No More Learning

. . . . cmratis ope D_edalea
Nititur penms, vitreo daturus Nomlna ponto.
language, or what poet, can express the a thousand
others ?
Aude, hospes, contemnere opes, et te quoque dlgnurn
Fmge deo.
For my part, I am lost in the admiration of it" I contemn the world when I think on it, and myself when I translate it.
Lay by Virgil, I beseech your Lordship, and all my better sort of judges, when you take up my version; and tt will appear a passable beauty when the original Muse is absent. But, like Spenser's false Florimel made of snow, it melts and vanishes when the true one comes in sight. I will not ex- cuse, but justify myself for one pretended crime, with which I am liable to be charg'd by false critics, not only in this translation, but in many of my original poems--that I Latin, ize too much. 'T is trite that, when I find an English word
What majestic
modern
beauty of this one verse, amongst
.
? DEDICATION OF THE 2ENEIS 69
significant and sounding, I neither borrow from the Latin or any other language; but, when I want at home, I must seek abroad.
If sounding words are not of our growth and manufac- ture, who shall hinder me to import them from a foreign country? I carry not out the treasure of the nation, which is never to return; but what I bring from Italy, I spend in England: here it remains, and here it circulates; for, if the coin be good, it will pass from one hand to another. I trade both with the living and the dead, for the enrichment of our native language We have enough in England to supply our necessity; but, ff we will have things of magnificence and splendor, we must get them by commerce. Poetry requires ornament; and that is not to be had from our old Teuton monosyllables: therefore, if I find any elegant word in a classic author, I propose it to be naturaliz'd, by using it my- self: and, if the public approves of it, the bill passes. But every man cannot distinguish betwixt pedantry and poetry: every man, therefore, is not fit to renovate. Upon the whole matter, a poet must first be certain that the word he would introduce is beautiful in the Latin, and is to consider, in the next place, whether it will agree with the English idiom. After th_s, he ought to take the opinion of judicious friends, such as are learned m both languages; and, lastly, since no man ,s infallible, let him use this license very sparingly; for, if too many foreign words are pour'd in upon us, it looks as ,f they were design'd not to ass,st the natives, but to conquer them
I am now drawing towards a conclusion, and saspect your Lordship is very glad of it. But permit me first to own what helps I have had in this undertaking. The late Earl of Lauderdale sent me over his new translation of the A_neis, which he had ended before I ingag'd in the same design. Neither did I then intend it; but, some proposals being after- wards made me by my bookseller, I desir'd his Lordship's
leave that I might accept them, which he freely granted; and I have his letter to shew for that permission. He resolv'd to have printed his work; which he might have done two years before I co_d publish mine; and had perform'd it, if death had not prevented him. But having his manuscript in my
? 70 DRYDEN'S TRANSLATION OF VIRGIL
hands, I consulted it as often as I doubted of my author's sense; for no man ,mderstood Virgil better than that learned nobleman. His friends, I hear, have yet another and more correct copy of that translation by them, which had they pleas'd to have given the pubhc, the judges must have been convmc'd that I have not flatter'd him. Besides this help. which was not inconsiderable, Mr. Congreve has clone me the favor to revaew the _Ene_s, and compare my version with the original. I shall never be asham'd to own that this excellent young man has shew'd me many faults, which I have en- deavor'd to correct. 'Tas true, he maght have easily foand more, and then my translatmn had been more perfect.
Two other worthy fraends of mane, who desire to have their names conceal'd, seeing me straiten'd in my time, took
pity on me, and gave me the Life of Virgd, the two Preface_ to the Pastorals and the Georgzcs, and all the argaments in prose to the whole translation; whach, perhaps, has eaus'd a report that the two first poems are not mine. If it had been tr_e that I had taken their verses for my own, I might have gloried in thear aid; and, like Terence, have farther'd the opinion thaf'Scipio and L,_ehusjom'd wxth me. But the same style being continued thro' the whole, and the same laws of verstficaUon observ'd, are proofs st_fficient that th_s is one man's work; and your Lordship is too well acquainted with my manner to doubt that any part of it is another's.
That your Lordship may see I was m earnest when I prom- is'd to hasten to an end, I will not gtve the reasons why I writ not always in the proper terms of navagation, land service, or in the cant of any profession. I will only say that Virgil has
avoided those proprieties, because he writ not to mariners, soldiers, astronomers, gard'ners, peasants, &e. , but to all in general, and in particular to men and ladaes of the first qual- ity, who have been better bred than to be too meely knowing in the terms. In s_ch cases, 't is enough for a poet to write so plainly, that he may be maderstood by hls readers; to avoid impropriety, and not affect to be thought learn'd in all things.
I have omitted the fosr preliminary lines of the First 2Eneid, because I think them inferior to any four others in thewholepoem, and consequentlybelievetheyarenot
? DEDICATION OF THE _NEIS 71
Virgil's There is too great a gap betwixt the adjective vicma in the second line, and the substantive arva in the latter end of the third, which keeps his meaning in obscurity too long, and is contrary to the dearness of his style.
Ut quarnvls avldis
is too ambitiot_s an ornament to be his; and
Gratumopusagricohs
are all words unnecessary, and independent of what he said
before.
Horrentia MartJs arma
is worse than any of the rest. Horrentia is such a flat epl- thet as Tully would have given us in his verses. 'T is a mere filler, to stop a vacancy m the hexameter, and connect the preface to the work of Virgil. Oar author seems to somad a charge, and begins like the clangor of a trumpet:
Arma virumque cano, Troj_equi primus ab otis---
scarce a word without an r, and the vowels for the greater part sonorous. The prefacer began with Ille ego, which he was constrain'd to patch up in the fourth line with at nune, to make the sense cohere; and if both those words are not notorious botches, I am much decelv'd, tho' the French trans- lator thinks otherwise. For my own part, I am rather of the opinion that they were added by "Tucca and Varius, than retrench'd.
I know it may be answer'd by such as think Virgil the author of the four lines, that he asserts his title to the A_neis in the beginning of this work, as he dld to the two former in the last lines of the Fourth Georg*c. I will not reply other- wise to this than by desiring them to compare these four lines with the four others, which we know are his, because no poet but he alone coald write them. If they cannot dis- tinguish creeping from flying, let them lay down Virgil, and take up Ovid de Ponto in his stead. My master needed not the assistance of that preliminary poet to prove his claim. His own majestic mien discovers him to be the king, amidst
a thoasand courtiers. It was a superfluous office; and there- /
? 72 DRYDEN'S TRANSLATION OF VIRGIL
fore I would not set those verses in the front of Virgil, but
have rejected them to my own preface
I, who before, with shepherds in the groves, Sung to my oaten pipe their rural loves,
And, issuing thence, compell'd the neighb'tang field
A p/enteous crop of rising corn to yteld,
IVlanur'd the glebe, and stock'd the fruitful plato,
(A poem grateful to the greedy swam) &e. 't
If there be not a tolerable line in all these six, the pref- ': acer gave me no occasion to write better. This is a just
apology m thus place, but I have done great wrong to Virgil in the whole translation Want of time, the inferiority of our language, the inconvemence of rhyme, and all the other excuses I have made, may alleviate my fault, but cannot jus- tify the boldness of my undertaking What avails it me to acknowledge freely that I have not been able to do him right in any hne? For even my own confession makes against me; and it will always be return'd upon me: "Why then did you attempt it ? " To whtch no other answer can be made, than that I have done him less injury than any of his former libelers.
