Aeneid 2.752–794

Aen. 2.752Prīncipiō mūrōs obscūraque līmina portae,
quā gressum extuleram, repetō, et vestīgia retrō
observāta sequor per noctem et lūmine lūstrō.

First I go back to the walls and the dark threshold of the gate by which I had gone out, and I follow my footsteps back, watching them through the night, and survey them with my eyes.

Note. Prīncipiō: 'first'. quā gressum extuleram: 'by which I had gone out'. vestīgia retrō observāta sequor: 'I follow my steps back, watching them carefully'. lūmine lūstrō: 'survey with my eyes'.

Aen. 2.755Horror ubīque animō, simul ipsa silentia terrent.

Horror everywhere in my mind, and the very silence terrifies me as well.

Note. Supply est: 'horror (is) everywhere in my mind'. ipsa silentia: 'the very silence'; the poetic plural.

Aen. 2.756Inde domum, sī forte pedem, sī forte tulisset,
mē referō: inruerant Danaī, et tēctum omne tenēbant.

From there I take myself home, in case by chance, by chance, she had gone that way: the Greeks had burst in and were occupying the whole house.

Note. sī forte pedem, sī forte tulisset: 'in case by chance she had gone (that way)'. The repeated sī forte shows his anxious hope. me referō: 'I take myself back'.

Aen. 2.758Īlicet ignis edāx summa ad fastīgia ventō
volvitur;

At once the devouring fire is rolled by the wind up to the top of the roof;

Note. Īlicet: 'at once'. ignis edāx: 'devouring fire'. ventō: 'by the wind'.

Aen. 2.759exsuperant flammae, furit aestus ad aurās.

the flames overtop it, the heat rages to the sky.

Note. exsuperant flammae: 'the flames rise above (the roof)'.

Aen. 2.760Prōcēdō et Priamī sēdēs arcemque revīsō.

I go on and revisit Priam's palace and the citadel.

Note. Priamī sēdēs: Priam's palace.

Aen. 2.761Et iam porticibus vacuīs Iūnōnis asȳlō
custōdēs lēctī Phoenix et dīrus Ulixēs
praedam adservābant.

And now in the empty colonnades of Juno's sanctuary Phoenix and dread Ulysses, chosen as guards, were watching over the plunder.

Note. Iūnōnis asȳlō: the sanctuary of Juno, used as a place to collect spoils. Phoenix: Achilles' old tutor. dīrus Ulixēs: Ulysses is 'dread' from a Trojan point of view.

Aen. 2.763Hūc undique Troia gaza
incēnsīs ērepta adytīs, mēnsaeque deōrum,
765crātērēsque aurō solidī, captīvaque vestis
congeritur;

Here from every side the treasure of Troy, torn from the burning shrines, the tables of the gods, mixing bowls of solid gold and captured clothing are heaped together;

Note. Troia gaza: 'Trojan treasure'; gaza is a Persian loanword. adytīs: 'from the innermost shrines'. crātērēs aurō solidī: 'mixing bowls of solid gold'; aurō is an ablative of material. captīva vestis: 'captured clothing'.

Aen. 2.766puerī et pavidae longō ōrdine mātrēs
stant circum.

boys and frightened mothers stand round in a long line.

Note. pavidae … mātrēs: the women who will be enslaved, as Creusa says she will not be (sentence 103).

Aen. 2.768Ausus quīn etiam vōcēs iactāre per umbram
implēvī clāmōre viās, maestusque Creüsam
770nēquīquam ingemināns iterumque iterumque vocāvī.

I even dared to throw my voice through the darkness and filled the streets with my shouting, and in my grief, calling Creusa over and over in vain, I called again and again.

Note. Ausus: perfect participle of the semi-deponent audeō, 'having dared'. quīn etiam: 'indeed even'. ingemināns: 'redoubling (the name)'.

Aen. 2.771Quaerentī et tēctīs urbis sine fīne furentī
īnfēlīx simulācrum atque ipsīus umbra Creüsae
vīsa mihi ante oculōs et nōta maior imāgō.

As I searched and raged endlessly through the houses of the city, an unhappy phantom, the ghost of Creusa herself, appeared before my eyes, an image larger than the one I knew.

Note. Quaerentī … furentī: datives with vīsa (est) mihi, 'to me as I searched and raged'. simulācrum … umbra … imāgō: three nouns for the ghost. nōtā maior: 'larger than the one I knew'; nōtā is an ablative of comparison. Ghosts were thought to be larger than life.

Aen. 2.774Obstipuī, steteruntque comae et vōx faucibus haesit.

I was stunned, my hair stood on end, and my voice stuck in my throat.

