Aeneid IX.207-313
Nisus and Euryalus are cleared for boys' night.
Nisus replied: “Indeed I had no such doubts of you,
that would be wrong; not so will great Jupiter, or whoever
looks at this action with favourable gaze, bring me back to you
in triumph. But if (as you often see in such crises)
if chance or some god sweeps me to disaster,
I want you to survive: your youth is more deserving of life.
Let there be someone to entrust me to earth, my body
rescued from conflict or ransomed for a price,
or, if Fortune denies the customary rites, to perform
them in my absence and honour me with a stone.
And don’t let me be a cause of grief to your poor mother,
my boy, who alone among many mothers dared to follow
you without thought of staying in great Acestes’s city.”
But the lad said: “You weave your excuses in vain,
my purpose won’t change or yield to yours. Let’s hurry,”
and he roused guards who came up to take their place:
leaving his post, he walked by Nisus’s side to seek the prince.
Every other creature throughout the land was easing
its cares with sleep, its heart forgetful of toil:
the Trojans’ chief captains, the pick of their manhood,
were holding council on the most serious affairs of state,
what to do and who should go now as messenger to Aeneas.
They stood between the camp and the plain, leaning
on their long spears, holding their shields. Nisus and Euryalus
together begged eagerly to be admitted at once:
the matter being important and worth the delay. Iulus was first
to welcome the impatient pair, and ordered Nisus to speak.
So the son of Hyrtacus said: “Followers of Aeneas, listen
with fair minds, and don’t judge my words by our years.
The Rutulians are quiet, drowned in sleep and wine.
We ourselves have seen a place for a sortie: it opens
in a fork of the road by the nearest gate to the sea.
There’s a gap between the fires, and black smoke rises
to the stars. If you allow us to seize the chance,
you’ll soon see us back again burdened with spoils
after carrying out vast slaughter. The road will not
deceive us as we seek Aeneas and Pallanteum’s walls:
in our frequent hunting through the secret valleys,
we’ve seen the outskirts of the city, and know the whole river.”
To this Aletes, heavy with years and wise in mind, replied:
“Gods of our fathers, under whose power Troy lies,
you do not intend to obliterate the Trojan race as yet,
since you bring us such courage in our young men and such
firm hearts.” So saying, he took them both by the shoulder
and hand while tears flooded his cheeks and lips.
“What possible prize could I consider worthy
to be granted you men for such a glorious action?
The gods and tradition will give you the first
and most beautiful one: then good Aeneas, and Ascanius,
who’s untouched by the years and never unmindful
of such service, will immediately award the rest.”
Ascanius interrupted: “Rather, I entreat you both, Nisus,
since my well-being depends on my father’s return,
by the great gods of our house, by the Lar of Assaracus,
and by grey-haired Vesta’s innermost shrine, I lay
all my fortune and my promise in your lap. Call my father back,
give me a sight of him; there’s no sorrow if he’s restored.
I’ll give you a pair of wine-cups, all of silver, with figures
in relief, that my father captured when Arisba1 was taken,
and twin tripods, two large talents of gold,
and an antique bowl Sidonian Dido gave me.
If we truly manage to capture Italy and take the sceptre
and assign the spoils by lot, you have seen the horse
golden Turnus rode and the armour he wore; I’ll separate
from this moment, from the lots, that same horse, the shield,
and the crimson plumes as your reward, Nisus.
Moreover my father will give you twelve women
of choicest person, and male captives all with their own armour,
and, beyond that, whatever land King Latinus owns himself.
But now I truly welcome you wholly to my heart, Euryalus,
a boy to be revered, whose age I come closer to in time,
and embrace you as a friend for every occasion.
I’ll never seek glory in my campaigns without you:
whether I enjoy peace or war, you’ll have my firmest trust
in word and action.” Euryalus spoke like this in reply:
“No day will ever find me separated from such
bold action, inasmuch as fortune proves kind
and not cruel. But I ask one gift above all from you:
I have a mother, of Priam’s ancient race, unhappy woman,
whom neither the land of Troy nor King Acestes’s city
could keep from accompanying me. I leave her now,
ignorant of whatever risk to me there might be,
and of my farewell, since (this night and your
right hand bear witness) I could not bear
a mother’s tears. But I beg you, comfort
her helplessness and aid her loss. Let me carry
this hope I place in you with me, I will meet all dangers
more boldly.” Their spirits affected, the Trojans
shed tears, noble Iulus above all, and this image
of filial love touched his heart. Then he said:
“Be sure I’ll do everything worthy of your great venture.
She’ll be as my mother to me, only lacking her name Creusa:
no small gratitude’s due to her for bearing such a son.
Whatever the outcome of your action, I swear by this life,
by which my father used once to swear: what I promised
to you when you return, your campaign successful,
that same will accrue to your mother and your house.”
So he spoke, in tears; and at the same time stripped the gilded
sword from his shoulder that Lycaon of Cnossos had made
with marvellous art and equipped for use with an ivory sheath.
Mnestheus gave Nisus a pelt taken from a shaggy lion,
loyal Aletes exchanged helmets. They armed and left
immediately: and the whole band of leaders, young and old,
escorted them to the gate as they went, with prayers.
And noble Iulus too, with mature mind and duties
beyond his years, gave them many commissions
to carry to his father; but the winds were to scatter
them all and blow them vainly to the clouds.
