Aeneid 6.426–476

Aen. 6.426Continuō audītae vōcēs, vāgītus et ingēns,
īnfantumque animae flentēs in līmine prīmō,
quōs dulcis vītae exsortēs et ab ūbere raptōs
abstulit ātra diēs et fūnere mersit acerbō;

At once voices were heard, a loud wailing, the souls of infants weeping on the very threshold, whom, without a share in sweet life and torn from the breast, the black day carried off and plunged into bitter death.

Note. Here begins the first region past the river, the Limbo of the early dead. Continuō: 'at once'. audītae: supply sunt. in līmine prīmō: 'on the very threshold', both of the underworld and of life. dulcis vītae exsortēs: 'without a share in sweet life', exsors with the genitive. ātra diēs: 'the black day', i.e. the day of death. fūnere … acerbō: 'untimely death'; acerbus is used of fruit that is not yet ripe.

Aen. 6.430hōs iūxtā falsō damnātī crīmine mortis.

Next to them are those condemned to death on a false charge.

Note. falsō damnātī crīmine mortis: 'those condemned to death on a false charge'. hōs iūxtā: the preposition follows its object. Supply sunt.

Aen. 6.431Nec vērō hae sine sorte datae, sine iūdice, sēdēs:
quaesītor Mīnōs urnam movet;

Yet these places are not assigned without allotment, without a judge: Minos presides and shakes the urn;

Note. Nec … sine sorte … sine iūdice: these places are assigned by lot and by trial. quaesītor: the Roman term for the presiding judge of a criminal court. Mīnōs: the legendary king of Crete, a judge of the dead in Greek myth. urnam movet: he shakes the urn from which the jurors' names are drawn, in the Roman manner.

Aen. 6.432ille silentum
conciliumque vocat vītāsque et crīmina discit.

he calls an assembly of the silent ones and learns their lives and the charges against them.

Note. silentum: genitive plural of the participle silēns, 'the silent ones', the dead. concilium: 'assembly', here the jury.

Aen. 6.434Proxuma deinde tenent maestī loca, quī sibi lētum
435īnsontēs peperēre manū, lūcemque perōsī
prōiēcēre animās.

Next the sorrowful hold the place who, though innocent, brought death on themselves by their own hand and, hating the light, threw away their lives.

Note. Proxuma: archaic spelling of proxima, neuter plural, 'the next places'. maestī: supply eī as antecedent of quī: 'the sorrowful hold the places, those who …'. lētum … peperēre: 'brought about their own death'; peperēre = pepererunt. manū: 'by their own hand'. perōsī: 'hating', a deponent-like perfect participle with present meaning. The suicides are placed among those who died before their time, with pity rather than condemnation.

Aen. 6.436Quam vellent aethere in altō
nunc et pauperiem et dūrōs perferre labōrēs!

How they would wish now, in the air above, to endure both poverty and hard toil!

Note. Quam vellent: 'how they would like', the potential subjunctive. aethere in altō: 'in the upper air', i.e. alive. pauperiem et dūrōs … labōrēs: the life they rejected seems precious now; compare Achilles in Odyssey 11.489–491, who would rather be a poor man's hired labourer than king among the dead.

Aen. 6.438Fās obstat, trīstisque palūs inamābilis undae
alligat, et noviēns Styx interfūsa coërcet.

Divine law stands in the way; the hateful marsh with its unlovely water binds them, and Styx, flowing between nine times, confines them.

Note. Fās obstat: 'divine law stands in the way'. inamābilis: 'unlovely', a coinage. noviēns Styx interfūsa: 'the Styx flowing between nine times', the river winding round the underworld. coërcet: the diaeresis marks four syllables, co-ër-cet.

Aen. 6.440Nec procul hinc partem fūsī mōnstrantur in omnem
lūgentēs campī: sīc illōs nōmine dīcunt.

Not far from here, spread out on every side, are shown the Fields of Mourning; that is the name they give them.

Note. partem fūsī … in omnem: 'spread out on every side'. Lūgentēs campī: 'the Fields of Mourning'. Vergil seems to have invented this region for those who died of love. sīc illōs nōmine dīcunt: 'that is the name they give them'.

