Aeneid

Virgil

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

  1. When Panthus met me, who had scarce escaped
  2. the Grecian spears,—Panthus of Othrys' line,
  3. Apollo's priest within our citadel;
  4. his holy emblems, his defeated gods,
  5. and his small grandson in his arms he bore,
  6. while toward the gates with wild, swift steps he flew.
  7. “How fares the kingdom, Panthus? What strong place
  8. is still our own?” But scarcely could I ask
  9. when thus, with many a groan, he made reply:—
  10. “Dardania's death and doom are come to-day,
  11. implacable. There is no Ilium now;
  12. our Trojan name is gone, the Teucrian throne
  13. Quite fallen. For the wrathful power of Jove
  14. has given to Argos all our boast and pride.
  15. The Greek is Iord of all yon blazing towers.
  16. yon horse uplifted on our city's heart
  17. disgorges men-at-arms. False Sinon now,
  18. with scorn exultant, heaps up flame on flame.
  19. Others throw wide the gates. The whole vast horde
  20. that out of proud Mycenae hither sailed
  21. is at us. With confronting spears they throng
  22. each narrow passage. Every steel-bright blade
  23. is flashing naked, making haste for blood.
  24. Our sentries helpless meet the invading shock
  25. and give back blind and unavailing war.”
  26. By Panthus' word and by some god impelled,
  27. I flew to battle, where the flames leaped high,
  28. where grim Bellona called, and all the air
  29. resounded high as heaven with shouts of war.
  30. Rhipeus and Epytus of doughty arm
  31. were at my side, Dymas and Hypanis,
  32. seen by a pale moon, join our little band;
  33. and young Coroebus, Mygdon's princely son,
  34. who was in Troy that hour because he loved
  35. Cassandra madly, and had made a league
  36. as Priam's kinsman with our Phrygian arms:
  37. ill-starred, to heed not what the virgin raved!
  1. When these I saw close-gathered for the fight,
  2. I thus addressed them: “Warriors, vainly brave,
  3. if ye indeed desire to follow one
  4. who dares the uttermost brave men may do,
  5. our evil plight ye see: the gods are fled
  6. from every altar and protecting fire,
  7. which were the kingdom's stay. Ye offer aid
  8. unto your country's ashes. Let us fight
  9. unto the death! To arms, my men, to arms!
  10. The single hope and stay of desperate men
  11. is their despair.” Thus did I rouse their souls.
  12. Then like the ravening wolves, some night of cloud,
  13. when cruel hunger in an empty maw
  14. drives them forth furious, and their whelps behind
  15. wait famine-throated; so through foemen's steel
  16. we flew to surest death, and kept our way
  17. straight through the midmost town . The wings of night
  18. brooded above us in vast vault of shade.
  19. But who the bloodshed of that night can tell?
  20. What tongue its deaths shall number, or what eyes
  21. find meed of tears to equal all its woe?
  22. The ancient City fell, whose throne had stood
  23. age after age. Along her streets were strewn
  24. the unresisting dead; at household shrines
  25. and by the temples of the gods they lay.
  26. Yet not alone was Teucrian blood required:
  27. oft out of vanquished hearts fresh valor flamed,
  28. and the Greek victor fell. Anguish and woe
  29. were everywhere; pale terrors ranged abroad,
  30. and multitudinous death met every eye.
  1. Androgeos, followed by a thronging band
  2. of Greeks, first met us on our desperate way;
  3. but heedless, and confounding friend with foe,
  4. thus, all unchallenged, hailed us as his own :
  5. “Haste, heroes! Are ye laggards at this hour?
  6. Others bear off the captives and the spoil
  7. of burning Troy. Just from the galleys ye?”
  8. He spoke; but straightway, when no safe reply
  9. returned, he knew himself entrapped, and fallen
  10. into a foeman's snare; struck dumb was he
  11. and stopped both word and motion; as one steps,
  12. when blindly treading a thick path of thorns,
  13. upon a snake, and sick with fear would flee
  14. that lifted wrath and swollen gorge of green:
  15. so trembling did Androgeos backward fall.
  16. At them we flew and closed them round with war;
  17. and since they could not know the ground, and fear
  18. had whelmed them quite, we swiftly laid them low.
  19. Thus Fortune on our first achievement smiled;
  20. and, flushed with victory, Cormbus cried:
  21. “Come, friends, and follow Fortune's finger, where
  22. she beckons us what path deliverance lies.
  23. Change we our shields, and these Greek emblems wear.
  24. 'Twixt guile and valor who will nicely weigh
  25. When foes are met? These dead shall find us arms.”
  26. With this, he dons Androgeos' crested helm
  27. and beauteous, blazoned shield; and to his side
  28. girds on a Grecian blade. Young Rhipeus next,
  29. with Dymas and the other soldiery,
  30. repeat the deed, exulting, and array
  31. their valor in fresh trophies from the slain.
  32. Now intermingled with our foes we moved,
  33. and alien emblems wore; the long, black night
  34. brought many a grapple, and a host of Greeks
  35. down to the dark we hurled. Some fled away,
  36. seeking their safe ships and the friendly shore.
  37. Some cowards foul went clambering back again
  38. to that vast horse and hid them in its maw.