Aeneid

Virgil

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

  1. The warrior-maid Juturna, seeing this,
  2. distraught with terror, strikes down from his place
  3. Metiscus, Turnus' charioteer, who dropped
  4. forward among the reins and off the pole.
  5. Him leaving on the field, her own hand grasped
  6. the loosely waving reins, while she took on
  7. Metiscus' shape, his voice, and blazoned arms.
  8. As when through some rich master's spacious halls
  9. speeds the black swallow on her lightsome wing,
  10. exploring the high roof, or harvesting
  11. some scanty morsel for her twittering brood,
  12. round empty corridors or garden-pools
  13. noisily flitting: so Juturna roams
  14. among the hostile ranks, and wings her way
  15. behind the swift steeds of the whirling car.
  16. At divers points she lets the people see
  17. her brother's glory, but not yet allows
  18. the final tug of war; her pathless flight
  19. keeps far away. Aeneas too must take
  20. a course circuitous, and follows close
  21. his foeman's track; Ioud o'er the scattered lines
  22. he shouts his challenge. But whene'er his eyes
  23. discern the foe, and fain he would confront
  24. the flying-footed steeds, Juturna veers
  25. the chariot round and flies. What can he do?
  26. Aeneas' wrath storms vainly to and fro,
  27. and wavering purposes his heart divide.
  28. Against him lightly leaped Messapus forth,
  29. bearing two pliant javelins tipped with steel;
  30. and, whirling one in air, he aimed it well,
  31. with stroke unfailing. Great Aeneas paused
  32. in cover of his shield and crouched low down
  33. upon his haunches. But the driven spear
  34. battered his helmet's peak and plucked away
  35. the margin of his plume. Then burst his rage:
  36. his cunning foes had forced him; so at last,
  37. while steeds and chariot in the distance fly,
  38. he plunged him in the fray, and called on Jove
  39. the altars of that broken oath to see.
  40. Now by the war-god's favor he began
  41. grim, never-pitying slaughter, and flung free
  42. the bridle of his rage.