The Æneids of Virgil, Done into English Verse. Virgil

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СКАЧАТЬ thrust amidst Achæan lords, his very self he knew;

       The Eastland hosts he saw, and arms of Memnon black of hue.

       There mad Penthesilea leads the maids of moony shield,490

       The Amazons, and burns amidst the thousands of the field,

       And with her naked breast thrust out above the golden girth,

       The warrior maid hath heart to meet the warriors of the earth.

      But while Æneas, Dardan lord, beholds the marvels there,

       And, all amazed, stands moving nought with eyes in one set stare,

       Lo cometh Dido, very queen of fairest fashion wrought,

       By youths close thronging all about unto the temple brought.

       Yea, e'en as on Eurotas' rim or Cynthus' ridges high

       Diana leadeth dance about, a thousandfold anigh

       The following Oreads gather round, with shoulder quiver-hung500

       She overbears the Goddesses her swift feet fare among,

       And great Latona's silent breast the joys of godhead touch.

       Lo, such was Dido; joyously she bore herself e'en such

       Amidst them, eager for the work and ordered rule to come;

       Then through the Goddess' door she passed, and midmost 'neath the dome,

       High raised upon a throne she sat, with weapons hedged about,

       And doomed, and fashioned laws for men, and fairly sifted out

       And dealt their share of toil to them, or drew the lot as happed.

       There suddenly Æneas sees amidst a concourse wrapped

       Antheus, Sergestus, and the strong Cloanthus draw anigh,510

       And other Teucrians whom the whirl, wild, black, all utterly

       Had scattered into other lands afar across the sea.

       Amazed he stood, nor stricken was Achates less than he

       By joy, by fear: they hungered sore hand unto hand to set;

       But doubt of dealings that might be stirred in their hearts as yet;

       So lurking, cloaked in hollow cloud they note what things betide

       Their fellows there, and on what shore the ships they manned may bide,

       And whence they come; for chosen out of all the ships they bear

       Bidding of peace, and, crying out, thus temple-ward they fare.

      But now when they were entered in, and gained the grace of speech,520

       From placid heart Ilioneus the elder 'gan beseech:

       "O Queen, to whom hath Jove here given a city new to raise,

       And with thy justice to draw rein on men of wilful ways,

       We wretched Trojans, tossed about by winds o'er every main,

       Pray thee forbid it from our ships, the dreadful fiery bane.

       Spare pious folk, and look on us with favouring kindly eyes!

       We are not come with sword to waste the Libyan families,

       Nor drive adown unto the strand the plunder of the strong:

       No such high hearts, such might of mind to vanquished folk belong.

       There is a place, Hesperia called of Greeks in days that are,530

       An ancient land, a fruitful soil, a mighty land in war.

       Œnotrian folk first tilled the land, whose sons, as rumours run,

       Now call it nought but Italy from him who led them on.

       And thitherward our course was turned,

       When sudden, stormy, tumbling seas, Orion rose on us,

       And wholly scattering us abroad with fierce blasts from the south,

       Drave us, sea-swept, by shallows blind, to straits with wayless mouth:

       But to thy shores we few have swum, and so betake us here.

       What men among men are ye then? what country's soil may bear

       Such savage ways? ye grudge us then the welcome of your sand,540

       And fall to arms, and gainsay us a tide-washed strip of strand.

       But if men-folk and wars of men ye wholly set at nought,

       Yet deem the Gods bear memory still of good and evil wrought

       Æneas was the king of us; no juster was there one,

       No better lover of the Gods, none more in battle shone:

       And if the Fates have saved that man, if earthly air he drink,

       Nor 'neath the cruel deadly shades his fallen body shrink,

       Nought need we fear, nor ye repent to strive in kindly deed

       With us: we have in Sicily fair cities to our need.

       And fields we have; Acestes high of Trojan blood is come.550

       Now suffer us our shattered ships in haven to bring home,

       To cut us timber in thy woods, and shave us oars anew.

       Then if the Italian cruise to us, if friends and king are due,

       To Italy and Latium then full merry wend we on.

       But if, dear father of our folk, hope of thy health be gone,

       And thee the Libyan water have, nor hope Iulus give,

       Then the Sicanian shores at least, and seats wherein to live,

       Whence hither came we, and the King Acestes let us seek."

      So spake he, and the others made as they the same would speak,

       The Dardan-folk with murmuring mouth.560

      But Dido, with her head hung down, in few words answer gave:

       "Let fear fall from you, Teucrian men, and set your cares aside;

       Hard fortune yet constraineth me and this my realm untried

       To hold such heed, with guard to watch my marches up and down.

       Who knoweth not Æneas' folk? who knoweth not Troy-town,

       The valour, and the men, and all the flame of such a war?

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