Venus speaks to Aeneas

Haec ait, et Maia genitum demittit ab alto, ut terrae, utque novae pateant Karthaginis arces hospitio Teucris, ne fati nescia Dido finibus arceret:

Saying this, he sends Mercury, Maia’s son, down from heaven, so that the country and strongholds of this new Carthage would open to the Trojans, as guests, and Dido, unaware of fate, would not keep them from her territory.

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volat ille per aera magnum remigio alarum, ac Libyae citus adstitit oris.

He flies through the air with a beating of mighty wings and quickly lands on Libyan shore.

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Et iam iussa facit, ponuntque ferocia Poeni corda volente deo; in primis regina quietum accipit in Teucros animum mentemque benignam.

And soon does as commanded, and the Phoenicians set aside their savage instincts, by the god’s will: the queen above all adopts calm feelings, and kind thoughts, towards the Trojans.

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At pius Aeneas, per noctem plurima volvens, ut primum lux alma data est, exire locosque explorare novos, quas vento accesserit oras, qui teneant, nam inculta videt, hominesne feraene, quaerere constituit, sociisque exacta referre

But Aeneas, the virtuous, turning things over all night, decides, as soon as kindly dawn appears, to go out and explore the place, to find what shores he has reached, on the wind, who owns them (since he sees desert) man or beast, and bring back the

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(...)

details to his friends.

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Classem in convexo nemorum sub rupe cavata arboribus clausam circum atque horrentibus umbris occulit; ipse uno graditur comitatus Achate, bina manu lato crispans hastilia ferro.

He conceals the boats in over-hanging woods under an arching cliff, enclosed by trees and leafy shadows: accompanied only by Achetes, he goes, swinging two broad-bladed spears in his hand.

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Cui mater media sese tulit obvia silva, virginis os habitumque gerens, et virginis arma Spartanae, vel qualis equos Threissa fatigat Harpalyce, volucremque fuga praevertitur Hebrum.

His mother met him herself, among the trees, with the face and appearance of a virgin, and a virgin’s weapons, a Spartan girl, or such as Harpalyce of Thrace, who wearies horses, and outdoes winged Hebrus in flight.

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Namque umeris de more habilem suspenderat arcum venatrix, dederatque comam diffundere ventis, nuda genu, nodoque sinus collecta fluentis.

For she’d slung her bow from her shoulders, at the ready, like a huntress, and loosed her hair for the wind to scatter, her knees bare, and her flowing tunic gathered up in a knot.

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Ac prior, 'Heus' inquit 'iuvenes, monstrate mearum vidistis si quam hic errantem forte sororum, succinctam pharetra et maculosae tegmine lyncis, aut spumantis apri cursum clamore prementem.'

And she cried first: ‘Hello, you young men, tell me, if you’ve seen my sister wandering here by any chance, wearing a quiver, and the hide of a dappled lynx, or shouting, hot on the track of a slavering boar?’

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Sic Venus; et Veneris contra sic filius orsus: 'Nulla tuarum audita mihi neque visa sororum— O quam te memorem, virgo?

So Venus: and so Venus’s son began in answer: ‘I’ve not seen or heard any of your sisters, O Virgin –or how should I name you?

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Namque haud tibi voltus mortalis, nec vox hominem sonat: O, dea certe— an Phoebi soror? an nympharum sanguinis una?—

Since your looks are not mortal and your voice is more than human: oh, a goddess for certain! Or Phoebus’s sister? Or one of the race of Nymphs?

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sis felix, nostrumque leves, quaecumque, laborem, et, quo sub caelo tandem, quibus orbis in oris iactemur, doceas.

Be kind, whoever you may be, and lighten our labour, and tell us only what sky we’re under, and what shores we’ve landed on

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Ignari hominumque locorumque erramus, vento huc vastis et fluctibus acti: multa tibi ante aras nostra cadet hostia dextra.'

we’re adrift here, driven by wind and vast seas, knowing nothing of the people or the country: many a sacrifice to you will fall at the altars, under our hand.’