What they call'd his picture had been drawn at length, so
many times, by the daubers of almost all natlons, and still so
unlike hlm_ that I snatch'd up the pencil with disdam, being sahsfied beforehand that I could make some small resem-
blance of him, tho' I must be content with a worse likeness A S, xth Pastoral, a Pharmaceutria, a single Orpheus, and some other features, have been exactly taken; but those holi- day authors writ for pleasure, and only shew'd us what they could have done, if they would have taken pains to perform the whole.
Be pleas'd, my Lord, to accept with your wonted goodness this unworthy present which I make you. I have taken off one trouble from you, of defending it, by acknowledging its imperfections; and, tho' some part of them are cover'd tn the verse, (as Erichthomus rode always m a chariot, to hide his lameness,) such of them as cannot be conceal'd, you will please to connive at, tho', in the strictness of your judgment, you cannot pardon. If Homer was allow'd to nod sometimes in so long a work, it will be no wonder if I often fall asleep. You took my ,4ureng-Zebe into your protection, with all his
? DEDICATION OF THE _. NF_JS 73
faults; and I hope here cannot be so many, because I trans- late an author who gives me such examples of correctness. What my jury may be, I know not; but 't is good for a criminal to plead before a favorable judge. If I had said partial, would your Lordship have forgiven me? Or will you give me leave to acquaint the world that I have many times been oblig'd to your bounty since the Revohmon? Tho' I never was reduc'd to beg a charity, nor ever had the impu- dence to ask one, either of your Lordship, or your noble kins- man the Earl of Dorset, much less of any other; yet, when I least expected it, you have both remember'd me_ So inherent it is m your family not to forget an old servant It looks rather like ingratitude on my part, that, where I have been so often oblig'd, I have appear'd so seldom to return my thanks, and where I was also so sure of being well receiv'd. Some- what of laziness was in the case_ and somewhat too of mod- esty, but nothing of disrespect or of unthankfulness. I will not say that your Lordship has encourag'd me to this pre- sumption, lest, if my labors meet with no success in public, I may expose your judgment to be censur'd. As for my own enemies, I shall never think them worth an answer; and, if your Lordship has any, they will not dare to arraign you for want of knowledge in this art, till they can produce somewhat better of their own than your Essay on Poetry. 'T was on this consideration that I have drawn out my preface to so great a length. Had I not address'd to a poet, and a critic of the first magnitude, I had myself been tax'd for want of judgment, and sham'd my patron for want of understanding. But neither will you, my Lord, so soon be tir'd as any other, because the discourse is on your art; neither will the learned reader think it tedious, because it is ad clerum. At least, when he begins to be weary, the church doors are open. That I may pursue the allegory with a short prayer after a long sermon:
May you live happily and long, for the service of your country, the encouragement of good letters, and the orna- ment of poetry; which cannot be wish'd more earnestly by any man, than by
Your Lordship's most humble,
Most oblig'd, and most obedient Servant,
Joan DRn_EN.
? THE FIRST BOOK OF THE /ENEIS
THz ARGUUENT. nThe Trojans, after a seven years' voyage, set sail for Italy, but are overtaken by a dreadful storm, whlch . _olus raJses at Juno's request. The tempest sinks one, and scatters the rest. Neptune drives oH the Winds, and calms the sea. _neas, wzth hls own shlp, and slx more, arrives safe at an Afrlcan port. Venu_ complains to Jupiter of her son's misfortunes. Jupiter com- forts her, and sends Mercury to procure hlm a land receptlon among the Carthagmlans. . _neas, going out to dlscover the country, meets hls mother m the shape of an huntress, who conveys hlm in a cloud to Carthage, where he sees his frlends whom he thought lost, and receives a kind entertainment from the queen. Dido, by a device of Venus, begins to have a passion for him, and, after some dis- course with him, desires the history of his adventures since the siege of Troy, whlch is the subject of the two following books.
RMS, and the man I sing, who, forc'd by ? ate, And haughty Juno's unrelenting hate,
Expell'd and exil'd, left the Trojan shore.
Long labors, both by sea and land, he bore, And in the doubtful war, before he won
The Latian realm, and built the destm'd town; His banish'd gods restor'd to rites divine,
And settled sure succession in his line,
From whence the race of Alban fathers come, And the long glories of majestic Rome.
O Muse ! the causes and the crimes relate;
What goddess was provok'd, and whence her hate; For what offense the Queen of Heav'n began
To persecute so brave, so just a man;
Involv'd his anxious life in endless cares,
F. xpos'd to wants, and hurried into wars l
Can heav'nly minds such high resentment show,
Or exercise their spite in human woe ? T5
? 76
DRYDEN'S TRANSLATION OF VIRGIL
Against the Tiber's mouth, but far away,
An ancsent town was seated on the sea;
A Tyrian colony; the people made
Stout for the war, and studious of their trade : Carthage the name, belov'd by Juno more
Than her own Argos, or the Samian shore
Here stood her chariot; here, if Heav'n were kind, The seat of awful empire she design'd.
Yet she had heard an ancient rumor fly,
(Long cited by the people of the sky,)
That times to come shotdd see the Trojan race
Her Carthage ruin, and her tow'rs deface;
Nor thus confin'd, the yoke of soy'reign sway
Should on the necks of all the nations lay
She ponder'd this, and fear'd it was in fate;
Nor could forget the war she wag'd of late
For conqtt'ring Greece against the Trojan state.
Besides, long causes working in her mind,
And secret seeds of envy, lay behind;
Deep graven in her heart the doom remain'd
Of partial Paris, and her form disdain'd;
The grace bestow'd on ravish'd Ganymed,
Electra's glories, and her injur'd bed. '_ Each was a cause alone; and all combin'd
To kindle vengeance in her haughty mind. For this, far distant from the Latian coast
She drove the remnants of the Trojan host;
And sev'n long years th' unhappy wand'ring train
Were toss'd by storms, and scatter'd thro' the main. Such time, such toil, requir'd the Roman name,
Such length of labor for so vast a frame
Now scarce the Trojan fleet, with sails and oars,
Had left behind the fair Sicilian shores, Ent'ring with cheerful shouts the wat'ry reign,
And plowing frothy furrows in the main; When, lab'ring still with endless discontent, The Queen of Heav'n did thtis her fury vent:
"Then am I vanquish'd ? must I yield ? " said she, "And mast the Trojans reign in Italy?
So Fate will have it, and Jove adds his force;
!
