100 105 106. Dicitur esse hic, et tenebrosa palus sur gens ex Acheronte 109. Ut contingat muɩ 110 hi ire ad Horrendas canit ambages, antroque remugit, 112. Ille comitatus est meum iter; et invalidus ferebat omnia ma ria mecum, atque omnes 115 minas pelagique cœlique, ultra 120 Itque reditque viam toties. quid Thesea, magnum NOTES. 99. Canit horrendas: she delivers her awful predictions. Ambages: (ex ambi, et ago) mysteries, says Valpy. 100. Ea frana furenti: Apollo shakes those reins over her, raging, (inspired,) and turns his spurs under her breast. The metaphor of the horse and the rider, is still continued. 104. Mi: by apocope for mihi. Eneas speaks like a man long accustomed to the calamities and misfortunes (laborum) of life, and so well fortified in his mind to meet every vicissitude of things, that no form of toil and suffering could arise, new and unexpected. 195. Præcepi: I have anticipated all things I have received information of all those difficulties before. 107. Tenebrosa palus: the gloomy lake, (arising) from the overflowing of Acheron. The lake here is Avernus, which was fabled to arise from the overflowing of the river Acheron, a fabulous river of the infernal regions. See Geor. iv. 4. 111. Eripui: in the sense of sustuli. 114. Sortem: state-condition. 119. Si Orpheus potuit: if Orpheus could call back the ghost of his wife, relying upon, See the story of his descent to hell. Geor. iv. 454. &c. 121. Si Pollux redemit: if Polux redeem ed his brother by an alternate death, &c. Castor and Pollux were twin brothers of Leda, the wife of Tyndarus, king of Sparta. Jupiter being the father of Pollux, he was immortal, while Castor, being only the son of Tyndarus, was subject to mortality. Upon the death of Castor, his brother, out of the great love he bore to him, obtained of Jupiter leave to share with him his iminortality; whereupon they lived, by turns, one day in heaven and one in hell. 122. Thesea: a Greek acc. He was the son of Ageus, king of Athens. He and Pirithous are fabled to have made a descent to hell for the purpose of liberating Proserpina, but were seized by Pluto, who gave Pirithous to Cerberus to be devoured, while Theseus he bound in chains, where he remained till he was set at liberty by Hercules. See 28, supra. 123. Alciden: Hercules, so called from Alceus, his grandfather. He was the son of Jupiter and Alcmene. He is said to have descended to the infernal regions, and to have carried off Cerberus in spite of Pluto himself. Mi for mihi, by apocope, and in the sense of meum. Mi genus: my descent also is from Jove supreine. Encas descended from Dardanus, the son of Jove. He was also the son of Venus, the daughter of the same god. Et: in the sense of etic 131. Geniti Dîs, tuere efficere id Tunc sic orsa loqui vates: Sate sanguine Divûm, 125 Sed revocare gradum, superasque evadere ad auras, 130 po- Dîs geniti, potuere. Tenent media omnia sylvæ, Quòd si tantus amor menti, si tanta cupido est, 135 136. Accipe ea, sunt peragenda priùs. quæ Accipe quæ peragenda priùs. Latet arbore opacâ, tibi Aureus et foliis et lento vimine ramus, 140. Non datur bire operta loca telluris antè quàm quis Junoni infernæ dictus sacer: hunc tegit omnis 145. Ergò vestiga ra- Ergò altè vestiga oculis, et ritè repertum 140 145 mum oculis altè, et ma- Carpe manu: namque ipse volens facilisque sequetur, nu ritè carpe eum reper- Si te fata vocant; aliter non viribus ullis tum 147. Vocant te ad in- Vincere, nec duro poteris convellere ferro. feros. Prætereà jacet exanimum tibi corpus amici, Heu nescis! totamque incestat funere classem ; Dum consulta petis, nostroque in limine pendes. Sedibus hunc refer antè suis, et conde sepulchro 153. Deinde due ad Duc nigras pecudes: ea prima piacula sunto. aram nigras Sic demùm lucos Stygios, regna invia vivis NOTES. 128. Revocare gradum: to return-to retrace your steps; a phrase. Superas auras: to this upper world-the upper regions of light they are so called in reference to the regions below. 132. Cocytusque and Cocytus gliding along with its gloomy stream, flows around them. Cocytus, a river in Campania in Italy, but by the poets feigned to be a river in hell. Sinu in the sense of flexu. 134. Innare: in the sense of navigare. Insano: vast-mighty. Ruæus says, vano. 135. Accipe: in the sense of audi, vel disce. 