Aeneid 2.145–194

Aen. 2.145Hīs lacrimīs vītam damus, et miserēscimus ultrō.

At these tears we grant him his life, and pity him besides.

Note. Hīs lacrimīs: 'for these tears', i.e. moved by them. ultrō: 'besides, unasked'.

Aen. 2.146Ipse virō prīmus manicās atque arta levārī
vincla iubet Priamus, dictīsque ita fātur amīcīs:
Quisquis es, āmissōs hinc iam oblīvīscere Grāiōs;

Priam himself is the first to order the manacles and tight bonds to be removed from the man, and speaks to him with friendly words: 'Whoever you are, from now on forget the Greeks you have lost;

Note. manicās … vincla: object of levārī, 'that the handcuffs and bonds be removed'. Quisquis es: Priam's generous welcome makes Sinon's betrayal the more shocking. oblīvīscere: imperative of the deponent oblīvīscor.

Aen. 2.149noster eris, mihique haec ēdissere vēra rogantī:
150Quō mōlem hanc immānis equī statuēre?

you will be ours; and tell me truly what I ask: why did they set up this huge mass of a horse?

Note. noster eris: 'you will be ours'. ēdissere: imperative, 'set out'. Quō: 'to what end?' statuēre: -ēre perfect.

Aen. 2.150Quis auctor?

Who devised it?

Note. Quis auctor?: supply est, 'who is its author?'

Aen. 2.151Quidve petunt?

Or what are they after?

Note. Quidve petunt?: 'or what are they seeking?'

Aen. 2.151Quae religiō, aut quae māchina bellī?

What religious offering is it, or what engine of war?'

Note. religiō: 'a religious object'. māchina bellī: 'an engine of war' — the question shows Priam half suspects the truth.

Aen. 2.152Dīxerat.

He had spoken.

Note. Dīxerat: Vergil's usual formula to close a speech.

Aen. 2.152Ille, dolīs īnstrūctus et arte Pelasgā,
sustulit exūtās vinclīs ad sīdera palmās:
Vōs, aeternī ignēs, et nōn violābile vestrum
155testor nūmen ait vōs ārae ēnsēsque nefandī,
quōs fūgī, vittaeque deum, quās hostia gessī:
fās mihi Grāiōrum sacrāta resolvere iūra,
fās ōdisse virōs, atque omnia ferre sub aurās,
sī qua tegunt;

The other, schooled in tricks and Greek cunning, raised his palms, freed from their bonds, to the stars: 'You, eternal fires, and your power that may not be violated, I call to witness,' he says, 'you altars and wicked swords which I escaped, and you ribbons of the gods which I wore as a victim: I am free to break the sacred oaths of the Greeks, free to hate the men, and to bring everything into the open air, if they hide anything;

Note. dolīs īnstrūctus: 'trained in tricks'. Sinon swears by fire, altar and ribbons — the very trappings of the sacrifice he claims to have escaped. vōs … testor: 'I call you to witness'. fās (est) mihi: 'it is right for me', repeated in anaphora. sī qua tegunt: 'if they hide anything', qua neuter plural of the indefinite.

Aen. 2.159teneor patriae nec lēgibus ūllīs.

I am bound by no laws of my country.

Note. teneor … nec lēgibus ūllīs: 'and I am not bound by any laws'; patriae is genitive with lēgibus.

Aen. 2.160Tū modo prōmissīs maneās, servātaque servēs
Troia fidem, sī vēra feram, sī magna rependam.

Only keep your promises, Troy, and, once saved, keep faith with me, if I tell the truth, if I repay you richly.

Note. maneās … servēs: jussive subjunctives, 'abide by … keep faith'. servāta … Troia: vocative, 'O Troy, once saved'. sī vēra feram: 'if I tell the truth'.

Aen. 2.162Omnis spēs Danaum et coeptī fīdūcia bellī
Palladis auxiliīs semper stetit.

All the hope of the Greeks and their confidence in the war they had begun always rested on the help of Pallas.

Note. coeptī … bellī: 'of the war begun'. stetit: 'rested on', with the ablative auxiliīs.

Aen. 2.163Impius ex quō
Tȳdīdēs sed enim scelerumque inventor Ulixēs,
165fātāle adgressī sacrātō āvellere templō
Palladium, caesīs summae custōdibus arcis,
corripuēre sacram effigiem, manibusque cruentīs
virgineās ausī dīvae contingere vittās;

But from the time when the godless son of Tydeus and Ulysses, the contriver of crimes, set about tearing the fateful Palladium from its holy temple, killed the guards of the high citadel, and seized the sacred image, and dared to touch the goddess's virgin ribbons with bloody hands;

Note. ex quō: 'from the time when'. sed enim: an old phrase, 'but indeed'. Tȳdīdēs: the son of Tydeus, Diomedes. The Palladium was an ancient image of Pallas; Troy could not fall while it stayed in the city. ausī: perfect participle of the semi-deponent audeō, 'having dared'.

Aen. 2.169ex illō fluere ac retrō sublāpsa referrī
170spēs Danaum, frāctae vīrēs, āversa deae mēns.

from that moment the hopes of the Greeks began to ebb and slip backwards, their strength was broken, and the goddess's mind turned against them.

