Aeneid 6.576–616

Aen. 6.576Quīnquāgintā ātrīs immānis hiātibus Hydra
saevior intus habet sēdem.

Within, more savage, the monstrous Hydra with fifty black gaping mouths has her seat.

Note. Quīnquāgintā ātrīs … hiātibus: 'with fifty black gaping mouths'. Hydra: a monstrous many-headed water snake. Earlier in the book a Hydra stands at the entrance; this is a second one inside. saevior: 'more savage' than Tisiphone.

Aen. 6.577Tum Tartarus ipse
bis patet in praeceps tantum tenditque sub umbrās,
quantus ad aetherium caelī suspectus Olympum.

Then Tartarus itself opens sheer and stretches down under the shadows twice as far as the view up through the sky to heavenly Olympus.

Note. bis … tantum … quantus: 'twice as far as'. in praeceps: 'downwards, sheer'. suspectus: noun, 'the view upward'. The idea of Tartarus as far below the earth as the sky is above it comes from Hesiod (Theogony 720–725) and Homer (Iliad 8.16).

Aen. 6.580Hīc genus antīquum Terrae, Tītānia pūbēs,
fulmine dēiectī fundō volvuntur in īmō.

Here the ancient offspring of Earth, the Titan brood, hurled down by the thunderbolt, roll in the lowest depth.

Note. genus antīquum Terrae: 'the ancient offspring of Earth', the Titans, defeated by Jupiter. Tītānia pūbēs: 'the Titan brood'. dēiectī: 'hurled down'. fundō … in īmō: 'in the lowest depth'.

Aen. 6.582Hīc et Alōīdās geminōs immānia vīdī
corpora, quī manibus magnum rescindere caelum
adgressī, superīsque Iovem dētrūdere regnīs.

Here too I saw the twin sons of Aloeus, huge bodies, who tried with their hands to tear down the great heaven and to thrust Jupiter from his kingdom above.

Note. Alōīdās: the sons of Aloeus, the giants Otus and Ephialtes, who piled mountains to storm heaven. vīdī: the Sibyl speaks of what she saw when Hecate guided her. immānia … corpora: in apposition. rescindere: 'to tear down'. adgressī: supply sunt.

Aen. 6.585Vīdī et crūdēlēs dantem Salmōnea poenās,
dum flammās Iovis et sonitūs imitātur Olympī.

I saw Salmoneus too paying cruel penalties for imitating the flames of Jupiter and the thunder of Olympus.

Note. Vīdī et: 'I saw also'. crūdēlēs dantem … poenās: 'paying cruel penalties', poenās dare. Salmōnea: Greek accusative; the e is short, as the line requires. dum … imitātur: 'for imitating', dum with a present indicative in past time. Salmoneus, king of Elis, drove a chariot over a bronze bridge to imitate thunder and threw torches to imitate lightning, until Jupiter killed him with a real thunderbolt.

Aen. 6.587Quattuor hic invectus equīs et lampada quassāns
per Grāium populōs mediaeque per Ēlidis urbem
ībat ovāns, dīvomque sibi poscēbat honōrem,—
590dēmēns, quī nimbōs et nōn imitābile fulmen
aere et cornipedum pulsū simulāret equōrum.

Drawn by four horses and brandishing a torch, he went in triumph through the peoples of the Greeks and through the city in the middle of Elis, and claimed for himself the honour of the gods, madman, who would imitate the storm clouds and the inimitable thunderbolt with bronze and the beat of horn-footed horses.

Note. Quattuor … equīs: 'by four horses'. lampada quassāns: 'brandishing a torch'; lampada is a Greek accusative. mediae … per Ēlidis urbem: 'through the city in the middle of Elis'. ovāns: 'in triumph', a Roman word for a lesser triumph. dēmēns: 'madman', in apposition. simulāret: subjunctive in a relative clause of characteristic, 'who would imitate'. aere: from aes, 'bronze'. cornipedum: 'horn-footed', i.e. hoofed horses. The repeated sounds of the line imitate the clatter.

Aen. 6.592At pater omnipotēns dēnsa inter nūbila tēlum
contorsit, nōn ille facēs nec fūmea taedīs
lūmina, praecipitemque immānī turbine adēgit.

But the almighty father hurled his weapon through the thick clouds (no torches his, nor smoky light of pine brands) and drove him headlong with a monstrous whirlwind.

Note. pater omnipotēns: Jupiter. tēlum: the thunderbolt. nōn ille facēs: supply contorsit: 'he hurled no torches'. fūmea taedīs lūmina: 'the smoky light of pine brands'. praecipitem … adēgit: 'drove him headlong'. immānī turbine: 'with a monstrous whirlwind'.

Aen. 6.595Nec nōn et Tityon, Terrae omniparentis alumnum,
cernere erat, per tōta novem cui iūgera corpus
porrigitur, rōstrōque immānis voltur obuncō
immortāle iecur tondēns fēcundaque poenīs
viscera, rīmāturque epulīs, habitatque sub altō
600pectore, nec fībrīs requiēs datur ūlla renātīs.