137. Ramus aureus: a bough, golden both in its leaves and limber twig, &c. lies concealed in a shady tree. This is considered by some a mere fiction of the poet, but probably it is founded on some historical fact, or refers to some fabulous tradition, which it is not easy to find out. Servius thinks it alludes to a tree in the midst of the sacred grove of Diana, not far from Aritia, a city f Latium, where, if a fugitive came for Fuary, and could pluck a branch from he was permitted to fight a single a 150 combat with the priest of her temple, and if he overcame him, to take his place. 138. Junoni: Proserpine. She is here called Infernal Juno; as Pluto is sometimes called Slygius Jupiter. 141. Auricomos fœtus: the golden bough. Fatus: the young of any thing animate or inanimate. Here, a bough, shoot, or scion. 142. Suum: in the sense of charum. 143. Instituit: in the sense of jussit. Primo avulso: ramo is understood. For primo, Rumus says, uno. 144. Frondescit: in the sense of pullulat. Virga: in the sense of ramus. When one bough was plucked, another immediately shot forth of the same form, shape, and color. 146. Sequetur: will follow-will yield to you, if, &c. 148. Avellere: in the sense of amputare vel cædere. 150. Incestat: defiles. Funere: in the sense of cadavere. Consulta: advicecounsel. 151. Pendes: in the sense of hæres. 152. Suis sedibus: to his own proper place to the earth. 155 bary 160 humandum Aspicies. Dixit; pressoque obmutuit ore. Hectora circum Et lituo pugnas insignis obibat et hastâ. Addiderat socium, non inferiora secutus. Sed tum, fortè cavâ dum personat æquora conchâ, Atque hæc ipse suo tristi cum corde volutat, NOTES. 156. Defixus lumina: a Grecism. Or, in the sense of figens oculos in terram, says Ruæus. 160. Serebant multa: they made many conjectures-they talked much, &c. 164. Eoliden. Misenus is here called the son of Æolus, the fabulous god of the winds; because he excelled in blowing upon wind instruments. Præstantior: more expert. The verb erat is understood. 165. Martemque accendere cantu. This hemistich Virgil is said to have added in the mere heat of fancy, while he was reciting the book before Augustus; having left the line imperfect at first. Ere: with his brazen trumpet. Any thing made of brass may be called œs. 167. Lituo. The lituus was a trumpet not so straight as the tuba, nor so crooked as the cornua. It was used, for the most part, by the cavalry. Obibat pugnas: simply, he fought. 170. Inferiora: in the sense of inferiorem ducem. 171. Personat æquora: he makes the sea resound, &c. Concha. Shell trumpets were 161. Quem socium vates diceret esse exanimem, quod corpus humandum esse in use at first; before those instruments came to be made of brass. 172. F'ocat: he challenges the gods to a trial of music. 173. Triton æmulus: Triton envious (jcalous of his fame) drowned in the foaming waves the man taken by surprise among the rocks. Triton was the son of Neptune and Amphitrite. He was half man and half fish; and was Neptune's trumpeter. 175. Fremebant: in the sense of lamentabantur. 177. Aramque sepulchri: the funeral pile, so called because built in the form of an altar. Ingentem pyram, says Heyne. 180. Sonat: in the sense of procumbit. Trabes: for arbores. Fissile robur: the fissile oak. 183. Primus: chief in command-captain of the company. 184. Accingiturque, &c.: and is arrayed with equal arms. By armis, we are to understand the axes, and other implements for cutting and preparing wood for the funeral pile of Misenus. 186. Ore. This is the common reading, 189. Nimium verè Si nunc se nobis ille aureus arbore ramus Et viridi sedêre solo. Tum maximus heros 194. O vos, este duces Este duces, ô, siqua via est; cursumque per auras mihi, siqua 199. Illæ pascentes cœperunt prodire volunLes tantùm Dirigite in lucos, ubi pinguem dives opacat Quantùm acie possent oculi servare sequentûm. quod sua arbos non se- Fronde virere novâ, quod non sua seminat arbos, mali frigore 213. Ferebant suprema officia. NOTES. 190 195 200 205 210 but Heyne and others have voce. The sense leaves mingling their green shade with the is the same either way. 187. Si: in the sense of utinam. 189. Vates: the prophetess. 193. Maternas aves. Pigeons were sacred to Venus, it is said, on account of their fecundity. 196. Dubiis rebus: perplexity-difficulty, Defice in the sense of desere. 197. Pressit vestigia: he stopt his pacehe stood still. 198. Ferant: in the sense of dent vel prabant. Pergant: proceed to go. Tendere in the sense of ire vel prodire. 198. Ille puscentes, &c.: they flew, and then alighted to feed. And this they did by turns, so that they just kept within sight of the followers, sequentûm. 200. Acie with the sight. Rumus says, acutissimo visu. 201. Fauces: in the sense of os. The junction of the lakes Avernus and Lucrinus. Graveolentis: noxious-pestiferous. 