Ipsa, Jovis rapidum jaculata è nubibus ignem, 45 50 55 Talia flammato secum Dea corde volutans, NOTES. 42. Ipsa jaculata. Beside Jove, several of the Gods and Goddesses could hurl the thunder of heaven. Here Pallas is said to do it, to burn the ships of Ajax, to drown their crews, and to pierce his breast with a stream of lightning. 46. Que incedo: I who walk the Queen of the Gods, ahd both the sister and wife of Jove, carry on war, &c. Servius observes that the verb incedo signifies to walk with dignity, and in state: Cum dignitate aliqua ambulare: and is properly applied to persons of rank, and distinguished characters. 49. Prætereà: beside-in addition to the reasons already given. If I shall show myself unable to effect my purpose, and satiate my revenge-if I shall let them alone: who will adore, &c.-Honorem, in the sense of victimam. The whole of this speech of Juno is animated, full of pride and haughtiness. If Pallas, a goddess of inferior honor, dignity, and power, could destroy the fleet of Ajax, drown his followers, and kill their leader; surely I, who am both the sister and wife of Jove, am able to destroy these few fugitive Trojans, and their king. 51. Austris furentibus: places pregnant with furious winds. Auster properly sighifies the south wind; but it frequently is put 60 45. Turbine corripuit illum expirantem flam mas 52. Hic rex Eolus in vasto antro premit imperio luctantes 58. Quippe, ni faciat id, illi rapidi ferant secum maria 62. Qui jussus sciret et premere eos certo fœdere, et dare illis laxas habenas for wind in general: the species for the genus. 52. In Æoliam venit: she came into Eolia, the country of storms. The Eolian islands are seven in number, situated between Italy and Sicily on the west. They were sometimes called Vulcania, and Hephaestiades. The chief of which are Lipara, Hiera, and Strongyle. Here Æolus have invented sails, and to have been a great the son of Hippotas reigned. He is said to astronomer, and observer of the winds.Hence the poets make him the god of the winds. Homer tells us that he gave to Ulysses all the winds, that could impede his course to Ithaca, confined in a bag; but that his companions, out of curiosity, untied it, and let out all the adverse winds. 54. Franat: he curbs or governs. This is a metaphor taken from the rider, who manages his steed. Imperio: power, authority. 61. Molem et altos montes: for molem altorum montium, by hendiadis: the weight of lofty mountains. This mode of expression is frequent with Virgil.-Insuper: in the sense of prætereà. 63. Premere: in the sense of cohibere.Jussus: commanded by Jove. Here again is a metaphor taken from the rider: Dare laxas habenas: to give loose reins-to let the horse go at full speed.-Fœdere : lawrule. P. VIRGILII MARONIS Gens inimica mihi Tyrrhenum navigat æquor, es annos Eolus hæc contrà: Tuus, ô regina, quid optes, 76. Contrà Æolus res- Explorare labor: mihi jussa capessere fas est. pondit hæc: O regina, Tu mihi, quodcunque hoc regni, tu sceptra, Jovemque Concilias tu das epulis accumbere Divum, tuus labor est 78. Tu concilias mihi Nimborumque facis tempestatumque potentem.X est: tu concilias 81. Ubi hæc dicta Impulit in latus; ac venti, velut agmine facto, sub impulit cavum Quà data porta, ruunt, et terras turbine perflant. Incubuere mari, totumque à sedibus imis montem in latus 70 75 80 84. Incubuere mari Unà Eurusque Notusque ruunt, creberque procellis 85 Eurusque notusque Africusque creber procellis, Africus, et vastos volvunt ad litora fluctus. unàque ruunt totum Insequitur clamorque virûm, stridorque rudentum. Eripiunt subitò nubes cœlumque, diemque, Teucrorum ex oculis: ponto nox incultat atra. Intonuere poli, et crebris micat ignibus æther: Præsentemque viris intentant oinnia mortem. mare Extemplò Æneæ solvuntur frigore membra. NOTES. 67. Tyrrhenum mare. That part of the Mediterranean between the islands of Corsica, Sardinia, and Sicily, was called the Tuscan Sea. 68. Ilium: Troy; by meton. for the Trojans-those that survived the catastrophe of the city. See note 1. supra.