sæpe vocaturum Dido 385 382. Spero equidem Spero equidem mediis, si quid pia numina possunt, te hausurum supplicia Supplicia hausurum scopulis, et nomine Dido in mediis scopulis, et Sæpe vocaturum. Sequar atris ignibus absens : nomine, si pia numina Et, cùm frigida mors animâ seduxerit artus, Omnibus umbra locis adero. Dabis, improbe, pœnas : possunt efficere quid 387. Hæc fama tua- Audiam, et hæc Manes veniet mihi fama sub imos. rum panarum veniet His medium dictis sermonem abrumpit, et auras Egra fugit, seque ex oculis avertit et aufert, mihi sub imos cunctantem metû, et 390. Linquens eum Linquens multa metu cunctantem et multa parantem 395. Labefactus quoad 331 Multa gemens, magnoque animum labefactus amore: animum magno amore, Jussa tamen Divûm exsequitur, classemque revisit. 396 tamen exsequitur jussa Tum verò Teucri incumbunt, et litore celsas • Deducunt toto naves: natat uncta carina; 401. Cernas Trojanos Frondentesque ferunt remos, et robora sylvis migrantes, ruentesque Infabricata, fugæ studio. 402. Ac veluti cùm Migrantes cernas, totâque ex urbe ruentes. formica memores hy- Ac veluti ingentem formicæ farris acervum emis populant ingen tem acervum farris, re- Cùm populant, hyemis memores, tectoque reponunt: ponuntque in tecto It nigrum campis agmen, prædamque per herbas NOTES. in clinations. Servius observes too, that Dido commands in a way that implies dissuasion, by mentioning the winds and the waves, which served to remind him of his danger; and by using the word sequere, as if Italy fled from him. 382. Spero equidem: I hope indeed you will suffer punishment among the intervening rocks, &c. Hausurum: part. fut. of haurio: to drink. This seems to be used in allusion to the death which she hoped he would die, that is, by drowning. This was reckoned the peculiar punishment reserved by Heaven for perfidious lovers. Dido: a Greek acc. of the contracted nouns. 384. Absens sequar, &c. The meaning is that the remembrance of Dido, whom he had abandoned, though absent, would still haunt his guilty mind, like a grim fury. This satisfaction she should have in life; and when death should separate her soul and body, and her ghost, umbra, should be at liberty to range over the universe, it should also haunt him wherever he went. Alris ignibus refers probably to the representation of the furies, armed with torches; which Cicero explains of the stings and torments of a guilty conscience. 386. Umbra adero: I, a shade, or ghost, will be present with you, &c. 387. Hæc fama veniet: this news shall come to me under the lowest shades. The ancients observed a threefold distinction in the immortal part of man, viz.: the Umbra, 400 phantom or shade, which commonly frequented the place where the body was buried; or haunted those abodes to which it had been accustomed in life: the Manes, which were confined to the lower regions; and the Spiritus, which returned to heaven, Manes is frequently its original abode. taken for the place of the dead, by meton. which is the meaning here. 388. Auras: in the sense of lucem. 389. Egra fugit auras: faint, she fled the light-she withdrew from further conference with Æneas, into her private apartment. Here, quite overcome, she fainted, as we may suppose, when her servants came to her aid, and placed her upon her bed. "She withdrew from the light to her apartment," says Valpy. Some think she fainted quite away, and ceased to breathe; but this is not consistent with what follows: avertit et aufert, &c. 390. Multa. The multa in the preceding part of the line, appears entirely expletive. 393. Dolentem: referring to Dido. Some copies have dolorem, as Heyne informs us. 398. Deducunt: launch the lofty ships along the whole shore. 399. Ferunt remos: they bring from the woods green (unwrought) oars, and rough timber; such was their hurry and impatience to be gone. Frondentes: covered with leaves-not even stripped of their leaves. 403. Tecto: in their cells, or holes. 303 ENEIS. LIB. IV Convectant calle angusto: pars grandia trudunt Quis tibi tunc, Dido, cernenti talia sensus? NOTES. 405. Convectant: they carry often. By using this verb, the poet represents those animals marching backward and forward, and returning frequently to their cells, full laden with their booty, like soldiers reaping the spoils of an enemy. Pars obnixa: a part, shoving with their shoulders, push along the large grains. 