Aeneid 2.588–623

Aen. 2.589cum mihi sē, nōn ante oculīs tam clāra, videndam
590obtulit et pūrā per noctem in lūce refulsit
alma parēns, cōnfessa deam, quālisque vidērī
caelicolīs et quanta solet, dextrāque prehēnsum
continuit, roseōque haec īnsuper addidit ōre:
Nāte, quis indomitās tantus dolor excitat īrās?

when my loving mother offered herself to my sight, never before so clear to my eyes, and shone in pure light through the night, revealing herself a goddess, as fair and as tall as she is used to be seen by the dwellers in heaven; she caught me by the right hand and held me, and added these words from her rosy lips: "My son, what great grief stirs up this ungoverned anger?

Note. Lines 567-588 are missing here. In them Aeneas sees Helen hiding at Vesta's shrine and thinks of killing her. They survive only in Servius' commentary, not in the main manuscripts, and Greenough, like many editors, prints them as spurious. So the narrative jumps from Aeneas looking around (566) to Venus appearing (589), and this cum-clause depends on a sentence that is not printed. videndam: gerundive with obtulit, 'offered herself to be seen'. confessa deam: 'revealing herself a goddess', literally 'confessing (that she was) a goddess'. quālisque … et quanta: 'such and as great as', how she appears to the gods. dextrā … prehēnsum: supply mē.

Aen. 2.595Quid furis, aut quōnam nostrī tibi cūra recessit?

Why do you rage, or where has your care for us gone?

Note. quid: 'why?' quōnam … recessit: 'to where has your care for us gone?' nostrī: objective genitive with cūra, 'care for us'.

Aen. 2.596Nōn prius aspiciēs, ubi fessum aetāte parentem
līquerīs Anchīsēn;

Will you not first look where you have left your father Anchises, worn with age;

Note. nōn prius aspiciēs …?: a question expecting 'yes', 'Will you not first look …?' ubi … līquerīs: indirect question, perfect subjunctive of linquō. Anchīsēn: Greek accusative, long -ēn.

Aen. 2.597superet coniūnxne Creüsa,
Ascaniusque puer?

whether your wife Creusa still lives, and the boy Ascanius?

Note. superet: subjunctive in an indirect question, 'whether he survives'. coniūnxne: the enclitic -ne marks the question.

Aen. 2.598Quōs omnēs undique Grāiae
circum errant aciēs, et, nī mea cūra resistat,
600iam flammae tulerint inimīcus et hauserit ēnsis.

All around them the Greek battle lines are roaming on every side, and, if my care did not resist, the flames would already have carried them off and the enemy sword drained their blood.

Note. Quōs omnēs: connecting relative, 'all of whom'. circum errant: tmesis (a compound split by another word) of circumerrant. nī … resistat, tulerint … hauserit: a mixed condition. Present subjunctive in the 'if' clause and perfect subjunctives in the main clause make it vivid: 'if my care were not resisting, the flames would by now have carried them off'.

Aen. 2.601Nōn tibi Tyndaridis faciēs invīsa Lacaenae
culpātusve Paris: dīvom inclēmentia, dīvom,
hās ēvertit opēs sternitque ā culmine Troiam.

It is not the hated face of the Spartan woman, Tyndareus' daughter, nor Paris, whom you blame: it is the cruelty of the gods, of the gods, that is overturning this wealth and laying Troy low from her height.

Note. Venus answers Aeneas' (omitted) anger against Helen. Tyndaridis Lacaenae: 'of the Spartan daughter of Tyndareus', i.e. Helen. culpātusve Paris: 'nor Paris, whom you blame'. Supply est with both subjects: it is not they who destroy Troy. dīvom inclēmentia, dīvom: the repeated genitive (dīvom = dīvōrum) is emphatic.

Aen. 2.604Aspice— namque omnem, quae nunc obducta tuentī
605mortālīs hebetat vīsūs tibi et ūmida circum
cālīgat, nūbem ēripiam;

Look, for I will tear away all the cloud that now, drawn over your sight, dulls your mortal vision and darkens it with mist all around;

Note. Aspice: the sentence breaks off with a dash. Venus first explains the cloud she will remove, and then the imperative continues at hīc ubi … (next sentence). quae … hebetat: the mortal cloud that dims sight. tuentī: dative of the present participle of tueor, 'for you as you look'. mortālīs vīsūs: accusative plural, -īs ending. cālīgat: 'darkens', a verb distinct from the noun cālīgō.