? THE FIRST BOOK OF THE . _I_EIS 7_
Nor can my pow'r divert their happy course. Could angry Pallas, with revengeful spleen,
The Grecian navy burn, and drown the men? She, for the fault of one offending foe,
The bolts of Jove himself presum'd to throw:
With whirlwinds from beneath she toss'd the ship,
And bare expos'd the bosom of the deep; Then, as an eagle gripes the trembling game,
The wretch, yet hissing with her father's flame, She strongly seiz'd, and with a burning wound Transfix'd, and naked, on a rock she bound. But I, who walk in awful state above,
The majesty of heav'n, the sister wife of Jove, For length of years my fruitless force employ Against the thin remains of rain'd Troy!
What nations now to Juno's pow'r will pray,
Or off'rings on my slighted altars lay? "
Thus rag'd the goddess; and, with fury fraught,
The restless regions of the storms she sought, Where, in a spacious cave of living stone,
The tyrant . __. olus, from his airy throne,
With pow'r imperial curbs the strugghng winds,
And sounding tempests in dark prisons binds.
This way and that th' impatient captives tend, And, pressing for release, the mountains rend. High in his hall th' undaunted monarch stands, And shakes his scepter, and their rage commands; Which did he not, their unresisted sway
Would sweep the world before them in their way; Earth, air, and seas thro' empty space would roll, And heav'n world fly before the driving soul.
In fear of this, the Father of the Gods
Confin'd their fury to those dark abodes,
And lock'd 'em safe within, oppress'd with mountain
loads;
Impos'd a king, with arbitrary sway,
To loose their fetters, or their force aUay.
To whom the suppliant queen her pray'rs address'd,
And thus the tenor of her suit express'd:
"0 2Eolusl for to thee the King o? Heav'n
? 78
DRTDEN'S TRANSLATIOI_ OF VIRGIL The pow'r of tempests and of winds has giv'n;
Thy force alone their fury can restrain,
And smooth the waves, or swell the troubled maln--
A race of wand'ring slaves, abhorr'd by me,
With prosp'rous passage cut the Tuscan sea;
To fruitful Italy their course they steer,
And for their vanquish'd gods design new temples there Raise all thy winds; with night revolve the skies;
Sink or disperse my fatal enemies.
Twice sev'n, the charming daughters of the main, Around my person wait, and bear my train:
Succeed my wish, and second my design;
The fairest, Deiopeia, shall be thine,
And make thee father of a happy hne. "
To th_s the god: "'T is yours, 0 queen, to will The work which duty binds me to fulfil.
These airy kingdoms, and this wide command,
Are all the presents of your bounteous hand: Yours is my sov'reign's grace; and, as your guest,
I sit with gods at their celestial feast;
Raise tempests at your pleasure, or subdue; Dispose of empire, which I hold from you. "
He said, and hurl'd against the mountain slde His qmv'rmg spear, and all the god applied
The raging wmds rush thro' the hollow wound, And dance aloft in air, and sktm along the ground;
Then, setthng on the sea, the surges sweep,
Raise liquid mountains, and disclose the deep. South, East, and West with mix'd confusion roar, And roll the foaming billows to the shore.
The cables crack; the sailors' fearful cries
Ascend; and sable night involves the skies;
And heav'n itself is ravish'd from their eyes.
Loud peals of thunder from the poles ensue;
Then flashing fires the transient light renew;
The face of things a frightful image bears,
And present death in various forms appears.
Struck with unusual fright, the Trojan chief,
With lifted hands and eyes, invokes relief;
_. nd, 'tThrice and four times happy those," he cfle_
? THE FIRST BOOK OF THE . _N_EIS 79
"That under Ilian walls before their parents died l Tydides, bravest of the Grecian train l
Why could not I by that strong arm be slain, And he by noble Hector on the plain,
Or great Sarpedon, in those bloody fields Where Simois rolls the bodies and the shields Of heroes, whose dismember'd hands yet bear The dart aloft, and clench the pointed spear I"
Thus while the pious prince his fate bewails, Fierce Boreas drove against his flying sails, And rent the sheets; the raging billows rose, And mount the tossing vessel to the skies:
Nor can the shiv'rmg oars sustain the blow; The galley gives her side, and turns her prow; While those astern, descending down the steep, Thro' gaping waves behold the boiling deep. Three ships were hurried by the southern blast, And on the secret shelves with fury cast.
Those hidden rocks th' A*_soman sailors knew: They call'd them Altars, when they rose in view,
And show'd their spacious backs above the flood. Three more fierce Eurus, in his angry mood, Dash'd on the shallows of the moving sand,
And in mid ocean left them moor'd aland. Orontes' bark, that bore the Lycian crew,
(A horrid sight l) ev'n in the hero's view,
From stem to stern by waves was overborne:
The trembling pilot, from his rudder torn,
Was headlong hurl'd; thrice round the ship was toss'd, Then bulg'd at once, and in the deep was lost;
And here and there above the waves were seen Arms, pictures, precious goods, and floating men.
The stoutest vessel to the storm gave way,
And suck'd thro' loosen'd planks the rushing sea. Ilionetls was her chief: Alethes old,
Achates faithful, Abas young and bold,
Endur'd not less; their ships, with gaping seams, Admit the deluge of the briny streams.
Meantime imperial Neptune heard the sound Of raging billows breaking on the ground.
? 80
DRYDEN'S TRANSLATION OF VIRGIL
Displeas'd, and fearing for his wat'ry reign, He rear'd his awful head above the main, Serene in majesty; then roll'd his eyes
Around the space of earth, and seas, and skies. He saw the Trojan fleet dispers'd, distress'd,
By stormy winds and wintry heav'n oppress'd.
Full well the god his sister's envy knew,
And what her aims and what her arts pursue.
He summon'd Eurus and the western blast,
And first an angry glance on both he cast;
Then thus rebuk'd : "Audacious winds I from whence
This bold attempt, this rebel insolence?
Is it for you to ravage seas and land,
Unauthonz'd by my supreme command?
To raise such mountains on the troubled main? Whom I--but first 't is fit the biUows to restrain; And then you shall be taught obedience to my reign. Hence ! to your lord my royal mandate bear--
The realms of ocean and the fields of air
Are mine, not his. By fatal lot to me
The llquid'empire fell, and trident of the sea.
His pow'r to hollow caverns is confin'd:
There let him reign, the jailer of the wind,
With hoarse commands his breathing subjects call,
And boast and bluster m his empty hall "
He spoke; and, while he spoke, he smooth'd the sea,
DispeII'd the darkness, and restor'd the day.
Cymothoe, Trlton, and the sea-green train
Of beauteous nymphs, the daughters of the main, Clear from the rocks the vessels with their hands:
The god himself with ready trident stands,
_knd opes the deep, and spreads the moving sands; Then heaves them off the shoals. Where'er he guides His finny coursers and in triumph rides,
The waves nnruffle and the sea subsides.