Note. Obstipuī: perfect of obstipēscō. steterunt: here with short e, scanned stĕtĕrunt (a shortened form used by poets). vōx faucibus haesit: 'my voice stuck in my throat', a famous formula.

Aen. 2.776Quid tantum īnsānō iuvat indulgēre dolōrī,
Ō dulcis coniūnx?

"What good is it to give way so much to mad grief, sweet husband?

Note. Quid … iuvat: 'what good is it'. indulgēre dolōrī: 'to give way to grief'. Ō dulcis coniūnx: vocative.

Aen. 2.777Nōn haec sine nūmine dīvom
ēveniunt;

These things do not happen without the will of the gods;

Note. sine nūmine dīvom: 'without the will of the gods'. dīvom = dīvōrum.

Aen. 2.778nec tē hinc comitem asportāre Creüsam
fās, aut ille sinit superī regnātor Olympī.

and it is not right for you to carry Creusa away from here as your companion, nor does that ruler of high Olympus allow it.

Note. fās (est): 'it is right'. ille … superī regnātor Olympī: Jupiter. comitem asportāre Creüsam: 'to carry Creusa away as your companion'.

Aen. 2.780Longa tibi exsilia, et vāstum maris aequor arandum,
et terram Hesperiam veniēs, ubi Lȳdius arva
inter opīma virum lēnī fluit agmine Thybris:
illīc rēs laetae regnumque et rēgia coniūnx
parta tibi.

Long exile is yours, and the vast surface of the sea to be ploughed, and you will come to the land of Hesperia, where the Lydian Tiber flows with gentle current through the rich fields of men: there prosperity and a kingdom and a royal wife have been won for you.

Note. Longa … exsilia: supply sunt tibi, 'long exile is yours'. vāstum maris aequor arandum (est tibi): 'the vast plain of the sea must be ploughed by you'; arandum is a gerundive of obligation, ploughing the sea a metaphor for sailing. Hesperiam: 'the western land', Italy. Lȳdius … Thybris: the Tiber, 'Lydian' because the Etruscans, through whose land it flows, were said to come from Lydia. virum: genitive plural (= virōrum). rēgia coniūnx: Lavinia, whom Aeneas will marry in Latium.

Aen. 2.784Lacrimās dīlēctae pelle Creüsae.

Drive away your tears for your beloved Creusa.

Note. dīlēctae … Creüsae: objective genitive, 'tears for beloved Creusa'.

Aen. 2.785Nōn ego Myrmidonum sēdēs Dolopumve superbās
aspiciam, aut Grāiīs servītum mātribus ībō,
Dardanis, et dīvae Veneris nurus.

I shall not see the proud homes of the Myrmidons or the Dolopians, nor go to be a slave to Greek mothers, I, a Trojan woman and daughter-in-law of the goddess Venus.

Note. Creusa will not be enslaved like the other Trojan women. Myrmidonum … Dolopumve: peoples of Thessaly ruled by Achilles' family. servītum: supine of purpose after ībō, 'go to serve'. Dardanis: nominative in apposition to ego, 'I, a Trojan woman'. dīvae Veneris nurus: 'daughter-in-law of the goddess Venus'.

Aen. 2.788Sed mē magna deum genetrīx hīs dētinet ōrīs:
iamque valē, et nātī servā commūnis amōrem.

But the great mother of the gods keeps me on these shores: and now farewell, and keep your love for our common son."

Note. magna deum genetrīx: Cybele, the great mother of the gods, worshipped on Mount Ida. In some versions Creusa becomes her attendant. hīs … ōrīs: 'on these shores', ablative of place. commūnis … nātī: 'our common son'.

Aen. 2.790Haec ubi dicta dedit, lacrimantem et multa volentem
dīcere dēseruit, tenuisque recessit in aurās.

When she had spoken these words, she left me weeping and wanting to say much, and withdrew into the thin air.

Note. dicta dedit: 'gave words', i.e. spoke. multa volentem dīcere: 'wanting to say much'. tenuis … in aurās: 'into the thin air'.

Aen. 2.792Ter cōnātus ibi collō dare bracchia circum:
ter frūstrā comprēnsa manūs effūgit imāgō,
pār levibus ventīs volucrīque simillima somnō.

Three times there I tried to put my arms around her neck; three times the image, grasped in vain, fled from my hands, like the light winds and most like a winged dream.

Note. Three times Aeneas tries to embrace the ghost. These lines repeat Homer's description of Odysseus and his mother in the underworld, and Vergil uses them again in Book 6 for Anchises' ghost. cōnātus (sum) … circum dare: tmesis of circumdare. effūgit: perfect. volucrī … somnō: 'like a winged dream'; dative with pār and simillima.