Tityos too, the nursling of Earth the mother of all, could be seen, whose body is stretched over nine whole acres, and a monstrous vulture with hooked beak, cropping his undying liver and his entrails fruitful for punishment, probes them for its feasts and dwells deep in his breast, and no rest is given to his fibres as they grow again.

Note. Nec nōn et: 'and also'. Tityon: Greek accusative. Tityos, a giant son of Earth, tried to rape Latona, mother of Apollo and Diana, and was killed by them. cernere erat: 'it was possible to see', a Greek construction. novem … iūgera: 'nine acres', the size of his body, as in Homer (Odyssey 11.576–581). rōstrō … obuncō: 'with hooked beak'. immortāle iecur: the liver, thought to be the seat of lust, grows back as fast as the vulture eats it. fēcunda poenīs: 'fruitful for punishment'. fībrīs … renātīs: 'to the fibres as they grow again'.

Aen. 6.602quōs super ātra silex iam iam lāpsūra cadentīque
imminet adsimilis;

Over them a black rock, just now slipping, just now about to fall, hangs as if falling;

Note. The sentence has no antecedent for quōs because line 6.601, 'quid memorem Lapithās, Īxīona Pīrithoumque?', 'why tell of the Lapiths, Ixion and Pirithous?', is missing from this text (see text_fixes.txt). quōs super: 'over whom', the preposition after its object. iam iam lapsūra: 'just now about to slip'. cadentīque imminet adsimilis: 'hangs like one falling'. The overhanging rock is the punishment usually given to Tantalus.

Aen. 6.603lūcent geniālibus altīs
aurea fulcra torīs, epulaeque ante ōra parātae
605rēgificō luxū;

the golden frames of high festive couches gleam, and a feast is set before their eyes with royal luxury;

Note. lūcent: the scene shifts to a banquet. geniālibus … torīs: 'festive couches'. aurea fulcra: 'golden bedposts', the frame of dining couches. rēgificō luxū: 'with royal luxury'. The feast they cannot touch is the punishment of Tantalus, here transferred to Ixion and Pirithous.

Aen. 6.605Furiārum maxima iūxtā
accubat, et manibus prohibet contingere mēnsās,
exsurgitque facem attollēns, atque intonat ōre.

the eldest of the Furies lies close by and forbids them to touch the tables, and rises, lifting her torch and thundering with her voice.

Note. Furiārum maxima: 'the eldest of the Furies'. accubat: 'reclines beside them'. prohibet contingere: 'forbids them to touch'. intonat ōre: 'thunders with her voice'.

Aen. 6.608Hīc, quibus invīsī frātrēs, dum vīta manēbat,
pulsātusve parēns, et fraus innexa clientī,
610aut quī dīvitiīs sōlī incubuēre repertīs,
nec partem posuēre suīs (quae maxima turba est),
quīque ob adulterium caesī, quīque arma secūtī
impia nec veritī dominōrum fallere dextrās,
inclūsī poenam exspectant.

Here are those who hated their brothers while life lasted, or struck a parent, or wove deceit against a client, or who brooded alone over the wealth they had found and set no share aside for their own (and these are the largest crowd), and those who were killed for adultery, and those who followed impious arms and did not fear to break faith with their masters: shut in, they await their punishment.

Note. A list of Roman sins. quibus invīsī frātrēs: 'those by whom brothers were hated', dative of agent. pulsātusve parēns: 'or a parent struck'. fraus innexa clientī: 'deceit woven against a client'. Betraying a client was a grave crime in Roman law, as the Twelve Tables say: 'patronus si clienti fraudem fecerit, sacer esto'. dīvitiīs … incubuēre: 'brooded over wealth', like a dragon on its hoard. sōlī: 'alone'. quae maxima turba est: 'and these are the largest crowd'. ob adulterium caesī: 'killed for adultery'. arma secūtī impia: those who joined rebel armies, perhaps an allusion to the civil wars. dominōrum fallere dextrās: 'to break faith with their masters', i.e. slaves who deserted. inclūsī: 'shut in'.

Aen. 6.614Nē quaere docērī
615quam poenam, aut quae fōrma virōs fortūnave mersit.

Do not seek to learn what punishment, or what shape of fate has overwhelmed them.

Note. Nē quaere docērī: 'do not seek to be told'; nē with the imperative. quam poenam: supply exspectent. fōrma: 'kind', i.e. of punishment. fortūnave: 'or fate'. mersit: 'has overwhelmed'.

Aen. 6.616Saxum ingēns volvunt aliī, radiīsque rotārum

Some roll a huge rock, others on the spokes of wheels

Note. aliī … aliī: the second aliī falls in the next line. Saxum ingēns volvunt: the punishment of Sisyphus. radiīs … rotārum: 'on the spokes of wheels', the punishment of Ixion; the sentence continues in 6.617 with districtī pendent, 'hang stretched out'.