1.2 Vergil, Aeneid, Book 1, Lines 418–440

How to use this Study Guide:

Use this study guide as a refresher after instruction from your professional Latin instructor/teacher. As it is AP Latin, you will be expected to learn the grammar in class except for questions which we will go over again. The main purpose of this study guide is to provide 80% literal, 20% interpretative translations and to break down the text, context, and grammar. What interpretative means is that it is not the literal Latin translation but that it has been restructured in some way to better fit the modern English vernacular.

Lines 418-440, Book 1, The Aeneid

Original Passage

Corripuere viam interea, qua semita monstrat. Iamque ascendebant collem, qui plurimus urbi imminet, adversasque adspectat desuper arces.               420 Miratur molem Aeneas, magalia quondam, miratur portas strepitumque et strata viarum. Instant ardentes Tyrii pars ducere muros, molirique arcem et manibus subvolvere saxa, pars optare locum tecto et concludere sulco.               425 [Iura magistratusque legunt sanctumque senatum;] hic portus alii effodiunt; hic alta theatris fundamenta locant alii, immanisque columnas rupibus excidunt, scaenis decora alta futuris. Qualis apes aestate nova per florea rura               430 exercet sub sole labor, cum gentis adultos educunt fetus, aut cum liquentia mella stipant et dulci distendunt nectare cellas, aut onera accipiunt venientum, aut agmine facto ignavom fucos pecus a praesepibus arcent:               435 fervet opus, redolentque thymo fragrantia mella. 'O fortunati, quorum iam moenia surgunt!' Aeneas ait, et fastigia suspicit urbis. Infert se saeptus nebula, mirabile dictu, per medios, miscetque viris, neque cernitur ulli.               440

Questions about the Latin

1. What is the verb tense used in line 420?

2. What is the subject of the verb in line 425?

3. What is the mood of the verb in line 432?

4. What is the case of the noun "molem" in line 421?

5. What is the number of the verb in line 427?

Answers about the Latin!

1. The verb tense used in line 420 is the present tense.

2. The subject of the verb in line 425 is "alii" (some).

3. The mood of the verb in line 432 is the indicative mood.

4. The case of the noun "molem" in line 421 is the accusative case.

5. The number of the verb in line 427 is the plural.

Translation

Meanwhile, they seized the road, on which the path it showed. And now they climb hills, which very much hangs over the city, and from above he gazes at the opposite towers. Aeneas marvels over the mass, huts a long time ago, he marvels at the gates and the noise and the paths of the streets. The eager Tyrians press on, part reading the walls, and laboring at the citadel, and rolling rocks with their hands, another part choosing a location for a roof and finishing with a trench. [They choose laws and administrators and a sacred senate;] Some men are digging out ports here; others are placing the high foundations for theaters here, and they are cutting out huge pillars from the cliffs, the high decorations for the future stages. Just like work exercises bees in summer through new country flowers under the sun, when they lead out the adult children of their race, or when they press liquid honeys and they stretch out their cells with sweet nectar, or they accept heavy things of the ones arriving, or when a battle line has been made, they seperate the lazy herd, the drones, from their hives: the work burns, and the fragrant honeys smell with thyme. ' O fortunate men, whose walls already rise!' Aeneas said, and he looks up at the peaks of the city. He brings himself inside having been surrounded by fog, strange to say, through the middle of men, and he mixes with men, and he is not being distinguished from anyone.

Wrapping up these Lines

Grammatical Devices Used:

1. The use of the subjunctive verb mood in the phrase "pars optare locum tecto et concludere sulco" (line 425) indicating a potential or hypothetical action.

2. The use of the participle "effodiunt" (line 427) in the phrase "hic portus alii effodiunt" to indicate simultaneous action with the main verb "legunt."

3. The use of the gerund "molirique" (line 425) in the phrase "molirique arcem et manibus subvolvere saxa" to indicate ongoing action.

4. The use of the infinitive "educunt" (line 432) in the phrase "cum gentis adultos educunt fetus" to indicate purpose or goal.

5. The use of the comparative adjective "qualis" (line 429) to indicate comparison.

6. The use of the ablative absolute construction "saeptus nebula" (line 440) to indicate the condition in which the main verb "infert" takes place.