As, when in tumults rise th' ignoble crowd,
Mad are their motions, and their tongues are lottdI And stones and brands in rattling volleys fly,
And all the rustic arms that fury can supply:
If then some grave and pious man appear_
? THE FIRST BOOK OF' THE zlENEIS 81
They hush their noise, and lend a list'ning ear; He soothes with sober words their angry mood,
And quenches their innate desire of blood: So, when the Father of the Flood appears,
And o'er the seas his sov'reign trident rears, Thew fury falls: he skims the liquid plains,
High on his chariot, and, with loosen'd reins, Majestic moves along, and awful peace maintains. The weary Trojans ply their shatter'd oars
To nearest land, and make the Libyan shores. Within a long recess there lies a bay:
An island shades it from the rolling sea, And forms a port secure for ships to ride;
Broke by the jutting land, on either side,
In double streams the briny waters glide.
Betwixt two rows of rocks a sylvan scene '-Appears above, and groves for ever green:
A grot is form'd beneath, with mossy seats,
To rest the Nereids, and exclude the heats
Down thro' the crannies of the hying walls
The crystal streams descen_l in murm'ring falls: No haulsers need to bind the vessels here,
Nor bearded anchors; for no storms they fear. Sev'n sh_ps within this happy harbor meet,
The thin remainders of the scatter'd fleet.
The Trojans, worn with toils, and Leap on the welcome land, and seek
spent with woes, their wlsh'd repose. strokes
First, good Achates, with repeated
Of clashing flints, their hidden fire provokes:
Short flame succeeds; a bed of wither'd leaves The dying sparkles in their (all receives:
Caught into life, in fiery fumes they rise,
And, fed with stronger food, invade the skies. The Trojans, dropping wet, or stand around The cheerful blaze, or lie along the ground: Some dry their corn, infected with the brine, Then grind with marbles, and prepare to dine. . _Eneas climbs the mountain's airy brow,
And takes a prospect of the seas below, If Capys thenr_, or Antheus he could spy,
? 82
DRYD]_N'S TRANSLATION OF VIRGIL
Or see the streamers of CaUcus fly
No vessels were in view; but, on the plain,
Three beamy stags command a lordly train
Of branching heads: the more ignoble throng Attend their statdy steps, and slowly graze along. He stood; and, while secure they fed below,
He took the quiver and the trusty bow
Achates us'd to bear: the leaders first
He laid along, and then the vulgar pierc'd;
Nor ceas'd his arrows, till the shady plain
Sev'n mighty bodies with their blood distain.
For the sev'n ships he made an equal share,
And to the port return'd, triumphant from the war. The jars of gen'rous wine (Acestes' gift,
When his Trinacrian shores the navy left)
He set abroach, and for the feast prepar'd,
In equal portions with the yen'son shar'd.
Thus while he dealt it round, the pious chief
With cheerful words allay'd the common grief: "Endure, and conquer l Jove will soon dispose
To future g_od our past and present woes.
With me, the rocks of Scylla you have tried;
Th' inhuman Cyclops and his den defied.
What greater ills hereafter can you bear?
Resume your courage and dismiss your care,
An hour will come, with pleasure to relate
Your sorrows past, as benefits of Fate.
Thro' various hazards and events, we move
To Latium and the realms foredoom'd by Jove. Calrd to the seat (the promise of the skies)
Where Trojan kingdoms once again may rise, Endure the hardships of your present state;
Live, and reserve yourselves for better fate. "
These words he spoke, but spoke not from his fieart_ His outward smiles coneeal'd his inward smart.
The jolly crew, unmindful of the past,
The qaarry share, their plenteous dinner haste.
Some strip the skin; some portion out the spoil; The limbs, yet trembling, in the caldrons boil;
Some on the fire the reeldng entrails broil
? THE FIRST BOOK OF THE _NE[8
Streteh'd on the grassy turf, at ease they dine,
Restore their strength with meat, and cheer their souls
with wine.
Their hunger thus appeas'd, their care attends
The doubtfid fortune of their absent friends: Alternate hopes and fears their minds possess,
Whether to deem 'era dead, or in chstress. Above the rest, . pEneas mourns the fate
Of brave Orontes, and th' uncertain state Of Gyas, Lycus, and of Amycus.
The day, but not their sorrows, ended thus.
When, from aloft, alrmghty Jove surveys Earth, air, and shores, and navigable seas,
At length on Libyan realms he fix'd his eyes-- Whom, pond'ring thus on haman miseries, When Venus saw, she with a lowly look,
Not free from tears, her heav'nly sire bespoke:
"O King of Gods and Men! whose awful hand Disperses thunder on the seas and land, Disposing all with absolute comm_nd;
How could my pious son thy pow'r incense ?
Or what, alas l is vanish'd Troy's offense ?
Our hope of Italy not only lost,
On various seas by varmus tempests toss'd,
But shut from ev'ry shore, and barr'd from ev'ry coast. You promis'd once, a progeny divine
Of Romans, rising from the Trojan line,
In after times should hold the world in awe,
And to the land and ocean give the law.
How is your doom revers'd, which eas'd my care
When Troy was ruin'd in that cruel war ?
Then fates to fates I could oppose; bat now,
When Fortune still purstles her former blow,
What can I hope? What worse can still succeed? '_ What end of labors has your will decreed?
_,ntenor, from the midst of Grecian hosts,
Could pass secure, and pierce th' Illyrian coasts, i Where, rolling down the steep, Timavas raves
:And thro' nine channels disembogaes his waves.
:At length he founded Padua's happy seat,
? 84
DRYDEN'S TRANSLATION OF VIRGIL
And gave his Trojans a secure retreat,
There fix'd their arms, and there renew'd their name, And there in quiet rules, and crown'd with fame.
But we, descended from your sacred line,
Entitled to your heav'n and rites divine,
Are banish'd earth; and, for the wrath of one, Remov'd from Latium and the promis'd throne.
Are these our scepters? these our due rewards?
And is it thus that Jove his phghted faith regards?
"
To whom the Father of th' immortal race,
Smiling with that serene indulgent face,
With which he drives the clouds and clears the skies, First gave a holy kiss; then thus replies:
"Daughter, dismiss thy fears; to thy desire The fates of throe are fix'd, and stand entire.
Thou shalt behold thy wish'd Lavinian walls; And, ripe for heav'n, when fate . _neas calls, Then shalt thou bear him up, sublime, to me: No councils have reversed my firm decree.
And, lest new fears disturb thy happy state, Know, I Fave search'd the mystic rolls of Fate: Thy son (nor is th' appointed season far)
In Italy shall wage successful war,
Shall tame fierce nations in the bloody field, And soy'reign laws impose, and cities build,
TIll, after ev'ry foe subdued, the sun
Thrice thro' the signs his annual race shall run: This is his time prefix'd. Ascanius then,
Now eall'd Iulus, shall begin his reign
. He thirty rolling years the crown shall wear,
Then from Lavinium shall the seat transfer,
And, with hard labor, Alba Longa build.
The throne with his succession shall be fill'd
Three hundred circuits more: then shall be seen Ilia the fair, a priestess and a queen,
Who, full of Mars, in time, with kindly throes, Shall at a birth two goodly boys disclose.
The royal babes a tawny wolf shall drain:
Then Romulus his grandslre's throne shall gain, Of martial tow'rs the founder shall be,come_
? THI_ FIRST BOOK OF THE _NEIS B5
The people Romans call, the city Rome.