406. Moras: in the sense of morantes: those that delay. Frequent allusions have been made by poets of all ages to the ants, as examples of industry, wisdom, and foresight. "Go to the ant, thou sluggard, consider her ways, and be wise," says Solomon. Modern observation has not discovered in them any such instances of industry. On certain days they carry out of their cells, and expose to the warmth of the sun, their eggs; but we find no store of provisions laid up against approaching want. during the cold season of the year, they lie in a torpid state, and require no food. For 409. Fervere to be all in a bustle-to be busily occupied. 412. Improbe: in the sense of crudelis, vel vehemens. 414. Cogitur ire iterum: she is forced again to go into tears, again to try him by supplication, &c. As the poet had used cogis just before, so here he repeats the same word, and shows the constraining power of love in Dido's conduct-she is forced, in spite of her pride, her resentment, her resolutions, and her imprecations. Animos. Animus, in the plu. properly signifies the affections or passions of the mind. The meaning of the passage is: she is forced again to have recourse to tears, again to try him with prayers, and to submit her passions, her resentment, her pride, and 405 410 415 408. Quis sensus erat tunc tibi 410. Videresque totum æquor misceri 412. Quid non cogis mortalia pectora perpetrare 419. O soror, si ego potui sperare hunc tantum dolorem, polui per419 ferre; et potero perferre eum. 421. Nam ille perfidus homo solebat colere te. solam, etiam credere arnos sensus tibi: tu sola ras molles aditus her indignation, to love to give up all to the superior power and efficacy of her love. 415. Moritura frustrà. Commentators are not agreed upon the meaning of the word frustrà in this place. Servius connects it with inexpertum. The meaning then will be: that she might not leave any thing unattempted, though in vain; since she was resolved to die. But it is more like a lover to entertain some glimmering hope as long as the dear object is within reach. The better meaning is: lest by leaving any thing unattempted, or untried, she should die in vain-she should seem to throw away her life. This 416. Properari: there is a hastening, stir, or bustle around on the whole shore. verb is used impersonally. 418. Nauta imposuere: the joyous mariners have placed garlands on the sterns. It was a custom among sailors to deck the sterns of the ship, both at sailing and landing. The reason for this was, that on the sterns was a chapel in honor of the gods Petaci, who were considered the patrons and protectors of the ship. 419. Si ego potui sperare, &c. Ruæus obscures this, and the following line, by connecting them closely together. It is plain there is an ellipsis of the words potui perferre, which must be supplied. This sudden and abrupt transition is perfectly agreeable to the temper of Dido's mind, and shows the propriety of potero being in the future; which otherwise cannot be justified on any principles of language. 421. Exsequere: do-perform. 422. Colere: in the sense of amare. 424. Hostem. This word sometimes was used by the ancients in the sense of hospes, 425. Ego non juravi Non ego cum Danais Trojanam exscindere gentem 425 Aulide cum Danais ex- Aulide juravi, classemve ad Pergama misi: scindere Trojanam urNec patris Anchisæ cineres Manesve revelli. bem, misi-ve, Cur mea dicta negat duras demittere in aures ? Quò ruit? extremum hoc miseræ det munus amanti : NOTES. a guest or stranger. Cicero says: Apud majores nostros, is dicebatur hostis, quem nunc peregrinus dicemus. 426. Aulide: abl. of Aulis, a town upon the strait, which seates Eubea from Beotia, nearly opposite Chalcis. Here the Greeks, on their way to the siege of Troy, took an oath never to return to their country, till they had destroyed that city. 427. Revelli: in the sense of violavi. 428. Demittere: to admit-receive. 430. Ferentes: in the sense of secundos. Munus: benefit-favor. 431. Non jam oro: I do not now plead our former marriage, which he hath violated. Antiquus sometimes signifies, honorable. This is the sense Mr. Davidson gives to the word in this place. 433. Pelo inane tempus: I ask a little time as a respite, and a space for (allaying) my love. Ad extinguendum amorem, says Ruæus. 435. Veniam: request-favor. 436. Quam mihi cùm. This verse has very much perplexed commentators, and divided their opinions. The readings, also, are various. Rumeus' reading is most generally approved. He makes the following comment upon the passage: Cum contulerit mihi hoc beneficium paulò longioris mora, hanc extremam gratiam, remillam illum, sinam abire, et adjiciam meam mortem, quasi cumulum votis ejus. The meaning of this much disputed passage will in a great measure depend upon the reading either of cumulatum or cumula tam. Servius reads: Quam mihi cùm dederis, cumulatam morte relinquam, referring to her sister Anna. Morte relinquam, he takes in the sense of sola morte relinquam te. Here cumulatam is made to agree with the pron. te. But of this it is difficult to make any sense. Nor will it be easier, if we refer the cumulatam to veniam, as some commentators have done. Heyne reads: Quam mihi cum dederis, cumulatam morte remiltam, referring likewise to Anna. Cumulatam remittam, he takes in the sense of cumulatè . 