Aeneid 6.384–416

Aen. 6.384Ergō iter inceptum peragunt fluviōque propinquant.

So they continue the journey they have begun and draw near the river.

Note. Ergō: the narrative resumes after the scene with Palinurus. fluviō … propinquant: propinquō takes the dative.

Aen. 6.385Nāvita quōs iam inde ut Stygiā prōspexit ab undā
per tacitum nemus īre pedemque advertere rīpae,
sīc prior adgreditur dictīs, atque increpat ultrō:
Quisquis es, armātus quī nostra ad flūmina tendis,
fāre age, quid veniās, iam istinc, et comprime gressum.

When the boatman, from the Stygian water, saw them from there walking through the silent grove and turning their steps towards the bank, he spoke first and challenged them unprompted: 'Whoever you are who come armed to our river, tell me now, from where you stand, why you come, and halt your step.

Note. Nāvita: Charon. quōs … ut … prōspexit: 'when he saw them'; quōs is the object, placed first as a connecting relative. iam inde: 'from there', from the Stygian water. advertere: 'turning'. Quisquis es: an abrupt challenge. fāre age: 'come, speak'. iam istinc: 'from where you are'.

Aen. 6.390Umbrārum hic locus est, somnī noctisque sopōrae;

This is the place of shadows, of sleep and drowsy night;

Note. Umbrārum hic locus est: Charon states the rule of the place. sopōrae: 'drowsy'.

Aen. 6.391corpora vīva nefās Stygiā vectāre carīnā.

it is forbidden to carry living bodies in the Stygian boat.

Note. nefās: supply est, 'it is forbidden'. vectāre: frequentative of vehō.

Aen. 6.392Nec vērō Alcīdēn mē sum laetātus euntem
accēpisse lacū, nec Thēsea Pīrithoumque,
dīs quamquam genitī atque invictī vīribus essent.

Indeed I had no joy in receiving Alcides on the lake when he came, nor Theseus and Pirithous, though they were sons of gods and unconquered in strength.

Note. Nec vērō … sum laetātus: 'indeed I did not rejoice'. Alcīdēn: Hercules (grandson of Alcaeus), who came down to bring back Cerberus as his twelfth labour. Thēsea Pīrithoumque: Theseus and his friend Pirithous came to carry off Proserpina. Pīrithoumque: Pīrithoum is scanned with four syllables. quamquam … essent: quamquam with the subjunctive in poetry. dīs: ablative of origin with genitī, 'born of gods'. The story is that Charon was punished for taking Hercules across.

Aen. 6.395Tartareum ille manū custōdem in vincla petīvit,
ipsīus ā soliō rēgis, trāxitque trementem;

The one sought to drag the watchdog of Tartarus into chains, and dragged him trembling from the very throne of the king;

Note. ille: Hercules. Tartareum … custōdem: Cerberus. in vincla: 'into chains'; vincla is the syncopated vincula. ipsīus … rēgis: Pluto. trementem: Cerberus 'trembling'.

Aen. 6.397hī dominam Dītis thalamō dēdūcere adortī.

the others set about carrying off our queen from the bedchamber of Dis.'

Note. hī: Theseus and Pirithous. dominam Dītis: Proserpina, wife of Dis (Pluto). adortī: supply sunt, 'tried'.

Aen. 6.398Quae contrā breviter fāta est Amphrȳsia vātēs:
Nūllae hīc īnsidiae tālēs;

To this the prophetess of Apollo briefly replied: 'There are no such tricks here;

Note. Amphrȳsia vātēs: 'the Amphrysian prophetess', a learned allusion: Apollo once herded the flocks of Admetus by the river Amphrysus in Thessaly, so 'Amphrysian' means 'of Apollo'. Nūllae hīc īnsidiae tālēs: supply sunt.

Aen. 6.399absiste movērī;

do not be troubled;

Note. absiste movērī: 'cease to be troubled'; absistō with the infinitive.

Aen. 6.400nec vim tēla ferunt;

these weapons bring no violence;

Note. vim: 'violence'. tēla ferunt: Aeneas' weapons are no threat.