203. Optatis sedibus: they both alight on the tree near the place whence the golden bough shone through the branches of the tree. 204. Discolor aura: the variegated gleam of gold shone through the boughs. It varied its color according to the different shades of light in which it was seen. The lustre of the gold, produced that variegated color. Aura: in the sense of splendor. 205. Viscum. This is a kind of shrub of a glut.nous nature, called misletoe. It grows on trees principally of the oak kind. The winter is the proper season for its production; and it is of a color resembling gold. It was thought to grow out of the excrements of birds, that alighted on those trees: to which the poet alludes in these words: quod non sua seminal arbos: which its own tree does not produce: but this opinion is incorrect. The ancient Druids made great use of this in their religious ceremonies. 206. Seminal: in the sense of producit. Fatu: sec 141. supra. 208. Frondentis auri: of the golden bough-the verdant gold. Ruæus says, pullulantis auri. 209. Braclea: the golden leaves rustled in the gentle wind. Bractea, properly, thin laminæ, or leaves of gold; taken here in the sense of auræ frondes. 211. Cunctantem: in the sense of tarde sequentem. 213. Ferebant suprema: they were performning the last offices. Ingrato: being insensible of the honors conferred upon it, and therefore ungrateful for them. Or it may Principio pinguem tædis et 1obore secto Triste ministerium! et subjectam more parentum NOTES. be understood as causing sorrow to allbeing an object or spectacle no way pleasant or agreeable. In this sense, ingrato may be rendered mournful-unjoyous. Cineri: in the sense of cadaveri. Ingrato: nec sentienti nec referenti gratiam, says Heyne. Virgil here gives us most of the ceremonies used among the Romans in burying the dead. 214. Tadis. The tada, or pine, is a fat and unctuous wood. Hence the epithet pinguem. Secto robore: in the sense of fisso robore. 215. Pyram. The funeral pile was called pyra when it was set on fire, rogus before it was set on fire, and bustum after it was consumed. The higher it was raised, the more honorable it was considered; and therefore they endeavored to raise it to heaven: certant educere cœlo, 173. supra. Cui frondibus atris: whose sides they interweave with black boughs. The boughs of the yew, pine, and such like trees, are of a sable color, and were therefore used in funeral obsequies. Cui in the sense of cujus. 216. Cupressos: the cypress is here called mournful; and used on the occasion, either because its strong smell prevented any thing disagreeable from the corpse; or rather as it was a fit emblem of death; for when it is once cut, it never grows up again. Antè: before-in front: an adv. 217. Supèr: above-on the top. 218. Latices: in the sense of aquam. 221. Nota velamina: the garments of Misenus. Or it is said in allusion to a Roman custom of placing a purple covering over the corps of distinguished persons on the funeral pile. 222. Pars subiere: a part supported (went under) the huge bier, a mournful ofice! and turned (aversi) away with their faces, held a torch under it, &c. They turned away their faces to show how unwilling they were to part with him, and that their grief would not allow them to look upon his pale and lifeless body; which was now about to be reduced to ashes. 225. Dapes. By this we are to understand the fat and other parts of the victims that were consecrated to the gods. Crateres: goblets of oil poured out upon the pile. Whole goblets were offered to the infernal gods; but to the celestial gods only libations. Thurea dona: gifts of frankin cense. There is an allusion here to the custom of placing frankincense, oil, and other unctuous substances upon the funeral pile, to accelerate its burning. 227. Relliquias, &c. After the body was consumed, they extinguished (lavêre) the coals and embers with wine, that the ashes might the more easily be collected. Bibulam: in the sense of siccam. 228. Cado: in the sense of urna. Texit: in the sense of inclusit. 229. Idem ter circumtulit: the same thrice went around his companions with holy water, sprinkling them, &c. The ordo of construction is, tulit seler circum socios, &c. which means, to go round them three times: but because the priest used to sprinkle them, at the same time, with the aqua lustralis, or holy water, it came to signify, to purify. 230. Levi rore: with a dew or spray. He sprinkled the water with a bough of olive. 231. Lustravit: he purified the men. Novissima verba. These were vale, valè, vale, when they all departed. |