To them no bounds of empire I assign,
Nor term of years to their immortal line
Ev'n haughty Juno, who, with endless broils, Earth, seas, and heav'n, and Jove himself turmmls; At length aton'd, her friendly pow'r shall join,
To cherish and advance the Trojan line
The subject world shall Rome's domimon own,
And, prostrate, shall adore the nation of the gown.
Art age is ripening m revolving fate
When Troy shall overturn the Grecian state,
And sweet revenge her conqu'rmg sons shall call,
To crush the people that conspir'd her fall
Then Cmsar from the Juhan stock shall rise,
Whose empire ocean, and whose fame the skies
Alone shall bound; whom, fraught with eastern spoils,
Our heav'n, the just reward of human toils,
Securely shall repay with rites divine;
And incense shall ascend before his sacred shrine
Then dire debate and impious war shall cease,
And the stern age be soften'd into peace:
Then banish'd Faith shall once again return,
And Vestal fires in hallow'd temples burn;
And Remus with Quirinus shall sustain
The righteous laws, and fraud and force restrain.
Janus himself before his lane shall wait,
And keep the dreadful issues of his gate, With bolts and iron bars: within remains
Imprison'd Fury, bound in brazen chains; High on a trophy rais'd, of useless arms,
He sits, and threats the world with vain alarms. " lie said, and sent Cyllenius with command
To free the ports, and ope the Punic land
To Trojan guests; lest, ignorant of fate,
The queen might force them from her town and state. Down from the steep of heav'n CyUenius flies,
And cleaves with all his wings the yielding skies. Soon on the Libyan shore descends the god,
Performs his message, and displays his rod:
The surly murmurs of the people cease;
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DRYDEI_'S TRANSLATION OF VIRGIL
And, as the fates requir'd, they give the peace: The queen herself suspends the rigid laws,
The Trojans pities, and protects their cause.
Meantime, in shades of night . _neas lies: Care seiz'd his soul, and sleep forsook his eyes.
But, when the sun restor'd the cheerful day, He rose, the coast and country to survey,
Anxious and eager to discover more. It look'd a wild unculttvated shore;
But, whether humankind, or beasts alone
Possess'd the new-found region, was unknown;
Beneath a ledge of rocks his fleet he hides:
Tall trees surround the mountain's shady sides;
The bending brow above a safe retreat provides.
Arm'd with two pointed darts, he leaves his friends, And true Achates on his steps attends.
Lo t in the deep recesses of the wood,
Before his eyes his goddess mother stood:
A huntress in her habit and her mien;
Her dress a. . maid, her air confess'd a queen.
Bare were her knees, and knots her garments bind; Loose was her hair, and wanton'd in the wind;
Her hand sustain'd a bow; her quiver hung behind.
She seem'd a virgin of the Spartan blood:
With such array Harpalyce bestrode
Her Thracian courser and outstripp'd the rapid flood. "Ho, strangers l have you lately seen," she said,
"One of my sisters, like myself array'd,
Who cross'd the lawn, or in the forest stray'd?
A painted quiver at her back she bore;
Varied with spots, a lynx's hide she wore;
And at full cry pursued the tusky boar. "
Thus Venus: thus her son replied again: "None of your sisters have we heard or seen, 0 virginl or what other name you bear Above that style--O more than mortal fair 1 Your voice and mien celestial birth betray I If, as you seem, the sister of the day,
Or one at least of chaste Diana's train,
Let not an humble suppliant sue in vain;
? THE FIRST BOOK OF THE _. NEIS 87
But tell a stranger, longin tempests toss'd,
What earth we tread, and who commands the coast? Then on your name shall wretched mortals call, And offer'd victims at your altars fall. "
"I dare not," she replied, "assume the name
Of goddess, or celestial honors claim:
For Tyrian virgins bows and quivers bear,
And purple buskins o'er their ankles wear.
Know, gentle youth, in Libyan lands you are--
A people rude in peace, and rough in war.
The rising city, which from far you see,
Is Carthage, and a Tyrian colony.
Phcenician Dido rules the growing state,
Who fled from Tyre, to shun her brother's hate. Great were her wrongs, her story full of fate; Which I will sum in short. Sich_us, known For wealth, and brother to the Punic throne, Possess'd fair Dido's bed; and etther heart
At once was wounded with an equal dart.
Her father gave her, yet a spotless maid; Pygmalion then the Tyrian scepter sway'd: One who contemn'd chvine and human laws. Then strife ensued, and cursed gold the cause. The monarch, blinded with desire of wealth, With steel invades his brother's life by stealth; Before the sacred altar made him bleed,
And long from her conceal'd the cruel deed. Some tale, some new pretense, he daily coin'd, To soothe his sister, and delude her mind.
At length, in dead of night, the ghost appears Of her unhappy lord: the specter stares,
And, with erected eyes, his bloody bosom bares. The cruel altars and his fate he tells,
And the dire secret of his house reveals,
Then warns the widow, with her household gods, To seek a refuge in remote abodes.
Last, to support her in so long a way,
He shows her where his hidden treasure lay. Admonish'd thus, and seiz'd with mortal fright, ,The queen provides companions of her flight:
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DRYDEN'S TRANSLATION OF VIRGIL
They meet, and all combine to leave the state, Who hate the tyrant, or who fear his hate. They seize a fleet, which ready rigg'd they find; Nor is Pygmalion's treasure left behind.
The vessels, heavy laden, put to sea
With prosp'rous winds, a woman leads the way.
I know not, if by stress of weather driv'n,
Or was their fatal course dispos'd by Heav'n;
At last they landed, where from far your eyes
May view the turrets of new Carthage rise;
There bought a space of ground, which (Byrsa call'd, From the bali's hide) they first inclos'd, and wall'd. But whence are you ? what country da,ms your blrth? What seek you, strangers, on our Libyan earth ? "
To whom, with sorrow streaming from his eyes, And deeply sighing, thus her son rephes:
"Could you with patience hear, or I relate,
O nymph, the tedious annals of oar fate!
Thro' such a train of woes if I should run,
The day would sooner than the tale be done l From anciefft Troy, by force expell'd, we came-- If you by chance have heard the Trojan name. On various seas by various tempests toss'd,
At length we landed on your Libyan coast. The good . _Eneas am I call'd--a name,
While Fortune favor'd, not unknown to fame. My household gods, companions of my woes, With pious care I rescued from our foes.
To fruitfttl Italy my course was bent;
And from the King of Heav'n is my descent.
With twice ten sail I cross'd the Phrygian sea; Fate and my mother goddess led my way.
Scarce sev'n, the thin remainders of my fleet, From storms preserv'd, within your harbor meet. Myself distress'd, an exile, and unknown,
Debarr'd from Europe, and from Asia thrown, In Libyan desarts wander thtts alone. "
His tender parent could no longer bear; But, interposing, sought to soothe his care. '_N'hoe'er you are---not unbelov'd by Heav'n,
? THE FIRST BOOK OF THE _NEIS 89
Since on our friendly shore your ships are driv'nm Have courage: to the gods permit the rest,
And to the queen expose your just request.
