Aeneid VIII.626-731
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There1 the lord with the power of fire, not unversed
in prophecy and knowledge of the centuries to come,
had fashioned the history of Italy and Rome’s triumphs:
there was every future generation of Ascanius’s stock
and the sequence of battles they were to fight.
He had also shown the she-wolf, having just littered,
lying on the ground in the green cave of Mars,
the twin brothers, Romulus and Remus, playing, hanging
on her teats, and fearlessly sucking at their foster-mother.
Bending her neck back smoothly she caressed them
in turn and licked their limbs with her tongue.
Not far from that he had placed Rome, the Sabine women,
lawlessly snatched from the seated crowd,2 when the great games
were held in the Circus, and the sudden surge of fresh warfare
between Romulus’s men, and the aged Tatius and his austere Cures.3
Next, the same two kings stood armed in front of Jove’s altar,
holding the wine-cups and joined in league, sacrificing a sow,
the new-built palace bristling with Romulus’s thatch.
Then, not far from that, four-horse chariots driven
in different directions tore Mettus apart (Alban, you should
have kept your word, though!), and Tullus dragged the liar’s
entrails through the woods, the briars wet with sprinkled blood.4
There was Porsenna5 too, ordering Rome to admit the banished
Tarquin and gripping the city in a mighty siege,
the scions of Aeneas running on the sword for freedom’s sake.
You could see Porsenna in angry and in threatening posture
because Cocles dared to tear down the bridge,
because Cloelia broke her restraints and swam the river.6
At the top Manlius,7 guardian of the Tarpeian Citadel,
stood before the temple, defending the high Capitol.
And there the silvery goose, flying through the gilded
colonnades, cackled that the Gauls were at the gate;
the Gauls were there in the gorse, taking the Citadel,
protected by the dark, the gift of shadowy night.
Their hair was gold, and their clothes were gold,
they shone in striped cloaks, their white necks
torqued with gold, each waving two Alpine javelins
in his hand, long shields defending their bodies.
Here he8 had beaten out the leaping Salii and naked Luperci,9
the woolly priest’s caps and the oval shields that fell
from heaven, chaste mothers in cushioned carriages
leading sacred images through the city. Far from these
he had added the regions of Tartarus, the high gates of Dis,
the punishment for wickedness, and you, Catiline,10 hanging
from a threatening cliff, trembling at the sight of the Furies:
and the good, at a distance, Cato handing out justice.11
The likeness of the swollen sea flowed everywhere among these
in gold, though the flood foamed with white billows,
and dolphins in bright silver swept the waters
round about with arching tails and cut through the surge.
In the centre bronze ships could be seen, the Battle of Actium,12
and you could make out all Leucata13 in feverish
preparation for war, the waves gleaming with gold.
On one side Augustus Caesar stands on the high stern,
leading the Italians14 to the conflict, with him the Senate,
the People, the household gods, the great gods, his happy brow
shoots out twin flames, and his father’s star is shown on his head.
Elsewhere Agrippa,15 favoured by the winds and the gods,
leads his towering column of ships, his brow shines
with the beaks of the naval crown, his proud battle distinction.
On the other side Antony, with barbarous wealth and strange weapons,
conqueror of eastern peoples and the Indian shores, bringing Egypt
and the might of the Orient with him, and furthest Bactria,16
and his Egyptian consort follows him (the shame).17
All press forward together, and the whole sea foams,
churned by the sweeping oars and the trident rams.
They seek deep water; you’d think the Cycladic islands were uprooted
and afloat on the flood, or high mountains clashed with mountains,
so huge the mass with which the men attack the towering sterns.
Blazing tow and missiles of winged steel shower from their hands,
Neptune’s fields grow red with fresh slaughter.
The queen in the centre signals to her columns with the native
sistrum,18 not yet turning to look at the twin snakes at her back.
Barking Anubis19 and monstrous gods of every kind
brandish weapons against Neptune, Venus,
and Minerva. Mars rages in the centre of the contest,
engraved in steel, and the grim Furies in the sky,
and Discord in a torn robe strides joyously, while
Bellona20 follows with her blood-drenched whip.
Apollo of Actium sees from above and bends his bow: at this
all Egypt,and India, all the Arabs and Sabaeans21 turn and flee.
The queen herself is seen to call upon the winds,
set sail, and now, even now, spread the slackened canvas.22
The lord with the power of fire has fashioned her pallid
with the coming of death, amidst the slaughter,
carried onwards by the waves and wind of Iapyx,23
while before her is Nile, mourning with his vast extent,
opening wide his bays, and, with his whole tapestry, calling
the vanquished to his dark green breast and sheltering streams.
Next Augustus, entering the walls of Rome in triple triumph,
is dedicating his immortal offering to Italy’s gods,
three hundred great shrines throughout the city.
