VIRGIL Aeneid Book 1, 8-22 Lesson 2

A lesson on lines 8-22 from the introduction of the Aeneid. For lesson 1 (lines 1-7) I’ll put a link in the comments.

I will post my recitation and translation in a few days on my YouTube channel (David Amster).

Mūsa, mihī causās memorā, quō nūmine laesō,

quidve dolēns, rēgīna deum tot volvere cāsūs

īnsīgnem pietāte virum, tot adīre labōrēs                                    
impulerit. Tantaene animīs caelestibus īrae?

Urbs antīqua fuit, Tyriī tenuēre colōnī,

Karthāgō, Ītaliam contrā Tiberīnaque longē

ōstia, dīves opum studiīsque asperrima bellī,

quam Iūnō fertur terrīs magis omnibus ūnam  
                         
posthabitā coluisse Samō; hīc illius arma,

hīc currus fuit; hoc rēgnum dea gentibus esse,

sī quā Fāta sinant, iam tum tenditque fovetque.

Prōgeniem sed enim Trōiānō ā sanguine dūcī

audierat, Tyriās olim quae verteret arcēs;  
                                 
hinc populum lātē rēgem bellōque superbum

ventūrum excidiō Libyae: sīc volvere Parcās.

VOCABULARY & GRAMMAR:

“Mūsa, mihī causās memorā”

Mūsa: Muse; there were nine Muses; here it’s Calliope, the patron goddess of heroic poetry; vocative.

Compare the beginning of the Odyssey and the Iliad:

“Tell me, O Muse, of the man of many devices, who wandered full many ways after he had sacked the sacred citadel of Troy.”

“Sing the wrath, Goddess, of Peleus' son, Achilles, that destructive wrath which brought countless woes upon the Achaeans.”

memorā: remind, recount, relate, tell; imperative.

mihī: to me; dative

causās: the causes, the reasons; accusative pl.

“quō nūmine laesō”

quō: what; ablative sing neut.

nūmine: divine will, command; divinity, deity, god; ablative

laesō: having been offended, violated, wounded; perfect passive participle in ablative absolute, “ what divine command/deity having been offended”, “because of what aspect of her divinity having been offended”.

“quidve dolēns”

-ve: or

dolēns: being displeased, angry, feeling indignation; nomin. sing present participle.

quid: at what; acc. sing neut.

“rēgīna deum impulerit virum īnsīgnem pietāte volvere tot cāsūs, adīre tot labōrēs”                                   
 rēgīna: the queen, Juno; nom. sing.

deum = deorum; of the gods; gen. pl. This gen. pl ending is very common in poetry.

impulerit: forced, compelled, drove, pushed; 3rd p sing perfect subjunctive, indirect question. (impello)

virum: a man; acc. sing.

īnsīgnem: renowned, distinguished, remarkable; acc sing. (insignis)

pietāte: for his loyalty and devotion to his family, the gods, and country; ablative sing (pietas)

volvere: to live through, experience, endure, suffer; infinitive.

tot: so many

cāsūs: hardships, misfortunes, dangers, perils; accusative pl.

adīre: to encounter, undergo; infinitive (adeo)

tot: so many

labōrēs: hardships, difficulties, dangers, misfortunes; acc. pl.      “Tantaene īrae (sunt) animīs caelestibus?”

-ne: introduces a question

(sunt): are, are there; understood

tantae: such great, so great; nom. pl.

īrae: feelings of anger, wrath, rage, hatred, resentment; nom pl.

animīs: in the minds; dative of possession

caelestibus: celestial, heavenly, divine, of the gods; dative pl.

“Urbs antīqua fuit, Tyriī tenuēre colōnī, Karthāgō”

fuit: there was; 3rd p sing perfect.

antīqua: (an) ancient; Carthage was actually founded by the Phoenicians in the 9th century BC, about 300 years after the Trojan war!

urbs: city; nom. sing fem.

Tyriī: Tyrian, Phoenician, of Tyre; nom pl masc. Tyre is a city in Lebanon.

colōnī: settlers, colonists; nom pl.

tenuēre = tenuerunt; held, inhabited, ruled; 3rd p pl perfect.

Karthāgō: Carthage; nom sing.

“Ītaliam contrā Tiberīnaque longē…ōstia”

contrā: in front of, across from, opposite; in opposition to; note how the preposition is after the noun. “Contra” seems to imply it was physically across from, but also the enemy of Rome and Italy.

Ītaliam: Italy; acc. sing. Note the juxtaposition of Karthago and Italiam.

-que: and

ōstia: the shores; acc pl neut after “contra”.

Tiberīna: of the Tiber; acc pl neut.

longē: at a distance, far, far off; an adverb. Note how “ostia” being on the next line and the lack of “elision” (longe…ostia) emphasizes the distance.

“dīves opum studiīsque asperrima bellī”

dīves: rich; nom. sing fem adjective w/ Karthago.

opum: in resources, power, lit. “of resources”; gen pl fem.

-que: and

asperrima: very (most) fierce, cruel, formidable; nom sing fem superlative of asper.

studiīs: in its pursuits, zeal, desires, endeavors; ablative pl neut (studium)

bellī: of war; gen sing.

“quam ūnam magis omnibus terrīs Iūnō fertur coluisse Samō posthabitā”

quam: which; acc sing fem ref. to Karthago.