Aen. 6.400licet ingēns iānitor antrō
aeternum lātrāns exsanguīs terreat umbrās,
casta licet patruī servet Prōserpina līmen.

the huge doorkeeper may bark for ever in his cave and frighten the bloodless shadows, chaste Proserpina may keep to her uncle's threshold.

Note. licet … terreat … servet: licet with the subjunctive, 'he may frighten … she may keep', a concession. ingēns iānitor: Cerberus, the doorkeeper. aeternum: adverb. exsanguīs … umbrās: 'bloodless shades'; the dead lack blood, which is why in Homer they must drink it to speak. patruī: Pluto was brother of Jupiter, father of Proserpina, and so her uncle.

Aen. 6.403Trōius Aenēās, pietāte īnsignis et armīs,
ad genitōrem īmās Erebī dēscendit ad umbrās.

Trojan Aeneas, famous for devotion and for arms, comes down to his father, to the lowest shadows of Erebus.

Note. Trōius: three syllables. pietāte īnsignis et armīs: 'famous for devotion and for arms', the two sides of Aeneas. Erebī: Erebus, the darkness of the underworld.

Aen. 6.405Sī tē nūlla movet tantae pietātis imāgō,
at rāmum hunc (aperit rāmum, quī veste latēbat)
adgnōscās.

If the sight of such devotion does not move you, at least recognize this bough' (she uncovers the bough that lay hidden in her robe).

Note. tantae pietātis imāgō: 'the sight of such devotion'. at: 'at least'. rāmum … rāmum: the repetition shows her pointing. aperit: she uncovers the golden bough, which the Sibyl had told Aeneas to find as a gift for Proserpina (6.136–148). adgnōscās: jussive subjunctive, 'recognize'.

Aen. 6.407Tumida ex īrā tum corda resīdunt.

Then his heart swelled with anger subsides.

Note. Tumida ex īrā: 'after anger', i.e. swelling from anger. corda: poetic plural. resīdunt: 'subside'.

Aen. 6.408Nec plūra hīs.

No more was said.

Note. Nec plūra hīs: supply dīxit; 'nothing more than this'; hīs is an ablative of comparison.

Aen. 6.408Ille admīrāns venerābile dōnum
fātālis virgae, longō post tempore vīsum,
410caeruleam advertit puppim, rīpaeque propinquat.

He, wondering at the awesome gift of the fated branch, seen after so long a time, turns his dark-blue boat and approaches the bank.

Note. admīrāns: 'wondering at'. fātālis virgae: genitive, 'of the fated branch'. longō post tempore vīsum: 'seen after a long time'; Charon has seen it before, perhaps when Hercules came. caeruleam: 'dark' rather than bright blue. advertit … rīpae: 'turns towards the bank'.

Aen. 6.411Inde aliās animās, quae per iuga longa sedēbant,
dēturbat, laxatque forōs;

Then he drives off the other souls who sat along the long benches and clears the gangways;

Note. iuga: the rowing benches. dēturbat: 'drives off'. forōs: the gangways of the boat.

Aen. 6.412simul accipit alveō
ingentem Aenēān.

at the same time he takes huge Aeneas into the hull.

Note. alveō: 'into the hull', scanned as two syllables with synizesis (al-vyō). ingentem: the living hero is huge and heavy compared with the weightless shades.

Aen. 6.413Gemuit sub pondere cymba
sūtilis, et multam accēpit rīmōsa palūdem.

The stitched boat groaned under the weight and through its leaks took in much of the marsh.

Note. Gemuit sub pondere: 'groaned under the weight'. The scene is close to the comic, and it shows how out of place a living body is here. sūtilis: 'stitched', a boat of hides or bark sewn together. rīmōsa: 'full of cracks'. multam … palūdem: 'much of the marsh', i.e. its water.

Aen. 6.415Tandem trāns fluvium incolumīs vātemque virumque
īnfōrmī līmō glaucāque expōnit in ulvā.

At last he sets prophetess and hero down safe across the river on the shapeless mud and the grey-green sedge.

Note. trāns fluvium: 'across the river'. incolumīs: accusative plural, describing vātem virumque. īnfōrmī līmō: 'on shapeless mud'. glaucā … in ulvā: 'among grey-green sedge'.