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Vergil · Aeneid III

Aeneid 3.441–462

Advice to visit the Cumaean Sibyl

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Aen. 3.441Hūc ubi dēlātus Cūmaeam accesseris urbem,
dīvīnōsque lacūs, et Averna sonantia silvīs,
īnsānam vātem aspiciēs, quae rūpe sub īmā
fāta canit, foliīsque notās et nōmina mandat.
When you have been carried there and reach the city of Cumae, and the sacred lakes, and Avernus loud with forests, you will see the frenzied prophetess, who beneath a deep rock sings the fates and entrusts signs and names to leaves.
Aen. 3.445Quaecumque in foliīs dēscrīpsit carmina virgō,
dīgerit in numerum, atque antrō sēclūsa relinquit.
Whatever verses the maiden has written on the leaves, she arranges in order and leaves shut away in the cave.
Aen. 3.447Illa manent immōta locīs, neque ab ōrdine cēdunt;They stay unmoved in their places and do not leave their order; Aen. 3.448vērum eadem, versō tenuis cum cardine ventus
impulit et tenerās turbāvit iānua frondēs,
450numquam deinde cavō volitantia prēndere saxō,
nec revocāre situs aut iungere carmina cūrat:
incōnsultī abeunt, sēdemque ōdēre Sibyllae.
but when the hinge turns and a light breeze has stirred them, and the door has scattered the delicate leaves, she never afterwards cares to catch them as they flutter in the hollow rock, nor to restore their positions or join the verses: men go away without counsel and hate the seat of the Sibyl.

Aen. 3.453Hīc tibi nē qua morae fuerint dispendia tantī,—
quamvīs increpitent sociī, et vī cursus in altum
455vēla vocet, possīsque sinūs implēre secundōs,—
quīn adeās vātem precibusque ōrācula poscās
ipsa canat, vōcemque volēns atque ōra resolvat.
Here let no cost of delay seem so great to you — though your comrades chide, and your voyage calls your sails powerfully to the deep, and you could fill their folds with favouring winds — that you do not approach the prophetess and with prayers ask that she herself chant the oracles, and willingly unloose her voice and lips.
Aen. 3.458Illa tibi Ītaliae populōs ventūraque bella,
et quō quemque modō fugiāsque ferāsque labōrem
460expediet, cursūsque dabit venerāta secundōs.
She will unfold to you the peoples of Italy and the wars to come, and how you may flee or bear each hardship, and, if revered, will grant you a favourable course.
Aen. 3.461Haec sunt, quae nostrā liceat tē vōce monērī.These are the things of which my voice may warn you. Aen. 3.462Vāde age, et ingentem factīs fer ad aethera Troiam.Go then, and by your deeds raise great Troy to the heavens.'