430 435 If we consider the passage as referring to Eneas, it will be rendered easier. In this case, we must read cumulatum. Ruæus considers it in this view, but appears to have mistaken the sense of cumulatum, and thereby given to the words, cumulatum morte remillam, a turn which they will hardly bear. Adjiciam meam mortem, quasi cumulum votis ejus, says he. By adjiciam meam mortem, we are to understand that Dido informed her sister of her resolution to kill herself, and that she makes a direct declaration to that effect. But from the subsequent part of the story, it appears to have been her anxious solicitude to conceal from her that desperate resolution. And, by cumulum votis ejus, we are given to understand that her death was an object of desire to Æneas-that it would afford him pleasure, and be a source of gratification to him. But this is altogether inconsistent with those feelings which he manifested towards her, verse 393 supra, et sequens; and also with those tender expressions of his in the sixth book, when he met her in the regions below. See verse 450, et sequens. Hortensius reads cumulatum, and takes it in the sense of abundè pensatum: abundantly, or fully compensated, or requited. Dido had besought Eneas to stay a short time longer with her, till the weather should be more favorable for his departure, since he was resolved to leave her; and till she should bring her mind the better to bear his loss. This was the extremam veniam, the last, the only favor she asked of him; and if granted to her, she would dismiss him, or Talibus orabat, talesque miserrima fletus Fertque refertque soror: sed nullis ille movetur Fletibus, aut voces ullas tractabilis audit. 441. Ac velut cùm Alpini Boreæ nunc hinc, nunc illinc certant inter se flatibus eruere quercum validam annoso 445 robore. Fata obstant; placidasque viri Deus obstruit aures. 440 NOTES. consent to his departure, fully compensated or requited for the favor and indulgence, by her death. Dido here conforms to the usual language of disappointed lovers, who suppose they confer the greatest possible favor upon those they love, by dying for their sake. See Ecl. viii. verses 59 and 60. The most weighty objection to this interpretation is, that it includes a declaration of her death; but it does not necessarily imply, that it would be by her own hand. Her grief, sorrow, and affliction, in consequence of his loss, might become insupportable, and bring her to the grave. But, after all the ingenuity displayed by commentators, cumulatum, perhaps, is to be taken in its usual acceptation. Cumulatum morte remillam: I will dismiss him loaded, or oppressed, with my death-with the reflection and consciousness of being the cause of my death, by leaving me in this cruel manner. This appears the least objectionable of any solution that has been proposed. Nor does it necessarily include the idea of suicide. Dido may be supposed to declare, that though he should comply with her request, and tarry with her till the weather became favorable for his departure, yet that she should eventually be unable to support nis loss, and that grief and disappointment would be the cause of her death. For this suggestion, I acknowledge my obligations to a distinguished classical scholar of our own country. 438. Miserrima soror: her sister, most distressed, carries, and again carries, such tears-such piteous messages. Preces cum lachrymis, says Heyne. 450 445. Tendit tantùm radice ad Tartara, quantùm vertice tendit ad thereas auras. 453. Cùm imponeret dona thuricremis aris, vidit sacros latices. 439. Tractabilis: in the sense of exorabilis. 442. Borea. The north wind is here called Alpine, from the circumstance of the Alps lying north of Mantua, and a great part of Italy. And the poet would give us to understand that the north wind had its seat among those mountains, and from thence descended in storms, and mighty blasts, 446. Tantùm radice. This is said according to the opinion of those naturalists, who suppose the roots of the tree equal to the body. Tartana: neu. plu. properly the lowest part of hell-that place which the poets assign for the punishment of offenders. In Tartara: toward Tartarus-downward. It is opposed to ad æthereas auras: toward heaven-upward. 448. Curas: in the sense of dolores. 