No More Learning

By Pyrrhus' death the kingdom we regain'd: At least one half with Hclenus remain'd.
Our part, from Chaon, he Chaonia calls, And names from Pergamus his rising walls.
But you, what fates have landed on our coast ?
What gods have sent you, or what storms have toss'd. 1 Does young Ascanius life and health enjoy,
Sav'd from the ruins of unhappy Troy ?
O tell me how his mother's loss he bears,
What hopes are promis'd from his blooming years, How much of Hector in his face appears? '
She spoke; and mix'd her speech with mournful crie_ And fruitless tears came trickling from her eyes.
"At length her lord descends upon the plain, In pomp, attended with a num'rous train; Receives his friends, and to the city leads, And tears of joy amidst his welcome sheds. Proceeding on, another Troy I see,
Or, in less compass, Troy's epitome.
A rivqet by the name of Xanthus ran,
And I embrace the Sc_an gate again.
My friends in porticoes were entertain'd,
And feasts and pleasures thro' the city reign'd.
The tables fi11'd the spacious hall around,
And golden bowls with sparkling wine were croWn'& Two days we pass'd in mirth, till friendly gales, Blown from the south, supplied our swelhng sails. Then to the royal seer I thus began:
'0 thou, who know'st, beyond the reach of man,
? The laws of heav'n, and wh_t the stars decree; Whom Phoebus taught urlei-ring prophecy,
From his own tripod, ahd his holy tree;
SkiU'd in the wing'd inhabitants of air,
What auspices their notes and flights declare : O say--for all religious rites portend
A happy voyage, and a prosp'rous end;
And ev'ry power and omen of the sky
Direct my course fo= destin'd Italy;
But only dire Cel,_no, from the gods,
A dismal famine fatally forebodes--
O say what dangers I am first to shun,
What toils to vanquish, and what course to run. '
"The prophet first wlth sacrifice adores
The greater gods; their pardon then _mplores;
Unbinds the fillet from his holy head;
To Phoebus, next, my trembling steps he led,
Full of religious doubts and awful dread.
Then, with his god possess'd, before the shrine,
These words proceeded from his mouth divine:
'O goddess-born, (for Heav'n's appointed will,
With greater auspices of good than ill,
Foreshows thy voyage, and thy course directs;
Thy fates conspire, and Jove himself protects,)
Of many things some few I shall explain,
Teach thee to shun the dangers of the maln,
And how at length the promis'd shore to gain.
The rest the fates from Helenus conceal,
And Juno's angry pow'r forbids to tell.
First, then, that happy shore, that seems so nigh,
Will far fromyour deludedwishesfly;
Long tracts of seas divide your hopes from Italy:
For you must cruise along Sicilian shores,
And stem the currents with your struggling oars;
Then round th' Italian coast your navy steer;
And, after this, to Circe's island veer;
2_ad, last, before your new foundations rise,
Must pass the Stygian lake, and view the nether skies,
Now mark the signs of future ease and rest, And bear them sa_ely treasut'd in _y breast.
? DRYDENsS TRAI_SLATIOI_ OF _IRGI_ / r
When, in the shady shelter of a wood, And near the margin of a gentle flood,
Thou shalt behold a sow upon the ground,
With thirty suc_ng young encompass'd round;
The dam and offspring white as falling snow_ These on thy city shall their name bestow,
And there shall end thy labors and thy woe.
Nor let the threaten'd famine fright thy mind,
For Phoebus will assist, and Fate the way will find. Let not thy course to that ill coast be bent,
Which fronts from far th' Epirian continent:
Those parts are all by Grecian foes possess'd;
The salvage Loerians here the shores infest;
There fierce Idomeneus his cky builds,
And guards with arms the Salentinian fields;
And on the mountain's brow Petilia stands,
Which Philoctetes with his troops commands.
_Ev'n when thy fleet is landed on the shore,
And priests with holy vows the gods adore,
Then with a purple veil involve your eyes,
Lest hostile faces blast the sacrifice.
These rites and customs to the rest commend,
That to your pious race they may descend.
"'When, parted hence, the wind, that ready waits For Sicily, shall bear you to the straits
Where proud Pelorus opes a wider way,
Tack to the larboard, and stand off to sea: Veer starboard sea and land. Th' Italian shore And fair Sicilia's coast were one, before
An earthquake caus'd the flaw: the roaring tides
The passage broke that land from land divides;
And where the lands retir'd, the rushing ocean rides. Distinguish'd l_y the straits, on either hand,
Now rising cities in long order stand,
And fruitful fields: so much can time invade
The mold'ring work that beauteous Nature made. Far on the right, her dogs foul Scylla hides:
Charybdis roaring on the left presides,
And in her greedy whirlpool sucks the tides;
_'hca spouts them from below: with fury driv'n,
? \
TM THIRD BOOK OF THE 3ENEIS IU
The waves mount up and wash the face of heav'n. But Scylla from her den, with open jaws,
The sinking vessel in her eddy draws,
Then dashes on the rocks. . %. human face,
And virgin bosom, hides her tail's disgrace: Her parts obscene below the waves descend, With dogs inclos'd, and in a dolphin end. 'T is safer, then, to bear aloof to sea,
And coast Pachynus, tho' with more delay, Than once to view misshapen Scylla near, And the loud yell of wat'ry wolves to hear.
"'Besides, if faith to Helenus be due,
_knd if prophetic Phoebus tell me true,
Do not this precept of your friend forget,
Which therefore more than once I must repeat: Above the rest, great Juno's name adore;
Pay vows to Juna; Juno's aid implore.
Let gifts be to the mighty queen design'd,
And mollify with pray'rs her haughty mind. Thus, at the length, your passage shall be free. And you shall safe descend on Italy.
Arriv'd at Cumin, when you view the flood
Of black Avernus, and the sounding wood,
The mad prophetic Sibyl you shall find,
Dark in a cave, and on a rock reclin'd.
She sings the _ates, and, in her frantic fits,
The notes and names, inscrib'd, to leafs commits. What she commits to leafs, in order laid, Before the cavern's entrance are display'd: Unmov'd they lie; but, if a blast of wind Without, or vapors issue from behind,
The leafs are borne aloft in liquid air,
_md she resumes no more her museful care,
Nor gathers from the rocks her scatter'd vers_ Nor sets in order what the winds disperse. Thus, many not succeeding, most upbraid
The madness of the visionary maid,
k_nd with loud curses leave the mystic shade.
"'Think it not loss of time a while to stay, Tho' thy companions chide thy long delay;
? M8
DRTD_S TRANSLATION OF _
Tho' summon'd to the seas, tho' pleasing gales Invite thy aourse, and stretch thy swelling sails:
But beg the sacred priestess to relate
With willing words, and not to write thy fate.
The fierce Italian people she will show,
And all thy wars, and all thy future woe,
And what thou may'st avoid, and what must under_ She shall direct thy course, instruct thy tnlnd,
And teach thee how the happy shores to find.
This is what Heav'n allows me to relate:
Now part in peace; pursue thy better fate,
And raise, by strength of arms, the Trojan state. '
"This when the priest with friendly voice declar'd, He gave me license, and rich gifts prepar'd:
Bounteous of treasure, he supplied my want
With heavy gold, and pollsh'd elephant;
Then Dodonaean caldrons put on board,
And ev'ry ship with sums of silver stor'd.
