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.
  1. What voice divine
  2. such horror can make known? What song declare
  3. the bloodshed manifold, the princes slain,
  4. or flying o'er the field from Turnus' blade,
  5. or from the Trojan King? Did Jove ordain
  6. so vast a shock of arms should interpose
  7. 'twixt nations destined to perpetual bond?
  8. Aeneas met the Rutule Sucro—thus
  9. staying the Trojan charge—and with swift blow
  10. struck at him sidewise, where the way of death
  11. is quickest, cleaving ribs and rounded side
  12. with reeking sword. Turnus met Amycus,
  13. unhorsed him, though himself afoot, and slew
  14. Diores, his fair brother (one was pierced
  15. fronting the spear, the other felled to earth
  16. by strike of sword), and both their severed heads
  17. he hung all dripping to his chariot's rim.
  18. But Talon, Tanais, and Cethegus brave,
  19. three in one onset, unto death went down
  20. at great Aeneas' hand; and he dispatched
  21. ill-starred Onites of Echion's line,
  22. fair Peridia's child. Then Turnus slew
  23. two Lycian brothers unto Phoebus dear,
  24. and young Menoetes, an Arcadian,
  25. who hated war (though vainly) when he plied
  26. his native fisher-craft in Lerna's streams,
  27. where from his mean abode he ne'er went forth
  28. to wait at great men's doors, but with his sire
  29. reaped the scant harvest of a rented glebe.
  30. as from two sides two conflagrations sweep
  31. dry woodlands or full copse of crackling bay,
  32. or as, swift-leaping from the mountain-vales,
  33. two flooded, foaming rivers seaward roar,
  34. each on its path of death, not less uproused,
  35. speed Turnus and Aeneas o'er the field;
  36. now storms their martial rage; now fiercely swells
  37. either indomitable heart; and now
  38. each hero's full strength to the slaughter moves.