Aeneid 6.295–301

Aen. 6.295Hinc via, Tartareī quae fert Acherontis ad undās.

From here is the road that leads to the waves of Tartarean Acheron.

Note. Hinc via Tartareī quae fert Acherontis ad undās: the road leads to the rivers of the underworld. Acheron is the river the dead cross; Vergil seems to treat Acheron, Styx and Cocytus as parts of one water system.

Aen. 6.296Turbidus hīc caenō vāstāque vorāgine gurges
aestuat, atque omnem Cōcȳtō ērūctat harēnam.

Here a whirlpool, muddy with filth and with a vast abyss, seethes and belches all its sand into Cocytus.

Note. Turbidus hīc caenō vastāque vorāgine gurges / aestuat: a whirlpool, muddy with filth, seethes. ēructat: 'belches up', a vivid, coarse word. Cōcȳtō: dative, into Cocytus.

Aen. 6.298Portitor hās horrendus aquās et flūmina servat
terribilī squālōre Charōn, cui plūrima mentō
300cānitiēs inculta iacet;

A dreadful ferryman guards these waters and streams, Charon, terrible in his squalor, on whose chin lies a mass of unkempt grey hair;

Note. Portitor hās horrendus aquās et flūmina servat / terribilī squālōre Charōn: Charon, the ferryman of the dead, appears in Greek art and poetry as a rough old man in a sailor's cap. portitor: 'ferryman'. terribilī squālōre: ablative of description. cui plūrima mentō / cānitiēs inculta iacet: 'on whose chin lies a mass of unkempt grey hair'. cui: dative of possession.

Aen. 6.300stant lūmina flammā,
sordidus ex umerīs nōdō dēpendet amictus.

his eyes stand fixed in flame, a dirty cloak hangs knotted from his shoulders.

Note. stant lūmina flammā: 'his eyes stand fixed with flame'. sordidus ex umerīs nōdō dēpendet amictus: his cloak is knotted at the shoulder like a working man's. The description of Charon continues in the next section (6.302ff).