-Penates: see Geor. 2. 505. 69. Incute vim: add force to your winds, and overwhelm their ships sunk in the sea. 71. Præstanti: in the sense of pulchro. 73. Dicabo propriam: I will consecrate her (to be) your own-your peculiar property. This passage is in imitation of HoIliad 14. 301. mer. 77. Labor: concern-business.-Fas est, in the sense of æquum est. 78. Tu concilias, &c. The meaning of the passage appears to be: I owe to thy favor and kind offices the empire of the winds, and the power and authority of a king, which thou didst obtain of Jove for me. Through thy favor also, I sit at the table of the gods. Both duty and gratitude, therefore, impel me to comply with your request, to do thy commands. Regni: gen. sing. governed by hoc. It is best translated as if it were of the same case with hoc. Concilias hoc regni, &c. You procure for me this power, whatever it 90 be. Servius thinks no more is meant by Eo- substantive: ruler of storms and tempests. 84. Incubuere: the perf. in the sense of the heavens, called the pole. By synec. put Duplices: in the sense of ambas. the fear of death absolutely considered, but like words. Queis ante ora patrum, Trojæ sub mœnibus altis, 95 100 Non potuisse? tuaque animam hanc effundere dextrâ ? NOTES. strophe to those, who fell on the plains of Troy, fighting for their country, we may render it: O thrice happy ye, to whom, &c. This last is the more animated and poetical. The former is the sense of Ruæus. 97. Tydide. Diomede, the son of Tydeus, king of Ætolia. He was wounded by Eneas in a combat. Me-ne potuisse: the acc. after the verb refert, or some other of the same import, understood: why could I not have fallen on the Trojan plains? &c. 98. Effundere: in the sense of amittere.Jacet: lies slain. 99. Savus Hector: valiant Hector. He was the son of Priam and Hecuba, and the oravest of all the Trojans. He was at last slain by Achilles, and his dead body drawn behind his chariot around the walls of Troy, and the tomb of Patroclus, whom Hector had slain some time before. It was afterwards ransomed by Priam at a great price, and honorably buried. Eacida: Achilles. See note 30. supra. 100. Sarpedon. He was the king of Lycia, and came to the assistance of Priam. He was slain by Pat us. It is said that he was the son of Juter by Laodamia. Simois: a river in Troas, rising out of Mount Ida, and flowing into the Scammander, and with it into the Hellespont, near the promontory of Sigeum. Correpta: carried-hurried down its current. Virûm, by syn. for virorum of heroes. The poet here alludes to the bloody battle fought on the banks of this river, between the Greeks and Trojans, related by Homer; in which the latter suffered a signal defeat. : 102. Procella: properly, a storm at sea. Hyems, a cold storm in the winter. Nimbus, a storm of rain with black angry clouds and wind; a squall. Imber, a gentle shower of rain. They are, however, not always 108. Notus torque. 106 tres naves abreptas in latentia saxa, illa saxa, quæ in mediis fluctibus, Itali vocant aras; quorum immane dorsum est 110 in summo mari. Eu urget tres naves ab alto used with this discrimination. Jactanti: in the sense of dicenti. 103. Adversa: an adj. agreeing with procella. As Eneas was steering toward Italy, a north wind would be in his face, or against him. 105. Insequitur. Nothing can exceed this picture of a rolling billow. It follows (sequitur) rolling along, constantly on the increase, (cumulo) till it becomes a broken and rugged mountain of water: præruplus mons aquæ. 107. Aperit terram. So high did the waves roll, that between them the sand or bottom of the sea appeared visible. This may not appear incredible, when it is considered that they were near shore, and on shallows, Dehiscens: opening. Ruæus interprets unda, by mare. Estus: the tide, or current. 