Nisus ad haec: 'equidem de te nil tale verebar,
nec fas; non ita me referat tibi magnus ovantem
Iuppiter aut quicumque oculis haec aspicit aequis.
sed si quis (quae multa vides discrimine tali) 210
si quis in adversum rapiat casusve deusve,
te superesse velim, tua vita dignior aetas.
sit qui me raptum pugna pretiove redemptum
mandet humo, solita aut si qua id Fortuna vetabit,
absenti ferat inferias decoretque sepulcro. 215
neu matri miserae tanti sim causa doloris,
quae te sola, puer, multis e matribus ausa
persequitur, magni nec moenia curat Acestae.'
ille autem: 'causas nequiquam nectis inanis
nec mea iam mutata loco sententia cedit. 220
acceleremus' ait, vigiles simul excitat. illi
succedunt servantque vices; statione relicta
ipse comes Niso graditur regemque requirunt.
Cetera per terras omnis animalia somno
laxabant curas et corda oblita laborum: 225
ductores Teucrum primi, delecta iuventus,
consilium summis regni de rebus habebant,
quid facerent quisve Aeneae iam nuntius esset.
stant longis adnixi hastis et scuta tenentes
castrorum et campi medio. tum Nisus et una 230
Euryalus confestim alacres admittier orant:
rem magnam pretiumque morae fore. primus Iulus
accepit trepidos ac Nisum dicere iussit.
tum sic Hyrtacides: 'audite o mentibus aequis
Aeneadae, neve haec nostris spectentur ab annis 235
quae ferimus. Rutuli somno vinoque soluti
conticuere. locum insidiis conspeximus ipsi,
qui patet in bivio portae quae proxima ponto.
interrupti ignes aterque ad sidera fumus
erigitur. si fortuna permittitis uti 240
quaesitum Aenean et moenia Pallantea,
mox hic cum spoliis ingenti caede peracta
adfore cernetis. nec nos via fallit euntis:
vidimus obscuris primam sub vallibus urbem
venatu adsiduo et totum cognovimus amnem.' 245
hic annis gravis atque animi maturus Aletes:
'di patrii, quorum semper sub numine Troia est,
non tamen omnino Teucros delere paratis,
cum talis animos iuvenum et tam certa tulistis
pectora.' sic memorans umeros dextrasque tenebat 250
amborum et vultum lacrimis atque ora rigabat.
'quae vobis, quae digna, viri, pro laudibus istis
praemia posse rear solvi? pulcherrima primum
di moresque dabunt vestri: tum cetera reddet
actutum pius Aeneas atque integer aevi 255
Ascanius meriti tanti non immemor umquam.'
'immo ego vos, cui sola salus genitore reducto,'
excipit Ascanius 'per magnos, Nise, penatis
Assaracique larem et canae penetralia Vestae
obtestor, quaecumque mihi fortuna fidesque est, 260
in vestris pono gremiis. revocate parentem,
reddite conspectum; nihil illo triste recepto.
bina dabo argento perfecta atque aspera signis
pocula, devicta genitor quae cepit Arisba,
et tripodas geminos, auri duo magna talenta, 265
cratera antiquum quem dat Sidonia Dido.
si vero capere Italiam sceptrisque potiri
contigerit victori et praedae dicere sortem,
vidisti, quo Turnus equo, quibus ibat in armis
aureus; ipsum illum, clipeum cristasque rubentis 270
excipiam sorti, iam nunc tua praemia, Nise.
praeterea bis sex genitor lectissima matrum
corpora captivosque dabit suaque omnibus arma,
insuper his campi quod rex habet ipse Latinus.
te vero, mea quem spatiis propioribus aetas 275
insequitur, venerande puer, iam pectore toto
accipio et comitem casus complector in omnis.
nulla meis sine te quaeretur gloria rebus:
seu pacem seu bella geram, tibi maxima rerum
verborumque fides.' contra quem talia fatur 280
Euryalus: 'me nulla dies tam fortibus ausis
dissimilem arguerit; tantum fortuna secunda
haud adversa cadat. sed te super omnia dona
unum oro: genetrix Priami de gente vetusta
est mihi, quam miseram tenuit non Ilia tellus 285
mecum excedentem, non moenia regis Acestae.
hanc ego nunc ignaram huius quodcumque pericli
inque salutatam linquo (nox et tua testis
dextera), quod nequeam lacrimas perferre parentis.
at tu, oro, solare inopem et succurre relictae. 290
hanc sine me spem ferre tui, audentior ibo
in casus omnis.' percussa mente dedere
Dardanidae lacrimas, ante omnis pulcher Iulus,
atque animum patriae strinxit pietatis imago.
tum sic effatur: 295
'sponde digna tuis ingentibus omnia coeptis.
namque erit ista mihi genetrix nomenque Creusae
solum defuerit, nec partum gratia talem
parva manet. casus factum quicumque sequentur,
per caput hoc iuro, per quod pater ante solebat: 300
quae tibi polliceor reduci rebusque secundis,
haec eadem matrique tuae generique manebunt.'
sic ait inlacrimans; umero simul exuit ensem
auratum, mira quem fecerat arte Lycaon
Cnosius atque habilem vagina aptarat eburna. 305
dat Niso Mnestheus pellem horrentisque leonis
exuvias, galeam fidus permutat Aletes.
protinus armati incedunt; quos omnis euntis
primorum manus ad portas, iuvenumque senumque,
prosequitur votis. nec non et pulcher Iulus, 310
ante annos animumque gerens curamque virilem,
multa patri mandata dabat portanda; sed aurae
omnia discerpunt et nubibus inrita donant.
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