Aeneid 6.14–41

Aen. 6.14Daedalus, ut fāma est, fugiēns Mīnōïa regna,
15praepetibus pennīs ausus sē crēdere caelō,
īnsuētum per iter gelidās ēnāvit ad Arctōs,
Chalcidicāque levis tandem super adstitit arce.

Daedalus, as the story goes, fleeing the kingdom of Minos, dared to trust himself to the sky on swift wings, floated away by an unaccustomed path towards the cold Bears, and at last stood lightly on the Chalcidian citadel.

Note. Daedalus: the master craftsman of Athens who built the Labyrinth for King Minos of Crete and was held there; he escaped by making wings for himself and his son Icarus. ut fāma est: Vergil distances himself from the marvel. praepetibus pennīs: 'on swift wings', a term from augury for birds of good omen. ausus: the perfect participle of the semi-deponent audeō, with active meaning. gelidās … ad Arctōs: 'towards the cold Bears', the northern constellations: he flew north towards Italy. Chalcidicā … arce: the citadel of Cumae, settled from Chalcis. levis: he 'stood light' on the hill, a touch from his flying.

Aen. 6.18Redditus hīs prīmum terrīs, tibi, Phoebe, sacrāvit
rēmigium ālārum, posuitque immānia templa.

Restored to land here first, he dedicated to you, Phoebus, the oarage of his wings, and set up a vast temple.

Note. Redditus hīs … terrīs: 'given back to these lands', on land at last after his flight. tibi, Phoebe: apostrophe to Apollo. sacrāvit / rēmigium ālārum: 'he dedicated the oarage of his wings', a striking metaphor: his wings were his oars. Dedicating the tools of a finished labour to a god was a common practice. posuit: 'set up', 'built'.

Aen. 6.20In foribus lētum Androgeō: tum pendere poenās
Cecropidae iussī— miserum!— septēna quotannīs
corpora nātōrum;

On the doors is the death of Androgeos; then the descendants of Cecrops, ordered (pitiful!) to pay as penalty seven bodies of their sons each year;

Note. Here begins the ecphrasis, the description of a work of art: the scenes Daedalus carved on the temple's doors (foribus, from foris#2, 'door'). The left door shows Athens: Androgeos, son of Minos, was killed in Attica, and as reparation the Athenians (Cecropidae, 'descendants of Cecrops', the first king of Athens) had to send seven youths and seven maidens every year to be eaten by the Minotaur. septēna: distributive numeral, 'seven each (year)'. miserum: an exclamatory accusative, 'pitiable!'. iussī … pendere poenās: 'ordered to pay the penalty'.

Aen. 6.22stat ductīs sortibus urna.

there stands the urn, the lots drawn.

Note. stat ductīs sortibus urna: ablative absolute: the urn stands there with the lots already drawn, as the victims were chosen by lot.

Aen. 6.23Contrā ēlāta marī respondet Gnōsia tellūs:
hīc crūdēlis amor taurī, suppostaque fūrtō
25Pāsiphaë, mīxtumque genus prōlēsque biformis
Mīnōtaurus inest, Veneris monumenta nefandae;

Facing it, the land of Cnossos rises from the sea and answers: here is the cruel love for the bull, and Pasiphae secretly placed beneath it, and the mixed breed, the two-formed offspring, the Minotaur, memorial of an unspeakable love;

Note. Contrā ēlāta marī … Gnōsia tellūs: the right-hand door shows Crete (Cnossos was Minos' capital), rising from the sea. respondet: it 'answers', balancing the scene on the other leaf. crūdēlis amor taurī: Pasiphae, Minos' wife, fell in love with a bull; Daedalus built her a wooden cow in which she hid (suppostaque fūrtō, syncope for suppositaque) so as to mate with it. The child was the Minotaur, half bull, half man (biformis, 'two-formed'). mixtumque genus prōlēsque biformis: apposition piling up descriptions. Venerisque monimenta nefandae: 'a memorial of an unspeakable love'.