The streets are ringing with joy, playfulness, applause;
a band of women in every temple, altars in every one;
before the altars sacrificial steers cover the ground.
He himself sits at the snow-white threshold of shining Apollo,
examines the gifts of nations, and hangs them on the proud gates.
The conquered peoples walk past in a long line, as diverse
in language as in weapons or the fashion of their clothes.
Here Vulcan has shown the Nomad race and loose-robed Africans,
there the Leleges and Carians and Gelonians with their quivers:24
Euphrates runs with quieter waves, and the Morini,25
remotest of mankind, the double-horned Rhine,
the untamed Dahae, and Araxes,26 resenting its restored bridge.
Aeneas marvels at such things on Vulcan’s shield, his mother’s gift,
and delights in the images, not recognising the future events,
lifting to his shoulder the glory and the destiny of his heirs.27
illic res Italas Romanorumque triumphos
haud vatum ignarus venturique inscius aevi
fecerat ignipotens, illic genus omne futurae
stirpis ab Ascanio pugnataque in ordine bella.
fecerat et viridi fetam Mavortis in antro 630
procubuisse lupam, geminos huic ubera circum
ludere pendentis pueros et lambere matrem
impavidos, illam tereti cervice reflexa
mulcere alternos et corpora fingere lingua.
nec procul hinc Romam et raptas sine more Sabinas 635
consessu caveae, magnis Circensibus actis,
addiderat, subitoque novum consurgere bellum
Romulidis Tatioque seni Curibusque severis.
post idem inter se posito certamine reges
armati Iovis ante aram paterasque tenentes 640
stabant et caesa iungebant foedera porca.
haud procul inde citae Mettum in diversa quadrigae
distulerant (at tu dictis, Albane, maneres!),
raptabatque viri mendacis viscera Tullus
per silvam, et sparsi rorabant sanguine vepres. 645
nec non Tarquinium eiectum Porsenna iubebat
accipere ingentique urbem obsidione premebat;
Aeneadae in ferrum pro libertate ruebant.
illum indignanti similem similemque minanti
aspiceres, pontem auderet quia vellere Cocles 650
et fluvium vinclis innaret Cloelia ruptis.
in summo custos Tarpeiae Manlius arcis
stabat pro templo et Capitolia celsa tenebat,
Romuleoque recens horrebat regia culmo.
atque hic auratis volitans argenteus anser 655
porticibus Gallos in limine adesse canebat;
Galli per dumos aderant arcemque tenebant
defensi tenebris et dono noctis opacae.
aurea caesaries ollis atque aurea vestis,
virgatis lucent sagulis, tum lactea colla 660
auro innectuntur, duo quisque Alpina coruscant
gaesa manu, scutis protecti corpora longis.
hic exsultantis Salios nudosque Lupercos
lanigerosque apices et lapsa ancilia caelo
extuderat, castae ducebant sacra per urbem 665
pilentis matres in mollibus. hinc procul addit
Tartareas etiam sedes, alta ostia Ditis,
et scelerum poenas, et te, Catilina, minaci
pendentem scopulo Furiarumque ora trementem,
secretosque pios, his dantem iura Catonem. 670
haec inter tumidi late maris ibat imago
aurea, sed fluctu spumabant caerula cano,
et circum argento clari delphines in orbem
aequora verrebant caudis aestumque secabant.
in medio classis aeratas, Actia bella, 675
cernere erat, totumque instructo Marte videres
fervere Leucaten auroque effulgere fluctus.
hinc Augustus agens Italos in proelia Caesar
cum patribus populoque, penatibus et magnis dis,
stans celsa in puppi, geminas cui tempora flammas 680
laeta vomunt patriumque aperitur vertice sidus.
parte alia ventis et dis Agrippa secundis
arduus agmen agens, cui, belli insigne superbum,
tempora navali fulgent rostrata corona.
hinc ope barbarica variisque Antonius armis, 685
victor ab Aurorae populis et litore rubro,
Aegyptum virisque Orientis et ultima secum
Bactra vehit, sequiturque (nefas) Aegyptia coniunx.
una omnes ruere ac totum spumare reductis
convulsum remis rostrisque tridentibus aequor. 690
alta petunt; pelago credas innare revulsas
Cycladas aut montis concurrere montibus altos,
tanta mole viri turritis puppibus instant.
stuppea flamma manu telisque volatile ferrum
spargitur, arva nova Neptunia caede rubescunt. 695
regina in mediis patrio vocat agmina sistro,
necdum etiam geminos a tergo respicit anguis.
omnigenumque deum monstra et latrator Anubis
contra Neptunum et Venerem contraque Minervam
tela tenent. saevit medio in certamine Mavors 700
caelatus ferro, tristesque ex aethere Dirae,
et scissa gaudens vadit Discordia palla,
quam cum sanguineo sequitur Bellona flagello.
