Aeneid 5.151–182

Gyas loses his helmsman

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Aen. 5.151Effūgit ante aliōs prīmīsque ēlābitur undīs
turbam inter fremitumque Gyās;Gyas shoots out ahead of the others and glides away first over the waves amid the throng and the uproar; Aen. 5.152quem deinde Cloanthus
cōnsequitur, melior remīs, sed pondere pīnus
tarda tenet.Cloanthus follows him next, better in oarsmen, but his ship, slow with its weight, holds him back. Aen. 5.154Post hōs aequō discrīmine Pristis
155Centaurusque locum tendunt superāre priōrem;Behind these, at an equal distance, Pristis and Centaur strive to win the leading place; Aen. 5.156et nunc Pristis habet, nunc victam praeterît ingēns
Centaurus, nunc ūnā ambae iūnctīsque feruntur
frontibus, et longā sulcant vada salsa carīnā.and now Pristis has it, now huge Centaur overtakes and passes her, now both are borne along together with their prows level, and plough the salt sea with their long keels. Aen. 5.159Iamque propinquābant scopulō mētamque tenēbant,
160cum prīnceps mediōque Gyās in gurgite victor
rēctōrem nāvis compellat vōce Menoetēn:
Quō tantum mihi dexter abīs?And now they were nearing the rock and reaching the turning post, when Gyas, leading and winning at the midpoint of the course, calls out to Menoetes, the steersman of his ship: 'Why are you going so far to the right?

Aen. 5.162Hūc dīrige gressum;Steer your course here; Aen. 5.163lītus amā, et laevās stringat sine palmula cautēs;hug the shore, and let the oar-blade graze the rocks on the left; Aen. 5.164altum aliī teneant.let others keep to the deep.' Aen. 5.164Dīxit;He spoke; Aen. 5.164sed caeca Menoetēs
165saxa timēns prōram pelagī dētorquet ad undās.but Menoetes, fearing hidden rocks, turns the prow away towards the waves of the open sea. Aen. 5.166Quō dīversus abīs?'Where are you going so far off course? Aen. 5.166iterum Pete saxa, Menoetē!Make for the rocks again, Menoetes!' Aen. 5.167cum clamōre Gyās revocābat;Gyas was shouting, calling him back; Aen. 5.167et ecce Cloanthum
respicit īnstantem tergō, et propiōra tenentem.and look, he sees Cloanthus pressing behind him and holding the nearer line. Aen. 5.169Ille inter nāvemque Gyae scopulōsque sonantēs
170rādit iter laevum interior, subitōque priōrem
praeterît, et mētis tenet aequora tūta relictīs.Cloanthus, on the inside, scrapes a path on the left between Gyas' ship and the roaring rocks, and suddenly passes the leader, and, leaving the post behind, reaches safe water. Aen. 5.172Tum vērō exārsit iuvenī dolor ossibus ingēns,
nec lacrimīs caruēre genae, segnemque Menoetēn,
oblītus decorisque suī sociumque salūtis,
175in mare praecipitem puppī dēturbat ab altā;Then indeed a great anguish blazed up in the young man's bones, nor were his cheeks free of tears, and forgetting both his own dignity and the safety of his crew, he hurls sluggish Menoetes headlong from the high stern into the sea; Aen. 5.176ipse gubernāclō rēctor subit, ipse magister,
hortāturque virōs, clāvumque ad lītora torquet.he himself takes over the helm as steersman, himself as captain, urges on the men, and turns the tiller towards the shore.

Aen. 5.178At gravis, ut fundō vix tandem redditus īmō est,
iam senior madidāque fluēns in veste Menoetēs
180summa petit scopulī siccāque in rūpe resēdit.But Menoetes, heavy, when at last he had barely been returned from the bottom of the sea, an older man now and streaming in his drenched clothes, makes for the top of the rock and sat down on the dry crag. Aen. 5.181Illum et lābentem Teucrī et rīsēre natantem,
et salsōs rīdent revomentem pectore flūctūs.The Trojans laughed at him as he fell and as he swam, and laugh as he vomits salt waves from his chest.