108. Saxa. These rocks are generally supposed to be the gates, three Islands not far from the western promontory of Sicily, where the Romans and Carthaginians made a treaty, which ended the first Punic war. They received the name of altars, from the oaths that were then made by the contracting partics. There is a difficulty in this interpretation. For it is said their huge back was in the surface of the water, and in the preceding line they are called latentia saxa. Abreptas: driven--forced. 111. Brevia et Syrtes: shoals and quicksands. Syrtis is properly a large bank of sand made by the action of the water.There were two of these banks, or Syrtes on the coast of Africa, called the Systis Major, and the Syrtis Minor: the former lay to the east of Carthage, at a considerable distance; the latter nearly opposite. Urget: in the sense of impellit. Miserabile: shocking-distressing. Visu, is either the supine in Illiditque vadis, atque aggere cingit arenæ. 114. Ingens pontus, Unam, quæ Lycios fidumque vehebat Orontem, ante oculos nec ip- Ipsius ante oculos ingens à vertice pontus sius, ferit à vestice unam In puppim ferit: excutitur pronusque magister navem in puppim, quæ Volvitur in caput: ast illam ter fluctus ibidem vehebat 116. Ast circumagens Torquet gens circùm, et rapidus vorat æquore vortex. fluctus torquet illam na- Apparent rari nantes in gurgite vasto : vem ter ibidem Arma virûm, tabulæque et Troïa gaza per undas. 118. Homines appa- Jam validam Ilionei navem, jam fortis Achatæ ; rent rari nantes in vasto Et quâ vectus Abas, et quâ grandævus Alethes, gurgite. Apparent quo- Vicit hyems: laxis laterum compagibus omnes que arma 120. Hyems vic jam Accipiunt inimicum imbrem, rimisque fatiscunt. validam navem Ilionei ; Intereà magno misceri murmure pontum, jam navem fortis Acha- Emissamque hyemem sensit Neptunus, et imis tæ; et navem, in quâ Stagna refusa vadis: graviter commotus, et alto Abas vectus est, et navem, in quâ Prospiciens, summâ placidum caput extulit undâ. 125. Neptunus sensit Disjectam Æneæ toto videt æquore classem, pontum Fluctibus oppressos Troas; cœlique ruinâ. 126. Stagna refusa Nec latuere doli fratrem Junonis, et iræ. Eurum ad se Zephyrumque vocat: dehinc talia fatur; Tantane vos generis tenuit fiducia vestri ? 133. Jam audetis, O Jam cœlum terramque, meo sinè numine, venti, esse, ex 129. Et Troas oppressos esse fluctibus NOTES. to be seen; or, for visui, the dat. of visus, to the sight. See Ecl. 5. 29. : 112. Vadis against the bottom. Vadum is properly a shallow part of the sea; or a part of a river that may be forded. Aggere: a bank of sand. 113. Lycios. The Lycians were a people of Asia Minor, who came to assist Priam. After the death of Sarpedon their king, they chose to accompany Æneas. Orontes took the command of them. 114. Pontus: here put for a wave of the sea, by synec. It was so great that it seem ed as if the whole ocean was breaking upon the ship. A vertice. Some understand by this, the head or prow of the ship. The common acceptation of the word is the best: from above. It was so high that it appeared to fall down upon the ship. 115. Pronus. I take this to denote the posture of the helmsman, bending or stooping forward, in order to stand more firmly. The helmsman (magister) is thrown from his feet, and tumbled headlong into the sea. 117. Circumagens fluctus: the whirling water. 15 120 125 130 Fatiscunt rimis: gape open in cracks, or leaks. 126. Stagna: plu. of stagnum, the bottom or deep part of the sea. Alto: altum, the deep, or open sea-out of sight of land.— Fretum, a strait, or narrow sea. Pelagus, the sea near the land. But they are not always used with this discrimination. 127. Placidum. This must refer either to Neptune's natural character-to his mildness in regard to the Trojans, or to the ef fect, which his countenance had upon the raging sea. For he was greatly moved, graviter commotus, at the winds, for invading his realms without his permission. 