Aeneid

Virgil

Vergil. The Aeneid of Virgil. Williams, Theodore, C, translator. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1910.

  1. By chance in covert of a lofty crag
  2. a ship stood fastened and at rest; her sides
  3. showed ready bridge and stairway; she had brought
  4. Osinius, king of Clusium. Thither came
  5. Aeneas' counterfeit of flight and fear,
  6. and dropped to darkness. Turnus, nothing loth,
  7. gave close chase, overleaping every bar,
  8. and scaling the high bridge; but scarce he reached
  9. the vessel's prow, when Juno cut her loose,
  10. the cables breaking, and along swift waves
  11. pushed her to sea. Yet in that very hour
  12. Aeneas to the battle vainly called
  13. the vanished foe, and round his hard-fought path
  14. stretched many a hero dead. No longer now
  15. the mocking shadow sought to hide, but soared
  16. visibly upward and was Iost in cloud,
  17. while Turnus drifted o'er the waters wide
  18. before the wind. Bewildered and amazed
  19. he looked around him; little joy had he
  20. in his own safety, but upraised his hands
  21. in prayer to Heaven: “O Sire omnipotent!
  22. Didst thou condemn me to a shame like this?
  23. Such retribution dire? Whither now?
  24. Whence came I here? What panic wafts away
  25. this Turnus—if 't is he? Shall I behold
  26. Laurentum's towers once more? But what of those
  27. my heroes yonder, who took oath to me,
  28. and whom—O sin and shame!—I have betrayed
  29. to horrible destruction? Even now
  30. I see them routed, and my ears receive
  31. their dying groans. What is this thing I do?
  32. Where will the yawning earth crack wide enough
  33. beneath my feet? Ye tempests, pity me!
  34. On rocks and reef—'t is Turnus' faithful prayer,
  35. let this bark founder; fling it on the shoals
  36. of wreckful isles, where no Rutulian eye
  37. can follow me, or Rumor tell my shame.”
  38. With such wild words his soul tossed to and fro,
  39. not knowing if to hide his infamy
  40. with his own sword and madly drive its blade
  41. home to his heart, or cast him in the sea,
  42. and, swimming to the rounded shore, renew
  43. his battle with the Trojan foe. Three times
  44. each fatal course he tried; but Juno's power
  45. three times restrained, and with a pitying hand
  46. the warrior's purpose barred. So on he sped
  47. o'er yielding waters and propitious tides,
  48. far as his father Daunus' ancient town.