A trusty_coat of mall to me he sent,
Thrice chain'd with gold, for use and ornament; The helm of Pyrrhus added to the rest,
That flourlsh'd with a plume and waving cresL Nor was my sire forgotten, nor my friends;
And large recruits he to my navy sends:
Men, horses, captains, arms, and warhke stores | Supplies new pilots, and new sweeping oars. Meantime, my sire commands to hoist our sails, Lestwe shouldlosethefirsatuspiciougsales.
"The prophetbless'tdhepartingcrew,and last, With wordsliketheseh,isancientfriendembrac'd:
'Oldhappyman, thecareofgodsabove,
Whom heav'nlyVenushonor'dwithherlove,
And twicepreserv'tdhy lifew,hen Troy was lost_ Beholdfrom farthewlsh'dAusonlancoast: Thereland;buttakea largercompassround,
For thatbeforeIsallforbiddegnround.
The shorethatPhoebushasdesign'fdoryou,
At fartheid"istanclelesc,onceal'fdrom view,
Go happy hence,and seekyour new abodes, Blestinason,andfavor'ld_thegods:
? THE THIKD BOOK OF THE _N'_IS It']
For I with useless words prolong your stay, When southern gales have summon'd you away. '
"Nor less the queen our parting thence deplor'd,
Nor was less bounteous than her Trojan lord.
A noble present to my son she brought,
A robe with floW'rs on golden tissue wrought,
A Phrygian vest; and loads with gifts beside
Of precious texture, and of Asian pride.
'Accept,' she said, 'these monuments of love,
Which in my youth with happier hands I wove:
Regard these trifles for the giver's sake;
'T is the last present Hector's wife can make.
Thou call'st my lost Astyanax to mind;
In thee his features and his form I find:
His eyes so sparkled with a lively flame;
Such were his motions; such was all his frame;
And ah ! had Heav'n so pleas'd, his years had been the same. '
"With tears I took my last adieu, and said: 'Your fortune, happy pair, already made, Leaves you no farther wish. My diff'rent state, Avoiding one, incurs another fate.
To you a quiet seat the gods allow:
You have no shores to search, no seas to plow, Nor fields of flying Italy to chase:
(Deluding visions, and a vain embrace[)
You see another Simols, and enjoy
The labor of your hands, another Troy,
With better auspice than her ancient tow'rs, And less obnoxious to the Grecian pow'rs.
If e'er the gods, whom I with vows adore, Conduct my steps to Tiber's happy shore;
If ever I ascend the Latian throne,
And build a city I may call my own;
_,s both of us our birth from Troy derive,
So let our kindred lines in concord live,
And both in acts of equal friendship str/Ve. Our fortunes, good or bad, shall be the same: The double Troy shall differ hut in name;
That what we now begin may never end,
But long to late posterity descend,'
? 148 DRYDEN'S TRANSLATION OF VIRGIL
"Near the Ceraunian rocks our course we bore; The shortest passage to th'Italiasnhore.
Now had the sun withdrawn his radiant light, And hills were hid in dusky shades of night:
We land, and, on the bosom of the ground, _. safe retreat and a bare lodging found.
Close by the shore we lay; the sailors keep Their watches, and the rest securely sleep.
The night, proceeding on with silent pace, Stood in her noon, and view'd with equal face
Her steepy rise and her declining race.
Then wakeful Palinurus rose, to spy
The face of hear'n, and the nocturnal sky;
And listen'd ev'ry breath of air to try;
Observes the stars, and notes their sliding course, The Pleiads, Hyads, and their wat'ry force;
And both the Bears is careful to behold,
And bright Orion, arm'd with burnish'd gold. Then, when he saw no threat'ning tempest nigh, But a sure promise of a settled sky,
He gave the sign to weigh ; we break our sleep, Forsake the pleasing shore, and p]ow the deep.
"And now the rising morn with rosy light Adorns the skies, and puts the stars to flight;
When we from far, like bluish mists, descry The hills, and then the plains, of Italy. Achates first pronounc'd the joyful sound; Then, 'Italy t' the cheerful crew rebound.
My sire Anchises ? rown'd a cup with wine, And, off'ring, thus implor'd the pow'rs divine: 'Ye gods, presiding over lands and seas,
_And you who raging winds and waves appease, Breathe on our swelling sails a prosp'rous wind, And smooth our passage to the port assign'd I' The gentle gales their flagging force renew, And now the happy harbor is in view.
Minerva's temple then salutes our sight,
Plac'd, as a landmark, on the mountain's height, We furl our sails, and turn the prows to shore; trite curling waters round the galleys roar.
? THE THIRD BOOK OF THE 2ENEIS 149
The land lies open to the raging east,
Then, bending like a bow, with rocks compress'd,
Shuts out the storms; the winds and waves complain. And vent their malice on the cliffs in vain.
The port lies hid within; on either side
Two tow'ring rocks the narrow mouth divide.
The temple, which aloft we view'd before,
To distance flies, and seems to shun the shore.
Scarce landed, the first omens I beheld
Were four white steeds that eropp'd the flow'ry field. 'War, war is threaten'd from this foreign ground,'
My father cried, 'where warlike steeds are found.
Yet, since reclaim'd to chariots they submit,
And bend to stubborn yokes, and champ the bit,
Peace may succeed to war. ' Our way we bend
To Pallas, and the sacred hill ascend;
There prostrate to the fierce virago pray,
Whose temple was the landmark of our way.
Each with a Phrygian mantle veil'd his head,
And all commands of Helenus obey'd,
And pious rites to Grecian Juno paid.
These dues perform'd, we stretch our sails, and stand To sea, forsaking that suspected land.
"From hence Tarentum's bay appears in view, For Hercules renown'd, if fame be true.
Just opposite, Lacinian Juno stands;
Cauloniarr tow'rs, and Scylac,_ean strands,
For shipwrecks fear'd. Mount zEtna thence we spy, Known by the smoky flames which cloud the sky. Far off we hear the waves with surly sound
Invade the rocks, the rocks their groans rebound. The billows break upon the sounding strand,
And roll the rising tide, impure with sand.
Then thus Anchises, in experience old:
"T is that Charybdis which the seer foretold, A_d those the promis'd rocks! Bear off to sea I' With haste the frighted mariners obey.
First Palinurus to the larboard veer'd;
Then all the fleet by his e_:ample steer'd. To heav'n aloft on ridgy waves we ride?
? 1B0 DRYDF__'8 TRANSLATION OF
Then down to hell descend, when they divlde_
And thrice our galleys knock'd the stony ground_
And thrice the hollow rocks return'd the sound,
And thrice we saw the stars, that stood with dews around. The flagging winds forsook us, with the sun;
And, wearied, on Cyclopianshores we run,
The port capacious, and secure from wind,
Is to the foot of thund'rlng . _tna join'd.
By turns a pitchy cloud she rolls on high;
By turns hot embers from her entrails fly,
And flakes of mounting flames, that lick the sky.
Oft from her bowels massy rocks are thrown,
And, shiver'd by the force, come piecemeal down.