129. Ruina cali: with the ruin of heaven. These words strongly. denote the violence of the tempest-the floods of rain-the thunderings and lightnings: all which seemed to threaten the destruction of the world. 130. Doli Junonis: the wiles of Juno, and her anger, did not lie concealed from her brother-had not escaped the knowledge of her brother. Neptune and Juno were children of Saturn and Ops. See Geor. i. 14. 132. Tanta-ne fiducia: hath so great con 118. Rari: scattered here and there.-fidence of your race possessed you? The Gurgite: in the sense of mari. 119. Gaza: this word, signifies all kinds of valuable furniture, as well as treasures of gold and silver. 122. Compagibus: the seams or streaks of the sides being loosened, they all let in the hostile water. Imber, though properly a shower of rain, is here used for water in general. Hyems, in the sense of tempestas. winds were the offspring of Aurora and Astræus, one of the Titans. Neptune here intimates, that if they imitated the rebellion of the Giants, their ancestors, they must expect to share in their punishment; or, at least, they could not expect to escape with impunity. 133. Numine: in the sense of auctoritate, vel voluntate. Moles: in the sense of fluctu Miscere, et tantas audetis tollere moles? Sic ait: et dicto citiùs tumida æquora placat, Jamque faces et saxa volant; furor arma ministrat; 150 Sic cunctus pelagi cecidit fragor; æquora postquàm NOTES. 135. Quos ego. Here puniam, or some word of the like import, is understood: whom I will punish, or chastise. But it is better to still the raging waves, before I do it. 136. Post non luetis mihi: hereafter ye shall not atone to me for your offences with a like punishment. Neptune here intimates it to be a matter of clemency in him in permitting them to escape; but they must beware; the next time they thus presume, he shall chastise them in an exemplary manner. 138. Imperium pelagi. In the division of the world between the sons of Saturn, the sea fell to Neptune, the heavens and the earth to Jupiter, and the regions below to Pluto. Sævum: in the sense of potentem. 139. Tenet immania: let him possess those wild and uncultivated rocks, thy habitations, O east wind. Immania saxa are the realms of Æolus, mentioned verse 52, supra. 140. Jactet se: boast, or glory. Aula: in the sense of regia. 142. Citiùs dicto: sooner than said. The comp. ciliùs governs dicto, in the abl. cat: calms. Pla 144. Cymothoë: a nymph of the sea, the daughter of Nereus and Doris. Trilor: the son of Amphitrite. His upper part was like a man, and his lower part like a fish. He was very powerful among the sea-gods, mihi 151. Tum, si fortè conpexere quem virum gravem pietate et meritis, silent 153. Ille vir regit ani155 mos 158. Contendunt petere litora, quæ sunt proxima in cursu and could calm and embroil the sea at his pleasure. Many of the marine gods were called Tritons, but the name is properly applicable to those only that were half man and half fish. Levat: assists-lightens. 148. Ac veluti cùm: as when in a great crowd, a tumult often rises, and the ignoble throng rages in their minds, &c. This comparison is extremely beautiful, as well as just. Nothing can be more proper to represent the disorder and havoc of a violent hurricane, than the rage and the desolation occasioned by an incensed mob. The suddenness, with which the noisy waves subside, and sink into a calm, as soon as Neptune surveys them, is finely marked by the awe and silence, with which the seditious multitude is immediately struck, at the sight of a man of superior merit and authority. 150. Arma: in the sense of tela. Gravem: in the sense of insignem. Arrectis: with listening, or attentive ears. 155. Cœlo. Cœlum here means simply, the air. He was wafted in the open air, just above the surface of the ocean. Fragor: the raging, or tumult. 156. Curru: the dat. for currui. See Ecl. v. 29. Secundo: light-easy-moving. 157. Æneada: the Trojans; so called from Eneas, their leader. Contendunt: they strive to reach, or get to the nearest shore. |