515 Qualis populea moerens philomela sub umbra Haec Proteus, et se jactu dedit aequor in altum, 525 530 535 511, &c. Qualis, &c. One of the noblest similes in poetry.-514. Noctem. So Milton Nor then the solemn nightingale ceased warbling, -Par. Lost, vii. 435. --517. Tanaim (the Don), a river of Sarmatia.-518. Rhipaeis. Properly the Oural Mountains; but often used, as here, to denote any northern chain.-520. Ciconum. A tribe of the Thracians; here taken for the Thracians generally. Quo munere. Munus must here mean the affectionate duty discharged by Orpheus to the memory of Eurydice.-524. Oeagrius. From Oeager, king of Thrace, father of Orpheus.-529. Sub vertice. Sub has the notion of motion upwards, and vertex that of an eddying effect, the whirl upwards; the foaming water, forming an eddy all around.530. Cyrene did not seek her native waves, but counselled her trembling son as to the remedy of the evil, the cause only of which Proteus had shown. Sed modus orandi qui sit, prius ordine dicam. Haud mora; continuo matris praecepta facessit; 540 545 550 555 Aristaeus is to 538, &c. The mode of expiation is here described. sacrifice to the Nymphs of the woody valleys (called, ver. 535, Napaeas) four bulls, at four separate altars, and to leave the carcases in the wood. On the ninth morning after the sacrifice he is to offer poppies and a black sheep to Orpheus. He is then to go back to the wood where he had left the bulls; and on finding that Eurydice (with the other Nymphs) is appeased, he is, in token of gratitude for his bees restored, to sacrifice in her honour a heifer. There is a difference of opinion as to the proper arrangement of the lines 545-547; but the one adopted, as here explained, seems to be the best; and it is supported by the majority of the manuscripts.-539. Lycaei. A mountain to the south-west of Arcadia, where Aristaeus was worshipped, and where he is here said to have flocks. See v. 317.-540. Intacta. Jugo completes the sense.-545. For the form Orphei, see Zumpt, § 52. Lethaea, a derivative from Lethe, the river of forgetfulness.-546. Nigram. Black victims were offered to the infernal deities. See Aen. vi. 243, 249.-549. Monstratas, a matre.-554, &c. The infinitives in apposition with monstrum, furnish a fine illustration of the nature of the infinitive, as the substantive form of the verb.-555. Viscera includes the whole carcase within the skin.-557. Nubes avium.-558. Uvam. The grape-like clustering of bees had struck Homer, who calls it Borgudov (Il. ii. 89.) See a picture somewhat similar, Aen. vii. 64, &c. Haec super arvorum cultu pecorumque canebam 559-566. General conclusion to the Georgics. 560 565 AENEIDOS LIBRI DUODECIM. LIBER I. THIS is an Epic poem, which, according to the definition of Blair, is 'the recital of some illustrious enterprise in a poetical form.' The title Aeneis is derived from Aeneas (Aiveías), the hero of the poem. Its professed object is to celebrate the adventures of Aeneas, while sailing from Troy, after the destruction of that city, in search of a settlement-his final landing in Italy-and his triumphant struggle with his enemies, and his rival, Turnus, in that country, leaving him free to marry Lavinia, the daughter of Latinus, king of the Latins, and to found Lavinium, the mother city of Rome, with all her glories. It is supposed by many that Virgil had a further object to exalt his great patron, Augustus, whose character and martial deeds, according to this view, he shadows forth in the person of Aeneas. There can be no doubt that he intends to gratify Roman pride, by embodying in lofty song the legends that told of their descent from gods and heroes. The legends of Aeneas followed by Virgil develop themselves in the course of the poem. It is proper to observe that they materially differ, in many respects, from the account of Aeneas given by Homer. The first Book may be thus divided:-Proposition of the subject, with address to the Muse, 1-11. Causes of Juno's hatred towards Aeneas, 12-33. Her feelings, when, in the seventh summer of his wanderings, she sees him sailing from Sicily to Italy, his destined home, 34-49. Her plans to prevent his reaching Italy, by persuading Aeolus to sink or disperse his fleet, 50-80. The consequent storm, in which one of the ships is lost, and the rest are scattered, 81-123. The interference of Neptune to calm the storm, 124-156. Aeneas, with seven out of twenty ships, lands on the coast of Africa, 157-222. Conversation between Jupiter and Juno regarding the fate of Aeneas and his posterity, 223-296. Mercury sent down to render Dido, queen of Carthage, friendly to Aeneas, 297-304. Interview between Aeneas and Venus, at first in the guise of a huntress, 305-409. He proceeds to Carthage, along with Achates, both rendered invisible by the care of Venus, 411-420. Description of rising Carthage, 421-436. Aeneas visits the temple of Juno, and sees depicted there the Trojan wars, 437-493. Dido visits the temple, 494-508. A deputation from the twelve missing ships of the Trojans waits on Dido, to complain of the outrages of her people, and bewail the loss of Aeneas, 509-560. Dido consoles them, and offers them a settlement, 561-578. Aeneas, freed from the cloud, appears, and addresses Dido, who replies kindly, and prepares to entertain him and his followers, 579-642. Aeneas sends for Ascanius, 643-656. Venus substitutes Cupid for Ascanius, 657-698. The banquet in Dido's palace, 699-747. Dido asks Aeneas to narrate the downfall of Troy, and his wanderings, 748-756. It may be seen from this that Virgil does not, as a historian would, introduce the subject with the fall of Troy, and conduct Aeneas, in the order of time, through his adventures till their conclusion. Following the example of Homer, in both his great Epics, the Iliad and the Odyssey, he dashes at once into the middle of the subject-a plan praised by Horace (De Arte Poet. 148), and observed by the writers of Epic poems in modern times, as in Milton's Paradise Lost, which does not begin with the creation of the world, but takes up the subject after the world has been created, and many events bearing on the main action have already occurred. Ille ego, qui quondam gracili modulatus avena Ut quamvis avido parerent arva colono, ARMA virumque cano, Trojae qui primus ab oris Many regard the first four lines as a spurious addition of some later writer. They are not, however, unworthy of Virgil-provided they be regarded as a mere inscription. Hence, it will be observed that in this edition these lines are not reckoned as part of the poem itself. 1. Arma virumque; either virum clarum armis, or perhaps arma is a general, virum a specific proposition. Primus may mean either 'first," or, in ancient times,' or, surpassing all in fame.' The first seems preferable, as the most obvious; and although Antenor (see v. 242) settled in Cisalpine Gaul, Virgil may have regarded it as no part of Italy.-2. Italiam, without ad, a poetical construction. Zumpt, § 401. Laviniaque; pronounce Lavinyaque as four syllables.-3. Ille, with jactatus and passus (v. 5), is to be regarded as in apposition with qui.4. Superum seems to have the generic force of divorum. Aeneas was exposed to the violent opposition not only of Juno, but of Aeolus, Juturna, and others. |