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Tum Venus: 'Haud equidem tali me dignor honore; virginibus Tyriis mos est gestare pharetram, purpureoque alte suras vincire cothurno.

Then Venus said: ‘I don’t think myself worthy of such honours: it’s the custom of Tyrian girls to carry a quiver, and lace our calves high up, over red hunting boots.

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Punica regna vides, Tyrios et Agenoris urbem; sed fines Libyci, genus intractabile bello.

You see the kingdom of Carthage, Tyrians, Agenor’s city: but bordered by Libyans, a people formidable in war.

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Imperium Dido Tyria regit urbe profecta, germanum fugiens. Longa est iniuria, longae ambages; sed summa sequar fastigia rerum.

Dido rules this empire, having set out from Tyre, fleeing her brother. It’s a long tale of wrong, with many windings: but I’ll trace the main chapters of the story.

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'Huic coniunx Sychaeus erat, ditissimus agri Phoenicum, et magno miserae dilectus amore, cui pater intactam dederat, primisque iugarat ominibus.

Sychaeus was her husband, wealthiest, in land, of Phoenicians and loved with a great love by the wretched girl, whose father gave her as a virgin to him, and wed them with great solemnity.

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Sed regna Tyri germanus habebat Pygmalion, scelere ante alios immanior omnes. Quos inter medius venit furor.

But her brother Pygmalion, savage in wickedness beyond all others, held the kingdom of Tyre. Madness came between them.

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Ille Sychaeum impius ante aras, atque auri caecus amore, clam ferro incautum superat, securus amorum germanae;

The king, blinded by greed for gold, killed the unwary Sychaeus, secretly, with a knife, impiously, in front of the altars, indifferent to his sister’s affections.

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factumque diu celavit, et aegram, multa malus simulans, vana spe lusit amantem.

He concealed his actions for a while, deceived the lovesick girl, with empty hopes, and many evil pretences.

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Ipsa sed in somnis inhumati venit imago coniugis, ora modis attollens pallida miris, crudeles aras traiectaque pectora ferro nudavit, caecumque domus scelus omne retexit.

But the ghost of her unburied husband came to her in dream: lifting his pale head in a strange manner, he laid bare the cruelty at the altars, and his heart pierced by the knife, and unveiled all the secret wickedness of that house.

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Tum celerare fugam patriaque excedere suadet, auxiliumque viae veteres tellure recludit thesauros, ignotum argenti pondus et auri.

Then he urged her to leave quickly and abandon her country, and, to help her journey, revealed an ancient treasure under the earth, an unknown weight of gold and silver.

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His commota fugam Dido sociosque parabat: conveniunt, quibus aut odium crudele tyranni aut metus acer erat;

Shaken by all this, Dido prepared her flight and her friends. Those who had fierce hatred of the tyrant or bitter fear, gathered together:

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navis, quae forte paratae, corripiunt, onerantque auro: portantur avari Pygmalionis opes pelago; dux femina facti.

they seized some ships that by chance were ready, and loaded the gold: greedy Pygmalion’s riches are carried overseas: a woman leads the enterprise.

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Devenere locos, ubi nunc ingentia cernis moenia surgentemque novae Karthaginis arcem, mercatique solum, facti de nomine Byrsam, taurino quantum possent circumdare tergo.

The came to this place, and bought land, where you now see the vast walls, and resurgent stronghold, of new Carthage, as much as they could enclose with the strips of hide from a single bull, and from that they called it Byrsa.

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Sed vos qui tandem, quibus aut venistis ab oris, quove tenetis iter? 'Quaerenti talibus ille suspirans, imoque trahens a pectore vocem:

But who then are you? What shores do you come from? What course do you take?’ He sighed as she questioned him, and drawing the words from deep in his heart he replied:

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Venus speaks to Aeneas

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