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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.
Thus dress'd, she summon'd, with her dying breath, The heav'ns and planets conscious of her death,
And ev'ry pow'r, if any rules above,
Who minds, or who revenges, injur'd love.
'T was dead of night, when weary bodies close Their eyes in balmy sleep and soft repose:
The winds no longer whtsper thro' the woods, Nor murm'ring tides disturb the gentle floods.
The stars in stlent order mov'd around;
And Peace, with downy wings, was brooding on the Iground.
The flocks and herds, and party-color'd fowl, Which haunt the woods, or swim the weedy pool,
Stretch'd on the quiet earth, securely lay, Forgetting the past labors of the day.
All else of nature's common gift partake: Unhappy Dido was alone awake.
Nor sleep nor ease the furious queen can find; Sleep fled her eyes, as quiet fled her mind.
Despair, and rage, and love divide her heart;
Despair and rage had some, hut love the greater part.
Then thus she said within her secret mind: "What shall I do ? what succor can I find ? Become a suppliant to Hyarba's pride,
And take my turn, to court and be denied ? Shall I with this ungrateful Trojan go, Forsake an empire_ and attctai a fo_?
? 176 DRYDEN'S TRAI_SLATION OF VIRGIL Himself I refug'd, and his train relier'din
'T is true--but am I sure to be receiv'd ? Can gratitude in Trojan souls have place!
Laomedon stdl lives in all his race!
Then, shall I seek alone the churlish crew,
Or with my fleet their flying sails pursue?
What force have I but those whom scarce before I drew reluctant from their native shore ?
Wall they again embark at my desire,
Once more sustain the seas, and quit their second Tyre ?
Rather with steel thy gmlty breast invade, And take the fortune thou thyself hast made. Your pity, sister, first seduc'd my mind,
Or seconded too well what I design'd.
These dear-bought pleasures had I never known, Had I continued free, and still my owl_;
Avoiding love, I had not found despair,
But shar'd w_th salvage beasts the common air. Like the_a, a lonely life I might have Ied,
Not mourn'd the hying, nor disturb'd the dead " These thoughts she brooded m her anxious breast. On board, the TroJan found more easy rest. Resolv'd to sail, in sleep he pass'd the mght;
And order'd all things for his early flight.
To whom once more the winged god appears; His former youthful mien and shape he wears,
And with this new alarm invades his ears:
"SEep'st thou, 0 goddess-born! and canst thou drown
Thy needful cares, so near a hostile town,
Beset with foes; nor hear'st the western gales Invite thy passage, and inspire thy sails ?
She harbors in her heart a furious hate,
And thou shalt find the dire effects too late;
Fix'd on revenge, and obstinate to die.
Haste swiftly hence, while thou hast pow'r to fly. The sea with ships will soon be cover'd o'er,
And blazing firebrands kindle all the shore.
Prevent her rage, while night obscures the skies, And sail before the purple morn arise.
Who knows what hazards thy delay may bring ?
? TH/_ FOURTH BOOK OF THE _NEI8 177
Woman's a various and a changeful thing" Thus Hermes in the dream; then took his flight Aloft in air unseen, and mix'd with night.
Twice warn'd by the celestial messenger, The pious prince arose with hasty fear;
Then rous'd his drowsy train without delay:
"Haste to your banks; your crooked anchors weigh, And spread your flying sails, and stand to sea.
A god commands: he stood before my sight,
And urg'd us once again to speedy fllght.
O sacred pow'r, what pow'r soe'er thou art,
To thy blest orders I resign my heart.
Lead thou the way, protect thy Trojan bands, And prosper the design thy will commands"
He said" and, drawing forth his flaming sword, His thund'ring arm divides the many-twisted cord An emulating zeal respires his train:
They run; they snatch; they rush into the main. With headlong haste they leave the desert shores, And brush the liquid seas with lab'ring oars.
Aurora now had left her saffron bed,
And beams of early light the heav'ns o'erspread,
When, from a tow'r, the queen, with wakeful eyes, Saw day point upward from the rosy skies.
She look'd to seaward; but the sea was void, And scarce in ken the sailing ships descried.
Stung with despite, and furious with despair,
She struck her trembling breast, and tore her hair, "And shall th' ungrateful traitor go," she said, "My land forsaken, and my love betray'd?
Shall we not arm? not rush from ev'ry street,
To follow, sink, and burn his perjur'd fleet? Haste, haul my galleys out l pursue the foe!