Now take this earnest of success, for more:
Your scatter'd fleet is join'd upon the shore;
The winds are chang'd, your friends from danger free; Or I renounce my skill m augury.
Twelve swans behold m beauteous order move,
And stoop with closing pinions from above;
Whom late the bird of Jove had driv'n along,
And thro' the clouds pursued the scatt'ring throng. Now, all umted in a goodly team,
They skim the ground, and seek the qmet stream. As they, with joy returning, clap their wings,
And ride the circuit of the skies in rings;
Not otherwise your ships, and ev'ry friend,
Already hold the port, or with swift sails descend
No more advice is needful; but pursue
The path before you, and the town in view. "
Thus having said, she turn'd, and made appear Her neck refulgent, and dishevel'd hair,
Which, flowing from her shoulders, reach'd the ground. And widely spread ambrosial scents around:
In length of train descends her sweeping gown,
And, by her graceful walk, the Queen of Love is known. The prince pursued the parting deity
With words like these: "Ah! whither do you fly? Unkind and cruel l to deceive your son
In borrow'd shapes_ and his embrace to shun;
Never to bless my sight, but thus unknown;
And still to speak in accents not your own. "
Against the goddess these complaints he made,
But took the path, and her commands obey'd.
They march, obscure; for Venus kindly shrouds
With mists their persons, and involves in clouds, That, thus unseen, their passage none might stay,
Or force to tell the causes of their way.
This part perform'd, the goddess flies sublime
To visit Paphos and her native clime;
_Where garlands, ever green and ever fair,
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DRYDEN'S TRANSLATION OF _IRGIL
With vows are offer'd, and with solemn pray'r: A hundred altars in her temple smoke;
A thousand bleeding hearts her pow'r invoke.
They climb the next ascent, and, looking down, Now at a nearer distance view the town.
The prince with wonder sees the stately tow'rs,
Which late were huts and shepherds' homely bow'r_ The gates and streets; and hears, from ev'ry part, The noise and busy concourse of the mart.
The toiling Tyrians on each other call
To ply their labor: some extend the wall;
Some build the citadel; the brawny throng
Or dig, or push unwieldly stones along.
Some for their dwellings choose a spot of ground, Which, first design'd, with ditches they surround. Some laws ordain; and some attend the choice
Of holy senates, and elect by voice.
Here some design a mole, while others there
Lay deep foundations for a theater;
From marble quarries mighty columns hew,
For ornaments of scenes, and future view.
Such is their toll, and such their busy pains,
As exercise the bees in flow'ry plains,
When winter past, and summer scarce begun,
Invites them forth to labor in the sun,
Some lead their youth abroad, while some condense Their liqu/d store, and some in cells dispense;
Some at the gate stand ready to receive
The golden burthen, and their friends relieve;
All with united force, combine to drive
The lazy drones from the laborious hive:
With envy stung, they view each other's deeds;
The fragrant work with diligence proceeds.
"Thrice happy you, whose wails already rise l"
_neas said, and view'd, with lifted eyes,
Their lofty tow'rs, then, ent'ring at the gate, Conceal'd in clouds (prodigious to relate)
He mix'd, unmark'd, among the busy throng,
Borne by the tide, and pass'd unseen along.
Full in the center of the town there stood)
? THE FIRST BOOK OF _HE _NEIS 91
Thick _et with trees, a venerable wood.
The Tyrians, landing near this holy ground,
And digging here, a prosp'rous omen found: From under earth a courser's head they drew, Their growth and future fortune to foreshew. This fated sign their foundress Juno gave,
Of a soil fruitful, and a people brave.
Sidonian Dido here with solemn state
'Did Juno's temple build, and consecrate,
Enrich'd with gifts, and with a golden shrine; But more the goddess made the place divine. On brazen steps the marble threshold rose,
And brazen plates the cedar beams inclose:
The rafters are with brazen coy'rings crown'd; The lofty doors on brazen hinges sound.
What first . ,Eneas in this place beheld,
" Reviv'd his courage, and hls fear expell'd.
For while, expecting there the queen, he rais'd
His wond'ring eyes, and round the temple gaz'd_ Admir'd the fortune of the rising town,"
The striving artists, and their arts' renown;
He saw, in order painted on the wall,
Whatever did unhappy Troy befall:
The wars that fame around the world had blown, All to the life, and ev'ry leader known.
There Agamemnon, Priam here, he spies,
And fierce Achilles, who both kings defies.
He stopp'd, and weeping said: "0 friend! ev'n here The monuments of Trojan woes appear l
Our known disasters fill ev'n foreign lands:
See there, where old unhappy Priam stands! Ev'n the mute walls relate the wamor's fame_ And Trojan griefs the Tyrians' pity claim. " He said (his tears a ready passage find), Devouring what he saw so well deslgn'd,
And with aa empty picture fed his mind:
For there he saw the fainting Grecians yield, And here the trembling Trojans quit the field, Pursued by fierce Achilles thro' the plain,
On his high chariot driving o'er the slain.
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DRY'D_N'B TRANSLATION OF VIRGIL
The tents of Rhesus next his grief renew, By their white sails betray'd to nightly view;
And wakeful Diomede, whose cruel sword
The sentries slew, nor spar'd their slumb'ring lord, Then took the fiery steeds, ere yet the food
Of Troy they taste, or drink the Xanth_an flood. Elsewhere he saw where Troilus defied
Achtlles, and unequal combat tried;
Then, where the boy disarm'd, with loosen'd reins,
Was by his horses hurried o'er the plains,
Hung by the neck and hair, and dragg'd around:
The hostlle spear, yet sticking in his wound,
With tracks of blood inscrib'd the dusty ground. Meantime the Trojan dames, oppress'd with woe,
To Pallas' fane in long procession go,
In hopes to reconcile their heav'nly foe.
They weep, they beat their breasts, they rend their hair, And rich embroider'd vests for presents bear;
But the stern goddess stands unmov'd with pray'r.
Thrice round the Trojan walls Achilles drew
The corpse of Hector, whom in fight he slew.
Here Priam sues; and there, for sums of gold,
The lifeless body of his son is sold.
So sad an object, and so well express'd,
Drew sighs and groans from the griev'd hero's breast, To see the figure of his lifeless friend,
And his old sire his helpless hand extend.
Himself he saw amidst the Grecian train,
Mix'd in the bloody battle on the plain; And swarthy Memnon in his arms he knew, His pompous ensigns, and his Indian crew. Penthisilea there, with haughty grace, Leads to the wars an Amazonian race
In their right hands a pointed dart they wield; The left, for ward, sustains the lunar shield Athwart her breast a golden belt she throws, Amidst the press alone provokes a thousand foes, And dares her maiden arms to manly force oppose.
Thus while the Trojan prince employs his eyes, Fix'd on the walls with wonder and surprise,
? THE FIRST BOOK OF THE _NEIS 93
The beauteous Dido, with a num'rous train And pomp of guards, ascends the sacred lane.
