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).
Lectitō › Vergil › Aeneid, Book 6 › Aeneid 6.295–301
Vergil · Aeneid VI
Aeneid 6.295–301
Charon
In brief. From here the road leads to the river Acheron, whose muddy whirlpool pours into Cocytus. These waters are guarded by the ferryman Charon, a filthy figure with a tangled gray beard, flaming eyes and a knotted cloak.
Read the Latin itself: tap any word for its meaning and grammar, save words to review, and keep your place.
Read in LectitōLatin vocabulary for this passage (42 words)
| hinc, adv. | from this place, hence |
| via, -ae, f. | road, way |
| Tartareus, -a, -um | of Tartarus, of the underworld |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| ferō, ferre, tulī, lātus | bear, bring |
| ad, prep. with acc. | to, toward; at, near; for |
| unda, -ae, f. | wave |
| turbidus, -a, -um | stormy, wild, confused |
| hīc, adv. | here; hereupon |
| caenum, -ī n. | mud, filth |
| vāstus, -a, -um | waste, huge, enormous, vast |
| que, enclitic conj. | and |
| vorāgō, -inis f. | chasm, abyss, whirlpool |
| gurges, -itis m. | whirlpool; the deep, the sea |
| aestuō, -āre, -āvī | boil, seethe; burn (with passion or envy) |
| atque, ac (conj.) | and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants) |
| omnis, -e | all, every |
| ērūctō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | belch; spew out (in talk) |
| harēna, -ae, f. | sand; shore |
| portitor, -ōris m. | ferryman (Charon) |
| hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron. | this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter |
| horrendus, -a, -um | dreadful, terrible |
| aqua, -ae, f. | water |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| flūmen, -minis, n. | river |
| servō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | save, preserve |
| terribilis, -e | dreadful, terrible |
| squālor, -ōris, m. | dirt, filth |
| multus, -a, -um | much, great; plur., many |
| mentum, -ī n. | chin |
| cānitiēs, -ēī f. | greyness; grey hair |
| incultus, -a, -um | untilled, uncultivated; wild, rough |
| iaceō, -ēre, -uī | lie, be prostrate |
| stō, stāre, stetī, status | stand |
| lūmen, -minis, n. | light |
| flamma, -ae, f. | flame |
| sordidus, -a, -um | dirty; mean, base, of low status |
| ex, ē (prep. + abl.) | out of, from; of (ē only before consonants) |
| umerus, -ī, m. | shoulder |
| nōdus, -ī m. | knot; knob, joint |
| dēpendeō, -ēre | hang down (from) |
| amictus, -ūs m. | cloak, wrap, garment |
Vergil, Aeneid VI. Latin text: J. B. Greenough (Boston, 1881), public domain; digital text from the Perseus Digital Library, CC BY-SA. Word analysis: LatinCy, then every word checked and corrected by hand. Vocabulary: F. Ritchie (1903, public domain) and entries written for this app. English translation, notes and grammar hints: written for this app.