Aeneid 4.31–53

Aen. 4.31Anna refert: Ō lūce magis dīlēcta sorōrī,
sōlane perpetuā maerēns carpere iuventā,
nec dulcīs nātōs, Veneris nec praemia nōris?

Anna answers: 'O you who are dearer to your sister than the light, will you waste away alone and grieving all your youth, and not know sweet children or the rewards of Venus?

Note. Ō lūce magis dīlēcta sorōrī: vocative participle phrase, 'O (you) dearer to your sister than the light'; lūce is ablative of comparison. sōlane: sōla + -ne. carpēre is the second-person future passive (= carperis), 'will you be worn away'. nōris = nōveris (syncope), perfect subjunctive in a deliberative question.

Aen. 4.34Id cinerem aut Mānīs crēdis cūrāre sepultōs?

Do you believe that ashes or buried ghosts care about that?

Note. Id … cūrāre: 'that the ashes or buried shades care about that'. Mānīs (accusative plural in -īs) are the spirits of the dead.

Aen. 4.35Estō: aegram nūllī quondam flexēre marītī,
nōn Libyae, nōn ante Tyrō;

So be it: no suitors have moved you in your grief till now, not in Libya, not before that in Tyre;

Note. Estō: future imperative of sum, 'granted', 'so be it'. aegram: Dido 'sick' with grief. flexēre = flexērunt. Libyae is locative; Tyrō is ablative of place.

Aen. 4.36dēspectus Iarbās
ductōrēsque aliī, quōs Āfrica terra triumphīs
dīves alit: placitōne etiam pugnābis amōrī?

Iarbas was scorned, and the other chiefs whom Africa, a land rich in triumphs, breeds: will you fight even against a love that pleases you?

Note. dēspectus Iarbās: supply est. placitōne … amōrī: 'will you fight even a love that pleases you?' pugnō with the dative is poetic.

Aen. 4.39Nec venit in mentem, quōrum cōnsēderīs arvīs?

And does it not come into your mind in whose lands you have settled?

Note. Nec venit in mentem: 'does it not come into your mind', with an indirect question quōrum cōnsēderīs arvīs.

Aen. 4.40Hinc Gaetūlae urbēs, genus īnsuperābile bellō,
et Numidae īnfrēnī cingunt et inhospita Syrtis;

On this side the cities of the Gaetulians, a race unconquerable in war, and the Numidians who ride without bridles, hem you in, and the unfriendly Syrtis;

Note. Hinc … hinc (20): 'on one side … on the other'. Gaetūlae urbēs, the Numidians and the Syrtis are the dangerous neighbours of Carthage in north Africa. īnfrēnī: Numidian cavalry rode without bridles.

Aen. 4.42hinc dēserta sitī regiō, lātēque furentēs
Barcaeī.

on that side a region deserted through drought, and the Barcaeans raging far and wide.

Note. dēserta sitī regiō: 'a region deserted through thirst', i.e. the desert. Supply 'are' throughout this list.

Aen. 4.43Quid bella Tyrō surgentia dīcam,
germānīque minās?

Why should I speak of the wars rising from Tyre, and our brother's threats?

Note. Quid … dīcam: deliberative subjunctive, 'why should I mention'. germānī minās: Pygmalion, Dido's brother, might pursue her from Tyre.

Aen. 4.45Dīs equidem auspicibus reor et Iūnōne secundā
hunc cursum Īliacās ventō tenuisse carīnās.

I think it was under the guidance of the gods and with Juno's favour that the Trojan ships held their course here on the wind.

Note. Dīs … auspicibus … Iūnōne secundā: ablative absolutes without a participle, 'with the gods as guides and Juno favouring'. tenuisse: the infinitive after reor.

Aen. 4.47Quam tū urbem, soror, hanc cernēs, quae surgere regna
coniugiō tālī!

What a city you will see rise here, sister, what a kingdom, from such a marriage!

Note. Quam … urbem … quae … regna: exclamations. coniugiō tālī: ablative of cause, 'from such a marriage'.

Aen. 4.48Teucrum comitantibus armīs
Pūnica sē quantīs attollet glōria rēbus!

With the arms of the Trojans at our side, to what great deeds will the glory of Carthage raise itself!

Note. Teucrum (= Teucrōrum) comitantibus armīs: ablative absolute, 'with the arms of the Trojans accompanying'. Pūnica … glōria: the glory of Carthage; Punic is the Roman word for Carthaginian.

Aen. 4.50Tū modo posce deōs veniam, sacrīsque litātīs
indulgē hospitiō, causāsque innecte morandī,
dum pelagō dēsaevit hiemps et aquōsus Ōrīōn,
quassātaeque ratēs, dum nōn tractābile caelum.

Only ask the gods for their favour, and when the sacrifices have been accepted, indulge your guest and weave reasons for him to stay, while the winter and watery Orion rage on the sea, and the ships are battered, while the sky cannot be handled.'

Note. posce deōs veniam: poscō takes two accusatives. sacrīs … litātīs: ablative absolute, the sacrifices having given good omens. causās … innecte morandī: 'weave reasons for delaying'; morandī is the gerund. Orion's setting in November was linked with storms.