265 270 Demissa ex humeris; dives quae munera Dido Attonitus tanto monitu imperioque deorum. 275 Heu! quid agat? quo nunc reginam ambire furentem Audeat affatu? quae prima exordia sumat? Atque animum nunc huc celerem, nunc dividit illuc, 285 Laconia, and Tarentum, were famed for the murex-t - the shell-fish which yielded the dark purple so much esteemed by the ancients. As this shell-fish had sharp protuberances, murex is also taken to signify a sharp-pointed rock. See A. 5, 205.-263. Munera refers to both ensis and laena, but fecerat and discreverat only to the latter.-265. Invadit = increpat in prose. Tu, emphatic.-267. The idea conveyed by tuarum is understood as qualifying regni also.-269. Torquet versat.-271. See verse 232, &c.-274. Ascanium, Iuli. This change of name seems designedly employed to connect empire with Iulus, as the supposed founder of the gens Julia. See A. 1, 288.-276. Debentur a fatis. Cyllenius. See verse 252. Ore = oratione.-277. Medio; that is, before he finished it.' 281. Dulces terras, Carthaginem. Throughout, it is to be noticed that Virgil endeavours to represent-though, perhaps, with no great success-Aeneas as a man sacrificing self to the will of Heaven (pius), and the glories which the Fates had reserved for his race through him. -285-286. These two lines occur again, A. 8, 19, 20. Dividere, &c., implies rapid and discriminating glances at different courses of action; rapere, &c., a swift survey of the best methods of effecting his determined course in its onward steps; versare, &c., that his masterly survey Mnesthea Sergestumque vocat, fortemque Serestum, At regina dolos-quis fallere possit amantem!— ́ Dissimulare etiam sperasti, perfide, tantum Et mediis properas Aquilonibus ire per altum, Troja per undosum peteretur classibus aequor? 290 295 300 305 310 left no point unthought of.-289. Aptent. The result of his meditations assumes the indirect form; hence the present subjunctive here representing the imperative, and (verse 293) tentaturum representing the indicative. In the direct form, we should have had aptate, cogite, &c., tentabo.-293. With aditus understand qui sint molissimi. 297. Excepit infers Dido's immediate knowledge-excipere meaning to catch in immediate succession.-298. Eadem, described verse 173, &c. -301. An allusion to the celebration of the wild rites of Bacchus (orgia), once every two years (in the Greek mode of speaking, three years, Tgingis), on Cithaeron, à mountain-range between Boeotia and Megaris, partly by night (nocturnus), in which the women (Thyias, vas-two syllables-a female follower of Bacchus) bore a prominent part. 302. Audito Baccho = auditis clamoribus Io Bacche !303. Nocturnus = noctu. 306. Posse te, a poetic usage. See Zumpt, § 605.-307, &c. Virgil, through anxiety to elaborate the characteristic feature of Aeneas (see verse 281), exposes his hero to an unfavourable contrast with Dido.309. Moliris classem. In A. 3, 6, classem moliri is to construct a Mene fugis? Per ego has lacrimas dextramque tuam te- 330 Quid moror? an mea Pygmalion dum moenia frater 325 335 fleet; but here to refit,' 'repair.'-314. Per, &c. The separation of the preposition from its object is to be observed. It occurs in Greek also, and indicates earnestness. See Zumpt, § 794.-318. Meum, of mine,' 'belonging to, or coming from me.' 320. Libycae; properly, the eastern part of Africa was called Libya by the Romans, but the Greeks, whom Virgil follows, knew the whole country by this name. See A. 1, 158. Certain tribes, from wandering in search of pasture (vou, véμw), were named Nomades, hence Numidia (Nouadía).321. Odere oderunt (me); with infensi supply sunt. - 324. Hoc nomen, hospes.-325. Quid moror (mori)? See A. 1, 340, &c. ; 4, 43.-326. See verse 196.-327. For the form of the hypothetic pluperfect and imperfect subjunctive, implying what does not exist, see Zumpt, § 524.-329. Tamen refers to a suppressed idea, qui quamvis tibi non par, te tamen. 333, &c. We can only vindicate, and that doubtfully, the heartless language of Aeneas, on the ground that he was suppressing his own bitter emotions (see verses 281, 399, 449), and acting as stern necessity required (pro re, verse 337).-335. Elissa was the original name of Dido.-338. Speravi abscondere. See verse 306. Conjugis taedas == Me si fata meis paterentur ducere vitam Talia dicentem jamdudum aversa tuetur, 340 345 350 355 360 'Nec tibi Diva parens, generis nec Dardanus auctor, 365 Perfide, sed duris genuit te cautibus horrens justas nuptias. 340. Si paterentur. See verse 327.-343. Reliquias meorum,the ruins (of the city) of my people,' of my country. He would have rebuilt Troy on the same site. Colerem, would (at this moment) be cherishing, because I should (before) have founded (posuissem).-344. Victis, the dativus commodi. See Zumpt, § 405.— 345. Grynaeus. See Ecl. 6, 72.-346. Sortes, the responses of an oracle, as often. For the counsels of Apollo (here called Lyciae sortes, see verse 143), with special reference to Italy, see A. 3, 154, &c.—347. Hic, in Italia.-349. Ausonia. See p. 140, line 27.-350. Quae invidia est? quid invides?-355. Hesperiae. See A. 1, 530. Fatalibus, predestined by the Fates. See A. 2, 165.-356. Interpres Divim, Mercurius. 357. Utrumque caput are generally taken to refer either to Aeneas and Ascanius, or to Dido and Aeneas; but they may refer to Jupiter and Mercury. 363. Her face was turned away, but she surveyed him from head to foot with eyes askance, and for awhile said nothing (tacitis), then her indignation burst forth.-365. She denies his descent from Venus and Dardanus. See A. 1, 25.-366. Construe horrens with cautibus.- N Caucasus, Hyrcanaeque admorunt ubera tigres. 369 375 380 Nam quid dissimulo? aut quae me ad majora reservo? 6 385 391 367. Caucasus, the mountain-range between the Black and Caspian Seas. See Ed. 6, 42. Hyrcanae. Hyrcania lay to the south-east of the Caspian Sea.-368. Ad majora, for greater outrages.'-369. Num asks questions to which it is known that a negative answer will be returned.-371. Quae (= haec) quibus anteferam? literally: "To what can I prefer this treatment? What can be more hardhearted?'372. Saturnius, Jupiter, the son of Saturn. See A. 1, 23.-374. Excepi implies freedom from hesitation. See verse 297. For Dido's reception of the Trojans, see A. 1, 561, &c.-375. With classem understand servavi.-376. She breaks out into the incredulous language of bitter indignation, as if all his excuses were a mere fiction.-380. Teneo retineo.-382. Spero te hausurum is a bolder instance of the poetical usage referred to in the notes to verses 306, 338, and should not be imitated in prose.-383. Dido, the accusative.-384. Ignibus, sc. rogi mei. As the Furies pursued the guilty with avenging torches, Dido, similarly armed, alive (absens) or dead (umbra), like a Fury, was to haunt Aeneas. -387. Manes, here the region of departed souls.-388. Auras, 'the light,' the open air.'-390. Multa cunctantem, for multum cunctantem. Metu, 'fear' of irritating her father.-392. Thalamo, dative = in thalamum. |