Bring flaming brands! set sail, and swiftly row! What have I said? where am I? Fury turns
My brain; and my distemper'd bosom burns. Then, when I gave my persor, and my throne, This hate, this rage, had been more timely shown. See now the promis'd faith, the vaunted name, The pious man, who, rushing thro' the flame,
? 178 DRYD_'$ TBANSLATION OP VIRGIL Preserv'd his gods, and to the Phrygian shore
The burthen of his feeble father bore!
I should have torn him piecemeal; strow'd in floods
His scatter'd hmbs, or left expos'd in woods; Destroy'd his friends and son; and, from the fire, Have set the reeking boy before the sire.
Events are doubtful, which on battles wait:
Yet where's the doubt, to souls secure of fate? My Tyrians, at their mjur'd queen's command, Had toss'd thelr fires amid the Trojan band;
At once extinguish'd all the faithless name;
- And I myself, in vengeance of my shame,
Had fall'n upon the pile, to mend the fun'ral flame.
Thou Sun, who view'st at once the world below; Thou Juno, guardian of the nuptial vow;
Thou Hecate hearken from thy dark abodes!
Ye Furies, fiends, and violated gods,
All pow'rs invok'd with Dido's dying breath,
Attend hcf curses and avenge her death[
If so the Fates ordain, and Jove commands,
Th' ungrateful wretch should find the Latian lands, Yet let a race untam'd, and haughty foes,
His peaceful entrance with dire arms oppose: Oppress'd with numbers in th' unequal field,
His men discourag'd, and himself expell'd,
Let him for succor sue from place to place, Torn from his subjects, and his son's embrace. First, let him see his friends in battle slain,
And their untimely fate lament in vain;
And when, at length, the cruel war shall cease, On hard conditions may he buy his peace:
Nor let him then enjoy supreme command;
But fall, untimely, by some hostile hand,
And lie unburied on the barren sand[
These are my pray'rs, and this my dying will; And you, my Tyrians, ev'ry curse fulfil. Perpetual hate and mortal wars proclaim, Against the prince, the people, and the name. These grateful off'rings on my grave bestow; Nor league, nor love, the hostile nations know!
? THE FOURTH BOOK OF TH]_ _"J_Ifl |_
Now, and from hence, in ev'ry future age,
When rage excites your arms, and strength supplies the rage, Rise some avenger of our Libyan blood,
With fire and sword pursue the perjur'd brood;
Our arms, our seas, our shores, oppos'd to theirs;
And the same hate descend on all our heirs 1"
This said, within her anxious mind she weighs The means of cutting short her odious days.
Then to Sich_eus' nurse she briefly said
(For, when she left her country, hers was dead) : '. 'Go, Barce, call my sister. Let her care
The soIenm rites of sacrifice prepare;
The sheep, and all th' atoning off'rings, bring, Sprinkling her body from the crystal spring With living drops; then let her come, and thou With sacred fillets bind thy hoary brow.
Thus will I pay my vows to Stygian Jove, And end the cares of my disastrous love;
Then cast the Trojan image on the fire,
And, as that bums, my passions shall expire"
The nurse moves onward, with officious care, And all the speed her aged limbs can hear.
But furious Dido, with dark thoughts involv'd, Shook at the mighty mischief she resolv'd.
With hvid spots &stingulsh'd was her face;
Red were her rolling eyes, and discompos'd her pace; Ghastly she gaz'd, with pain she drew her breath, And nature shiver'd at approaching death.
Then swiftly to the fatal place she pass'd,
And mounts the fun'ral pile with furious haste; Unsheathes the sword the Trojan left behind
(Not for so dire an enterprise design'd).
But when she view'd the garments loosely spread, Which once he wore, and saw the conscious bed, She paus'd, and with a sigh the robes embrac'd; Then on the couch her trembling body cast, Repress'd the ready tears, and spoke her last:
"Dear pledges of my love, while Heav'n so pleas'd_ Receive a soul, of mortal anguish eas'd:
My fatal course is finish'd; and I go,
? M
DRYDEN'S TRANSLATION" OF VIRGIL
_A glorious name, among the ghosts below. A lofty city by my hands is rats'd,
Pygmalion punish'd, and my lord appeas'd.