Oft liquid lakes of burning sulphur flow,
Fed from the fiery springs that boil below.
Enccladus, they say, transfix'd by Jove,
With blasted limbs came tumbhng from above;
And, where-he fell, th' avenging father drew
This flaming hill, and on his body threw.
As often as he turns his weary sides,
He shakes the solid isle, and smoke the heavens hides,
In shady woods we pass the tedious night,
Where bellowing sounds and groans our souls affright.
Of which no cause is offer'd to the sight;
For not one star was kindled in the sky,
Nor could the moon her borrow'd light supply;
For misty clouds involv'd the firmament,
The stars were mut_ed, and the moon was pent.
"Scarce had the rising sun the day reveal'd, Scarce had his heat the pearly clews dispell'd,
When fi'om the woods there bolts, before our sight, Somewhat betwixt a mortal and a sprite,
So thin, so ghastly meager, and so wan,
So bare of flesh, he scarce resembled man.
This thing, all tatter'd, seem'd from far t' implore
Our pious aid, and pointed to the shore.
We look behind, then view his shaggy beard;
His clothes were tagg'd with thorns, and filth his limb_
besmear'd;
The rest, in mien, in habit, and in face,
? TR_ THIRD BOOK OF THE _NEIS L4|
Appear'd a Greek, and such indeed he was.
He cast on us, from far, a frightful view, Whom soon for Ti'o]ans and for foes he knew; Stood sfill_ and pans'd; then all at onc_ began To stretch his limbs, and trembled as he ran. Soon as approach'd, upon his knees he falls, And thus with tears and sighs for pity calls: 'Now, by the pow'rs above, and what we share From Nature's commc,n gift, this vital air,
O Trojans, take me hence l I beg no more; But bear me far from this unhappy shore. 'T is trtle, I am a Greek, and farther own, Among your foes besieg'd th' imperial town. For such demerits if my death be due,
No more for this abandon'd life I sue; This only favor let my tears obtain,
To throw me headlong in the rapid main:
Since nothing more than death my crime demands, I die content, to die by human hands. '
He said, and on his knees my knees embrac'd:
I bade him boldly tell his fortune past,
His present state, his lineage, and his name,
Th' occasion of his fears, and whence he came. The good Anchises rais'd him with his hand; Who, thus encourag'd, answer'd our demand: 'From Ithacaj my native soft, I came
To Troy; and Ach_emenides my name.
Me my poor father with Ulysses sent;
_0 had I stay'd, with poverty content I)
But, fearful for themselves, my countrymen
Left me forsaken in the Cyclops' den.
The cave, tho' large, was dark; the dismal floor Was pav'd with mangled limbs and putrid gore. Our monstrous host, of more than human size, Erects hi_ head, and stares within the skies; Bellowing his voice, and horrid is his hue,
Ye gods, remove this plague from mortal view[
The joints of slaughter'd wretches are his food; And for his wine he quaffs the strearding bloOd. These eyes beheld, when with his spacious hand
? 159 DRYDEN'S TRANSLATION OF VIRGIL
He sciz'tdwo captiveosfour Grecianband; Stretch'odn hisback,he dash'dagainsthestone_
Theirbrokenbodiesa,nd theircracklinbgones: With spoutinbgloodthepurplepavementswims,
While thedireglutton grindsthetremblinglimbs. " 'Notunrevcng'Udlyssesboretheirfate,
Nor thoughtlesosfhisown unhappystate;
For,gorg'dwithflesha,nd drunkwithhtunanwine Whilefastasleepthegiantlaysupine, Snoringaloud,and belchinfgrom hismaw
His indigestefdoam,and morselsraw,
We pray;we castthelotsa,nd thensurround The monstrousbody,stretch'adlongtheground: Each,as he couldapproachhim,lendsa hand To borehiseyebalwlitha flamingbrand. Beneathhisfrowningforeheadlayhiseye; For onlyone didthevastframesupply--
But thata globesolargeh,isfrontitfill'd, Likethesun'sdiskorlikea Grecianshield.
The strokesucceedsa;nddown thepupilbends:
This vengeancefollow'fdorour slaughter'fdriends,
But haste,unhappywretchesh,astetoflyl
Your cablescut,and on youroarsrely! Such,andsovastasPolyphemeappears,
A hundredmorethishatedislandbears:
Like him,in cavestheyshuttheirwoollysheep;
Like him,theirherdson topsof mountainskeep;
Like him,wlthmightystridest,heystalkfrom steept9steep. . Andnow threemoons theirsharpen'hdornsrenew, Sincethus,inwoods and wildso,bscurefromview,
I dragmy loathsomedayswithmortalfright,
And indesertecdavernslodgebynight;
Oft from therocksa dreadfulprospectsee
Of thehuge Cyclopsl,ikea walkingtree:
From farIhearhisthund'rinvgoiceresound,
And tramplingfeetthatshakethesolidground. Cornelsand salvageberrieosfthewood,
And rootsand herbs,havebeenmy meagerfood. While aH around my longing eyes I cast,
I saw your happy ships appear at last.
? THE THIRD BOOK OF THE _NEIS 1_
On those I fix'd my hopes, to these I run;
'T is all I ask, this cruel race to shun;
What other death you please, yourselves bestow. '
"Scarce had he said, when on the mountain's brow We saw the giant shepherd stalk before
His following flock, and leading to the shore:
A monstrous bulk, deform'd, depriv'd of sight;
His staff a trunk of pine, to guide his steps aright. His pond'rous whistle from his neck descends;
His woolly care their pensive lord attends:
This only solace his hard fortune sends.
Soon as he reach'd the shore and touch'd the waves, From his bor'd eye the gutt'ring blood he laves :
He gnash'd his teeth, and groan'd; thro' seas he stridesj And scarce the topmost billows touch'd his sides.
"Seiz'd with a sudden fear, we run to sea, The cables cut, and silent haste away;
The well-deserving stranger entertain;
Then, buckling to the work, our oars divide the main. The giant harken'd to file dashing sound:
But, when our vessels out of reach he found,
He strided onward, and in vain essay'd
Th' Ionian deep, and durst no farther wade. With that he roar'd aloud: the dreadful cry Shakes earth, and air, and seas; the bdlows fly Before the bellowing noise to distant Italy.
The neighb'ring _tna trembling all around,
The winding caverns echo to the sound.
His brother Cyclops hear the yelling roar,
And, rushing down the mountains, crowd the shore. We saw their stern distorted looks, from far,
And one-eye'd glance, that vainly threaten'd war: A dreadful council, with their heads on high;
(The misty clouds about their foreheads fly;) Not yielding to the tow'ring tree of Jove,
Or tallest cypress of Diana's grove.
New pangs of mortal fear our minds assail; We tug at ev'ry oar, and hoist up ev'ry sail, And take th' advantage of the friendly gale. Forewarn'd by Helenus, we strive to shun
? DR_rI_EN'S TI_ANSLATION OF VIRGIL
Charybdis' g_lf, nor dare to Scylla run.
An equal fate on either side appears:
We, tacking to the left, are free from fears;
For, from Pelorus' point, the North arose,
And drove us back where swift Pantagias flowL His rocky mouth we pass, and make our way
By Thapsus and Megara's winding bay.
