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Vergil · Aeneid VII

Aeneid 7.511–539

The first bloodshed of the war

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Aen. 7.511At saeva ē speculīs tempus dea nacta nocendī
ardua tēcta petit stabulī et dē culmine summō
pāstōrāle canit signum cornūque recurvō
Tartaream intendit vōcem, quā prōtinus omne
515contremuit nemus et silvae īnsonuēre profundae;
But the cruel goddess, having seized from her watch-tower the moment to do harm, makes for the steep roof of the farm and from its highest top sounds the shepherds' signal, and on the curved horn strains her Tartarean voice, at which at once the whole grove trembled and the deep woods echoed;
Aen. 7.516audiit et Triviae longē lacus, audiit amnis
sulfureā Nār albus aquā fontēsque Velīnī,
et trepidae mātrēs pressēre ad pectora nātōs.
the lake of Trivia heard it far off, the river Nar heard it, white with sulphurous water, and the springs of Velinus, and trembling mothers pressed their children to their breasts.
Aen. 7.519Tum vērō ad vōcem celerēs, quā būcina signum
520dīra dedit, raptīs concurrunt undique tēlīs
indomitī agricolae;
Then indeed, swiftly, towards the sound where the dread trumpet gave the signal, the untamed farmers, seizing their weapons, run together from every side;
Aen. 7.521nec nōn et Trōïa pūbēs
Ascaniō auxilium castrīs effundit apertīs.
and the Trojan youth too pour out from the open camp to help Ascanius.

Aen. 7.523Dīrēxēre aciēs.They drew up their lines. Aen. 7.523Nōn iam certāmine agrestī,
stīpitibus dūrīs agitur sudibusve praeustīs,
525sed ferrō ancipitī dēcernunt ātraque lātē
horrēscit strictīs seges ēnsibus aeraque fulgent
sōle lacessīta et lūcem sub nūbila iactant:
flūctus utī prīmō coepit cum albēscere ventō,
paulātim sēsē tollit mare et altius undās
530ērigit, inde īmō cōnsurgit ad aethera fundō.
No longer is it a rustic contest with hard clubs or fire-hardened stakes, but they fight it out with two-edged steel, and far and wide a dark crop of drawn swords bristles, and bronze flashes, struck by the sun, and throws its light up beneath the clouds: as when a wave begins to whiten in the first wind, little by little the sea rises and lifts its waves higher, then surges up from its lowest depths to the sky.
Aen. 7.531Hīc iuvenis prīmam ante aciem strīdente sagittā,
nātōrum Tyrrhī fuerat quī maximus, Almō,
sternitur;
Here, before the front line, a young man is laid low by a whistling arrow, Almo, who had been the eldest of the sons of Tyrrhus;
Aen. 7.533haesit enim sub gutture volnus et ūdae
vōcis iter tenuemque inclūsit sanguine vītam.
for the wound stuck beneath his throat and closed with blood the path of his moist voice and his slender life.

Aen. 7.535Corpora multa virum circā seniorque Galaesus,
dum pācī medium sē offert, iūstissimus ūnus
quī fuit Ausoniīsque ōlim dītissimus arvīs:
quīnque gregēs illī bālantum, quīna redībant
armenta, et terram centum vertēbat arātrīs.
Around him lie many bodies of men, and old Galaesus, while he offers himself in the midst for peace, who was the most just of men and once the richest in the Ausonian fields: five flocks of bleating sheep he had, five herds came home, and he turned the earth with a hundred ploughs.