Actius haec cernens arcum intendebat Apollo
desuper; omnis eo terrore Aegyptus et Indi, 705
omnis Arabs, omnes vertebant terga Sabaei.
ipsa videbatur ventis regina vocatis
vela dare et laxos iam iamque immittere funis.
illam inter caedes pallentem morte futura
fecerat ignipotens undis et Iapyge ferri, 710
contra autem magno maerentem corpore Nilum
pandentemque sinus et tota veste vocantem
caeruleum in gremium latebrosaque flumina victos.
at Caesar, triplici invectus Romana triumpho
moenia, dis Italis votum immortale sacrabat, 715
maxima ter centum totam delubra per urbem.
laetitia ludisque viae plausuque fremebant;
omnibus in templis matrum chorus, omnibus arae;
ante aras terram caesi stravere iuvenci.
ipse sedens niveo candentis limine Phoebi 720
dona recognoscit populorum aptatque superbis
postibus; incedunt victae longo ordine gentes,
quam variae linguis, habitu tam vestis et armis.
hic Nomadum genus et discinctos Mulciber Afros,
hic Lelegas Carasque sagittiferosque Gelonos 725
finxerat; Euphrates ibat iam mollior undis,
extremique hominum Morini, Rhenusque bicornis,
indomitique Dahae, et pontem indignatus Araxes.
Talia per clipeum Volcani, dona parentis,
miratur rerumque ignarus imagine gaudet 730
attollens umero famamque et fata nepotum.
Find the glossary for Aeneid Daily here; subscribe to receive daily posts.
on the shield
A reference to the abduction of the Sabine women by the first members of Romulus’s Rome, who were mostly men (and often bandits/vagabonds) and thus in need of women to actually build a city. This started a war that led to the Sabines uniting with the Romans.
Titus Tatius was a Sabine king, Cures his city.
Mettus Fufetius was the leader of Alba Longa when Tullus Hostilius, third king of Rome, was warring with the nearby city of Fidenae. He promised to help the Romans in said battle. He was lying. They caught him.
Lars Porsenna, an Etruscan king who attacked Rome on behalf of the exiled Tarquinius Superbus, final king of Rome.
Cocles is Horatius Cocles, who won fame in the war with Lars Porsenna by defending a bridge as his men destroyed it to make their escape, then swimming across the river to join them; Cloelia was a captive in the same war.
Titus Marcus Manlius Torquatus, who saved the citadel of Rome from the Gauls. Legendarily, the people of Rome were alerted to the Gauls’ attempt to sack them by the squawking of the geese on the Capitoline hill.
Vulcan
Respectively, the dancing priests associated with Mars and the priests of Faunus who led the Lupercalia festival in February—both very Roman. The caps and shields mentioned here belonged to the Salii.
Lucius Sergius Catilina, the conspirator (allegedly) whose (alleged) plots against the Senate were exposed by Cicero in 63 BC. See also this post.
Probably the second one, a contemporary of Catiline’s, but who knows.
That is, the famous battle that decisively ended resistance to Augustus’s reign when he, then Octavian, defeated Marc Antony and Cleopatra so bad that they killed themselves about it.
the promontory near Actium, which included a temple of Apollo
An interesting word choice when “Romans” would work just as well, perhaps meant to emphasize the peninsula uniting against Cleopatra/Egypt, viewed by the Romans as an eastern/exotic threat.
Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, Augustus’s bestie and right-hand-man who handled most of his military strategy.
Cleopatra, of course, though Vergil carefully avoids saying her name, as though it would offend his reader or offer her too much power.
a metal rattle used in the worship of Isis (very Egyptian)
Egyptian jackal god of graves and funerary rites; the Egyptian gods are set up explicitly and directly against the Greco-Roman gods here.
goddess of war and bloodshed
a people from South Arabia
Cleopatra famously fled the naval battlefield during the Battle of Actium; Antony followed her, sending his army into total disarray and contributing to his defeat.
a region in southern Italy
The Leleges and Carians were peoples of Asia Minor, the Gelonians of Scythia, as are the Dahae.
a people from northern Gaul
a river of Armenia
It’s probably impossible, of course, for even Vulcan to fit all of this onto a shield small enough for a guy to actually lift, but this segment mirrors the creation of Achilles’ similarly detailed shield in the Iliad—except while Achilles’ shield shows Greek life outside the context of war, this shield sets Roman history in stone before Aeneas even founds Rome. Aeneas likes the pictures, but does he understand them? “He doesn’t need to know [what it means],” says my professor, “he’s just the carrier of the seed.”