Aeneid 4.90–104

Aen. 4.90Quam simul ac tālī persēnsit peste tenērī
cāra Iovis coniūnx, nec fāmam obstāre furōrī,
tālibus adgreditur Venerem Sāturnia dictīs:
Ēgregiam vērō laudem et spolia ampla refertis
tūque puerque tuus, magnum et memorābile nūmen,
95ūna dolō dīvom sī fēmina victa duōrum est!

As soon as the dear wife of Jupiter, daughter of Saturn, saw that Dido was held fast by such a plague and that her good name no longer stood in the way of her passion, she approached Venus with these words: 'A fine glory indeed and rich spoils you carry off, you and your boy — a great and memorable power — if one woman has been conquered by the trickery of two gods!

Note. Saturnia is Juno, daughter of Saturn. persēnsit … tenērī, nec … obstāre: two accusative and infinitive clauses, with Dido understood as subject of the first. The rest is sarcasm: Ēgregiam vērō laudem … 'A fine glory indeed!'. tūque puerque tuus: Venus and Cupid. dīvom = dīvōrum. ūna … fēmina … duōrum: the numbers point the irony, one woman against two gods.

Aen. 4.96Nec mē adeō fallit veritam tē moenia nostra
suspectās habuisse domōs Karthāginis altae.

Nor does it escape me that you have feared our walls and held the houses of lofty Carthage in suspicion.

Note. Nec mē … fallit: impersonal, 'nor does it escape me', with the accusative and infinitive tē … habuisse. veritam: perfect participle of the deponent vereor, 'having feared'.

Aen. 4.98Sed quis erit modus, aut quō nunc certāmine tantō?

But what will be the limit, or where are we going now with such a contest?

Note. quis … modus: 'what limit (will there be)?' quō … certāmine tantō: elliptical, 'to what end with so great a contest?'

Aen. 4.99Quīn potius pācem aeternam pactōsque hymenaeōs
100exercēmus?

Why do we not rather make an everlasting peace and an agreed marriage?

Note. Quīn … exercēmus: 'why don't we…?', a lively way of making a suggestion. pactōs hymenaeōs: 'an agreed marriage'; hymenaeī (plural) means marriage.

Aen. 4.100Habēs, tōtā quod mente petīstī:
ārdet amāns Dīdō, trāxitque per ossa furōrem.

You have what you sought with your whole heart: Dido burns with love and has drawn the madness through her bones.

Note. petīstī = petīvistī. ārdet amāns Dīdō: the words echo the fire imagery.

Aen. 4.102Commūnem hunc ergō populum paribusque regāmus
auspiciīs;

Let us then rule this people in common and with equal authority;

Note. Commūnem … populum: one people shared by both goddesses. paribus auspiciīs: 'with equal authority'; auspicia were the right of a magistrate to consult the gods.

Aen. 4.103liceat Phrygiō servīre marītō,
dōtālīsque tuae Tyriōs permittere dextrae.

let her be allowed to serve a Phrygian husband and to hand over her Tyrians to your power as a dowry.'

Note. liceat: jussive subjunctive. Phrygiō … marītō: Aeneas; Phrygian is a scornful word for Trojan. dōtālīs … Tyriōs: 'the Tyrians as a dowry'. tuae … dextrae: 'to your power'.