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Latin vocabulary for this passage (124 words)
hūc, adv.to this place, hither
ubi, adv.where; conj., when
dēferō, -ferre, -tulī, -lātusbear or carry away or off
Cūmaeus, -a, -umof Cumae
accēdō, -ere, accessī, accessumcome near, approach; be added
urbs, urbis, f.city
dīvīnus, -a, -umdivine, of the gods
que, enclitic conj.and
lacus, -ūs, m.lake
et, conj.and; et ... et, both ... and
Avernus, -a, -umof Avernus, the lake near Cumae thought to lead to the underworld; of the underworld
sonō, -āre, sonuī, sonitusmake a sound, sound
silva, -ae, f.wood, forest
īnsānus, -a, -ummad, frantic
vātēs, -is m. and f.prophet, seer, soothsayer
aspiciō, -spicere, -spēxī, -spectuslook at or on, behold
quī, quae, quod, rel. pron.who, which
rūpēs, -is, f.rock, cliff; reef
sub, prep. with acc. and abl.under; sub vesperum, towards evening
īmus, -a, -umlowest (ab īmō: from the bottom)
fātum, -ī, n.destiny, fate
canō, -ere, cecinī, cantussing; of a trumpet: sound (receptuī canere: sound the retreat)
folium, -ī n.leaf
nota, -ae f.mark, sign; brand, stigma
nōmen, -minis, n.name (that by which one is known)
mandō, -dāre, -dāvī, -dātusput in hand, intrust, commit; charge, command
quīcumque, quaecumque, quodcumquewhoever, whatever
in, prep. with acc. and abl.with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on
dēscrībō, -scrībere, -scrīpsī, -scrīptuswrite out; mark out, arrange, plan
carmen, -minis, n.song, charm
virgō, virginis, f.maiden
dīgerō, -ere, -gessī, -gestusdistribute, arrange; interpret
numerus, -ī, m.number
atque, ac (conj.)and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants)
antrum, -ī, n.cave
sēclūdō, -ere, -clūsī, -clūsumshut away, put aside
relinquō, -linquere, -līquī, -lictusleave behind, leave
ille, illa, illud, dem. pron.that; he, she, it, they; ille ... hīc, see hīc
maneō, manēre, mānsī, mānsusremain
immōtus, -a, -umunmoved, unchanging
locus, -ī, m., plur. loca, -orum, n.place, situation
neque or nec, conj.and not, nor; neque ... neque, neither ... nor; neque enim, for ... not
ā, ab (prep. + abl.)away from, from; by (ā only before consonants)
ōrdō, ōrdinis, m.arrangement, order, rank; ex ōrdine, in order
cēdō, -ere, cessī, cessumgo, withdraw, give way
vērum (conj.)but, but in fact; nōn modo ... vērum etiam: not only ... but also
īdem, eadem, idem, dem. pron.the same; sometimes to be translated likewise, also
vertō, vertere, vertī, versusturn
tenuis, -ethin
cum, prep, with abl.with
cardō, -inis m.hinge (the pivot on which an ancient door turned)
ventus, -ī, m.wind
impellō, -pellere, -pulī, -pulsusdrive or urge on, incite, urge
tener, -era, -erumyoung, tender
turbō, -āre, -āvī, -ātusconfuse, throw into disorder, disturb, trouble
iānua, -ae, f.door
frōns, frondis f.leafy branch, foliage
numquam, adv.never
deinde, adv.then, next
cavus, -a, -umhollow
volitō, -āre, -āvīfly about; flit, swagger about
prēndō, -ere, prēndī, prēnsumgrasp, take hold of
saxum, -ī, n.rock, stone
revocō, -āre, -āvī, -ātumcall back, recall
situs, -a, -umplaced, situated
aut, conj.or; aut ... aut, either ... or
iungō, iungere, iūnxī, iūnctusjoin; yoke, harness
cūrō, -āre, -āvī, -ātumtake care of; (+ gerundive) have something done
incōnsultus, -a, -umunadvised, without counsel; rash
abeō, -īre, -iī, -itūrusgo away, depart
sēdēs, -is, f.seat, abode
ōdī, ōdisse, used only in tenses of completed action with the force of tenses of incomplete actionhate
hīc, adv.here; hereupon
tū, tuī, pers. pron.thou, you
nē, adv.not; nē ... quidem, not ... even; conj., that not, lest
quis, qua, quid, indef. pron.any one, anybody, anything, some one, somebody, something
mora, -ae, f.delay
sum, esse, fuī, futūrusbe
dispendium, -ī n.expense, cost; loss
tantus, -a, -umso great or much
quamvīs (adv.)however much, as … as you like
increpitō, -āre, -āvī, -ātumtaunt, reproach
socius, -ī, m.companion, comrade, ally
vīs, vīs, f.violence, force; virtue, potency, efficacy; plur. vīrēs, -ium, strength; omnibus vīribus, with all one's strength, with might and main
cursus, -ūs, m.running, speed; course, route, voyage; race
altum, -ī n.the deep, the open sea; a height
vēlum, -ī n.sail
vocō, -āre, -āvī, -ātuscall, summon
possum, posse, potuībe able, have power, can
sinus, -ūs, m.bosom, lap
impleō, -ēre, -plēvī, -plētumfill; fulfil, complete
secundus, -a, -umfollowing, favorable
quīn, conj.so that ... not, but that, but
adeō, -īre, -iī, -itusgo to, approach
prex, precis f. (usu. pl.)prayer, entreaty
ōrāculum, -ī, n.oracle
poscō, poscere, poposcīask, demand
ipse, ipsa, ipsum, intensive pron.self, himself, herself, itself, themselves; often to be rendered by very
vōx, vōcis, f.voice; word
volō, velle, voluīwish
ōs, ōris, n.mouth
resolvō, -ere, -solvī, -solūtusuntie, loosen; release; break (bonds, oaths)
populus, -ī m.people, nation
veniō, venīre, vēnī, ventuscome
bellum, -ī, n.war
quī, quae, quod, interrog. pron. adj.what?
quisque, quaeque, quidque, indef. pron.each
modus, -ī, m.way, manner
fugiō, fugere, fūgī, fugitūrusflee, run away
ferō, ferre, tulī, lātusbear, bring
labor, -ōris, m.labor, toil
expediō, -īre, -īvī, -ītusfree, set clear; get ready; arrange, settle
dō, dare, dedī, datusgive
veneror, -ārī, -ātus sumworship, revere
hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron.this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter
noster, -tra, -trumour
licet, -ēre, -uit or -itum est, impers.is lawful or permitted
moneō, -ēre, -uī, -ituswarn
vādō, -erego
agō, agere, ēgī, āctusdrive; do; pass, lead; grātiās agere, see grātia
ingēns, -gentis, adj.huge, vast
factum, -ī n.deed, act
ad, prep. with acc.to, toward; at, near; for
aethēr, -eris m. (acc. aethera)the upper air, the sky
Vergil, Aeneid III. Latin text: J. B. Greenough, The Bucolics, Aeneid, and Georgics of Virgil (Boston, 1881), public domain; digital text from the Perseus Digital Library, CC BY-SA. Word analysis: drafted by our own tagger (trained on the hand-checked texts on this site), with every doubtful word checked by hand. English translation and section titles: written for this app, each checked against the Latin by a second reader.