīs adlāpsa sagitta est
320incertum quā pulsa manū, quō turbine adācta,
quis tantam Rutulīs laudem, cāsusne deusne,
adtulerit: pressa est īnsignis glōria factī.

Amid these cries, in the middle of such words, look, an arrow came whirring on its wings against the hero, and it is not known by what hand it was sent or driven by what whirl, who brought such glory to the Rutulians, whether chance or a god: the famous glory of the deed was suppressed,

Note. Hās inter vōcēs: the preposition follows its object. ecce: 'look!' virō: dative, 'at the man'. adlāpsa … est: 'came gliding'. The indirect questions (quā … manū, quō turbine, quis …) depend on incertum (est): 'it is uncertain by what hand …'. casusne deusne: 'whether chance or a god'. pressa est: 'was suppressed': no one claimed the glory.

Aen. 12.323nec sēsē Aenēae iactāvit vulnere quisquam.

and no one boasted of having wounded Aeneas.

Note. sēsē … iactāvit: 'boasted'. Aenēae … vulnere: 'of the wounding of Aeneas', an objective genitive.

Aen. 12.324Turnus ut Aenēān cēdentem ex agmine vīdit
325turbātōsque ducēs, subitā spē fervidus ārdet:
poscit equōs atque arma simul saltūque superbus
ēmicat in currum et manibus mōlītur habēnās.

When Turnus saw Aeneas withdrawing from the battle and the leaders thrown into confusion, he burns, hot with sudden hope: he calls for horses and arms together, leaps proudly into his chariot and works the reins with his hands.

Note. ut … vīdit: 'when he saw'. Aenēān: Greek accusative. subitā spē fervidus: 'burning with sudden hope'. ēmicat: 'leaps'. mōlītur habēnās: 'works the reins'.

Aen. 12.328Multa virum volitāns dat fortia corpora Lētō,
sēminecēs volvit multōs aut agmina currū
330prōterit aut raptās fugientibus ingerit hastās.

Flying about, he gives many brave bodies of men to Death, rolls many over half-dead, or crushes ranks under his chariot, or seizes spears and hurls them at those who flee.

Note. virum: genitive plural (= virōrum) with corpora: 'many brave bodies of men'. Lētō: dative, 'to Death', personified. volitāns: 'flying about'. raptās … hastās: he 'snatches up spears and heaps them on' the fugitives.

Aen. 12.331Quālis apud gelidī cum flūmina concitus Hebrī
sanguineus Māvors clipeō increpat atque furentīs
bella movēns immittit equōs;

Just as when, roused by the waters of the cold Hebrus, blood-stained Mars clashes on his shield and, stirring up war, lets loose his raging horses;

Note. A simile: Turnus is like Mars, the war-god, driving his chariot by the Hebrus in Thrace, his favourite land. Quālis: 'just as' (… tālis in sentence 48, 'so'). cum … increpat: 'when he clashes'. Māvors: an old name of Mars. furentīs … equōs: 'his raging horses'.

Aen. 12.333illī aequore apertō
ante Notōs Zephyrumque volant;

they fly before the South Winds and the West Wind on the open plain;

Note. illī: the horses. ante Notōs Zephyrumque: 'ahead of' the south and west winds: faster than they.

Aen. 12.334gemit ultima pulsū
335Thrāca pedum;

furthest Thrace groans under the beat of their hooves;

Note. ultima … Thrāca: 'farthest Thrace'. pulsū pedum: 'with the beating of their feet'.

Aen. 12.335circumque ātrae Formīdinis ōra
Īraeque Īnsidiaeque, deī comitātus, aguntur:
tālis equōs alacer media inter proelia Turnus
fūmantīs sūdōre quatit, miserābile caesīs
hostibus īnsultāns;

and around him are driven the faces of black Terror, and Anger and Ambush, the god's companions: so Turnus, keen in the middle of the battle, whips on his horses smoking with sweat, trampling pitiably on the slain enemy;

Note. Fōrmīdinis … Īraeque Īnsidiaeque: Terror, Anger and Ambush personified, the war-god's 'companions' (comitātus). tālis: this answers quālis: 'such was Turnus …'. fūmantīs = fūmantēs, accusative with equōs. miserābile: adverbial, 'pitiably'. caesīs hostibus īnsultāns: 'trampling on the slain enemy'.

Aen. 12.339spargit rapida ungula rōrēs
340sanguineōs, mīxtāque cruor calcātur harēnā.

the swift hoof scatters bloody drops, and the gore is trodden into the mingled sand.

Note. rōrēs sanguineōs: 'bloody dew', a striking image for drops of blood. mixtā … harēnā: 'in the sand mixed (with it)'.

Aen. 12.341Iamque necī Sthenelumque dedit Thamyrumque Pholumque,
hunc congressus et hunc, illum ēminus;

And now he has given to death Sthenelus and Thamyrus and Pholus, these two in close fighting, that one from a distance;

Note. neci dedit: 'gave to death' (neci, dative of nex), i.e. killed. hunc … et hunc, illum: 'these two (in close combat), that one at a distance'. congressus: from the deponent congredior, 'meeting them'.

Aen. 12.342ēminus ambō
Imbrasidās, Glaucum atque Lādēn, quōs Imbrasus ipse
nūtrierat Lyciā paribusque ōrnāverat armīs,
345vel cōnferre manum vel equō praevertere ventōs.

from a distance both sons of Imbrasus, Glaucus and Lades, whom Imbrasus himself had reared in Lycia and equipped with matching arms, to fight hand to hand or to outrun the winds on horseback.

Note. Imbrasidās: Greek accusative plural, 'the sons of Imbrasus'. Lyciā: 'in Lycia'. The infinitives cōnferre and praevertere depend on ornāverat ('had equipped them to …'): 'to fight hand to hand or outrun the winds on horseback'.