Such on Eurotas' banks, or Cynthus' height, Diana seems, and so she charms the stght, When in the dance the graceful goddess leads The choir of nymphs, and overtops their heads: Known by her quiver, and her lofty mien,
She walks majestic, and she looks their queen; Latona sees her shine above the rest,
And feeds with secret joy her silent breast. Such Dido was, with such becoming state,
'Amidst the crowd, she walks serenely great.
Their labor to her future sway she speeds,
And passing with a gracious glance proceeds;
Then mounts the throne, high plac'd before the shrine: In crowds around, the swarming people join.
She takes petitions, and dispenses laws,
Hears and determines ev'ry private cause;
Their tasks in equal portions she divides,
And, where unequal, there by lots decides.
Another way by chance ? Eneas bends
His eyes, and unexpected sees h_s friends,
Antheus, Sergestus grave, Cloanthus strong,
_Andat their backs a mighty Trojan throng,
Whom late the tempest on the billows toss'd,
And widely scatter'd on another coast.
The prince, unseen, surpris'd with wonder stands, And longs, with joyful haste, to join their hands, But, doubtful of the wish'd event, he stays,
And from the hollow cloud his friends surveys, Impatient till they told their present state,
And where they left their sh_ps, and what their fate, And why they came, and what was their request; For these were sent, commission'd by the rest,
To sue for leave to land their sickly men,
And gain admission to the gracious queen
Ent'ring, with cries they fill'd the holy lane;
Then thus, with lowly voice, Ilioneus began:
"0 queen l indulg'd by favor of the gods To found an empire in these new abodes,
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DRYDEN'S TRANSLATION OF _rIRGLL
To build a town, with statutes to restrain The wdd inhabitants beneath thy reign,
We wretched Trojans, toss'd on ev'ry shore, From sea to sea, thy clemency implore. Forbid the fires our shipping to defaee l Receive th' unhappy fugitives to grace,
And spare the remnant of a pious race!
We come not with design of wasteful prey,
To drive the country, force the swains away:
Nor such our strength, nor such is our desire;
The vanquish'd dare not to such thoughts aspire.
A land there is, Hesperia nam'd of old;
The soll is fruitfult and the men are bold--
Th' (Enotrians held it once--by common fame Now caU'd Italia, from the leader's name.
To that sweet region was our voyage bent,
When winds and ev'ry warring element
Disturb'd our course, and, far from sight of land, Cast out'torn vessels on the moving sand.
The sea came on; the South, with mighty roar, Dispers'd and dash'd the rest upon the rocky shore. Those few you see escap'd the storm, and fear, Unless you mterpose, a shipwreck here.
What men, what monsters, what inhuman race, What laws, what barb'rous customs of the place, Shut up a desart shore to drowning men,
And drive us to the cruel seas again?
If our hard fortune no compassion draws,
Nor hospitable rights, nor human laws,
The gods are just, and will revenge our cause. eEneas was our prince: a juster lord,
Or nobler warrior, never drew a sword;
Observant of the right, religious of his word.
If yet he lives, and draws this vital air, Nor we, his friends, of safety shall despair;
Nor you, great queen, these offices repent, Which he will equal, and perhaps augment. We want not cities, nor Sicilian coasts,
Where King Acestes Trojan lineage boasts. Permit our ships a shelter on your shores,
? THE FIRST BOOK OF THE IENEIS 95
Retlt_ed from your woods with planks and oars, That, if our prince be safe, we may renew
Our destin'd course, and Italy pursue.
But if, O best of men, the Fates ordain
That thou art swallow'd in the Libyan main, And if our young Iulus be no more, D_smiss our navy from your friendly shore, That we to good Acestes may return,
And with our friends our common losses mourn. " Thus spoke Ilioneus: the Trojan crew
With cries and clamors h_s request renew.
The modest queen a while, with downcast eyes,
Fond_r'd the speech; then briefly thus replies: "Trojans, dismiss your fears; my cruel fate, And doubts attending an unsettled state,
Force me to guard my coast from foreign foes. Who has not heard the story of your woes, The name and fortune of your native place, The fame and valor of the Phrygian race_
We Tyrians are not so devoid of sense, Nor so remote from Phoebus' influence.
Whether to Latian shores your course is bent,
Or, driv'n by tempests from your first intent,
You seek the good Acestes' government,
Your men shall be receiv'd, your fleet repatr'd,
And sail, with ships of convoy for your guard:
Or, would you stay, and join your friendly t_ow'rs To raise and to defend the Tyrian tow'rs,
My wealth, my city, and myself are yours.
And would to Hear'n, the storm, you felt, would bring On Carthaginian coasts your wand'ring king
My people shall, by my command, explore
The ports and creeks of ev'ry winding shore,
And towns, and wilds, and shady woods, in quest
Of so renown'd and so deslr'd a guest. "
Rais'd in his mind the Trojan hero stood,
_,nd long'd to break from out his ambient cloud:
_Achates found it, and thus urg'd his way:
"From whence, O goddess-born, this long delay? What more can you desire, your welcome sure,
? [
Your fleet in safety, and your friends secure ? One only wants; and him we saw in vain Oppose the storm, and swallow'd in the main. Orontes in his fate our forfeit paid;
The rest agrees with what your mother said. " Scarce had be spoken, when the cloud gave way,
The mists flew upward and dissolv'd in day The Trojan chief appear'd in open sight,
August in visage, and serenely bright
His mother goddess, with her hands divine,
Had form'd his curling locks, and made his temples shine, And giv'n his rolling eyes a sparkling grace,
And breath'd a youthful vigor on his face;
Like pohsh'd lv'ry, beauteous to behold,
Or Par,an marble, when enchas'd in gold:
Thus radiant from the circling cloud he broke,
And thus with manly modesty he spoke:
"He whom you seek am I; by tempests toss'd, And sav'd from shipwreck on your Libyan coast; Presenting, gracious queen, before your throne,
A prince that owes his life to you alone.
Fair majesty, the refuge and redress
Of those whom fate pursues, and wants oppress, You, who your pious offices employ
To save the relics of abandon'd Troy;
Receive the shlpwreck'd on your friendly shore, With hospitable rites relieve the poor;
Associate m your town a wand'ring train,
And strangers m your palace entertain: What thanks can wretched fugitives return,
Who, scatter'd thro' the world, in exile mourn? The gods, if gods to goodness are inclin'd;
If acts of mercy touch their heav'nly mind,
And, more than all the gods, your gen'rous heart, Conscious of worth, requite its own desert!
In you this age is happy, and this earth,
And parents more than mortal gave you birth. While rolling rivers into seas shall run,
And round the space of heav'n the radiant sun; While trees the mountain tops with shades supply,
96 DRYD_. N'S TRANSLATION OF VIRGIL
? TH_ FIRST BOOK O1_ THE _ 97
Your honor, name, and praise shall never die. . Whate'er abode my fortune has assign'd,
Your image shall be present in my mind. "
Thus having said, he turn'd with pious hast_ _ld joyful his expecting friends embrac'd: With his right hand Ihoneus was grac'd, Serestus with his left; then to his breast Cloanthus and the noble Gyas press'd;
And so by turns descended to the rest.
