Aeneid 4.160-295

Meanwhile with a great murmur the sky begins to be mixed, a cloud follows with hail mixed in, and the Tyrian companions and Trojan youth and the Dardanian grandson of Venus everywhere sought in fear various roofs through the fields; the rivers rush from the mountains. Dido and the Trojan leader will find the same cave. Both first Earth and bridal Juno give the sign; fires gleamed and the aether was witness to the ceremonies and the Nymphs howled from the highest peak. That day first was the cause of death and first of evils; for neither by appearance nor reputation is Dido moved and now she does not think on a secret love: she calls it marriage; by this name she covered her fault.

(173) Immediately Rumor goes through the great cities of Libya, Rumor, than whom not any other evil is faster: she thrives by moving and seeks strength by going, small by fear at first, soon she lifts herself into the breezes and walks on the ground and lifts her head among the clouds. Earth, her parent, provoked by anger at the gods, bore that one last, as the say, sister to Coeus and Enceladus, swift on feel and agile wings, a horrible monster, huge, who has as many watchful eyes below as there are feathers on her body--wondrous to say--as many tongues, just as many mouths sound, as many ears raise up. She flies at night midway between the sky and earth, screeching through the shadow, and she does not lower her eyes in sweet sleep; she sits as guard by day either at the top of the highest roof or in high towers, and she terrifies great cities, as persistent in fiction and distortion as a messenger of truth. Then this one was filling the peoples with her shifting story, rejoicing, and was singing equally deeds and things not done: Aeneas has come, created from the blood of Troy, to whom beautiful Dido deigns to join herself; now they warm the winter between themselves with indulgence, however long, forgetful of kingdoms and captured by shameful desire. The foul goddess everywhere pours these things into the faces of men. Straightway she bends her courses to king Iarbas and fires his mind with words and heaps up his angers.

(198) This one, begotten by Hammon by a raped Garamantian nymph, has placed a hundred immense temples to Jove in his wide kingdoms, a hundred altars, and had sanctified watchful fire, eternal sentries of the gods; the ground was rich with the blood of sheep and the thresholds flower with mixed garlands. And this one, mad in heart and burned by bitter rumor is said before the altars among the middle of the powers of the gods, with hands upturned, to have begged Jove many times as a suppliant, "Jupiter all-powerful, to whom now the Moorish race, having feasted on painted couches, pour out Bacchic honor--do you see these things? Father, when you hurl lightening, can it be that we fear you in vain, and do unseeing fires in the clouds frighten our minds and mix the empty rumblings? The woman, who established her tiny city for a price, wandering into our territory, to whom we gave a plowable coast and to whom (we gave) laws of the place, spurns our marriages and received Aeneas as her lord in the kingdom. And now that Paris with his eunuch band, bound at the chin and wet hair by a Maeonian mitra, becomes master of the thing he has stolen: we bring gifts to your temples, as you see, and cherish an empty story.

(219) The all-powerful one heard the one praying with such words and gripping the altars, and turned his eyes to the royal walls and lovers having forgotten better reputation. Then he speaks thus to Mercury and entrusts such: "Go, go, son, call the Zephyr and glide to the Dardanian leader on your wings, who waits now in Tyrian Carthage and does not look to cities given by the fates, speak and carry my words through the swift breezes. His most beautiful mother did not promise that sort of a man to us and not for that reason did she twice claim (him) from the weapons of the Greeks, but he would be the one who ruled Italy pregnant with empires and clamoring for war, he would produce a race from the high blood of Teucer, and he would send the whole world under the laws. If no glory of such affairs inflames (him) and besides he himself does not undertake the labor for his own praise, does the father begrudge Roman citadels for Ascanius? What does he plan? Or with what hope does he delay among a hostile race and look upon neither Ausonian offspring nor Lavinian fields? Let him sail! This is the last; let this be our message."

(238) He had spoken. Than one was preparing to obey the order of his great father; and first he ties the golden sandals to his feet, which carry him aloft with wing over either seas or land equally with the rapid breeze. Then he seizes his wand: with this that one calls pale spirits from Orcus, he sends others down to sad Tartarus, he gives and withdraws dreams and he unseals eyes from death. Relying on that, he drives the winds and passes through turbulent clouds. And now flying, he sees the summit and lofty sides of hard Atlas, who supports the sky on his head, of Atlas, whose pine-bearing head is constantly girt with black clouds and beaten by wind and rain, poured snow covers his shoulders, then rivers flow from the chin of the old man and his rough beard is stiff with ice. Here first gleaming Cyllenius stops on even wings; from here with his whole body he sent himself headlong to the waters like a bird which flies low near the waters around the shores, around the rocks teaming with fish. Hardly otherwise was he flying between the lands and sky near the sandy shore of Libya, he was cutting the winds, the Cyllenian offspring coming from his maternal grandfather.

(259) As soon as he touched the huts with winged feet he sees Aeneas founding citadels and creating homes. And that man had a sword starry with yellow stone and a cloak, hung from his shoulders, was blazing with Tyrian purple, riches which Dido had made as gifts and she had marked the web with thin gold. He immediately attacked, "Do you now place the foundations of lofty Carthage and build her beautiful city, uxorious one? Alas, one forgetful of your kingdom and your affairs! The ruler of the gods himself, who turns the sky and lands by his will, sends me down to you from bright Olympus, he himself orders that I bear these commands through the swift breezes: what do you plan? Or with what hope do you wear out in Libyan lands? If no glory of such affairs moves you--and besides you yourself do not undertake the labor for your own praise--look to growing Ascanius and the hope of your heir Iulus, to whom the kingdom of Italy and the Roman land is owed." Cyllenius spoke with such a speech; in the middle of the speech he left mortal sight and far from their eyes vanished into thin air.

(279) But indeed Aeneas frantic at the sight was dumbstruck, and his hair stood up with fright and his voice stuck in his throat (lit. pl.) He burns to go in flight and leave the sweet lands, struck by such a warning and the command of the gods. Alas, what should he do? With what speech now should he dare solicit the mad queen? What first beginnings should he take up? And he divides his speedy mind now this way, now that and hurries in to various directions and turns through everything. This opinion seemed more powerful to the one wavering: he calls Mnestheus and Sergestes and brave Serestus, let them silently fit the fleet and gather the allies to the shores, let them prepare arms and let them hide what cause there is for the new circumstances; meanwhile because best Dido does not know and does not hope for such loves to be broken, he will try (to find) approaches and what times are softest for speaking, what method right for the circumstances. Too quickly everyone happily obeys his command and eagerly performs his orders.