What could my fortune have afforded more,
Had the false Trojan never touch'd my shore! " Then kiss'd the couch; and, "Must I die," she said, "And unreveng'd? 'Tis doubly to be dead[
Yet ev'n this death with pleasure I receive:
On any terms, 't is better than to live.
These flames, from far, may the false Trojan view; These boding omens his base flight pursue 1"
She said, and struck; deep enter'd in her side The piercing steel, with reeking purple dyed: Clogg'd m the wound the cruel weapon stands;
The spouting blood came streaming on her hands. Her sad attendants saw the deadly stroke,
And with lot_d cries the sounding palace shook. Distracted, from the fatal sight they fled,
And thra' the town the dismal rumor spread.
First from the frighted court the yell began; Redoubled, thence from house to house it ran:
The groans of men, with shrieks, laments, and crie$ Of mixing women, mount the vaulted skies.
Not less the clamor, than if--anclent Tyre, Or the new Carthage, set by foes on fire--
The rolling ruin, with their lov'd abodes, Involv'd the blazing temples of their gods.
Her sister hears; and, furious with despair,
She beats her breast, and rends her yellow hair, And, calling on Eliza's name aloud,
Runs breathless to the place, and breaks the crowd. "Was all that pomp of woe for this prepar'd;
These fires, this fun'ral pile, these altars rear'd ? Was all this train of plots contriv'd," said she, "All only to deceive unhappy me ?
Which is the worst? Didst thou in death pretend To scorn thy sister, or delude thy friend?
Thy summon'd sister, and thy friend, had come; One sword had serv'd us both, one common tomb: Was I to raise the pile, the pow'rs invoke,
? THE FOURTH BOOK OF THE _NEIS 181
Not to be present at the fatal stroke ?
At once thou hast destroy'd thyself and me,
Thy town, thy senate, and thy colony!
Bring water; bathe the wound; while I in death
Lay close my hps to hers, and catch the flying breath," Thls said, she mounts the ple with eager haste,
And in her arms the gasping queen embrac'd;
Her temples char'd; and her own garments tore,
To stanch the streaming blood, and cleanse the gore, Thrice Dido tried to raise her drooping head,
And, fainting thrice, fell grov'hng on the bed;
Thrice op'd her heavy eyes, and sought the light, But, having found it, sicken'd at the sight,
And clos'd her lids at last in endless mght,
Then Juno, grieving that she should sustain A death so ling'ring, and so full of pain,
Sent Iris down, to free her from the strife Of lab'ring nature, and dissolve her life
For since she died, not doom'd by Heav'n's decree, Or her own crime, but human casualty,
And rage of love, that plung'd her in despair,
The Sisters had not cut the topmost hair,
Which Proserpine and they can only know; Nor made her sacred to the shades below.
Downward the various goddess took her flight,
And drew a thousand colors from the light;
Then stood above the dying lover's head, And said: "I thus devote thee to the dead
This off'ring to th' infernal gods I bear. "
Thus while she spoke, she cut the fatal hair:
The strugglingsoulwas loos'd,and lifedissolv'idn a_'.
? THE FIFTH BOOK OF THE _/ENEI$
THE ARCUMENT. --. _EneaSs,etting sall from Afrie, is driven by z storm on the coasts of Sicily, where he Is hospltahly recelv'd by hls friend Acestes, king of part of the island, and born of Trojan parentage. He apphes himself to celebrate the memory of bJs father with dlvlne honors, and accordingly institutes funeral games, and appoints prlzes for those who should conquer m them. While the ceremonies were performing, Juno sends Iris to persuade the Trojan women to burn the ships, who, upon her instlgation, set fire to them ; which burnt four, and would have consum'd the rest, had not Jupi- ter, by a miraculous shower, extingulsh'd it. Upon this, ,_neas, by the advice of one of his generals, and a vision of his father, bmlds a clty for the women, old men, and others, who were either unfit for war, or weary of the voyage, and sails for Italy. Venus procures
of Neptune a safe voyage for him and all his men, excepting only his pilot Palinurus, who is unfortunately lost.
EANTIME the Trojan cuts his wat'ry way, Fix'd on his voyage, thro the curling sea;
Then, castmg back his eyes, with dire amaze, Sees on the Punic shore the mounting blaze.
The cause unknown; yet his presaging mind The fate of Dido from the fire divin'd;
He knew the stormy souls of womankind,
What secret springs their eager passions move,
How capable of death for injur'd love.