This passage Achaemenides had shown,
Tracing the course which he before had run.
"Right o'er against Plemmyrium's wat'ry strand, There lies an isle once calrd th' Ortygian land.
Alpheus, as old fame reports, has found From Greece a secret passage under ground,
By love to beauteous Arethusa led;
And, mingling here, they roll in the same sacred bed. As Helenus er_jom'd, we next adore
Diana's name, protectress of the shore.
With prosp_'rous gales we pass the quiet sounds
Of still Elorus, and his fruitful bounds.
Then, doubling Cape ]? achynus, we survey
The rocky shore extended to the sea.
The town of Camarine from far we see,
And fenny lake, undrain'd by fate's decree.
In sight of _he Geloan fields we pass,
And the large walls, where mighty Gela was;
Then Agragas, with lofty summits crown'd,
Long for the race of warlike steeds renown'd.
We pass'd Selinus, and the palmy land,
And widely shun t. he Lilyb_ean strand,
Unsafe, for secret rocks and moving sand.
At length on shore the weary fleet arriv'd, Which Drepanum's unhappy port receiv'd. Here, after endless labors, often toss'd
By raging storms, and driv'n on ev'ry coast, My dear, dear father, spent with age, I lost: Ease of my cares, and solace of my pain, Sav'd thro' a thousand toils, but sav'd in vain, The prophet, who my future woes reveal'd,
Yet this, the greatest and the worst, conceal'd; And dire Ce! __,_,_,whose foreboding skill
? THE THIRD BOOK OF THE _NEIS 155 Denoune'd all else, was silent of this ill
This my last labor was. Some friendly god From thence eonvey'd us to your blest abode. "
Thus, to the list'ning queen, the royal guest His wand'ring course and all his toils express'd; And here concluding, he retir'd to rest-
? THE FOURTH BOOK OF THE ]ENEIS
THE ARGUMENT. --Dido discovers to her sister her passion for ,_neas, and her thoughts of marrying him. She prepares a hunting match for his entertainment Juno, by Venus's consent, raises a storm, which separates the hunters, and drives _neas and Dido into the same cave, where their marrmge is suppos'd to be com- pleted. Jupiter dispatches Mercury to _neas, to warn him from Carthage. . _neas secretly prepares for hm voyage. Dido finds out his design, and, to put a stop to It, makes use of her own and her sister's entreaties, and discovers all the variety of passions that are incident to-_ neglected lover. When nothing would prevail upon him, she contrives her own death, with which this book concludes.
She fed within her veins a flame unseen;
UT anxious cares already seiz'd the queen:
The hero's valor, acts, and birth inspire Her soul with love, and fan the secret fire.
His words, his looks, imprinted in her heart, Improve the passion, and increase the smart. Now, when the purple morn had chas'd away The dewy shadows, and restor'd the day,
Her sister first wtth early care she sought,
And thus in mournful accents eas'd her thought:
"My dearest Anna, what new dreams affright My lab'ring soul l what visions of the night Disturb my quieL and distract my breast
With strange ideas of our Trojan guest!
His worth, his actions, and majestic air,
A man descended from the gods declare.
]Fear ever argues a degenerate kind;
His birth is well asserted by his mind.
Then, what he suffer'd, when by Fate betray'd t
156
? THE FOURTH BOOK OF THE _ENEIS 1_7
What brave attempts for falling Troy he made | Such were his looks, so gracefully he spoke,
That, were I not resolv'd against the yoke Of hapless marriage, never to be curst
With second love, so fatal was my first, To this one error I might yield again; For, since Sich_eus was untimely slain,
This only man is able to subvert
The fix'd foundations of my stubborn heart.
And, to confess my frailty, to my shame,
Somewhat I find within, if not the same,
Too like the sparkles of my former flame.
But first let yawning earth a passage rend,
And let me thro' the dark abyss descend;
First let avenging Jove, with flames from high, Drive down this body to the nether sky,
Condemn'd with ghosts in endless night to lie, Before I break the phghted faith I gavel
No ! he who had my vows shall ever have;
For, whom I lov'd on earth, I worship in the grave. "
She said: the tears ran gushing from her eyes, _Madstopp'd her speech. Her sister thus replies:
"0 dearer than the vital air I breathe,
Will you to grief your blooming years bequeath,
Condemn'd to waste in woes your lonely life, Without the joys of mother or of wife?
Think you these tears, this pompous train of woe, Are known or valued by the ghosts below?
I grant that, while your sorrows yet were green, It well became a woman, and a queen,
The vows of Tyrian princes to neglect, To scorn Hyarbas, and his love reject,
With all the Libyan lords of mighty name; But will you fight against a pleasing flame l This little spot of land, which Heav'n bestows, On ev'ry side is hemm'd with warlike foes; Ga_tulian cities here are spread around,
,and fierce Numidians there your frontiers bound; Here lles a barren waste of thirsty land,
And there the Syrtes raise the moving sand;
? lS8 DRYDEN'8 TRANSLATION OF VIRGIL
Bare, an troops besiege the narrow shore,
And from the sea Pygmalion threatens more. Propitious Hear'n, and gracious Juno, lead
This wand'ring navy to your needful aid:
How will your empire spread, your city rise, From such a union, and with such alhes?
Implore the favor of the pow'rs above,
And leave the conduct of the rest to love. Continue still your hospitable way,
And stlU invent occasions of their stay,
Till storms and winter winds shall cease to threat, And planks and oars repair their shatter'd fleet. "
These words, which from a friend and sister came, With ease resolv'd the scruples of her fame,
And added fury to the kindled flame.
Inspir'd with hope, the project they pursue;
On ev'ry altar saemfice renew:
A choseff'ewe of two years old they pay
To Ceres, Bacchus, and the God of Day; Preferring Juno's pow'r, for Juno ties
The nuptial knot and makes the marriage joys. The beauteous queen before her altar stands, And holds the golden goblet in her hands.
A milk-white heifer she with flow'rs adorns,
And pours the ruddy wine betwixt her horns; And, while the priests with pray'r the gods invoke, She feeds their altars with Sub, an smoke,
With hourly care the sacmfice renews,
And anxiously the panting entrails views. What priestly rites, alas l what pious art, What vows avail to cure a blee&ng heart t A gentle fire she feeds within her veins, Where the soft god secure in silence reigns.
Sick with desire, and seeking him she loves, From street to street the raving Dido roves.
So when the watchful shepherd, from the blind, Wounds with a random shaft the careless hind, Distracted with her pain she flies the woods, Bounds o'er the lawn, and seeks the silent flood, With fruitless care; for still the fatal dart
? THR FOURTH BOOK OF THE _NEIS
Sticks in her side, and rankles in her heart.
And now she leads the Trojan chief along
The lofty walls, _midst the busy throng;
Displays her Tyrian wealth, and rising town, Which love, without h,s labor, makes his own.
This pomp she shows, to tempt her wand'ring guest| Her falt'ring tongue forbids to speak the rest. When day declines, and feasts renew the night, Still on his face she feeds her famish'd sight;
She longs again to hear the prince relate His own adventures and tile Trojan fate. He tells _t o'er and o'er; but still in vain, For still she begs to hear it once again.
