Aeneid 6.854–892

Aen. 6.854Sīc pater Anchīsēs, atque haec mīrantibus addit:
855Aspice, ut īnsignis spoliīs Mārcellus opīmīs
ingreditur, victorque virōs superēminet omnēs!

So spoke father Anchises, and as they marvelled he went on: 'See how Marcellus advances, distinguished by the spoils of honour, and towers in victory over all the men.

Note. mīrantibus: dative, 'to them as they marvelled'. Mārcellus: M. Claudius Marcellus, five times consul, who in 222 BC killed the Gallic chief Viridomarus in single combat and won the spolia opima, the third and last Roman to do so (after Romulus and Cossus). He later fought Hannibal, and took Syracuse in 211 BC. superēminet: 'towers above', with the accusative.

Aen. 6.857Hic rem Rōmānam, magnō turbante tumultū,
sistet, eques sternet Poenōs Gallumque rebellem,
tertiaque arma patrī suspendet capta Quirīnō.

As a horseman he will steady the Roman state when a great uproar throws it into confusion; he will lay low the Carthaginians and the rebellious Gaul, and will hang up the third set of captured arms to father Quirinus.'

Note. rem Rōmānam … sistet: 'will steady the Roman state'. magnō turbante tumultū: ablative absolute, 'when a great uproar throws it into confusion'; tumultus is the technical word for a sudden war on Italian soil, especially a Gallic invasion. eques: 'as a horseman'. Poenōs: the Carthaginians. tertia … arma … capta: the third spolia opima. patrī … Quirīnō: the deified Romulus, at whose temple the spoils were hung; the usual tradition says Jupiter Feretrius.

Aen. 6.860Atque hīc Aenēās;

And at this Aeneas spoke,

Note. A short sentence that breaks off; the next line explains the reason (namque) before Aeneas' question.

Aen. 6.860ūnā namque īre vidēbat
ēgregium fōrmā iuvenem et fulgentibus armīs,
sed frōns laeta parum, et dēiectō lūmina voltū:
Quis, pater, ille, virum quī sīc comitātur euntem?

for he saw walking with him a young man outstanding in beauty and in shining armour, but his brow was far from joyful and his eyes were downcast: 'Who, father, is that who accompanies the hero as he goes?

Note. ūnā … īre: 'walking together' with Marcellus. ēgregium fōrmā iuvenem: the young Marcellus, nephew and son-in-law of Augustus and his intended heir, who died in 23 BC at the age of nineteen. frōns laeta parum: 'a brow not joyful enough', i.e. sad. dēiectō … voltū: ablative of description. Quis … ille virum: 'who is that, of the men?', virum = virōrum. comitātur: deponent, 'accompanies'.

Aen. 6.864Fīlius, anne aliquis magnā dē stirpe nepōtum?

His son, or someone else from the great line of his descendants?

Note. anne: 'or else', introducing the second part of a double question. aliquis … dē stirpe nepōtum: 'someone from the line of descendants'.

Aen. 6.865Quis strepitus circā comitum!

What a noise of companions around him!

Note. Quis strepitus: quis is an interrogative adjective here (strictly quī would be expected), 'what noise!'. circā: adverb, 'around'. comitum: genitive of the companions crowding around the youth.

Aen. 6.865Quantum īnstar in ipsō!

What a presence he has in himself!

Note. Quantum īnstar: 'what a presence', literally 'what an image (of greatness)'. īnstar is an indeclinable noun meaning 'likeness, equivalent'.

Aen. 6.866Sed nox ātra caput trīstī circumvolat umbrā.

But black night hovers around his head with its sad shadow.'

Note. nox ātra … circumvolat: the black night of death hovers around his head. trīstī … umbrā: 'with gloomy shadow'. This line repeats Aeneid 2.360, where it described the night of Troy's fall.

Aen. 6.867Tum pater Anchīsēs, lacrimīs ingressus obortīs:
Ō gnāte, ingentem lūctum nē quaere tuōrum;

Then father Anchises began, as tears welled up: 'O my son, do not ask about the vast grief of your people.

Note. ingressus: 'beginning', supply loquī. lacrimīs … obortīs: ablative absolute, 'with tears welling up'. gnāte = nāte, the old spelling. nē quaere: prohibition with nē and the imperative. lūctum … tuōrum: 'the grief of your people'.

Aen. 6.869ostendent terrīs hunc tantum fāta, neque ultrā
870esse sinent.

The fates will only show him to the earth, and will not let him live longer.

Note. ostendent … hunc tantum fāta: 'the fates will only show him to the earth', tantum here meaning 'only'. neque ultrā esse sinent: 'and will not let him live any longer'.

Aen. 6.870Nimium vōbīs Rōmāna prōpāgō
vīsa potēns, Superī, propria haec sī dōna fuissent.

You thought the Roman stock would be too powerful, gods above, if these gifts had been its own to keep.

Note. Nimium … vīsa potēns: supply esset; the sentence is the main clause of a past contrary-to-fact condition with sī … fuissent: 'the Roman race would have seemed to you, gods, too powerful, if these gifts had been lasting'. Superī: vocative, the gods above. propria: 'one's own for ever', permanent.