Dire auguries from hence the Trojans draw;
Till neither fires nor shining shores they saw.
Now seas and skies their prospect only bound;
An empty space above, a floating field around.
But soon the heav'ns with shadows were o'erspread ; A swelling cloud hung hov'ring o'er their head:
Livid it look'd, the threat'ning of a storm:
, 182
? ? HE FIFTH BOOK OF THE . _1_ lN
Then night and horror ocean's face deform.
The pilot, Palmurus, cried aloud:
"What gusts of weather from that gath'ring cloud My thoughts presage I Ere yet the tempest roars, Stand to your tackle, mates, and stretch your oars ; Contract your swelhng sails, and luff to wind. " The frighted crew perform the task assign'd.
Then, to his fearless chief: "Not Hear'n," said he, "Tho' Jove himself should promise Italy,
Can stem the torrent of this raging sea.
Mark how the shifting winds from west arise,
And what collected mght involves the skies1
Nor can our shaken vessels hve at sea,
Much less against the tempest force their way.
'T is fate diverts our course, and fate we must obey. Not far from hence, if I observ'd aright
The southing of the stars, and polar light, S_cilia lies, whose hospitable shores
In safety we may reach with struggling oars. " 2Eneas then replied: "Too sure I find
We strive in vain against the seas and wind:
Now shift your sails; what place can please me more Than what you promise, the Sicilian shore,
Whose hallow'd earth Anchises' bones contains, And where a prince of Trojan hneage reigns ? "
The course resolv'd, before the western wind They scud amain, and make the port ass_gn'd.
Meantime Acestes, from a lofty stand, Beheld the fleet descending on the land;
And, not unmindful of his ancient race, Down from the cliff he ran with eager pace, And held the hero in a strict embrace.
Of a rough Libyan bear the spoils he wore, And either hand a pointed jav'lin bore.
His mother was a dame of Dardan blood; His sire Crinisus, a S_cilian flood.
He welcomes his returning friends ashore
With plenteous country cates and homely store.
Now, when the following morn had ehas'd away The flying stars, and light restur'd the day,
? i big !
DRYDEN'S TRANSLATION' OF VIROIL _Eneas call'd the Trojan troops around,
And thus bespoke them from a rising ground: "Offspring of heav'n, divine Dardanian race ! The sun, revolving thro' th' ethereal space, The shining circle of the year has fill'd, Since first this isle my father's ashes held: And now the rising day renews the year;
A day for ever sad, for ever dear.
This would I celebrate with annual games,
With gifts on altars pil'd, and holy flames,
Tho' bamsh'd to Gzetulia's barren sands,
Caught on the Grecian seas, or hostile lands:
But since this happy storm our fleet has driv'n
(Not, as I deem, without the will of Hear'n)
Upon these friendly shores and flow'ry plains, Which hide Anchlses and his blest remains,
Let us with joy perform his honors due,
And pray for prosp'rous winds, our voyage to renew; Pray, that in towns and temples of our own,
The name of great Anchises may be known,
And yearly games may spread the gods' renown.
Our sports Acestes, of the Trojan race,
With royal gnfts ordain'd, is pleas'd to grace:
Two steers on ev'ry ship the king bestows;
His gods and ours shall share your equal vows Besides, if, nine days hence, the rosy morn
Shall with unclouded light the skies adorn,
That day with soleml_ sports I mean to grace: Light galleys on the seas shall run a wat'ry race; Some shall in swiftness for the goal contend,
And others try the twanging bow to bend ;
The strong, with iron gauntlets arm'd, shall stand Oppos'd in combat on the yellow sand
Let all be present at the games prepar'd,
And joyful victors wait the just reward.
But now assist the rites, with garlands crown'd. " He said, and first his brows with myrtle bound. Then Helymus, by his example led,
And old Acestes, each adorn'd his head;
Thus young Ascanius, with a sprightly grace,
? THE FIFTH BOOK OF THE ,_IqRIS I_
His temples tied, and all the Trojan race. . _neas then advanc'd amidst the train,
By thousands follow'd thro' the flow'ry plain,
To great Anchises' tomb; which when he founds
He pour'd to Bacchus, on the hallow'd ground,
Two bowls of sparkhng wine, of milk two more,
And two (from offer'd bulls) of purple gore,
With roses then the sepulcher he strow'd
And _as his father's ghost bespoke aloud:
"Hail, O ye holy manes I hail again,
Paternal ashes, now review'd in vain!