Note. Historical infinitives again: fluere, referrī, 'began to ebb and slip back'. retrō sublāpsa: 'sliding back', an image of a receding tide. Supply sunt with frāctae and est with āversa.

Aen. 2.171Nec dubiīs ea signa dedit Trītōnia mōnstrīs.

And Tritonia gave signs of this in portents that left no doubt.

Note. Trītōnia: a title of Pallas, perhaps from Lake Triton in Libya. dubiīs … mōnstrīs: 'by doubtful portents'; with nec the sense is 'in portents that left no doubt'.

Aen. 2.172Vix positum castrīs simulācrum, ārsēre coruscae
lūminibus flammae arrēctīs, salsusque per artūs
sūdor iit, terque ipsa solō— mīrābile dictū—
175ēmicuit, parmamque ferēns hastamque trementem.

Scarcely was the image set up in the camp when glittering flames blazed from its upturned eyes, a salt sweat ran over its limbs, and three times — wonderful to tell — the goddess herself leapt from the ground, with her shield and her quivering spear.

Note. positum (est): 'had been placed'. arsēre: -ēre perfect. lūminibus … arrēctīs: 'from its staring eyes'. mīrābile dictū: supine with an adjective, 'wonderful to tell'. Note the rhythm of ter … ēmicuit, the goddess leaping three times.

Aen. 2.176Extemplō temptanda fugā canit aequora Calchās,
nec posse Argolicīs exscindī Pergama tēlīs,
ōmina nī repetant Argīs, nūmenque redūcant,
quod pelagō et curvīs sēcum āvexēre carīnīs.

At once Calchas proclaims that the seas must be attempted in flight, and that Pergamum cannot be destroyed by Greek weapons unless they seek new omens at Argos and bring back the divine power which they have carried away with them over the sea in their curved ships.

Note. temptanda (esse) fugā … aequora: 'that the seas must be tried in flight'; temptanda is a gerundive. canit: 'prophesies'. ōmina … repetant: 'seek the omens afresh', i.e. go home to take new auspices. nūmen … quod … āvexēre: 'the divine favour which they have carried away'.

Aen. 2.180Et nunc, quod patriās ventō petiēre Mycēnās,
arma deōsque parant comitēs, pelagōque remēnsō
imprōvīsī aderunt: ita dīgerit ōmina Calchās.

And now that they have made for their native Mycenae with the wind, they are preparing arms and gods to go with them, and having crossed the sea again they will be here unexpectedly: so Calchas interprets the omens.

Note. parant comitēs: 'they are preparing (arms and gods to be) their companions'. pelagō … remēnsō: ablative absolute, 'having measured the sea again', i.e. crossed back. imprōvīsī: 'unforeseen'.

Aen. 2.183Hanc prō Palladiō monitī, prō nūmine laesō
effigiem statuēre, nefās quae trīste piāret.

Warned by him, they set up this image in place of the Palladium, in place of the offended divinity, to atone for the grim sacrilege.

Note. Hanc … effigiem: the horse, set up 'in place of the Palladium'. quae … piāret: relative clause of purpose, 'to atone for the sacrilege'.

Aen. 2.185Hanc tamen immēnsam Calchās attollere mōlem
rōboribus textīs caelōque ēdūcere iussit,
nē recipī portīs, aut dūcī in moenia possit,
neu populum antīquā sub religiōne tuērī.

Yet Calchas ordered them to raise this vast mass of woven timber and build it up to the sky, so that it could not be taken in at the gates or brought within the walls, nor protect the people under their ancient worship.

Note. rōboribus textīs: 'with woven timbers'. caelō … ēdūcere: 'to raise it to the sky', caelō a dative of direction. nē … possit: purpose clause. neu … tuērī: 'nor (could it) protect', i.e. become Troy's new Palladium.

Aen. 2.189Nam sī vestra manus violāsset dōna Minervae,
190tum magnum exitium (quod dī prius ōmen in ipsum
convertant!) Priamī imperiō Phrygibusque futūrum;

For if your hands violated the gift to Minerva, then great destruction (may the gods rather turn that omen on the man himself!) would come upon Priam's empire and the Phrygians;

Note. A future-type condition in reported speech: sī … violāsset (pluperfect subjunctive for a future perfect) … futūrum (esse). quod dī prius ōmen in ipsum convertant!: a parenthetic wish, 'may the gods sooner turn that omen on (Calchas) himself!' Phrygibus: dative, 'for the Phrygians'.

Aen. 2.192sīn manibus vestrīs vestram ascendisset in urbem,
ultrō Asiam magnō Pelopēa ad moenia bellō
ventūram, et nostrōs ea fāta manēre nepōtēs.

but if by your hands it climbed into your city, then Asia would come of its own accord in a great war to the walls of Pelops, and that fate awaited our descendants.'

Note. sīn: 'but if'. Asiam … ventūram (esse): 'that Asia would come (to make war)'. Pelopēa … moenia: 'the walls of Pelops', i.e. Greece itself. ea fāta manēre nostrōs nepōtēs: 'that this fate awaited our descendants'.