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Grammar in this passage: gerunds and gerundives ×1, ablative absolute ×3

Latin vocabulary for this passage (158 words)
at, conj.but
saevus, -a, -umfierce, savage
ex, ē (prep. + abl.)out of, from; of (ē only before consonants)
specula, -ae f.lookout, watchtower, height
tempus, temporis, n.time, season
dea, -ae f.goddess
nancīscor, nancīscī, nactusget, obtain, find
noceō, -ēre, nocuī, nocitum (+ dat.)harm, hurt
arduus, -a, -umsteep, difficult
tēctum, -ī n.roof; house
petō, -ere, -īvī or -iī, -ītusseek, ask; attack
stabulum, -ī, n.standing-place, stall, stable, inclosure
et, conj.and; et ... et, both ... and
dē, prep, with abl.down from, from, out of; about, concerning, of
culmen, -inis n.top, summit
summus, -a, -umuppermost, highest, greatest
pāstōrālis, -eof shepherds, pastoral
canō, -ere, cecinī, cantussing; of a trumpet: sound (receptuī canere: sound the retreat)
signum, -ī, n.sign, signal
cornū, -ūs, n.horn
que, enclitic conj.and
recurvus, -a, -umbent back, curved, winding
Tartareus, -a, -umof Tartarus, of the underworld
intendō, -tendere, -tendī, -tentusstretch out; stretch, draw, aim
vōx, vōcis, f.voice; word
quī, quae, quod, rel. pron.who, which
prōtinus (adv.)straight on; at once
omnis, -eall, every
contremīscō, -ere, -tremuītremble all over, quake
nemus, -oris n.grove, wood
silva, -ae, f.wood, forest
īnsonō, -āre, -sonuīresound, echo
profundus, -a, -umdeep
audiō, -īre, -īvī, -ītushear; listen or attend to
longē, adv.far
lacus, -ūs, m.lake
amnis, -is m.river
sulfureus, -a, -umsulphurous
albus, -a, -umwhite
aqua, -ae, f.water
fōns, fontis, m.fountain, spring
trepidus, -a, -umanxious, alarmed; critical, dangerous
māter, mātris, f.mother
premō, premere, pressī, pressuspress, check, restrain
ad, prep. with acc.to, toward; at, near; for
pectus, pectoris, n.breast
nātus, -ī m.son; (pl.) children
tum, adv.then, at that time
vērō, adv.in truth, indeed; however
celer, celeris, celereswift, quick
būcina, -ae f.curved horn, trumpet
dīrus, -a, -umdreadful
dō, dare, dedī, datusgive
rapiō, -ere, -uī, -tusseize, snatch
concurrō, -currere, -currī, -cursusrun, rush, or dash together
undique, adv.from or on all sides
tēlum, -ī, n.missile, spear, weapon
indomitus, -a, -umuntamed, ungovernable
agricola, -ae m.farmer, tiller of the soil
neque or nec, conj.and not, nor; neque ... neque, neither ... nor; neque enim, for ... not
nōn, adv.not
Trōius, -a, -umTrojan
pūbēs, -erisadult, grown-up (of men of military age)
auxilium, -ī, n.help, aid
castra, -ōrum, n. plur.camp
effundō, -fundere, -fūdī, -fūsuspour out
apertus, -a, -umopen
dīrigō (dērigō), -ere, -rēxī, -rēctusset straight, arrange in line; dērēctus: straight
aciēs, -ēī, f.line of battle
iam, adv.now, already
certāmen, -minis, n.struggle, contest
agrestis, -eof the country, rustic; boorish
stīpes, -itis m.stake, post, tree trunk
dūrus, -a, -umhard; harsh; difficult
agō, agere, ēgī, āctusdrive; do; pass, lead; grātiās agere, see grātia
sudis, -is f.stake, pile
praeūrō, -ere, -ussī, -ustusburn at the end, harden in the fire
sed, conj.but
ferrum, -ī n.iron; iron point, sword
anceps, ancipitistwo-sided, on two fronts; doubtful
dēcernō, -ere, dēcrēvī, dēcrētumdecide, decree
āter, ātra, ātrumblack, dark; gloomy
lātēwidely
horrēscō, -ere, horruīshudder, begin to tremble (at)