The hearer on the speaker's mouth depends, And thus the tragic story never ends.
Then, when they part, when Phcebe's paler light Withdraws, and falhng stars to sleep invite,
She last remains, when ev'ry guest is gone, Sits on the bed he press'd, and sighs alone;
Absent, her absent hero sees and hears; Or in her bosom young Ascanius bears, And seeks the father's image in the child, If love by likeness might be so beguil'd,
Meantime the rising tow'rs are at a stand; No labors exercise th_ youthful band,
Nor use of arts, nor toils of arm_ they know; The mole is left unfini_h'd to the foe;
The mounds, the works, the walls, neglected lie,
Short of their promis'd heighth, that seem'd to threat the sky.
But when imperial Juno, from above, Saw Dido fetter'd in the chains of lov?
,
Hot with the venom which her veins inflam'd, And by no sense of shame to be reclaim'd,
With soothing words to Venus she begun: "High praises, endless honors, you have won, And mighty trophies, with your worthy _craI Two gods a silly woman have undone. l
Nor am I ignorant, you both suspect
This rising city, which my hands erect: But shall celestial dhoord never ccue?
? DRYDEN'S TRANSLATION OF VIRGIL
'T is better ended in a lasting peace.
You stand possess'd of all your soul desir'd: Poor Dido with consuming love is fir'd.
Your Trojan with my Tyrian let us join;
So Dido shall be yours, . _Eneas mine:
One common kingdom, one united line.
Eliza shall a Dardan lord obey,
And lofty Carthage for a dow'r convey. "
Then Venus, who her hidden fraud descried, Which would the scepter of the world misguide To Libyan shores, thus artfully replied:
"Who, but a fool, would wars with Juno choose, And such alliance and such gifts refuse,
If Fortune with our joint desires comply ?
The doubt is all from Jove and destiny;
Lest he forbid, with absolute command,
To mix the people in one common land-
Or w_l the Trojan and the Tyrian line
In lasting leagues and sure succession join ?
But you, the partner of his bed and throne,
May move his mind; my wishes are your own. "
"Mine," said imperial Juno, "be the care;
Time urges, now, to perfect this affair:
Attend my counsel, and the secret share.
When next the Sun his rising light displays,
And gilds the world below with purple rays,
The queen, . ,Eneas, and the Tyrian court
Shall to the shady woods, for sylvan game, resort. There, while the huntsmen pitch their toils around, And cheerful horns from side to side resound,
A pitchy cloud shall cover all the plain
With hail, and thunder, and tempestuous rain;
The fearful train shall take their speedy flight, Dispers'd, and all involv'd in gloomy night;
One cave a grateful shelter shall afford
To the fair princess and the Trojan lord.
I will myself the bridal bed prepare,
If you, to bless the nuptials, will be there:
So shall their loves be crown'd with due delights, And Hymen shall be present at the rites. "
? THE FOURTH BOOK OF THE __NEIS 161
The Queen of Love consents, and closely smiles At her vain project, and discover'd wiles.
The rosy morn was risen from the main,
And horns and hounds awake the princely train:
They issue early thro' the city gate,
Where the more wakeful huntsmen ready wait,
With nets, and toils, and darts, beside the force
Of Spartan dogs, and swift Massylian horse.
The Tyrian peers and officers of state
For the slow queen in antechambers wait;
Her lofty courser, in the court below,
Who his majestic rider seems to know,
Proud of his purple trappings, paws the ground,
And champs the golden bit, and spreads the foam around, The lueen at length appears; on either hand
The brawny guards in martial order stand.
A flow'r'd simar with golden fringe she wore,
And at her back a golden quiver bore;
Her flowing hair a golden caul restrains,
A golden clasp the Tyrian robe sustains
Then young Ascanius, with a sprightly grace,
Leads on the Trojan youth to view the chase.
But far above the rest in beauty shines
The great _neas, when the troop he joins;
Like fair Apollo, when he leaves the frost
Of wlnt'ry Xanthus, and the Lycian coast,
When to his native Delos he resorts,
Ordains the dances, and renews the sports;
Where painted Scythians, mix'd with Cretan bands, Before the joyful altars join their hands:
Himself, on Cynthus walking, sees below
The merry madness of the sacred show.
Green wreaths of bays his length of hair inclose;
A golden fillet binds his awful brows;
His quiver sounds: not less the prince is seen
In manly presence, or in lofty mien.
Now had they reach'd the hills, and storm'd the seat Of salvage beasts, in dens, their last retreat.
The cry pursues the mountain goats: they bound
From rock to rock, and keep the craggy ground; t_c xm--6
? DRYDEN'8 TRAN_/ON OF "VIRGIL
Quite otherwise the stags, a trembling train,
In herds unsingled, scour the dusty plain,
And a long chase in open view maintain.
The glad Ascanius, as his courser guides,
Spurs thro' the vale, and these and those outrides. His horse's flanks and sides are forc'd to feel
The clanking lash, and goring of the steel. Impatiently he views the feeble prey, Wishing some nobler beast to cross his way, And rather would the tusky boar attend,
Or see the tawny hon downward bend.
Meantime, the gath'ring clouds obscure the skies:
From pole to pole the forky lightning flies;
The rattling thunders roll; and Juno pours
A wintry deluge down, and sounding show'rs.
The company, dispers'd, to converts ride,
And seek the homely cots, or mountain's hollow side. The rapid rains, descending from the hills,
To rolling torrents raise the creeping rills.
The queen and prince, as love or fortune guides,
One common cavern in her bosom hides.
Then first the trembling earth the signal gave,
And flashing fires enlighten all the cave;
Hell from below, and Juno from above,
And howling nymphs, were conscious of their love. From this ill-omen'd hour in time arose
Debate and death, and all succeeding woes.
The queen, whom sense of honor could not mov% No longer made a secret of her love,
But call'd it marriage, by that specious name To veil the crime and sanctify the shame.
The loud report thro' Libyan cities goes.
Fame, the great ill, from small beginnings grows: Swift from the first; and ev'ry moment brings
New vigor to her flights, new pinions to her wings, Soon grows the pigmy to gigantic size;
Her feet on earth, her forehead in the skies.
Inrag'd against the gods, revengeful Earth
Produc'd her last of the Titanian birth.
Swift is her walk, more swift her winged haste:
? TH_ FOURTH BOOK OF THE BINEIS
la
monstrous phantom, horrible and vast. As many plumes as raise her lofty flight,
So many piercing eyes iniarge her sight; Millions o_ opening mouths to Fame belong, And ev'ry mouth is furnish'd with a tongue,
And round with list'ning ears the flying plague She fills the peaceful universe with cries;
No slumbers ever close her wakeful eyes;
By day, from lofty tow'rs her head she shews, And spreads thro' trembling crowds disastrous With court informers haunts, and royal spies; Things done relates, not done she feigns, and
truth with lies.
Talk is her business, and her chief delight
To tell of prodigies and cause affright.
She fills the people's ears with Dido's name,
Who, lost to honor and the sense of shame, Admits into her throne and nuptial bed
A wand'ring guest, who from his country fled: Whole days wlth him she passes in delights, And wastes in luxury long winter nights, Forgetful of her fame and royal trust, Dlssolv'd in case, abandon'd to her lust.
