Aeneid

Virgil

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

  1. Venus, the while, disturbed with grief and care,
  2. to Neptune thus her sorrowing heart outpoured:
  3. “Stern Juno's wrath and breast implacable
  4. compel me, Neptune, to abase my pride
  5. in lowly supplication. Lapse of days,
  6. nor prayers, nor virtues her hard heart subdue,
  7. nor Jove's command; nor will she rest or yield
  8. at Fate's decree. Her execrable grudge
  9. is still unfed, although she did consume
  10. the Trojan city, Phrygia's midmost throne,
  11. and though she has accomplished stroke on stroke
  12. of retribution. But she now pursues
  13. the remnant—aye! the ashes and bare bones
  14. of perished Ilium; though the cause and spring
  15. of wrath so great none but herself can tell.
  16. Wert thou not witness on the Libyan wave
  17. what storm she stirred, immingling sea and sky,
  18. and with Aeolian whirlwinds made her war, —
  19. in vain and insolent invasion, sire,
  20. of thine own realm and power? Behold, but now,
  21. goading to evil deeds the Trojan dames,
  22. she basely burned his ships; he in strange lands
  23. must leave the crews of his Iost fleet behind.
  24. O, I entreat thee, let the remnant sail
  25. in safety o'er thy sea, and end their way
  26. in Tiber's holy stream;—if this my prayer
  27. be lawful, and that city's rampart proud
  28. be still what Fate intends.”Then Saturn's son,
  29. the ruler of the seas profound, replied:
  30. “Queen of Cythera, it is meet for thee
  31. to trust my waves from which thyself art sprung.
  32. Have I not proved a friend, and oft restrained
  33. the anger and wild wrath of seas and skies?
  34. On land, let Simois and Xanthus tell
  35. if I have loved Aeneas! On that day
  36. Achilles drove the shuddering hosts of Troy
  37. in panic to the walls, and hurled to death
  38. innumerable foes, until the streams
  39. were choked with dead, and Xanthus scarce could find
  40. his wonted path to sea; that self-same day,
  41. aeneas, spent, and with no help of Heaven,
  42. met Peleus' dreadful son:—who else but I
  43. in cloudy mantle bore him safe afar?
  44. Though 't was my will to cast down utterly
  45. the walls of perjured Troy, which my own hands
  46. had built beside the sea. And even to-day
  47. my favor changes not. Dispel thy fear!
  48. Safe, even as thou prayest, he shall ride
  49. to Cumae's haven, where Avernus lies.
  50. One only sinks beneath th' engulfing seas, —
  51. one life in lieu of many.” Having soothed
  52. and cheered her heart divine, the worshipped sire
  53. flung o'er his mated steeds a yoke of gold,
  54. bridled the wild, white mouths, and with strong hand
  55. shook out long, Ioosened reins. His azure car
  56. skimmed light and free along the crested waves;
  57. before his path the rolling billows all
  58. were calm and still, and each o'er-swollen flood
  59. sank 'neath his sounding wheel; while from the skies
  60. the storm-clouds fled away. Behind him trailed
  61. a various company; vast bulk of whales,
  62. the hoary band of Glaucus, Ino's son,
  63. Palaemon and the nimble Tritons all,
  64. the troop of Phorcus; and to leftward ranged
  65. Thalia, Thetis, and fair Alelite,
  66. with virgin Panopea, and the nymphs
  67. Nesaea, Spio and Cymodoce.