ūnam: alone; acc sing fem.

magis: more; adverb

omnibus: than all; ablative of comparison, pl fem.

terrīs: lands, countries; abl of comp. pl fem.

Iūnō: Juno; nom sing.

fertur: is said, is reported; 3rd p sing passive (fero)

coluisse: to have cared for, cherished, loved; perfect infinitive (colo)

Samō: Samos, an island near Ephesus in Asia Minor, a center of the worship of Juno, her birthplace and site of a very famous temple. Ablative absolute. (Samos).

posthabitā: having been placed after, having been esteemed less; perfect passive participle, ablative absolute: “Even Samos having been put in second place”

“hīc illius arma, hīc currus fuit”

hīc: here; probably Carthage

(sunt/fuerunt): are/were

illius: “Iunonis”, her, Juno’s; gen. sing fem.

arma: armor, weapons; nom pl neut.

hīc: here

fuit: was; 3rd p sing perfect

currus: (her) chariot; nom sing masc; refers to relics preserved in her temple.

“hoc esse rēgnum gentibus, sī quā Fāta sinant, iam tum dea tenditque fovetque”

hoc: for/that this (city, refering to Carthage); acc sing neut subject of infinitive; it’s neuter because of proximity to “regnum”.

esse: to be, be; infinitive with tendit and fovet

rēgnum: the ruling power, the royal authority; acc. sing neut.

gentibus; over nations; dative pl.

sī: if

quā (viā): in any way; ablative

Fāta: the fates, the godesses that determine the will of the gods; nom neut pl. Note that the Fates are more powerful than Juno.

sinant: would allow it; 3rd p pl subjunctive.

iam: already

tum: then

dea: the goddess; nom sing.

tendit: endeavors, designs, intends; 3rd p sing. present used, instead of the past, for vividness.

-que….. que: and; the repetition is a feature of epic poetry.

fovet: cherishes, hopes, longs for, desires; 3rd p sing present.

“sed enim audierat prōgeniem dūcī ā Trōiānō sanguine”
 sed enim: but indeed

audierat = audiverat: she had heard; 3rd p sing pluperfect.

prōgeniem: (that) a race, lineage; acc sing fem subject of infinitive in indirect statement.

dūcī: was being derived, was springing from, was descended; present passive infinitive.

ā: from; plus ablative.

Trōiānō: Trojan; ablative sing.

sanguine: blood; ablative sing. 
 “quae olim verteret Tyriās arcēs”   

quae: which, ref. to progeniem; nom sing fem.

olim: one day

verteret: would overturn; 3rd p sing imperfect subjunctive.

Tyriās: the Tyrian (Carthaginian); acc pl fem.

arcēs: citadels, strongholds, fortresses, palaces; acc pl fem. (arx)   “(audierat) hinc populum lātē rēgem bellōque superbum
ventūrum (esse) excidiō Libyae”

(audierat): she had heard, understood from the previous sentence.

hinc: (that) from here (the race from Trojan blood)

populum: a people; acc sing neut subject of infinitive in ind. statement.

rēgem: ruling, the noun being used as a participle, regentem; acc sing masc.

lātē: widely, far and wide

-que: and

superbum: proud, arrogant, fierce, mighty; acc sing neut. w/ populum.

bellō: in war; ablative sing neut. 
ventūrum (esse): was going to come; future active infinitive

excidiō: for the destruction, ruin, overthrow; dative of purpose (excidium)

Libyae: for Libya (especially Carthage); dative object of excidio.

“sīc volvere Parcās”

sīc: thus

Parcās: the Parcae, the Fates; acc. pl fem subject of infinitive in ind statement w/ audierat understood.

volvere: were ordaining, decreeing, fixing a series of revolving events; infinitive in indirect statement; note the repetition of the word from line 9.

PRONUNCIATION (I’ve marked the stress with an apostrophe before the stressed syllable):

mūsa, mihī causās ‘memorā, quō ‘nūmine laesō,

quidve dolē(n)s, Rē’gīna deuN tot ‘volvere cāsūs

ī(n)’sīŋgneM pie’tāte viruN, tot a’dīre la’bōrēs                                    
im’pulerit. tan’taen(e) ‘animīs cae’lestibus īrae?

uRbs an’tīqua fuit, ‘tyriī tenu’ēre co’lōnī,

kaR’THāg(ō), ī’taliaNG contrā tibe’rīnaque loŋgē

‘ōstia, dīves opu(m) studi’īsqu(e) as’peRRima beLLī,

qua(m) Iūnō feRtuR teRRīs magis ‘omnibus ūna(m)  
                         
post’habitā colu’iSSe samō; hīc ‘iLLius aRma,

hīc cuRRus fuit; hoc RēŋgnuN dea ‘gentibus eSSe,

sī quā fāta sinant, iaN tuN ten’ditque fo’vetque.

prō’genie(m) sed eniN tRō’iān(ō) ā ‘saŋguine dūcī

au’dierat, ‘tyriās oliNG quae ‘veRteret aRcēs;                                    
hinc ‘populu(m) lātē rēgeM beL’Lōque su’peRbu(m)

ven’tūr(um) ex’cidiō ‘libyae: sīc ‘volvere paRcās.