7. The use of the impersonal verb "fervet" (line 435) to indicate a general state or condition.

8. The use of the adjective "fortunati" (line 438) in the phrase "O fortunati, quorum iam moenia surgunt!" to indicate a sense of envy or admiration.

9. The use of the gerundive "miscetque" (line 440) in the phrase "miscetque viris" to indicate a necessary or imperative action.

10. The use of the past participle "cernitur" (line 440) in the phrase "neque cernitur ulli" to indicate passive voice.

Poetic Devices Used:

1. Personification: Tyrii are described as "ardentes" (burning with passion) in line 424.

2. Simile: The scene of bees working in a field in the summertime is used to compare the activity of the Tyrians building the city in lines 430-435.

3.Alliteration: The repetition of the "m" sound in lines 420-421, "Miratur molem Aeneas, magalia quondam"

1. Repetition: The phrase "hic" (here) is repeated in lines 427 and 428, emphasizing the different tasks being undertaken by the Tyrians.

2. Anaphora: The repeated use of the word "aut" (or) in lines 432-433, "aut cum liquentia mella / stipant et dulci distendunt nectare cellas," adds a sense of lists and enumeration.

3. Hyperbole: The "immanisque columnas" (gigantic columns) in line 429 emphasizes the grandeur of the city being built.

4. Irony: In line 439, Aeneas says "O fortunati, quorum iam moenia surgunt!" (Oh fortunate ones, whose walls are already rising) while he himself cannot see the city because he is hidden by a mist.

5. Metaphor: In line 425, the act of building the city is compared to "molirique arcem et manibus subvolvere saxa" (to build a fortress and to roll stones with their hands)

6. Assonance: The repetition of the "i" sound in lines 425-426, "molirique arcem et manibus subvolvere saxa"

7. Onomatopoeia: The sound of the gates ("strepitumque") and the streets ("strata viarum") is described in line 422, creating a sense of the bustling activity of the city.

8. Litotes: Litotes is a figure of speech where a positive statement is made by negating the opposite statement. It's an understated expression that is used to imply the opposite of the statement, or to make an affirmation by denying the opposite. For example, in line 439, Aeneas says "O fortunati, quorum iam moenia surgunt!" (Oh fortunate ones, whose walls already rise!) which implies that the speaker himself is not fortunate and his walls have not risen yet. Aeneas uses litotes to express his admiration for the Tyrians' ability to build a city so quickly.

9. Metonymy: Metonymy is a figure of speech where a word or phrase is used to refer to something else by a close association, for example, "the crown" to refer to the king, or "the White House" to refer to the President. In line 425, "manibus" (with hands) is used to refer to the builders, and in line 435, "ignavom fucos pecus" (lazy sheep) is used to refer to the lazy people. This creates a metaphor, where the hands and the sheep are used to stand for the builders and the lazy people respectively, thus creating a connection between them and the work they are doing or not doing.

10. Polysyndeton: Polysyndeton is a figure of speech in which conjunctions are used repeatedly to link clauses or words together. It creates a sense of emphasis and adds a feeling of unity and continuity. In line 432-433, "aut" (or) is repeated several times "aut cum liquentia mella / stipant et dulci distendunt nectare cellas," to link different activities of the bees and to show that these activities are all related and happening at the same time. This repetition of "aut" emphasizes the various different activities that the bees are performing and gives a sense of continuity and unity to their actions.

11. Asyndeton: Asyndeton is a literary device in which conjunctions are deliberately omitted in a series of related clauses, creating a sense of speed and urgency. In this passage, asyndeton is used in line 425 to create a sense of the Tyrians' frenzied activity as they build the city. The phrase "molirique arcem et manibus subvolvere saxa" (to build the citadel and move rocks with their hands) is a series of related clauses that is linked by "et" instead of the normal "and" which creates a sense of urgency in the actions of the Tyrians.

12. Imagery is a literary device that uses descriptive language to create vivid mental images in the reader's mind. In this passage, imagery is used to describe the building of the city and the frenzied activity of the Tyrians. The passage uses vivid images such as "molem, portas, strepitumque, strata viarum, arces, rupibus excidunt, scaenis decora alta futuris, florea rura, mella, nectare cellas" to create a sense of the bustling activity of the city being built, and the images of bees working in a field in the summer to describe the frenzied activity of the Tyrians. The imagery creates a vivid and detailed picture in the reader's mind of the scene being described.