Aeneid

Virgil

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

  1. Of such loud insolence and words of shame
  2. Ascanius brooked no more, but laid a shaft
  3. athwart his bowstring, and with arms stretched wide
  4. took aim, first offering suppliant vow to Jove:
  5. “Almighty Jupiter, thy favor show
  6. to my bold deed! So to thy shrine I bear
  7. gifts year by year, and to thine altars lead
  8. a bull with gilded brows, snow-white, and tall
  9. as his own dam, what time his youth begins
  10. to lower his horns and fling the sand in air.”
  11. The Father heard, and from a cloudless sky
  12. thundered to leftward, while the deadly bow
  13. resounded and the arrow's fearful song
  14. hissed from the string; it struck unswervingly
  15. the head of Remulus and clove its way
  16. deep in the hollows of his brow. “Begone!
  17. Proud mocker at the brave! Lo, this reply
  18. twice-vanquished Phrygians to Rutulia send.”
  19. Ascanius said no more. The Teucrians
  20. with deep-voiced shout of joy applaud, and lift
  21. their exultation starward. Then from heaven
  22. the flowing-haired Apollo bent his gaze
  23. upon Ausonia's host, and cloud-enthroned
  24. looked downward o'er the city, speaking thus
  25. to fair Iulus in his victory:
  26. “Hail to thy maiden prowess, boy! This way
  27. the starward path to dwelling-place divine.
  28. O sired of gods and sire of gods to come,
  29. all future storms of war by Fate ordained
  30. shall into peace and lawful calm subside
  31. beneath the offspring of Assaracus.
  32. No Trojan destinies thy glory bound.”
  33. So saying, from his far, ethereal seat
  34. he hied him down, and, cleaving the quick winds
  35. drew near Ascanius. He wore the guise
  36. of aged Butes, who erewhile had borne
  37. Anchises, armor and kept trusty guard
  38. before his threshold, but attended now
  39. Ascanius, by commandment of his sire.
  40. Clad in this graybeard's every aspect, moved
  41. apollo forth,—his very voice and hue,
  42. his hoary locks and grimly sounding shield, —
  43. and to the flushed Iulus spoke this word:
  44. “Child of Aeneas, be content that now
  45. Numanus unavenged thine arrows feels.
  46. Such dawn of glory great Apollo's will
  47. concedes, nor envies thee the fatal shaft
  48. so like his own. But, tender youth, refrain
  49. hereafter from this war!” So said divine
  50. Apollo, who, while yet he spoke, put by
  51. his mortal aspect, and before their eyes
  52. melted to viewless air. The Teucrians knew
  53. the vocal god with armament divine
  54. of arrows; for his rattling quiver smote
  55. their senses as he fled. Obedient
  56. to Phoebus' voice they held back from the fray
  57. Iulus' fury, and their eager souls
  58. faced the fresh fight and danger's darkest frown.
  59. From tower to tower along the bastioned wall
  60. their war-cry flew: they bend with busy hand
  61. the cruel bow, or swing the whirling thong
  62. of javelins. The earth on every side
  63. is strewn with spent shafts, the reverberant shield
  64. and hollow helmet ring with blows; the fight
  65. more fiercely swells; not less the bursting storm
  66. from watery Kid-stars in the western sky
  67. lashes the plain, or multitudinous hail
  68. beats upon shallow seas, when angry Jove
  69. flings forth tempestuous and-boundless rain,
  70. and splits the bellied clouds in darkened air.