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Latin vocabulary for this passage (158 words)

effugio, -fugere, -fūgī	flee out or away, escape
ante, prep, with acc. and adv.	before
alius, -a, -ud	another, other; aliī ... aliī, some ... others
prīmus, -a, -um	first, foremost
que, enclitic conj.	and
ēlābor, -lābī, -lāpsus sum	slip away, escape
unda, -ae, f.	wave
turba, -ae f.	crowd
inter, prep, with acc.	among, between
fremitus, -ūs, m.	roaring, roar
quī, quae, quod, rel. pron.	who, which
deinde, adv.	then, next
cōnsequor, -sequī, -secūtus	follow up, follow; overtake
bonus, -a, -um	good
rēmus, -ī, m.	oar
sed, conj.	but
pondus, ponderis, n.	weight
pīnus, -ūs or -ī f.	pine tree; (poetic) a ship
tardus, -a, -um	slow
teneō, -ēre, -uī, -tus	hold, keep; hold back, restrain, stop
post, adv.	after, later; prep. with acc., after, behind
hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron.	this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter
aequus, -a, -um	level; equal; fair
discrīmen, -crīminis, n.	crisis, peril, danger
pristis, -is f.	sea monster, whale; (name of a ship) the Pristis
centaurus, -ī, m.	centaur
locus, -ī, m., plur. loca, -orum, n.	place, situation
tendō, -ere, tetendī, tentum	stretch out; hold out
superō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus	overcome, defeat, conquer
prior, prius	earlier, former; in front (priōrēs: those in front)
et, conj.	and; et ... et, both ... and
nunc, adv.	now
habeō, -ēre, -uī, -itus	have, hold; consider
vincō, -ere, vīcī, victum	conquer, defeat
praetereō, -īre, -iī, -itus	pass by
ingēns, -gentis, adj.	huge, vast
ūnā	together, along
ambō, -ae, -ō	both
iungō, iungere, iūnxī, iūnctus	join; yoke, harness
ferō, ferre, tulī, lātus	bear, bring
frōns, frontis, f.	forehead
longus, -a, -um	long; tedious
sulcō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus	furrow, plough; cut through (the sea)
vadum, -ī n.	ford, shallow place
salsus, -a, -um	salted, salt
carīna, -ae f.	keel; hull
iam, adv.	now, already
propinquō, -āre, -āvī	draw near, approach
scopulus, -ī m.	rock, crag, reef
mēta, -ae f.	turning-post; goal, end point
cum, conj.	when, while, after; since; although
prīnceps, -ipis	first, chief; as noun: leader
medius, -a, -um	mid, middle
in, prep. with acc. and abl.	with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on
gurges, -itis m.	whirlpool; the deep, the sea
victor, -ōris m.	conqueror, victor
rēctor, -ōris m.	ruler, guide, director
nāvis, -is, f.	ship
compellō, -pellere, -pulī, -pulsus	drive together, drive
vōx, vōcis, f.	voice; word
quō, adv.	to what place? whither? to which place, whither; for which reason, wherefore, therefore; quō ūsque, till when? how long?
tantum, adv.	so much or far, only
ego, meī, pers. pron.	I
dexter, -tra, -trum	right
abeō, -īre, -iī, -itūrus	go away, depart
hūc, adv.	to this place, hither
dīrigō (dērigō), -ere, -rēxī, -rēctus	set straight, arrange in line; dērēctus: straight
gressus, -ūs m.	step, pace; course
lītus, lītoris, n.	shore
amō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus	love
laevus, -a, -um	left; ad laevam (manum): on the left
stringō, stringere, strinxī, strictus	draw, unsheathe
sine, prep. with abl.	without
palmula, -ae f.	blade of an oar, oar
cautēs, -is f.	rough rock, crag
altum, -ī n.	the deep, the open sea; a height
dīcō, dīcere, dīxī, dictus	say, speak; diem dīcere, to appoint or set a day
caecus, -a, -um	blind
saxum, -ī, n.	rock, stone