The gods permitted not, that you, with me,
Should reach the promis'd shores of Italy,
Or Tiber's flood, what flood soe'er it be. "
Scarce had he finish'd, when, with speckled pride,
A serpent from the tomb began to glide;
His hugy bulk on sev'n high volumes roll'd;
Blue was his breadth of back, but streak'd with scaly gold: Thus riding on his curls, he seem'd to pass
A rolling fire along, and singe the grass.
More various colors thro' his body run,
Than Iris when her bow imbibes the sun.
Betw,xt the rising altars, and around,
The sacred monster shot along the ground; With harmless play amidst the bowls he pass'd, And with his lolling tongue assay'd the taste: Thus fed with holy food, the wondrous guest Within the hollow tomb retir'd to rest.
The pious prince, surpris'd at what he view'd, The fun'ral honors with more zeal renew'd, Doubtful if this place's genius were,
Or guardian of his father's sepulcher.
Five sheep, according to the rites, he slew;
As many swine, and steers of sable hue;
New gen'rous wine he from the goblets pour'd. And eall'd his father's ghost, from hell restor'd. The glad attendants in long order come,
Off'rlng their gifts at great Anchises' tomb:
Some add more oxen; some divide the spoil; Some place the chargers on the grassy soil;
? DRYDEN'S TRANSLATION OF VIRGIL
Some blow the fires, and offer'd entrails broil.
Now came the day desir'd. The skies were bright
With rosy luster of the rising light:
The bord'ring people, rous'd by sounding fame Of Trojan feasts and great Acestes' name,
The crowded shore with acclamations fill,
Part to behold, and part to prove their skill.
And first the gifts in public view they place, Green laurel wreaths, and palm, the victors' grace: Within the circle, arms and tripods lie,
Ingots of gold and silver, heap'd on high,
And vests embroider'd, of the Tyrian dye.
The trumpet's clangor then the feast proclaims, And all prepare for their appointed games.
Four galleys first, which equal rowers bear, Advancing, in the wat'ry lists appear.
The speed_( Dolphin, that outstrips the wind, Bore Mnestheus, author of the Memmian kind: Gyas the vast Chim_era's bulk commands,
Which rising, like a tow'ring city stands;
Three Trojans tug at ev'ry lab'ring oar;
Three banks in three degrees the sailors bore ; Beneath their sturdy strokes the billows roar. Sergesthus, who began the Sergian race,
In the great Centaur took the leading place; Cloanthus on the sea-green Scylla stood,
From whom Cluentms draws his Trojan blood.
Far in the sea, against the foaming shore, There stands a rock: the raging b_llows roar
Above his head in storms ; but, when 't is clear, Uncurl their ridgy backs, and at his foot appear.
In peace below the gentle waters run;
The cormorants above he basking in the sun.
On this the hero fix'd an oak in sight,
The mark to guide the mariners aright.
To bear with this, the seamen stretch their oars;
Then round the rock they steer, and seek the former shores. The lots decide their place. Above the rest,
Each leader shining in his Tyrian vest;
The common crewwithwreathsofpoplarboughs
? THE FIFTH BOOK OF THE _NEI8 zS_
Their temples crown, and shade their sweaty brows: Besmear'd with oil, their naked shoulders shine.
All take thelr seats, and wait the sounding sign:
They gripe their oars; and ev'ry panting breast
Is rais'd by turns with hope, by turns with fear depress'd. The clangor of the trumpet glves the sign;
At once they start, advancing in a line:
With shouts the sailors rend the starry skies;
Lash'd wlth thelr oars, the smoky billows rise;
Sparkles the briny main, and the vex'd ocean fries. Exact in time, with equal strokes they row:
At once the brushing oars and brazen prow
Dash up the sandy waves, and ope the depths below.
Not fiery coursers, in a chariot race,
Invade the field with half so swift a pace;
Not the fierce driver with more fury lends
The sounding lash, and, ere the stroke descends,
Low to the wheels his pliant body bends.
The partial crowd their hopes and fears divide,
And aid with eager shouts the favor'd side.
Cries, murmurs, clamors, with a mixing sound,
From woods to woods, from hills to hills rebound.