The goddess widely spreads the loud report, And flies at length to King Hyarba's court. When first possess'd with this unwelcome news Whom did he not of men and gods accuse ? This prince, from ravish'd Garamantis horn,
is hung.
news; mingles
A hundred temples did with spoils adorn,
In Ammon's honor, his celestial sire;
A hundred altars fed with wakeful fire;
And, thro' his vast dominions, priests ordain'd, Whose watchful care these holy rites maintain'd.
The gates and columns were with garlands crown'd, And blood of victim beasts enrich'd the ground.
He, when he heard a fugitive could move The Tyrian princess, who disdain'd his love,
His breast with fury hum'd, his eyes with ire, Mad with despair, impatient with desire;
Then on the sacred altars pouring wine,
? 164 DRYDEN'S TRANSLATION OF VIRGIL
He thus with pray'rs implor'd his sire divine: "Great Jove! propitious to the Moorish race, Who feast on painted beds, with off'rings grace Thy temples, and adore thy pow'r divine
With blood of victims, and with sparkling wine, Seest thou not this ? or do we fear in vain
Thy boasted thunder, and thy thoughtless reign? Do thy broad hands the forky lightnings lance ?
Thine are the bolts, or the blind work of chance ? A wand'ring woman builds, within our state,
A little town, bought at an easy rate ;
She pays me homage, and my grants allow
narrow space of Libyan lands to plow; Yet, scorning me, by passion blindly led, Admits a banish'd Trojan to her bed l
And now this other Paris, with his train Of conquer'd cowards, must in Afric reign!
(Whom? what they are, their looks and garb confess, Their locks with oil perfum'd, their Lydian dress. )
He takes the spoil, enjoys the princely dame; And I, rejected I, adore an empty name. "
His vows, in haughty terms, he thus preferr'd,
And held his altar's horus. The mighty Thund'rer heard; Then cast his eyes on Carthage, where he found
The lustful pair in lawless pleasure drown'd,
Lost in their loves, insensible of shame,
And both forgetful of their better fame.
He calls Cyllenius, and the god attends,
By whom his menacing command he sends:
"Go, mount the western winds, and cleave the sky;
Then, with a swift descent, to Carthage fly:
There find the Trojan chief, who wastes his days
In slothful riot and inglorious ease,
Nor minds the future city, giv'n by fate.
To him this message from my mouth relate:
'Not so fair Venus hop'd, when twice she won
Thy life with pray'rs, nor promis'd such a son,
Hers was a hero, destin'd to command
A martial race, and rule the Latian land,
Who should his ancient line from Teucer draw,
? THE FOURTH BOOK OF THE ,_N_IS lm
And on theconquer'wdorldimposethelaw. " Ifglorycannotmove a mindsomean,
Nor futurepraisefrom fadingpleasureweant Yet why shouldhe defraudhisson of fame, And grudgetheRomans theirimmortalname[ What archisvaindesignlswhathopeshe more From hislongling'rinogn a hostilsehore, Regardlessto redeem hishonor lost,
And forhisracetogainth'Ausoniancoast[ Bid him withspeedtheTyriancourtforsake; With thiscommand theslumb'rinwgarriorwake. "
Hermes obeys;withgoldenpinionsbinds His flyinfgeeta,nd mountsthewesternwinds:
And, whethero'ertheseasor earthhe flies, With rapidforcetheybearhim down theskies.
But firshte graspswithinhisawfulhand
The mark of soy'reigpnow'r,hismagicwand;
With thishc drawstheghostsfrom hollowgraves; With thishe drivesthem down theStygianwaves; With thishesealsinsleepthewakefulsight,
And eyes,tho'clos'idndeath,restoretsolight. Thus arm'd,thegodbeginshisairyrace, _knddrivestherackingcloudsalongtheliquidspace; Now seesthetopsofAtlas,ashe flies,
Whose brawnybacksupporttshestarryskies; :Atlasw,hose head,with pinyforestcsrown'd, Isbeatenby thewinds,withfoggyvaporsbound. Snows hidehisshouldersf;rom beneathhischin
The fountsofrollinsgtreamstheiracebegin;
A beardoficeon hislargebreastdepends. Here,pois'dupon hiswings,thegod descends: Then,restedthus,he from the tow'rinhgeight Plung'ddownward,withprecipitatfeldight, Lightson theseas,and skimsalongtheflood.
As waterfowlw,ho seektheirfishyfood,
Less,and yetlesst,o distanptrospectshow;
By turns they dance aloft, and dive below:
Like these, the steerage of his wings be plles,
_nd near the surface of the water flies,
Till. having pass'd the seas, and cross'd the sand_
? DRYD_ T_tA_ION OF VIROIL
He clos'd his wings, and stoop'd on Libyan lands: Where shepherds once were hous'd in homely shed_ Now tow'rs within the clouds advance their heads.
Arriving there, he found the Trojan prince New ramparts raising for the town's defense.
A purple scarf, with gold embroider'd o'er, (Queen Dido's gift,) about his waist he wore;
A sword,withglitt'rignegms diversified, Forornament,notuse,hungidlybyhisside.
Thenthus,withwingedwords,thegodbegan_ Resuminghisown shape:"Dcgenerateman, Thou woman'spropertyw,hat mak'stthouhere, TheseforeignwallsandTyriantow'rstorear, Forgetfulofthyown? AU-pow'rfulJove,
Who swaystheworldbelowandheav'nabove, Has sentme down withthisseverecommand:
What meansthyhng'ringintheLibyanland? If glor_cannotmove a mind so mean,
_or futurepraisefrom fittinpgleasurewean, Regardtheforttmesof thyrisingheir:
The promis'dcrown letyoung Ascaniuswear,
To whom th'Ausoniansceptera,nd thestate
Of Rome'simperialname isow'dby fate. "
So spokethegod; end,speakingt,ookhisflight, Involv'dincloudsa,nd vanish'doutof sight.
The piousprincewas seiz'wdithsuddenfear; Mute was histongue,and uprightstoodhishair. Revolving|n hismind the sterncommand,
He longstofly,andloathetshecharmingland. What shouldhe say? or how shoed he begin? What coursea,laslremainstosteerbetween
Th' oITcndedloverand thepow'rfalqueen? Thisway andthathetm'nshisanxiousmind, And allexpedienttsriesa,ndnonecanfind. Fix'don the deed,bat doubtfulof the means, Afterlong thought,to thisadvicehe leans: Three chiefshe callsc,ommands them to repair The fleeta,nd shiptheirmen withsilenctare; Some plausiblperetensehe bidsthem find,
To colorwhatinsecrethedesign'd.
? THE FOURTH BOOK OF _[_FIE_1_I8 1B
Himself, meantime, the softest hours would choose, Before the love-sick lady heard the news;
And move her tender mind, by slow degrees,
To suffer what the sov'reign pow'r decrees: Jove will inspire him, when, and what to say. They hear with pleasure, and with haste obey.
But soon the queen perceives the thin disguise: (What arts can blind a jealous woman's eyes ! )
She was the first to find the secret fraud, Before the fatal news was blaz'd abroad.
