Aeneid 12.791–842

Aen. 12.791Iūnōnem intereā rēx omnipotentis Olympī
adloquitur fulvā pugnās dē nūbe tuentem:
Quae iam fīnis erit, coniūnx?

Meanwhile the king of all-powerful Olympus speaks to Juno as she watches the battles from a golden cloud: 'What end will there be now, my wife?

Note. The scene moves to heaven. rēx omnipotentis Olympī: Jupiter. Quae iam fīnis erit: Greenough's text prints Qua, but the line requires Quae, as other editions read; fīnis is feminine here.

Aen. 12.793Quid dēnique restat?

What is left, after all?

Note. dēnique: 'after all, in the end'.

Aen. 12.794Indigetem Aenēān scīs ipsa et scīre fatēris
795dēbērī caelō fātīsque ad sīdera tollī.

You know yourself, and admit that you know, that Aeneas is owed to heaven as a hero of the land, and is raised by the fates to the stars.

Note. Indigetem: the title of a native hero worshipped as a god after death; Aeneas was honoured as Jupiter Indiges in Latium. dēbērī caelō: 'is owed to heaven', destined for deification.

Aen. 12.796Quid struis, aut quā spē gelidīs in nūbibus haerēs?

What are you plotting, or with what hope do you linger in the cold clouds?

Note. gelidīs in nūbibus: Juno has been watching from the clouds (sentence 37).

Aen. 12.797Mortālin decuit violārī volnere dīvom,
aut ēnsem (quid enim sine tē Iūturna valēret?)
ēreptum reddī Turnō et vim crēscere victīs?

Was it right that a god should be harmed by a mortal's wound, or that the sword snatched from him should be given back to Turnus (for what could Juturna do without you?) and strength grow for the beaten?

Note. Mortālin = mortālīne: -ne asks the question. mortālī … volnere: by a wound from a mortal (the arrow that hit Aeneas). dīvom: a god, i.e. Aeneas, who is destined to be one. vim crēscere victīs: 'that strength should grow for the defeated'.

Aen. 12.800Dēsine iam tandem precibusque īnflectere nostrīs,
ventum ad suprēmum est.

Stop now at last, and yield to my prayers; we have come to the end.

Note. īnflectere: passive imperative, 'be swayed'. ventum ad suprēmum est: impersonal, 'it has come to the end'.

Aen. 12.803Terrīs agitāre vel undīs
Trōiānōs potuistī, īnfandum adcendere bellum,
805dēfōrmāre domum et lūctū miscēre hymenaeōs:
ulterius temptāre vetō.

You have been able to drive the Trojans over land and sea, to kindle an unspeakable war, to disfigure a house and mingle grief with a wedding: I forbid you to try any further.'

Note. Jupiter lists Juno's attacks on the Trojans: storms (Book 1), the war (Book 7), the ruin of Latinus' household and the wedding of Lavinia turned to mourning (the queen Amata has just killed herself). hymenaeōs: 'wedding', from the Greek wedding-cry.

Aen. 12.806Sīc Iuppiter ōrsus;

So Jupiter began;

Note. orsus: supply est, 'began (to speak)', from ōrdior.

Aen. 12.807sīc dea submissō contrā Sāturnia voltū:
Ista quidem quia nōta mihi tua, magne, voluntās,
Iuppiter, et Turnum et terrās invīta relīquī;

so the goddess, daughter of Saturn, answered with lowered eyes: 'It is because your will was known to me, great Jupiter, that I left Turnus and the earth against my wishes;

Note. Sāturnia: Juno, daughter of Saturn. submissō … voltū: 'with lowered face', a sign of yielding. quia nōta mihi tua … voluntās: supply est.

Aen. 12.810nec tū mē āeriā sōlam nunc sēde vidērēs
digna indigna patī, sed flammīs cincta sub ipsā
stārem aciē traheremque inimīca in proelia Teucrōs.

otherwise you would not see me now alone on my airy seat, suffering all things fair and foul, but girt with flames I would stand in the very front line and drag the Trojans into hostile battle.

Note. A contrary-to-fact condition with the 'if' left out: 'otherwise you would not see me …'. digna indigna: 'things deserved and undeserved', i.e. everything.

Aen. 12.813Iūturnam miserō, fateor, succurrere frātrī
suāsī et prō vītā maiōra audēre probāvī,
815nōn ut tēla tamen, nōn ut contenderet arcum:
adiūrō Stygiī caput implācābile fontis,
ūna superstitiō superīs quae reddita dīvīs.

Juturna, I confess, I urged to help her unhappy brother, and I approved her daring greater things for his life, but not to aim weapons, not to bend the bow: I swear by the implacable source of the river Styx, the one oath held in awe by the gods above.

