Aeneid 2.634–649

Aen. 2.634Atque ubi iam patriae perventum ad līmina sēdis
635antīquāsque domōs, genitor, quem tollere in altōs
optābam prīmum montīs prīmumque petēbam,
abnegat excīsā vītam prōdūcere Trōiā
exsiliumque patī.

And when at last I had reached the threshold of my father's house and our ancient home, my father, whom I wanted first to carry up into the high mountains and whom I sought first, refuses to prolong his life now that Troy is cut down, and to endure exile.

Note. perventum (est): impersonal passive, 'when (we) had reached'. quem … optābam … petēbam: Aeneas' first thought was to carry his father to safety in the mountains. excīsā … Trōiā: ablative absolute, 'now that Troy was cut down'. abnegat … prōdūcere: 'refuses to prolong'.

Aen. 2.638Vōs Ō, quibus integer aevī
sanguis, ait solidaeque suō stant rōbore vīrēs,
640vōs agitāte fugam:
mē sī caelicolae voluissent dūcere vītam,
hās mihi servāssent sēdēs.

"You," he says, "whose blood is untouched by age and whose strength stands firm in its own vigour, you must make your flight: if the dwellers in heaven had wished me to go on living, they would have preserved this home for me.

Note. Anchises speaks. Vōs: emphatic, 'you, (the young)'. quibus … sanguis: dative of possession with integer aevī, 'whose blood is untouched by age'. aevī: genitive of respect. sī … voluissent, … servāssent: past contrary-to-fact condition (pluperfect subjunctives). servāssent is syncopated for servāvissent.

Aen. 2.642Satis ūna superque
vīdimus exscidia et captae superāvimus urbī.

It is enough and more that we have seen one destruction and outlived one captured city.

Note. Satis ūna superque: 'one (destruction) is enough and more'. Anchises remembers Hercules' sack of Troy in Laomedon's time. captae … urbī: dative with superāvimus, 'outlived a captured city'.

Aen. 2.644Sīc Ō, sīc positum adfātī discēdite corpus.

So, so lay out my body, say farewell and depart.

Note. Sīc ō, sīc: the repetition is solemn. positum … corpus: 'my body laid out (for burial)', as if he were already dead. adfātī: deponent perfect participle of adfor, 'having addressed (me)', with the farewell formula for the dead.

Aen. 2.645Ipse manū mortem inveniam;

I myself will find death by my own hand;

Note. manū: 'by my own hand' or 'by force', i.e. fighting. Anchises means he will die by an enemy's hand while resisting.

Aen. 2.645miserēbitur hostis
exuviāsque petet;

the enemy will pity me and seek my spoils;

Note. miserēbitur hostis: ironic; the enemy will 'pity' him only by killing him. exuviās: spoils stripped from a dead man.

Aen. 2.646facilis iactūra sepulcrī.

the loss of a tomb is easy to bear.

Note. facilis iactūra sepulcrī: supply est. Going unburied was a serious matter for Romans; Anchises' indifference shows his despair.

Aen. 2.647Iam prīdem invīsus dīvīs et inūtilis annōs
dēmoror, ex quō mē dīvom pater atque hominum rēx
fulminis adflāvit ventīs et contigit ignī.

For long now, hated by the gods and useless, I have been delaying the years, ever since the father of the gods and king of men breathed on me with the winds of his thunderbolt and touched me with its fire."

Note. invīsus dīvīs: 'hated by the gods'. Anchises was struck by Jupiter's lightning for boasting of his love affair with Venus. annōs dēmoror: 'I delay the years', i.e. drag out my life. ex quō: 'from the time when'. dīvom pater atque hominum rēx: Jupiter, a formula from Ennius and Homer.