The Æneids of Virgil, Done into English VerseVirgil
General
The Æneids of Virgil, Done into English Verse
Virgil
Aeneas (Legendary character) -- Poetry; Epic poetry, Latin -- Translations into English
"Come, fellow-folk," cries Turnus then, for he the time doth seize,
"Call ye to council even now, and sit and praise the peace, 460
And let the armed foe wrack the realm!"
Nor more he said withal,
But turned about and went his ways from that high-builded hall.
Said he: "Volusus, lead away the Volscian ranks to fight,
And Rutuli! Messapus, thou, afield with horse and knight!
Thou, Coras, with thy brother duke sweep down the level mead.
Let some make breaches good, and some man the high towers with heed;
And let the rest bear arms with me whereso my bidding sends."
Then straightway, running in all haste, to wall the city wends.
Sore shaken in his very heart, by that ill tide undone,
His council Sire Latinus leaves and those great redes begun: 470
Blaming himself that he took not Æneas of free will,
Nor gave the town that Dardan lord the place of son to fill.
Now some dig dykes before the gate, or carry stones and stakes,
And bloody token of the war the shattering trump awakes.
Mothers and lads, a motley guard, they crown the threatened wall,
For this last tide of grief and care hath voice to cry for all.
Moreover to the temple-stead, to Pallas' house on high,
The Queen goes forth hedged all about by matron company,
And bearing gifts: next unto whom, the cause of all this woe,
With lovely eyes cast down to earth, doth maid Lavinia go. 480
They enter and with frankincense becloud the temple o'er,
And cast their woeful voices forth from out the high-built door:
"O Weapon-great Tritonian Maid, O front of war-array,
Break thou the Phrygian robber's sword, and prone his body lay
On this our earth; cast him adown beneath our gates high-reared!"
Now eager Turnus for the war his body did begird:
The ruddy-gleaming coat of mail upon his breast he did,
And roughened him with brazen scales; with gold his legs he hid;
With brow yet bare, unto his side he girt the sword of fight,
And all a glittering golden man ran down the castle's height. 490
High leaps his heart, his hope runs forth the foeman's host to face:
As steed, when broken are the bonds, fleeth the stabling place,
Set free at last, and, having won the unfenced open mead,
Now runneth to the grassy grounds wherein the mare-kind feed;
Or, wont to water, speedeth him in well-known stream to wash,
And, wantoning, with uptossed head about the world doth dash,
While wave his mane-locks o'er his neck, and o'er his shoulders play.
But, leading on the Volscian host, there comes across his way
Camilla now, who by the gate leapt from her steed adown,
And in likewise her company, who left their horses lone, 500
And earthward streamed: therewith the Queen such words as this gave forth:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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