Aen. 6.27hic labor ille domus et inextrīcābilis error;

here is that toil of a building and its inextricable maze;

Note. labor ille domūs: 'that toil of a house', the Labyrinth built to hold the Minotaur. inextrīcābilis error: 'the maze from which there was no way out'; error here keeps its root sense of 'wandering'. Note that inextrīcābilis fills a large part of the line (in-ex-trī-cā-bi-lis), mimicking the long winding.

Aen. 6.28magnum rēgīnae sed enim miserātus amōrem
Daedalus ipse dolōs tēctī ambāgēsque resolvit,
30caeca regēns fīlō vestīgia.

but Daedalus himself, pitying the great love of the princess, unravelled the tricks and windings of the building, guiding blind steps with a thread.

Note. magnum rēgīnae … amōrem: the 'princess' is Ariadne, Minos' daughter, who loved Theseus; Daedalus gave her the clue of thread by which Theseus found his way out after killing the Minotaur. miserātus: perfect participle of the deponent misereor, 'pitying'. dolōs … ambāgēsque: hendiadys, 'the tricky windings'. regēns: present participle. caeca … vestīgia: steps that cannot see the way.

Aen. 6.30Tū quoque magnam
partem opere in tantō, sineret dolor, Īcare, habērēs.

You too, Icarus, would have had a great part in so great a work, had grief allowed.

Note. Tū quoque … Īcare: apostrophe to Icarus, who flew too near the sun on his wings, so that the wax melted and he fell into the sea. partem … habērēs, / sineret dolor: a present contrary-to-fact condition with the protasis set first without sī: 'you would have a large part, if grief allowed'. tantō opere: ablative, 'in so great a work'.

Aen. 6.32Bis cōnātus erat cāsūs effingere in aurō;

Twice he had tried to shape your fall in gold;

Note. Bis cōnātus erat: pluperfect of the deponent cōnor. cāsūs effingere: to 'mould in relief' Icarus' fall in gold. The repeated bis … bis is the emphatic figure of anaphora.

Aen. 6.33bis patriae cecidēre manūs.

twice the father's hands fell.

Note. patriae … manūs: the hands of the father, Daedalus, dropped: grief stopped his craft. The half-finished panel is one of the most moving moments in the poem; Vergil too leaves the scene unfinished.

Aen. 6.33Quīn prōtinus omnia
perlegerent oculīs, nī iam praemissus Achātēs
35adforet, atque ūnā Phoebī Triviaeque sacerdōs,
Dēiphobē Glaucī, fātur quae tālia rēgī:
Nōn hoc ista sibi tempus spectācula poscit;

Indeed they would have read everything through with their eyes, had not Achates, sent ahead, now arrived, and with him the priestess of Phoebus and Trivia, Deiphobe daughter of Glaucus, who speaks thus to the king: 'This hour does not call for those sights;

Note. Quīn prōtinus omnia / perlegerent oculīs: past contrary-to-fact: 'they would have read everything through at once', with the imperfect subjunctive for a past action seen as ongoing. nī … adforet: 'had not Achates … arrived'; adforet = adesset. Achates had been sent ahead to find the priestess. Dēiphobē Glaucī: Deiphobe, daughter of Glaucus, is the Sibyl's name here. quae … fātur: she speaks to the 'king', Aeneas. nōn hoc ista sibī tempus spectācula poscit: 'this time does not ask for those sights of yours'; ista is dismissive.

Aen. 6.38nunc grege dē intāctō septem mactāre iuvencōs
praestiterit, totidem lēctās dē mōre bidentēs.

now it would be better to sacrifice seven bullocks from an untouched herd, and as many ewes chosen according to custom.'

Note. Nunc … praestiterit: perfect subjunctive, potential: 'it would be better'. intāctō: from a herd that has never borne a yoke, as was required for sacrifice. dē mōre: 'according to custom'. lēctās: 'chosen' animals without blemish.

Aen. 6.40Tālibus adfāta Aenēān (nec sacra morantur
iussa virī), Teucrōs vocat alta in templa sacerdōs.

Having addressed Aeneas so (and the men do not delay the ordered rites), the priestess calls the Teucrians into the lofty temple.

Note. Tālibus adfāta: perfect participle of the deponent adfor, 'having addressed'. nec sacra morantur / iussa virī: 'and the men do not delay the ordered rites'. alta in templa: the plural for a single temple is poetic.