Love the first motions of the lover hears, Quick to presage, and ev'n in safety fears. Nor impious Fame was wanting to report
The ships repair'd, the Trojans' thick resort, And purpose to forsake the Tyrian court. Frantic with fear, impatient of the wound,
And impotent of mind, she roves the city round. Less wild the Bacchanalian dames appear,
When, from afar, their nightly god they hear,
And howl about the hills, and shake the wreathy spear
At length she finds the dear perfidious man; Prevents his form'd excuse, and thus began: "Base and ungrateful l could you hope to fly, And undiseover'd scape a lover's eye?
Nor could my kindness your compassion move, lgor plighted vows, nor dearer bands of love? Or is the death of a despairing queen
Not worth preventing, tho' too well foreseen? Ev'n when the wintry winds command your stay, You dare the tempests, and defy the sea.
False as you are, suppose you were not bound To lands unknown, and foreign coasts to sound;
Were Troy restor'd, and Priam's happy reign, Now durst you tempt, for Troy, the raging main?
See whom you fly! am I the foe you shun? Now, by those holy vows, so late begun,
By this right hand, (since I have nothing more To cballenge, but the faith you gave before ;)
I beg you by these tears too truly shed, By the new pleasures of our nuptial bed;
? m8 DRYDEN'S TRANSLATION OF VIRGIL
If ever Dido, when you most were kind,
Were pleasing in your eyes, or touch'd your mind; By these my pray'rs, if pray'rs may yet have place, Pity the fortunes of a falling race.
For you I have provok'd a tyrant's hate,
Incens'd the Libyan and the Tyrian state;
For you alone I suffer in my fame,
Bereft of honor, and expos'd to shame.
Whom have I now to trust, ungrateful guest?
(That only name remains of aU the rest ! )
What have I left? or whither can I fly?
Must I attend Pygmalion's cruelty,
Or till Hyarba shall in triumph lead
A queen that proudly scorn'd his proffer'd bed? Had you deferr'd, at least, your hasty flight, And left behind some pledge of our delight,
Some babe to bless the mother's mournful sight, Some yo_ung zl? neas, to supply your place, Whose features might express his father's face; I should not then complain to live bereft
Of all my husband, or be wholly left. "
Here paus'd the queen. Unmov'd he holds his eye. _
By Jove's command; nor suffer'd love to rise,
Tho' heaving in his heart; and thus at length replies: "Fair queen, you never can enough repeat
Your boundless favors, or I own my debt;
Nor can my mind forget Eliza's name,
While vital breath inspires this mortal frame.
This only let me speak in my defense:
I never hop'd a secret flight from hence,
Much less pretended to the lawful claim
Of sacred nuptials, or a husband's name.
For, if indulgent Heav'n would leave me fre_,
And not submit my life to fate's decree,
My choice would lead me to the Trojan shore,
Those relics to review, their dust adore,
And Priam's ruin'd palace to restore.
But now the Delphian oracle commands,
And fate invites me to the Latian lands.
That is the promis'd place to which I steer,
? THE FOURTH BOOK OF THE _IqEIS 169
And all my vows are terminated there.
If you, a Tyrian, and a stranger born,
Wifh walls and tow'rs a Libyan town adorn,
Why may not we--like you, a foreign race--
Like you, seek shelter in a foreign place?
As often as the night obscures the skies
With humid shades, or twinkling stars arise, Anchises' angry ghost in dreams appears,
Chides my delay, and fills my soul with fears;
And young Ascanius justly may complain
Of his defrauded fate and destin'd reign.
Ev'n now the herald of the gods appear'd:
Waking I saw him, and his message heard.
From Jove he came ? ommission'd, heav'nly bright With radiant beams, and manifest to sight
(The sender and the sent I both attest):
These walls he enter'd_ and those words express'd. Fair queen, oppose not what the gods command; Forc'd by my fate, I leave your happy land. "
Thus while he spoke, already she began,
With sparkling eyes, to view the guilty man;
From head to foot survey'd his person o'er,
Nor longer these outrageous threats forebore:
"False as thou art, and, more than false, forsworn ! 'N'otsprung from noble blood, nor goddess-born,
But hewn from harden'd entrails of a rock!
And rough Hyrcanian tigers gave thee suck!
Why should I fawn? what have I worse to fear? Did he once look, or lent a list'ning ear,
Sigh'd when I sobb'd, or shed one kindly tear ? -
All symptoms of a base ungrateful mind,
So foul, that, which is worse, 'tis hard to find.
Of man's injustice why should I complain?
The gods, and Jove himself, behold in vain Triumphant treason; yet no thunder flies,
Nor Juno views my wrongs with equal eyes; Faithless is earth, and faithless are the sklesl Justice is fled, and Truth is now no morel
I sav'd the sh_pwrack'd exile on my shore;
With needful food his hungry Trojans fed;
? 170 DRYT)EN'8 TRANSLATIO_ OF _IP_IL
I took the traitor to my throne and bed:
Fool that I was--'t is httle to repeat
The rest--I stor'd and rigg'd his ruin'd fleet.
I rave, I ravel A god's command he pleads,
And makes Hcav'n accessary to his deeds.
Now Lycian lots, and now the Delian god,
Now Hermes is employ'd from Jove's abode,
To warn him hence; as if the peaceful state
Of heav'nly pow'rs were touch'd with human fate ! But go! thy flight no longer I detain--
Go seek thy promis'd kingdom thro' the main!
Yet, if the heav'ns will hear my pious vow,
The faithless waves, not half so false as thou,
Or secret sands, shall sepulchers afford
To thy proud vessels, and their perjur'd lord. Then shalt thou call on injur'd Dldo's name:
Dido shall come in a black sulph'ry flame,
When death has once dtssolv'd her mortal frame; Shall smile to see the traitor vainly weep:
Her angry ghost, arising from the deep,
Shall haunt thee waking, and disturb thy sleep.
At least my shade thy punishment shall know,
And Fame shall spread the pleasing news below. '_
Abruptly here she stops; then turns away Her loathing eyes, and shuns the sight of day.
Amaz'd he stood, revolving in his mind
What speech to frame, and what excuse to find. Her fearful maids their fainting mistress led, And softly laid her on her iv'ry bed.
But good _neas, tho' he much desir'd
To give that pity which her grief requir'd;
Tho' much he mourn'd, and labor'd with his loves Resolv'd at length, obeys the will of Jove;
Reviews his forces: they with early care
Unmoor their vessels, and for sea prepare.
The fleet is soon afloaL in all its pride,
And weU-calk'd galleys in the harbor ride.
Then oaks for oars they fell'd; or, as they stood, Of its green arms despoil'd the growing wood, Studious of flight. The beach is cover'd o'er
? THE FOURTH BOOK OF THE ? ENEIS _1_1 With Trojan bands, that blacken all the shore:
On ev'ry side are seen, descendmg down,
Thick swarms of soldiers, loaden from the town.
Thus, in battalia, march embodied ants,
Fearful of winter, and of future wants,
T' invade the corn, and to their cells convey
The plunder'd forage of their yellow prey.
The sable troops, along the narrow tracks,
Scarce bear the weighty burthen on their backs: Some set their shoulders to the pond'rous grain; Some guard the spoil; some lash the lagging traln_ All ply their sev'ral tasks, and equal toll sustain.
