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Vergil · Aeneid VIII

Aeneid 8.608–629

Venus brings the arms

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Aen. 8.608At Venus aetheriōs inter dea candida nimbōs
dōna ferēns aderat;
But Venus, the bright goddess, was at hand among the clouds of heaven, bearing her gifts;
Aen. 8.609nātumque in valle reductā
610ut procul ēgelidō sēcrētum flūmine vīdit,
tālibus adfāta est dictīs sēque obtulit ultrō:
Ēn perfecta meī prōmissa coniugis arte
mūnera, nē mox aut Laurentīs, nāte, superbōs
aut ācrem dubitēs in proelia poscere Turnum.
and when she saw her son far off, secluded in a remote valley by the cool river, she addressed him with these words and showed herself unasked: 'See, the promised gifts, made perfect by my husband's skill, so that you need not hesitate, my son, soon to challenge the proud Laurentines or fierce Turnus to battle.'
Aen. 8.615Dīxit et amplexūs nātī Cytherēa petīvit,
arma sub adversā posuit radiantia quercū.
The Cytherean spoke and sought her son's embrace, and set the shining arms beneath an oak facing him.
Aen. 8.617Ille, deae dōnīs et tantō laetus honōre,
explērī nequit atque oculōs per singula volvit
mīrāturque interque manūs et bracchia versat
620terribilem cristīs galeam flammāsque vomentem
fātiferumque ēnsem, lōrīcam ex aere rigentem
sanguineam ingentem, quālis cum caerula nūbēs
sōlis inārdēscit radiīs longēque refulget;
He, delighted by the goddess's gifts and so great an honour, cannot have his fill, and rolls his eyes over each piece, and marvels, and turns over in his hands and arms the helmet, terrible with its crests and spouting flames, and the fate-dealing sword, the breastplate stiff with bronze, blood-red and huge, like a dark-blue cloud when it is kindled by the sun's rays and gleams far and wide;
Aen. 8.624tum levīs ocreās ēlectrō aurōque recoctō
625hastamque et clipeī nōn ēnarrābile textum.
then the smooth greaves of electrum and refined gold, and the spear, and the indescribable fabric of the shield.

Aen. 8.626Illīc rēs Ītalās Rōmānōrumque triumphōs
haud vātum ignārus ventūrīque īnscius aevī
fēcerat ignipotēns, illīc genus omne futūrae
stirpis ab Ascaniō.
There the Lord of Fire, not ignorant of the prophets nor unaware of the age to come, had made the story of Italy and the triumphs of the Romans, there the whole line of the race to come from Ascanius,
Aen. 8.629pugnātaque in ōrdine bella.and the wars they fought, in order.

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Grammar in this passage: ablative absolute ×1