Note. Juno admits she urged Juturna to help, but denies she told her to shoot the arrow that wounded Aeneas. adiūrō … caput … fontis: she swears by the Styx, the oath the gods fear most (ūna superstitiō, 'the one object of awe').

Aen. 12.818Et nunc cēdō equidem pugnāsque exōsa relinquō.

And now I yield, indeed, and leave the battles I loathe.

Note. exōsa: 'hating', perfect participle of exōdī with active meaning.

Aen. 12.819Illud tē, nūllā fātī quod lēge tenētur,
820prō Latiō obtestor, prō maiestāte tuōrum:
cum iam cōnūbīs pācem fēlīcibus, estō,
compōnent, cum iam lēgēs et foedera iungent,
nē vetus indigenās nōmen mūtāre Latīnōs
neu Trōas fierī iubeās Teucrōsque vocārī
825aut vōcem mūtāre virōs aut vertere vestem.

This I beg of you, which no law of fate forbids, for Latium, for the majesty of your own people: when they make peace with happy marriages, so be it, when they now join in laws and treaties, do not order the native Latins to change their old name, or to become Trojans and be called Teucrians, or the men to change their language or alter their dress.

Note. Juno's one request: that the Latins keep their name, language and dress. esto: 'so be it'. nē … iubeās: a negative request. Troas: Greek accusative plural of Trōs, 'Trojans'.

Aen. 12.826Sit Latium, sint Albānī per saecula rēgēs,
sit Rōmāna potēns Ītalā virtūte prōpāgō:
occīdit, occīderitque sinās cum nōmine Troia.

Let Latium be, let there be Alban kings through the ages, let there be a Roman race strong with Italian courage: Troy has fallen, and let it lie fallen together with its name.'

Note. Sit … sint … sit: jussive subjunctives, 'let there be'. occidit, occideritque sinās: 'Troy has fallen; allow it to stay fallen'. This is the bargain on which Rome is founded: Trojan blood, Italian name.

Aen. 12.829Ollī subrīdēns hominum rērumque repertor
830Es germāna Iovis Sāturnīque altera prōlēs:
īrārum tantōs volvis sub pectore flūctūs.

Smiling at her, the maker of men and things said: 'You are Jupiter's sister and Saturn's other child: such great waves of anger you roll in your breast.

Note. Ollī = illī, dative, 'to her'. hominum rērumque repertor: Jupiter. germāna Iovis Sāturnīque altera prōlēs: Juno is Jupiter's sister as well as his wife.

Aen. 12.832Vērum age et inceptum frūstrā submitte furōrem
dō quod vīs, et mē victusque volēnsque remittō.

But come, put down the rage you began in vain: I grant what you wish, and I give way, beaten and willing.

Note. Verum age: 'but come'. victusque volēnsque: 'both beaten and willing'.

Aen. 12.834Sermōnem Ausoniī patrium mōrēsque tenēbunt,
835utque est nōmen erit;

The Ausonians will keep their fathers' speech and customs, and their name will be as it is;

Note. Ausoniī: the Italians. utque est nōmen erit: 'and their name will be as it is'.

Aen. 12.835commixtī corpore tantum
subsīdent Teucrī.

the Trojans will merge with them in body only and sink into them.

Note. commixtī corpore tantum: 'mingled in body only': the Trojans will merge into the Italian people. subsīdent: 'will settle down, sink in'.

Aen. 12.836Mōrem rītūsque sacrōrum
adiciam faciamque omnīs ūnō ōre Latīnōs.

I will add their customs and sacred rites, and I will make them all Latins with one language.

Note. ūnō ōre: 'of one tongue'. Latīnōs: predicative, 'I will make them all Latins'.

Aen. 12.838Hinc genus Ausoniō mīxtum quod sanguine surget,
suprā hominēs, suprā īre deōs pietāte vidēbis,
840nec gēns ūlla tuōs aequē celebrābit honōrēs.

The race that will rise from here, mingled with Ausonian blood, you will see go beyond men and beyond the gods in devotion, and no nation will honour you so well.'

Note. Ausoniō mīxtum … sanguine: the Roman people. suprā … suprā: 'beyond men, beyond the gods'. tuōs … honōrēs: Juno was greatly honoured at Rome.

Aen. 12.841Adnuit hīs Iūnō et mentem laetāta retorsit.

Juno nodded assent to this and, gladdened, changed her mind.

Note. Adnuit hīs: 'nodded assent to this'. mentem … retorsit: 'turned her mind back', changed her purpose.

Aen. 12.842Intereā excēdit caelō nūbemque relinquit.

Meanwhile she leaves the sky and abandons her cloud.

Note. She leaves the cloud from which she watched the battle: she will no longer interfere.