Aen. 6.872Quantōs ille virum magnam Māvortis ad urbem
campus aget gemitūs, vel quae, Tiberīne, vidēbis
fūnera, cum tumulum praeterlābēre recentem!

What groans of men will that field send up to the great city of Mavors! Or what funeral, Tiber, will you see as you glide past his new tomb!

Note. Quantōs … gemitūs: 'what groans of men'. ille … campus: the Campus Martius, where Marcellus was cremated and his ashes laid in the Mausoleum of Augustus. Māvortis … urbem: Rome, city of Mars. aget: 'will send up'. vel quae … fūnera: 'or what funeral'. Tiberīne: vocative; Anchises addresses the Tiber, which flows past the Mausoleum. praeterlābēre: 2nd person singular future of the deponent praeterlābor, 'you will glide past'.

Aen. 6.875Nec puer Īliacā quisquam dē gente Latīnōs
in tantum spē tollet avōs, nec Rōmula quondam
ūllō sē tantum tellūs iactābit alumnō.

No boy of the Ilian race will raise his Latin ancestors so high in hope, nor will the land of Romulus ever pride itself so much on any of its sons.

Note. Nec puer … quisquam: 'nor will any boy'. Īliacā dē gente: 'of the Trojan race'. in tantum spē tollet: 'will raise so high in hope'. Rōmula … tellūs: 'the land of Romulus', i.e. Rome; Rōmula is the adjective. alumnō: ablative with sē iactābit, 'will pride itself on'.

Aen. 6.878Heu pietās, heu prīsca fidēs, invictaque bellō
dextera!

Alas for his devotion, alas for his old-fashioned honour and his right hand unbeaten in war!

Note. Heu pietās, heu prīsca fidēs: exclamations without a verb. invicta … bellō dextera: 'right hand unconquered in war'; dextera = dextra, the full form, scanned with three syllables.

Aen. 6.879Nōn illī sē quisquam impūne tulisset
880obvius armātō, seu cum pedes īret in hostem,
seu spūmantis equī foderet calcāribus armōs.

No one would have met him in arms unharmed, whether he went on foot against the enemy or dug his spurs into the flanks of his foaming horse.

Note. Nōn illī sē quisquam … tulisset obvius: a past potential (or contrary-to-fact) subjunctive: 'no one would have met him in arms unharmed', if he had lived. illī … armātō: dative with obvius. seu … seu: 'whether … or'. pedes: 'on foot', not pēs. foderet calcāribus armōs: 'dug his spurs into the flanks'.

Aen. 6.882Heu, miserande puer, sī quā fāta aspera rumpās,
tū Mārcellus eris.

Ah, pitiable boy, if only you could somehow break your harsh fate! You will be Marcellus.

Note. miserande: vocative of the gerundive, 'pitiable'. sī quā … rumpās: a wish, 'if only you could in some way break'. quā: adverb, 'in any way'. tū Mārcellus eris: 'you will be Marcellus', one of the most famous half-lines in Latin. The story goes that when Vergil read this book to Augustus and his sister Octavia, the boy's mother fainted at these words.

Aen. 6.883Manibus date līlia plēnīs,
purpureōs spargam flōrēs, animamque nepōtis
885hīs saltem adcumulem dōnīs, et fungar inānī
mūnere— Sīc tōtā passim regiōne vagantur
āëris in campīs lātīs, atque omnia lūstrant.

Give me lilies with full hands; let me scatter bright flowers, and heap up these gifts at least for my descendant's soul, and perform an empty duty.' So they wander here and there through the whole region, in the wide fields of air, and survey it all.

Note. Manibus … plēnīs: 'with full hands'. date līlia: Anchises asks for lilies to scatter, as at a Roman funeral; date is plural, perhaps to attendants. spargam … adcumulem … fungar: jussive subjunctives, 'let me scatter …'. animam … nepōtis: 'the soul of my descendant'. inānī mūnere: 'an empty duty', since the gift cannot help. fungor takes the ablative. Sīc … vagantur: the narrative resumes. āëris in campīs: 'in the fields of air', possibly a broad name for Elysium; āëris has three syllables (ā-ē-ris).

Aen. 6.888Quae postquam Anchīsēs nātum per singula dūxit,
incenditque animum fāmae venientis amōre,
890exin bella virō memorat quae deinde gerenda,
Laurentīsque docet populōs urbemque Latīnī,
et quō quemque modō fugiatque feratque labōrem.

When Anchises had led his son through each of these things and fired his mind with love of the fame to come, he then tells the hero of the wars he must afterwards wage, teaches him of the Laurentine peoples and the city of Latinus, and how he is to avoid or endure each hardship.

Note. Quae postquam … per singula dūxit: 'after he had led him through these things one by one'; quae is a connecting relative. fāmae venientis amōre: 'with love of the glory to come'. exin = exinde, 'then'. bella … quae deinde gerenda: supply sint, 'which he must then wage', gerundive of obligation. Laurentīs … populōs: the peoples of Laurentum in Latium. urbem … Latīnī: the city of King Latinus. quō … modō fugiatque feratque: indirect question, 'how he may avoid or endure each hardship'. Book 6 ends quickly after the long prophecy.