What pangs the tender breast of Dido tore, When, from the tow'r, she saw the cover'd shore, And heard the shouts of sailors from afar,
Mtx'd with the murmurs of the wat'ry war! All-pow'rful Love l what changes canst thou cause In human hearts, subjected to thy laws!
Once more her haughty soul the tyrant bends:
To pray'rs and mean submissions she descends.
No female arts or aids she left untried,
Nor counsels unexplor'd, before she died.
"Look, A_na! look! the Trojans crowd to sea; They spread their canvas, and their anchors weigh. The shouting crew their ships with garlands bind, Invoke the sea gods, and invite the wind.
Could I have thought this threat'ning blow so near, My tender soul had been forewarn'd to bear.
But do not you my last request deny;
With yon perfidious man your int'rest try,
And bring me news, if I must live or die.
You are his fay'rite; you alone can find
The dark recesses of his inmost mind:
In all his trusted secrets you have part,
And know the soft approaches to his heart.
Haste then, and humbly seek my haughty foe;
Tell him, I did not with the Grecians go,
Nor did my fleet against hls friends employ,
Nor swore the ruin of unhappy Troy,
Nor mov'd with hands profane his father's d_st:
? 172 DRYDEN'S TRANSLATION OF _IRGIL
Why should he then reject a suit so just!
Whom does he shun, and whither would he fly ! Can he this last, this only pray'r deny!
Let him at least his dang'rous flight delay,
Walt better winds, and hope a calmer sea.
The nuptials he dlsclaims I urge no more:
Let him pursue the promis'd Latian shore.
A short delay is all I ask him now;
A pause of grief, an interval from woe,
Till my soft soul be temper'd to sustain Aceustonfd sorrows, and inur'd to pain.
If you in pity grant this one request,
My death shall glut the hatred of his breast"
This mournful message pious Anna bears,
And seconds with her own her sister's tears:
Bat all her arts are still employ'd in vain;
Again she comes, and is refus'd again.
His harden'd heart nor pray'rs nor threat'nlngs move;
Fate, and the god, had stopp'd his ears to love. As, wEen the winds their airy quarrel try,
Justling from ev'ry quarter of the sky,
This way and that the mountain oak they bend,
His boughs they shatter, and his branches rend;
With leaves and falling mast they spread the ground; The hollow valleys echo to the sound:
Unmov'd, the royal plant their fury mocks,
Or, shaken, dings more closely to the rocks;
Far as he shoots his tow'ring head on high,
So deep m earth his fix'd foundations lie.
No less a storm the Trojan hero bears;
Thick messages and loud complaints he hears,
And ban&ed words, still beating on his ears.
Sighs, groans, and tears proclaim his inward pains;
But the firm purpose of his heart remains.
The wretched queen, pursued by cruel fate, Begins at length the light of heav'n to hate,
And loathes to live Then dire portents she sees, To hasten on the death her soul decrees:
Strange to relate l for when, before the shrine, She pours in sacrifice the purple wine,
? THE FOURTH BOOK OF THE B_lqEIS 173 The purple wine is turn'd to putrid blood,
And the white offer'd mdk converts to mud. This dire presage, to her alone reveal'd,
From all, and ev'n her sister, she conceal'd.
A marble temple stood within the grove,
Sacred to death, and to her murther'd love; That honor'd chapel she had hung around
With snowy fleeces, and with garlands crown'd: Oft, when she visited this lonely dome,
Strange voices issued from her husband's tomb; She thought she heard him summon her away, Invite her to his grave, and chide her stay. Hourly 'tis heard, when with a boding note
The solitary screech owl strains her throat,
And, on a chimney's top, or turret's height,
With songs obscene disturbs the silence of the night, Besides, old prophecies augment her fears;
And stern . _Eneas in her dreams appears,
Disdainful as by day: she seems, alone,
To wander in her sleep, thro' ways unknown,
Guideless and dark; or, in a desart plain,
To seek her subjects, and to seek in vain:
Like Pentheus, when, distracted with his fear,
He saw two suns, and double Thebes, appear;
Or mad Orestes, when his mother's ghost
Full in his face infernal torches toss'd,
And shook her snaky locks: he shuns the sight,
Flies o'er the stage, surpris'd with mortal fright;
The Furies guard the door and intercept his flight.
Now, sinking underneath a load of grief, From death alone she seeks her last relief;
The time and means resolv'd within her breast, She to her mournful sister thus address'd
(Dissembling hope, her cloudy front she dears, And a false vigor in her eyes appears) : "Rejoice I" she said. "Instructed from above, My lover I shall gain, or lose my love.
Nigh rising Atlas, next the falling sun, Long tracts of Ethiopian climates run" There a Massylian priestess I have found,
? 174 DRYDEN'S TRANSLATION OF VIRGIL
Honor'd for age, for magic arts renown'd:
Th' Hesperian temple was her trusted care;
'T was she supplied the wakeful dragon's fare. She poppy seeds in honey taught to steep, Reclaim'd his rage, and sooth'd him into sleep. She watch'd the golden fruit; her charms unbind The chains of love, or fix them on the mind :
She stops the torrents, leaves the channel dry, Repels the stars, and backward bears the sky. The yawning earth rebeUows to her call,
Pale ghosts ascend, and mountain ashes fall. Witness, ye gods, and thou my better part,
How loth I am to try this impious art
Within the secret court, with silent care,
Erect a lofty pile, expos'd in air:
Hang on the topmost part the Trojan vest, Spoils, arms, and presents, of my faithless guesL Next, under these, the bridal bed be plat'd, Where. I my ruin in his arms embrac'd: _%11relics of the wretch are doom'd to fire;
For so the priestess and her charms require. "
Thus far she said, and farther speech forbears; _Amortal paleness in her face appears:
Yet the mistrustless Anna could not find
The secret fun'ral in these rites design'd;
Nor thought so dire a rage possess'd her mind. Unknowing of a train conceal'd so well,
She fear'd no worse than when S1eh_eus fell; Therefore obeys. The fatal pile they rear, Within the secret court, expos'd in air.
The cloven holms and pines are heap'd on high, And garlands on the hollow spaces lie.
Sad cypress, vervain, yew, compose the wreath, And ev'ry baleful green denoting death.
The queen, determin'd to the fatal deed,
The spoils and sword he left, in order spread, 3knd the man's image on the nuptial bed.
And now (the sacred altars plac'd around)
The priestess enters, with her hair unbound,
And thrice invokes the pow'rs below the ground.
? T_R FOURTH BOOK OF THE _'N'EIg 175
Night, Erebus, and Chaos she proclaims,
And threefold Hecate, with her hundred names, And three Dianas: next, she sprinkles round
With feign'd Avernian drops the haUow'd ground; Culls hoary simples, found by Ph_be's light,
With brazen sickles reap'd at noon of night;
Then mixes baleful juices in the bowl,
And cuts the forehead of a newborn foal,
Robbing the mother's love. The destin'd queen Observes, assisting at the rites obscene;
A leaven'd cake in her devoted hands
She holds, and next the highest altar stands:
One tender foot was shod, her other bare;
Girt was her gather'd gown, and loose her hair.