Aen. 6.442Hīc, quōs dūrus amor crūdēlī tābe perēdit,
sēcrētī cēlant callēs et myrtea circum
silva tegit;

Here those whom harsh love has eaten away with its cruel wasting are hidden by secret paths, and a myrtle wood covers them all around;

Note. dūrus amor: 'harsh love'. crūdēlī tābe: 'with cruel wasting', the image of love as a disease. callēs: 'paths'. myrtea … silva: the myrtle was sacred to Venus.

Aen. 6.444cūrae nōn ipsā in morte relinquunt.

their cares do not leave them even in death.

Note. cūrae: 'cares', the pains of love. nōn ipsā in morte: 'not even in death'.

Aen. 6.445Hīs Phaedram Procrimque locīs, maestamque Eriphȳlēn
crūdēlis nātī mōnstrantem volnera, cernit,
Evadnēnque et Pāsiphaēn;

In these places he sees Phaedra and Procris and sad Eriphyle, showing the wounds her cruel son gave her, and Evadne and Pasiphae;

Note. The heroines are from Greek myth, all women whose love ended badly. Phaedram: wife of Theseus, who fell in love with her stepson Hippolytus and hanged herself. Procrim: killed by her husband Cephalus by mistake while hunting. Eriphȳlēn: she betrayed her husband Amphiaraus for a golden necklace and was killed by their son Alcmaeon. Evadnēn: she threw herself on the pyre of her husband Capaneus. Pāsiphaēn: wife of Minos, who loved a bull and bore the Minotaur. The Greek accusatives in -ēn are long.

Aen. 6.447hīs Lāodamīa
it comes, et iuvenis quondam, nunc fēmina, Caeneus,
rūrsus et in veterem fātō revolūta figūram.

with them goes Laodamia, and Caeneus, once a young man, now a woman, turned back again by fate into her former shape.

Note. Lāodamīa: wife of Protesilaus, the first Greek killed at Troy. She was allowed three hours with his ghost and died when he left. Caeneus: born a girl, Caenis, changed into a man by Neptune, and here returned to a woman's shape in death. The masculine name with feminine revolūta is deliberate.

Aen. 6.450Inter quās Phoenissa recēns ā volnere Dīdō
errābat silvā in magnā;

Among them Phoenician Dido, her wound still fresh, was wandering in the great forest.

Note. Phoenissa: 'the Phoenician woman', from Tyre. recēns ā volnere: 'fresh from her wound'; she killed herself with Aeneas' sword at the end of Book 4. volnere: archaic spelling of vulnere. The last one named, Dido, completes the list of tragic lovers.

Aen. 6.451quam Trōius hērōs
ut prīmum iūxtā stetit adgnōvitque per umbrās
obscūram, quālem prīmō quī surgere mēnse
aut videt, aut vīdisse putat per nūbila lūnam,
455dēmīsit lacrimās, dulcīque adfātus amōre est:
Īnfēlīx Dīdō, vērus mihi nūntius ergō
vēnerat exstīnctam, ferrōque extrēma secūtam?

As soon as the Trojan hero stood near her and recognized her, dim through the shadows, like one who sees, or thinks he has seen, the moon rising through the clouds at the beginning of the month, he let his tears fall and spoke to her with tender love: 'Unhappy Dido, so the message that came to me was true, that you were dead and had sought your end with the sword?

Note. quam: connecting relative, object of adgnōvit. ut prīmum: 'as soon as'. obscūram: 'dim'. quālem … lūnam: the simile compares Dido to the new moon seen faintly through clouds; it echoes Apollonius (Argonautica 4.1477–1480), where Lynceus thinks he sees Hercules far off. prīmō … mēnse: at the beginning of the month, when the moon is new. Īnfēlīx Dīdō: these were the words used of her in Book 4. vērus … nūntius: Aeneas had seen the flames of her pyre from the sea (5.3–7). ferrō: 'by the sword'. extrēma secūtam: 'had sought the end'.

Aen. 6.458Fūneris heu tibi causa fuī?

Was I, alas, the cause of your death?

Note. Fūneris … causa fuī: 'was I the cause of your death?' tibi: dative of disadvantage. heu: an interjection of grief.

Aen. 6.458Per sīdera iūrō,
per superōs, et sī qua fidēs tellūre sub īmā est,
460invītus, rēgīna, tuō dē lītore cessī.

By the stars I swear, by the gods above, and by whatever faith there is beneath the earth, against my will, queen, I left your shore.

