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BOOK I

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RMA virumque cano, Troiae qui primus ab oris
Italiam, fato profugus, Lavinaque venit

Litora, multum ille et terris iactatus et alto

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Vi superum, saevae memorem Iunonis ob iram,
Multa quoque et bello passus, dum conderet urbem
Inferretque deos Latio, genus unde Latinum
Albanique patres atque altae moenia Romae.

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Musa, mihi causas memora, quo numine laeso, Quidve dolens, regina deum tot volvere casus Insignem pietate virum, tot adire labores Inpulerit. Tantaene animis caelestibus irae?

Urbs antiqua fuit, Tyrii tenuere coloni,
Karthago, Italiam contra Tiberinaque longe
Ostia, dives opum studiisque asperrima belli;
Quam Iuno fertur terris magis omnibus unam
Posthabita coluisse Samo; hic illius arma,

Hic currus fuit; hoc regnum dea gentibus esse,
Si qua fata sinant, iam tum tenditque fovetque.
Progeniem sed enim Troiano a sanguine duci
Audierat, Tyrias olim quae verteret arces;
Hinc populum late regem belloque superbum
Venturum excidio Libyae: sic volvere Parcas.
Id metuens veterisque memor Saturnia belli,
Prima quod ad Troiam pro caris gesserat Argis-
Necdum etiam causae irarum saevique dolores
Exciderant animo: manet alta mente repostum
Iudicium Paridis spretaeque iniuria formae,
Et genus invisum, et rapti Ganymedis honores:
His accensa super iactatos aequore toto
Troas, reliquias Danaum atque inmitis Achilli,
Arcebat longe Latio, multosque per annos
Errabant, acti fatis, maria omnia circum.
Tantae molis erat Romanam condere gentem.

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RMS and the MAN I sing, who first from Troy,
A Doom-led exile, on Lavinian shores

Reached Italy; long tossed on sea and land

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Heaven's rude arm, through Juno's brooding ire,

And war-worn long ere building for his Gods

A Home in Latium: whence the Latin race,
The Lords of Alba, and high-towering Rome.

Tell, Muse, the cause; how pained, how foiled in Will, The Queen of Gods drove one whom Virtue crowned Such toils to approach, and compass all that woe. Can Heavenly hearts so unrelenting prove?

An ancient town, by Tyrian settlers held,

Far off faced Italy and Tiber mouth,

Carthage, well-dowered, and schooled in roughest war.
Before all lands, men say, 'twas Juno's haunt,

Before e'en Samos. There her chariot stood;
There hung her arms; there, if no Fates forbade,

She planned e'en then and nursed a world-wide Throne.
But fame had reached her that a race was sprung
From Trojan blood, her Tyrian towers to strew;
From whom a sovran People, proud in arms,
Should come to Libya's bane; so rolled the Doom.
Fraught with ch fear, and that remembered feud
Once for dear Argos she had waged at Troy ;-
Though still the smart remained, still deep at heart
Saturnia nursed the Judgment Paris gave,
Her beauty's cruel slight, the race abhorred,
The honours paid to Heaven-rapt Ganymede ;-—
Thus more inflamed, from Latium far she kept,
Tossed o'er all waves, the Trojans left by Greeks,
Achilles' leavings, and for many a year
From sea to sea they wandered, pushed by Fate:
Such work was wrought to build the Roman Race!

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Vix e conspectu Siculae telluris in altum
Vela dabant laeti, et spumas salis aere ruebant,
Cum Iuno, aeternum servans sub pectore volnus,
Haec secum: Mene incepto desistere victam,
Nec posse Italia Teucrorum avertere regem ?
Quippe vetor fatis. Pallasne exurere classem
Argivom atque ipsos potuit submergere ponto,
Unius ob noxam, et furias Aiacis Oilei ?
Ipsa, Iovis rapidum iaculata e nubibus ignem,
Disiecitque rates evertitque aequora ventis,
Illum exspirantem transfixo pectore flammas
Turbine corripuit scopuloque infixit acuto;
Ast ego, quae divom incedo regina, Iovisque
Et soror et coniunx, una cum gente tot annos
Bella gero.
Et quisquam numen Iunonis adorat
Praeterea, aut supplex aris imponit honorem ?

Talia flammato secum dea corde volutans
Nimborum in patriam, loca feta furentibus austris,
Aeoliam venit. Hic vasto rex Aeolus antro
Luctantes ventos tempestatesque sonoras
Imperio premit ac vinclis et carcere frenat.
Illi indignantes magno cum murmure montis
Circum claustra fremunt; celsa sedet Aeolus arce
Sceptra tenens, mollitque animos et temperat iras ;
Ni faciat, maria ac terras caelumque profundum
Quippe ferant rapidi secum verrantque per auras.
Sed pater omnipotens speluncis abdidit atris,

Hoc metuens, molemque et montes insuper altos
Imposuit, regemque dedit, qui foedere certo
Et premere et laxas sciret dare iussus habenas.
Ad quem tum Iuno supplex his vocibus usa est:

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Aeole, namque tibi divom Pater atque hominum rex Et mulcere dedit fluctus et tollere vento,

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Scarce beyond sight of Sicily, they spread
All sail, and merry cut the salt sea foam,
When Juno, nursing deep the undying wound,
Thus to herself: "Am I to own defeat?
Not turn from Italy this Prince of Troy?
The Fates forbid me! Could not Pallas burn
The Argives' fleet, and drown them in the deep,
For one man's guilt, the madness Ajax wrought?
She, from the clouds down-flinging Jove's own fire,
Shattered their ships, and blew the waters high,
Him caught in whirlwind, and his cloven breast
Fixed on the pointed rock, outbreathing flames.
Yet I, Jove's Wife and Sister, I who move
The Queen of Gods, so many years make war
On one poor race! Henceforth shall any bow
To Juno, or lay tribute on her shrines?

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So mused her burning spirit, while she sought The Storm Land, where the raging South is born, Aeolia. Here King Aeolus commands

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In cavern vast the loud unruly gales,

Bridled with chains and bondage, and they roar

Indignant round their bars, till all the mount

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Howls discord. Throned on high, with sceptered hand,
He soothes their spirit, and controls their rage,-
Else would those raiding coursers sweep away
Seas, earth, and heaven's profound; but, fearing this,
The Almighty Father hid them in dark caves,
And piled above them high the mountains' mass,
And gave a King, whose chartered rule might know
To draw the reins, or loose them, at His word;
Whom Juno then, imploring, thus addressed :

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"Aeolus, to thee Heaven's Sire and all men's King, To smooth the waves gave charge, the storm to raise.

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