The Tyrian queen stood fix'd upon his face,
Pleas'd with his motions, ravish'd with his grace; Admir'd his fortunes, more admir'd the man;
Then recollected stood, and thus began:
*'What Late, O goddess-born; what angry pow'rs Have cast you shipwrack'd on our barren shores? Are yott the great _neas, known to fame,
Who from celestial seed your lineage claim? The same 2_neas whom fair Venus bore
To fam'd Anchises on th' Iclman shore? It calls into my mind, tho' then a ehdd,
When Teucer came, from Salamis exil'd, And sought my father's aid, to be restor'd:
]_Iy father Belus then with fire and sword Invaded Cyprus, made the region bare,
And, eonqu'ring, finish'd the successful war. From him the Trojan siege I understood,
The Grecian chiefs, and your illustrious blood. Your foe himself the Dardan valor prais'd, And his own ancestry from Trojans rais'd. Enter, my noble guest, and you shall find,
If not a costly welcome, yet a kind:
For I myself, like you, have been distress'd, Till Heav'n afforded me this place of rest; Like you, an alien in a land unknown,
I learn to pity woes so like my own. "
She said, and to the palace led her guest; Then offer'd incense, and proclaim'd a feast. Nor yet less careful for her absent friends, Twice ten fat oxen to the ships she sends;
Besides a hundred boars, a hundred Iambs, zc xlu--. 4
? U
DRt_rDEN'fl TRANSLATION QF _rIRGIL
With bleating cries, attQnd their milky dams; And jars of gen'rous wine and sp_cious bowls She gives, to cheer the sailord drooping souls . Now purple hangings clothe the palace walls, And sumptuous feasts are m_de in splendid halls: On Tyrian carpets, richly wrought, they dine; With loads of massy plate the sideboards shine, And antique vases, aU of gold emboss'd
(The gold itself inferior to the cost),
Of curious work, where on the sides were seen
The fights and figures of illustrious men, From their first founder to the present queen.
The good . _Eneas, whose paternal care I_lus' absence could no longer bear,
Dispatch'd Achates to the ships in haste,
To give a glad relation of the past,
And, fraught wRh precious gifts, to bring the boyt
Snatch'd_from the ruins of unhappy Troy:
A robe of tissue, stiff with golden wire;
An upper vest, once Helen's rich attire,
From Argos by the fam'd adultress brought,
With golden flow'rs and winding foliage wrought, Her mother Leda's present, when she came
To ruin Troy and set the world on flame; The scepter Priam's eldest daughter bore,
Her orient necklace, and the crown she wore; Of double texture, glorious to behold,
One order set with gems, and one with gold. Instructed thus, the wise Achates goes,
And in his diligence his duty shows.
But Venus, anxious for her son's _ffairs, New counsels tries, and new designs prepargs:
That Cupid should assume the shape and face Of sweet Ascanius, and the sprightly grace;
Should bring the presents, in her nephew's stead, And in Eliza's veins the gentle poison shed:
For much she fear'd the Tyrian_, double-tongued, . _nd knew the town to JunCs care belong'd.
These thoughts by night her golden slumbers brol_ And thus i_iitrmtd, to winged Love she spoke:
? _J_R FH_tST _ OF THE _8
"My son, my strength, whose mighty pow'r alone
Controls the Thund'rer on his awful throne, To thee thy much-afflicted mother flies,
And on thy succor and thy faith relies.
Thou know'st, my son, how Jove's revengeful wife. ,
By force and fraud, attempts thy brother's lifo; And often hast thou mourn'd with me his pains. Him Dido now with blandishment detains;
But I suspect the town where Juno reigns.
For this 't is needful to prevent her art,
And fire with love the proud Phoenician's heart: A love so violent, so strong, so sure,
As neither age can change, nor art can cure. How this may be perform'd, now take my mind: Ascanius by his father is design'd
To come, with presents laden, from the port,
To gratify the queen, and gain the court.
I mean to plunge the boy in pleasing sleep,
And, ravish'd, in Idalian bow'rs to keep,
Or high Cythera, that the sweet deceit
May pass unseen, and none prevent the cheat. Take thou his form and shape. I beg the grac? But only for a night's revolving space:
Thyself a boy, assume a boy's dissembled face; That when, amidst the fervor of the feast,
The Tyrian hugs and fonds thee on her breast, And with sweet kisses in her arms constrains,
Thou may'st infuse thy venom in her veins. " The God of Love obeys, and sets aside
His bow and quiver, and his plumy pride;
He walks Iiilus in his mother's sight,
And in the sweet resemblance takes delight.
The goddess then to young Ascanius flies, And in a pleasing slumber seals his eyes:
Lull'd in her lap, amidst a train of Loves,
She gently bears him to her blissful groves,
Then with a wreath of myrtle crowns his head, And sohly lays him on a flow'ry bed.
Cupid meantime assum'd his form and face, Foll'wing Achates with a shorter pace,
? '100 DRYDEN'S TRANSLATION OF VIRGIL
_tndbroughtthegifts. The queenalreadysate _midst theTrojanlordsi,n shiningstate, High on a goldenbed:herprincelgyuest
Was nextherside;inordersatetherest. Then canisterwsithbreadare heap'don high; Th' attendantwsaterfortheirhandssupply, And, havingwash'd,with silkentowelsdry. Nextfiftyhandmaidsinlongorderbore Thecensersa,ndwithfumesthegodsadore: Then youths,and virgintswiceas many, join
To placethedishesa,nd toservethewine. The Tyriantraina,dmittedtothefeast, Approach,and on thepaintedcouchesrest. All on the Trojan giftswith wonder gaze, But view thebeauteousboy withmore amaze, His rosy-colorc'hdecks,hisradianteyes,
His motions,voice,and shape,and allthe god'sdisguis? _ Nor passu_prais'tdhevestand veildivine,
Which wand'ringfoliagaend richflow'resntwine. But,farabovetherest,theroyaldame,
(Alreadydoom'dtolove'dsisastroufslame,)
With eyesinsatiataen,d tumultuousjoy, Beholdsthepresentsa,nd admirestheboy.
The guilefuglodabouttheherolong,
With children'pslay,and falsembraces,hung; Then soughtthe queen:she took him to her arms With greedypleasurea,nd devour'dhischarms. Unhappy Dido littltehoughtwhat guest,
How direagod,shedrewsonearherbreast; But he, not mindlessof his mother'spray'r,
Works intheplianbtosom ofthefair,
And moldsherheartanew,and blotsherformercare.
The dead isto thelivingloveresign'd; And allx_Eneasentersinhermind.
Now, when therageofhungerwas appeas'd, The meat remov'd,and ev'ryguestwas pleas'd, The goldenbowlswithsparklinwginearecrown'd, And thro'thepalacecheerfulcriesresound. From gildedroofsdependinglampsdisplay Nocturnalbeams, thatemulatethe day.
? THE FIRST BOOK OF THE _ 14
A golden bowl, that shone with gems divine,
The queen commanded to be crown'd with wine: The bowl that Belus us'd, and all the Tyrian line.