stringō, stringere, strinxī, strictusdraw, unsheathe
seges, -etis f.field of grain, standing crop
ēnsis, -is m.sword (a poetic word)
aes, aeris, n.copper, bronze
fulgeō, -ēre, fulsīflash, shine, glitter
sōl, sōlis, m.sun
lacessō, -ere, -īvī, -ītumprovoke, harass
lūx, lūcis, f.light
sub, prep. with acc. and abl.under; sub vesperum, towards evening
nūbila, -ōrum n. pl.clouds, the cloudy sky
iactō, -āre, -āvī, -ātumtoss about; discuss
flūctus, -ūs m.wave
ut, conj.as; when; that; ita ut, as
prīmus, -a, -umfirst, foremost
coepī, coepisse, coeptus (used in tenses of completed action)have begun, began
cum, conj.when, while, after; since; although
albēscō, -eregrow white, grow light (of dawn)
ventus, -ī, m.wind
paulātim (adv.)little by little, gradually
suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron.himself, herself, itself, themselves
tollō, tollere, sustulī, sublātuslift, raise; take away, remove; ancorās tollere, to weigh anchor
mare, maris, n.sea
altē (adv.)high; deep
unda, -ae, f.wave
ērigō, -rigere, -rēxī, -rēctusraise or set up, raise, lift; cheer, encourage
inde (adv.)from there; then
īmus, -a, -umlowest (ab īmō: from the bottom)
cōnsurgō, -ere, -surrēxī, -surrēctusrise together, stand up
aethēr, -eris m. (acc. aethera)the upper air, the sky
fundus, -ī m.bottom, depths
hīc, adv.here; hereupon
iuvenis, -is, m.young man, youth
ante, prep, with acc. and adv.before
strīdeō, -ēre, strīdīgrate, gnash; strīdēre dentibus: grind the teeth
sagitta, -ae, f.arrow
sum, esse, fuī, futūrusbe
magnus, -a, -umlarge, big, great, mighty; loud
sternō, -ere, strāvī, strātusspread out; furnish with couches (of a room)
haereō, haerēre, haesī, haesūrusstick; hesitate
enim, conj.for
guttur, -uris n.throat
vulnus, vulneris, n.wound
ūdus, -a, -umwet, damp, moist
iter, itineris, n.a going, journey, march; iter facere, to journey, march
tenuis, -ethin
inclūdō, -clūdere, -clūsī, -clūsusshut up in, inclose, imprison
sanguis, sanguinis, m.blood
vīta, -ae, f.life
corpus, corporis, n.body
multus, -a, -ummuch, great; plur., many
vir, virī, m.man
circā (adv. and prep. + acc.)around, about
senior, -ōris m.elder; seniores: the elders (of the people)
dum, conj.while, as; as long as; until
pāx, pācis f.peace
medius, -a, -ummid, middle
offerō, offerre, obtulī, oblātusbear to, proffer, offer
iūstus, -a, -umjust
ūnus, -a, -umone; only, alone
Ausonius, -a, -umAusonian, Italian (Ausonia: a poetic name for Italy)
ōlim, adv.once upon a time, once, formerly, of old
dīves, dīvitis (superl. dītissimus)rich
arvum, -ī n.ploughed field, field
quīnquefive
grex, gregis m.flock, herd; band, gang
ille, illa, illud, dem. pron.that; he, she, it, they; ille ... hīc, see hīc
bālō, -ārebleat; balantes: sheep
quīnī, -ae, -afive each, five at a time
redeō, -īre, -iī, -itusgo back, return
armentum, -ī n.herd (of cattle)
terra, -ae, f.land, earth
centum, indecl. adj.one hundred
vertō, vertere, vertī, versusturn
arātrum, -ī n.plough
Vergil, Aeneid VII. Latin text: J. B. Greenough, The Bucolics, Aeneid, and Georgics of Virgil (Boston, 1881), public domain; digital text from the Perseus Digital Library, CC BY-SA. Word analysis: drafted by our own tagger (trained on the hand-checked texts on this site), with every doubtful word checked by hand. English translation and section titles: written for this app, each checked against the Latin by a second reader.