Amidst the loud applauses of the shore, Gyas outstripp'd the rest, and sprang before: Cloanthus, better mann'd, pursued him fast,
But his o'er-masted galley check'd his haste. The Centaur and the Dolphin brush the brine With equal oars, advancing in a line;
And now the mighty Centaur seems to lead, And now the speedy Dolphin gets ahead;
Now board to board the rival vessels row,
The billows lave the skies, and ocean groans below.
They reach'd the mark. Proud Gyas and his train
In triumph rode, the victors of the main;
But, steering round, he charg'd his pilot stand
More close to shore, and skim along the sand--
"'Let others bear to sea l" Menoetes heard;
But secret shelves too cautiously he fear'd,
And, fearing, sought the deep; and still aloof he steer'd. With louder cries the captain call'd again:
? t;
! i
188 DRYDEN'S TRANSLATIOI_ OF VIRGIL "Bear to the rocky shore, and shun the main. "
He spoke, and, speaking, at his stern he saw The bold Cloanthus near the shelvings draw.
Betwixt the mark and h_m the Scylla stood, And in a closer compass plow'd the flood.
He pass'd the mark; aad, wheehng, got before: Gyas blasphem'd the gods, devoutly swore, Cried out for anger, and his hair he tore. Mindless of others' hves (so high was grown His rising rage) and careless of his own,
The trembling dotard to the deck he drew;
Then hoisted up, and overboard he threw:
This done, he seiz'd the helm; his fellows cheer'd, Turn'd short upon the shells, and madly steer'd.
Hardly his head the plunging pilot rears,
Clogg'd with his clothes, and cumher'd with his years:
Now dropping wet, he chmbs the chff with pain. The crowd, that saw him fall and float again,
? Shout from the distant shore; and loudly faugh'd,
To see lus heaving breast disgorge the briny drauglq The following Centaur, and the Dolphin's crew,
Their vanish'd hopes of victory renew;
Whde Gyas lags, they kindle in the race,
To reach the mark. Sergesthus takes the place; Mnestheus pursues; and whde around they wind, Comes up, not half his galley's length behind;
Then, on the deck, amidst his mates appear'd,
And thus their drooping courage he cheer'd:
"My friends, and Hector's followers heretofore,
Exert your vigor; tug the lab'ring oar;
Stretch to your strokes, my still unconquer'd crew, Whom from the flaming walls of Troy I drew.
In this, our common int'rest, let me find
That strength of hand, that courage of the mind,
As when you stemm'd the strong Malean flood,
And o'er the Syrtes' broken billows row'd.
I seek not now the foremost palm to gain;
Tho' yet--but, ah! that haughty wish is vain I Let those enjoy it whom the gods ordain.
But to be last, the lags of all the race l_
? THE FIFTH BOOK OF THE . _:NEIS 189
Redeem yourselves and me from that disgrace. " Now, one and all, they tug amain; they row
At the full stretch, and shake the brazen prow.
The sea beneath 'era sinks; thcir lab'ring sides
Are swell'd, and sweat runs gutt'ring down in tides. Chance aids their daring with unhop'd succcss;
Sergesthus, eager with his beak to press
Betwixt the rtval galley and the rock,
Shuts up th' unwieldly Centaur in the lock.
The vessel struck; and, with the dreadful shock,
Her oars she shiver'd, and her head she broke
The trembling rowers from their banks arise,
And, anxious for themselves, renounce the prize
With iron poles they heave her off the shores,
And gather from the sea their floating oars.
The crew of Mnestheus, with elated minds,
Urge their success, and call the willing winds;
Then ply their oars, and cut their liquid way
In larger compass on the roomy sea.
As, when the dove her rocky hold forsakes,
Rous'd in a fright, her sounding wings she shakes;
The cavern rings with clatt'ring; out she flies,
And leaves her callow care, and cleaves the skies:
At first she flutters; but at length she springs
To smoother flight, and shoots upon her wings:
So Mnestheus in the Dolphin cuts the sea;
And, flying with a force, that force assists his way Sergesthus in the Centaur soon he pass'd,
Wedg'd in the rocky shoals, and sticking fast.
In vain the victor he with cries implores,
And practices to row with shatter'd oars.
Then Mnestheus bears with Gyas, and outflies:
The ship, without a pilot, yields the prize.
Unvanquish'd Scylla now alone remains;
Her he pursues, and all his vigor strains.
Shouts from the fay'ring multitude arise;
Applauding Echo to the shouts replies;
Shouts, wishes, and applause run rattling thro' the skies.