timeō, -ēre, -uī	fear
prōra, -ae, f.	prow, bow
pelagus, -ī n.	the sea, the open sea
dētorqueō, -ēre, -torsī, -tortus	turn aside, turn
ad, prep. with acc.	to, toward; at, near; for
dīversus, -a, -um	turned different ways, opposite, contrary, different
iterum, adv.	again, a second time
petō, -ere, -īvī or -iī, -ītus	seek, ask; attack
cum, prep, with abl.	with
clāmor, -ōris, m.	shout, cry
revocō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum	call back, recall
ecce (interj.)	look! see! here is
respiciō, -ere, -spexī, -spectum	look back
īnstō, -āre, -stitī	press on; be at hand
tergum, -ī, n.	back
propior, -ius	nearer (+ dat.)
ille, illa, illud, dem. pron.	that; he, she, it, they; ille ... hīc, see hīc
sonō, -āre, sonuī, sonitus	make a sound, sound
rādō, -ere, rāsī, rāsum	shave, scrape
iter, itineris, n.	a going, journey, march; iter facere, to journey, march
interior, -ius, adj.	interior, inner
subitō, adv.	unexpectedly, suddenly
mereō, -ēre, meruī, meritus	deserve, earn
aequor, -oris n.	level surface; the sea
tūtus, -a, -um	safe
relinquō, -linquere, -līquī, -lictus	leave behind, leave
tum, adv.	then, at that time
vērō, adv.	in truth, indeed; however
exārdēscō, -ārdēscere, -ārsī, -ārsus	blaze out, be inflamed, rage
iuvenis, -is, m.	young man, youth
dolor, -ōris, m.	pain, grief; anger
os, ossis n.	bone
neque or nec, conj.	and not, nor; neque ... neque, neither ... nor; neque enim, for ... not
lacrima, -ae, f.	tear
careō, -ēre, -uī	be without, lack (+ abl.)
gena, -ae f.	cheek
segnis, -e	slow, sluggish, idle
oblīvīscor, -līvīscī, -lītus	forget
decus, -oris n.	honour, glory; what is fitting, propriety
suus, -a, -um	his, her, its, or their own; his, her, its, their
socius, -ī, m.	companion, comrade, ally
salūs, salūtis, f.	safety, deliverance, escape
mare, maris, n.	sea
praeceps, -cipitis	headlong
puppis, -is f.	stern of a ship
dēturbō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus	drive off, dislodge, knock down
ā, ab (prep. + abl.)	away from, from; by (ā only before consonants)
altus, -a, -um	high, deep; altum, -ī, n., the deep
ipse, ipsa, ipsum, intensive pron.	self, himself, herself, itself, themselves; often to be rendered by very
gubernāculum (gubernāclum), -ī n.	rudder, helm
subeō, -īre, -iī, -itus	go under; undergo, submit to, sustain, bear, endure
magister, -trī, m.	master
hortor, -ārī, -ātus	exhort, encourage, urge
vir, virī, m.	man
clāvus, -ī m.	nail, spike
torqueō, torquēre, torsī, tortus	turn
at, conj.	but
gravis, -e	heavy; severe, grievous, serious
ut, conj.	as; when; that; ita ut, as
fundus, -ī m.	bottom, depths
vix, adv.	with difficulty, scarcely, hardly, barely
tandem, adv.	at length or last, finally
reddō, -dere, -didī, -ditus	give back, return, restore; render
īmus, -a, -um	lowest (ab īmō: from the bottom)
sum, esse, fuī, futūrus	be
senior, -ōris m.	elder; seniores: the elders (of the people)
madidus, -a, -um	wet, soaked
fluō, -ere, flūxī	flow
vestis, -is, f.	clothing, dress, robe
summus, -a, -um	uppermost, highest, greatest
siccus, -a, -um	dry; (n. as noun) dry land
rūpēs, -is, f.	rock, cliff; reef
resīdō, -sīdere, -sēdī	settle down, subside
lābor, lābī, lapsus	slip, glide, fall
rīdeō, rīdēre, rīsī, rīsus	laugh
natō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus	swim, float
revomō, -ere, -uī	vomit up, spew out again
pectus, pectoris, n.	breast
flūctus, -ūs m.	wave

Vergil, Aeneid V. 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.