Aen. 2.606tū nē qua parentis
iussa timē, neu praeceptīs pārēre recūsā:—
hīc, ubi disiectās mōlēs āvolsaque saxīs
saxa vidēs mīxtōque undantem pulvere fūmum.

do not fear any orders of your mother, nor refuse to obey her commands. Here, where you see the masses scattered and rocks torn from rocks, and smoke billowing with mingled dust,

Note. nē … timē, neu … recūsā: a negative command with nē + imperative is poetic and archaic; prose would use nōlī + infinitive or nē + perfect subjunctive. qua: indefinite after nē, 'any (orders)'. āvolsa saxīs saxa: rocks torn from rocks, a striking repetition. mīxtō … pulvere: ablative, 'with mingled dust'.

Aen. 2.610Neptūnus mūrōs magnōque ēmōta tridentī
fundāmenta quatit, tōtamque ā sēdibus urbem
ēruit;

Neptune is shaking the walls and the foundations loosened by his great trident, and tearing the whole city up from its seat;

Note. Neptune, who built Troy's walls for Laomedon and was cheated of his pay, is now tearing them down. ēmōta: perfect participle of ēmoveō, 'loosened'. tridentī: ablative, 'with his trident'.

Aen. 2.612hīc Iūnō Scaeās saevissima portās
prīma tenet, sociumque furēns ā nāvibus agmen
ferrō accīncta vocat.

here Juno, most savage, is first to hold the Scaean gates, and, girded with steel, she furiously calls the allied host from the ships.

Note. Juno stands at the Scaean gate, the main gate of Troy, and calls the Greeks from the ships. saevissima: superlative of saevus. socium … agmen: 'the allied column'. furēns: present participle of furō. ferrō accīncta: 'girded with steel', a goddess dressed for war.

Aen. 2.615Iam summās arcēs Trītōnia, respice, Pallas
īnsēdit, nimbō effulgēns et Gorgone saevā.

Now, look back, Tritonian Pallas has taken her seat on the high citadel, blazing with a storm cloud and the savage Gorgon.

Note. Trītōnia … Pallas: Athena, from her epithet Trītōnia (linked with Lake Triton). respice: parenthetical imperative, 'look back!' nimbō effulgēns: 'shining with a storm cloud'. Gorgone: the Gorgon's head on her aegis.

Aen. 2.617Ipse pater Danaīs animōs vīrēsque secundās
sufficit, ipse deōs in Dardana suscitat arma.

The Father himself supplies the Greeks with courage and with strength for success, he himself rouses the gods against the Trojan arms.

Note. Ipse pater: Jupiter himself. Danaīs: dative, 'supplies the Greeks with'. Dardana … arma: 'the Trojan arms', from Dardanus, the founder of the Trojan line.

Aen. 2.619Ēripe, nāte, fugam, fīnemque impōne labōrī.

Snatch your flight, my son, and put an end to your struggle.

Note. Ēripe … fugam: literally 'snatch flight', i.e. take to flight quickly. labōrī: dative with impōne, 'put an end to the struggle'.

Aen. 2.620Nusquam aberō, et tūtum patriō tē līmine sistam.

I shall never be away from you, and I will set you safe on your father's threshold."

Note. Nūsquam aberō: 'I shall never be absent', a promise of divine protection. tūtum … sistam: 'I will set you safe'. patriō … līmine: ablative of place, at your father's door.

Aen. 2.621Dīxerat, et spissīs noctis sē condidit umbrīs.

She had spoken, and hid herself in the thick shadows of the night.

Note. Dīxerat: the pluperfect marks the speech as finished before the next action. spissīs … umbrīs: ablative of place.

Aen. 2.622Adpārent dīrae faciēs inimīcaque Troiae
nūmina magna deum.

Dread shapes appear, and the great powers of the gods, hostile to Troy.

Note. Now that the cloud is removed, Aeneas sees the gods destroying Troy. Adpārent: old spelling of appārent. nūmina magna deum: 'the great powers of the gods'. deum = deōrum.