Note. per sīdera … per superōs: the formula of an oath. sī qua fidēs: 'whatever faith'. invītus, rēgīna, tuō dē lītore cessī: an echo of Catullus 66.39, where a lock of hair says to Queen Berenice 'invita, o regina, tuo de vertice cessi', 'unwillingly, O queen, I left your head'. The echo of a playful poem at this solemn moment has puzzled readers.

Aen. 6.461Sed mē iussa deum, quae nunc hās īre per umbrās,
per loca senta sitū cōgunt noctemque profundam,
imperiīs ēgēre suīs;

But the commands of the gods, which now force me to go through these shadows, through places rough with neglect and deep night, drove me by their authority;

Note. iussa deum: the commands Mercury brought in Book 4. quae … cōgunt: 'which force me'. loca senta situ: 'places rough with neglect'; situs is the mould of things left unused. imperiīs … suīs: 'by their authority'. ēgēre = ēgērunt.

Aen. 6.463nec crēdere quīvī
hunc tantum tibi mē discessū ferre dolōrem.

nor could I believe that I would cause you such great grief by my going.

Note. quīvī: 'I was able', from queō. hunc tantum … dolōrem: 'this great grief'. discessū: ablative of means, 'by my departure'. ferre: indirect statement after crēdere.

Aen. 6.465Siste gradum, tēque aspectū nē subtrahe nostrō.

Stay your step and do not withdraw from my sight.

Note. Siste gradum: 'stay your step'. nē subtrahe: a negative command with nē and the imperative, poetic. aspectū … nostrō: 'from my sight'.

Aen. 6.466Quem fugis?

Whom are you running from?

Note. Quem fugis: 'whom are you running from?', a short and painful question.

Aen. 6.466Extrēmum fātō, quod tē adloquor, hoc est.

This is the last word fate allows me to speak to you.'

Note. Extrēmum … hoc est: 'this is the last time'. fātō: 'by fate's decree'. quod tē adloquor: 'that I speak to you'.

Aen. 6.467Tālibus Aenēās ārdentem et torva tuentem
lēnībat dictīs animum, lacrimāsque ciēbat.

With such words Aeneas tried to soothe her burning, fiercely glaring spirit, and kept stirring his own tears.

Note. torva tuentem: 'glaring fiercely'; torva is an adverbial accusative. lēnībat: archaic imperfect of lēniō, the conative imperfect, 'tried to soothe'. lacrimās … ciēbat: 'kept calling forth tears', his own.

Aen. 6.469Illa solō fīxōs oculōs āversa tenēbat,
470nec magis inceptō voltum sermōne movētur,
quam sī dūra silex aut stet Marpēsia cautēs.

She, turned away, kept her eyes fixed on the ground, and her face is no more moved by the speech he has begun than if she stood there hard flint or Marpessian marble.

Note. Dido's silence is the most famous answer in the Aeneid. Illa: emphatic, 'she'. solō: 'on the ground', from solum. āversa: 'turned away'. inceptō … sermōne: 'by the speech he has begun'. quam sī … stet: a comparison in the subjunctive. dūra silex: silex is feminine here. Marpēsia cautēs: 'Marpessian marble', from Mount Marpessus on Paros. Her silence echoes the silence of Ajax in Odyssey 11, who would not speak to Odysseus because of their old quarrel. In Book 4 Dido called Aeneas harder than rock; now she becomes one.

Aen. 6.472tandem corripuit sēsē, atque inimīca refūgit
in nemus umbriferum, coniūnx ubi prīstinus illī
respondet cūrīs aequatque Sychaeus amōrem.

At last she tore herself away and fled in hostility into the shady grove, where Sychaeus, her husband of former days, answers her cares and matches her love.

Note. corripuit sēsē: 'tore herself away'. inimīca: 'hostile'. umbriferum: 'shady'. coniūnx … prīstinus: Sychaeus, her first husband, murdered by her brother Pygmalion (1.343–352). respondet cūrīs: 'answers her cares'. aequat … amōrem: 'matches her love'. Dido has gone back to the husband she betrayed for Aeneas.

Aen. 6.475Nec minus Aenēās, cāsū concussus inīquō,
prōsequitur lacrimīs longē, et miserātur euntem.

Aeneas, no less struck by her unjust fate, follows her far with tears and pities her as she goes.

Note. cāsū … inīquō: 'by her unfair fate'. prōsequitur lacrimīs: 'follows her with tears'. euntem: present participle of eō.