Latin vocabulary for this passage (120 words)
at, conj.but
aetherius, -a, -umof the upper air, heavenly
inter, prep, with acc.among, between
dea, -ae f.goddess
candidus, -a, -umshining white, bright
nimbus, -ī m.rain-cloud, storm-cloud
dōnum, -ī, n.gift
ferō, ferre, tulī, lātusbear, bring
adsum, adesse, adfuībe present, be at hand
nātus, -ī m.son; (pl.) children
que, enclitic conj.and
in, prep. with acc. and abl.with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on
vallis, -is, f.valley
redūcō, -dūcere, -dūxī, -ductuslead or bring back; restore
ut, conj.as; when; that; ita ut, as
procul, adv.at or from a distance, far
ēgelidus, -a, -umwith the chill gone, mild, warm
sēcrētus, -a, -umseparate; secret, private
flūmen, -minis, n.river
videō, vidēre, vīdī, vīsussee; pass., seem
tālis, -esuch
adfor (affor), -fārī, -fātus sumspeak to, address
sum, esse, fuī, futūrusbe
dictum, -ī n.word, order (dictō audiēns: obedient)
suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron.himself, herself, itself, themselves
offerō, offerre, obtulī, oblātusbear to, proffer, offer
ultrō (adv.)of one's own accord; besides (ultrō citrōque: back and forth)
ēn (interj.)look! see! there!
perficiō, -ficere, -fēcī, -fectusdo or make through, accomplish
meus, -a, -ummy, mine
prōmittō, -mittere, -mīsī, -missussend or put forth, promise
coniūnx, coniugis, m. and f.spouse, husband, wife
ars, artis, f.art
mūnus, mūneris, n.service, office, duty; present, gift
nē, adv.not; nē ... quidem, not ... even; conj., that not, lest
mox, adv.soon
aut, conj.or; aut ... aut, either ... or
superbus, -a, -umproud, arrogant, haughty
ācer, ācris, ācresharp, shrill
dubitō, -āre, -āvī, -ātusdoubt, hesitate
proelium, -ī, n.battle, combat; proelium committere, to join battle
poscō, poscere, poposcīask, demand
dīcō, dīcere, dīxī, dictussay, speak; diem dīcere, to appoint or set a day
et, conj.and; et ... et, both ... and
amplexus, -ūs m.embrace
petō, -ere, -īvī or -iī, -ītusseek, ask; attack
arma, -ōrum, n. plur.arms, weapons
sub, prep. with acc. and abl.under; sub vesperum, towards evening
adversus, -a, -umfacing; unfavourable, unsuccessful
pōnō, pōnere, posuī, positusplace, put; pōnī with in and abl., to be placed in, rest or depend on
radiō, -āreshine, gleam
quercus, -ūs f.oak tree
ille, illa, illud, dem. pron.that; he, she, it, they; ille ... hīc, see hīc
tantus, -a, -umso great or much
laetus, -a, -umglad, joyful
honor, -ōris, m.honor
expleō, -ēre, -plēvī, -plētusfill up, complete; make good
nequeō, -īre, -īvībe unable, cannot
atque, ac (conj.)and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants)
oculus, -ī, m.eye
per, prep, with ace.through, by means of
singulī, -ae, -aone at a time, single
volvō, -ere, volvī, volūtusroll, turn over; ponder (multa sēcum volvere)
mīror, -ārī, -ātuswonder, wonder at
manus, -ūs, f.hand
bracchium, -ī, n.arm
versō, -āre, -āvī, -ātusturn about; (pass. or reflexive) move about, be engaged
terribilis, -edreadful, terrible
crista, -ae f.crest, plume (of a helmet)
galea, -ae, f.helmet
flamma, -ae, f.flame
vomō, -ere, -uī, -itusvomit, spew out, pour forth
fātifer, -era, -erumdeadly, fatal
ēnsis, -is m.sword (a poetic word)
lōrīca, -ae f.breastplate; breastwork, parapet
ex, ē (prep. + abl.)out of, from; of (ē only before consonants)
aes, aeris, n.copper, bronze
rigeō, -ērebe stiff
sanguineus, -a, -umbloody, blood-red
ingēns, -gentis, adj.huge, vast
quālis, -eof what sort? what kind of?
cum, conj.when, while, after; since; although
caeruleus, -a, -umdark blue
nūbēs, -is, f.cloud
sōl, sōlis, m.sun
inārdēscō, -ere, -ārsīcatch fire, glow; burn (with love)
radius, -ī m.rod, spoke; ray, beam (of light)
longē, adv.far
refulgeō, -fulgēre, -fulsīflash back, shine
tum, adv.then, at that time
levis, -elight, slight
ocrea, -ae f.greave, leg armour
ēlectrum, -ī n.amber; electrum, alloy of gold and silver
aurum, -ī, n.gold
recoquō, -ere, -coxī, -coctuscook again; reforge, smelt again
hasta, -ae f.spear
clipeus, -ī m. (also clipeum, -ī n.)round bronze shield
nōn, adv.not
ēnarrābilis, -ethat can be described; non enarrabile: indescribable
textum, -ī n.woven cloth, fabric
illīc (adv.)there
rēs, reī, f.thing, matter, affair, circumstance, situation; rē vērā, in truth, in fact, really
Ītalus, -a, -umItalian
Rōmānus, -a, -umRoman
triumphus, -ī m.triumph, a victorious general's procession
haud, adv.not at all, by no means, not
vātēs, -is m. and f.prophet, seer, soothsayer
ignārus, -a, -umignorant
veniō, venīre, vēnī, ventuscome
īnscius, -a, -umnot knowing, unaware
aevum, -ī n.age, lifetime; old age
faciō, facere, fēcī, factusmake, do; iter facere, see iter
ignipotēns, -entislord of fire (an epithet of Vulcan)
genus, generis, n.kind, nature
omnis, -eall, every
stirps, stirpis f.stock, root; family, race
ā, ab (prep. + abl.)away from, from; by (ā only before consonants)
pugnō, -āre, -āvī, -ātusfight
ōrdō, ōrdinis, m.arrangement, order, rank; ex ōrdine, in order
bellum, -ī, n.war
Vergil, Aeneid VIII. 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.