449. Inanes: his tears are useless-unavailing, both with respect to himself and Dido; as they produced not the effect which she desired, and altered not his steadfast re solution. 451. Tædet: it irketh her to behold the canopy of heaven. Convexa, neu. plu. of convexus, taken as a substantive. It appears, hence, that convexus in Latin, has a different meaning from convex in English. The convex face of heaven to us is invisible. It is the vaulted arch, or canopy alone, which we can behold-the cava cœli convexitas, as Dr. Clark explains it. So, also: in convexo nemorum, in the bosom, or under the shelter of the bending groves. And Justin, speaking of the actions of Xerxes, says: montes in planum ducebat, el convexa vallium æquabat. Fusaque in obscænum se vertere vina cruorem. 456. Effata est hoc vi- Hoc visum nulli, non ipsi effata sorori. sum nulli, non etiam Prætereà, fuit in tectis de marmore templum 460. Hinc voces, et Hinc exaudiri voces et verba vocantis verba viri vocantis eam Visa viri, nox cùm terras obscura teneret: visa sunt exaudiri, cùm Solaque culminibus ferali carmine bubo obscura nox teneret ter et ducere ras; solaque bubo sæpe Sæpe queri, et longas in fletum ducere voces. visa est queri ferali car- Multaque prætereà vatum prædicta piorum mine super culminibus, Terribili monitu horrificant. Agit ipse furentem In somnis ferus Æneas: semperque relinqui 466. Æneas ipse ferus Sola sibi, semper longam incomitata videtur agit eam furentem in somnis; semperque vi- Ire viam, et Tyrios desertâ quærere terrâ. detur sibi relinqui sola, Eumenidum veluti demens videt agmina Pentheus, semper incomitata ire Et solem geminum, et duplices se ostendere Thebas : longam viam, et quæ- Aut Agamemnonius scenis agitatus Orestes, rere 455 460 465 471 Armatam facibus matrem et serpentibus atris NOTES. 455. Obscænum cruorem. Servius explains obscænum, by mali ominis, of bad omen. So says Heyne. Vina fusa: the wine poured out upon the altar, to turn, &c. 457. Fuit in teclis: there was in the paface a marble chapel of her former husband. By templum, some understand the sepulchre of Sicheus, which Dido had caused to be built in her palace, and which she had consecrated to his memory. Others think it to have been a chapel, or shrine, sacred to his memory. Others again take it to be an image or statue sacred to his memory. Servius thinks Virgil had reference to the custom of the Romans, of the bride, when she came to the door of her husband's house, which was garnished with flowers and leaves, binding about the posts woollen fillets, and washing them over with melted tallow to keep out enchantments and sorcery. According to him, Dido, in building this temple to Sichæus, had devoted herself to him forever, by performing the same nuptial rites towards him as if he had been living; and thereby signified her resolution never to marry again. But this appears a refinement. It is much easier to consider it a reference to the general custom of adorning the door-posts of temples with fillets of wool, especially on holy-days. 461. Viri: of her husband calling her. 462. Bubo: the owl. Ferali carmine: in a mournful strain-cry. Sola: some copies have sera, in reference to the time of her singing; which is generally late at night. Voces: notes. 464. Piorum. Some copies have prio rum: but piorum is the best. It is a proper epithet of prophets. Heyne reads piorum. 469. Eumenidum: as crazy Pentheus sees bands of furies, and a double sun, and Thebes to show itself double. The poet here comfrantic Pentheus and Orestes. Pentheus was pares the fury of Dido with that of the king of Thebes in Beotia, son of Echion, his subjects from worshipping Bacchus, and and grandson of Cadmus. He prevented commanded that god to be put in prison; for which he was deprived of his senses by the god. After this, he went to mount Cibrating their orgies. As soon as they saw theron, where the bacchanals were celehim, they set upon him, and tore him in pie ces. speaks of the furies as being an army See Ovid Met. 3. 700. Virgil here (agmina) whereas they were only three in number. See Geor. i. 278. 470. Et solem. This line is taken from Euripedes. 471. Orestes. He was the son of Aga memnon. He is said to have been haunted by the ghost of his mother, Clytemnestra, whom he had slain, and by the furies. Ho went to the oracle of Apollo, at Delphi, to consult in the business, and was informed that he had been acquitted by the court of Areopagus, at Athens. Whereupon the furies blocked up the door, so that he could not get out. He, however, made his scape. Hence the expression, sedent limine: they sit in the door. See Æn. iii. 331. Agitatus acted, or exhibited on the stage. 414. Concepit: received or admitted. |