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Aeneid Translation Cheat Sheet (DRAFT) by

OCR A Level Latin Aeneid Book 2 prescription translation

This is a draft cheat sheet. It is a work in progress and is not finished yet.

40-42

primus ibi ante omnes, magna comitante caterva,
Then, foremost in front of everyone, with a great crowd accomp­anying him,
Laocoon ardens summa decurrit ab arce,
Laocoon ran blazing down from the top of the citadel
et procul: "o miseri, quae tanta insania, cives?
and from a distance [shouted]: "Oh wretched citizens, what great madness [is this]?

42-49

creditis avectos hostes? aut ulla putatis
Do you believe that the enemy has sailed away? Or do you think that any
dona carere dolis Danaum? sic notus Ulixes?
gifts from the Greeks are free from tricks? Is Ulysses known to you in this way?
aut hoc inclusi ligno occula­tantur Achivii,
Either the Greeks are hidden away, shut up in this wood,
aut haec in nostros fabricata est machina muros,
or this contra­ption has been constr­ucted [to use] against our walls,
inspectura domos venturaque desuper urbi,
to spy on our homes and to swoop down on our city from above,
aut aliquis latet error: equo ne credite, Teucri
or another threat lies hidden: do not trust the horse, o Trojans.
quidquid id est, timeo Danaos et dona ferent­es"
whatever it is, I fear the Greeks, even those bringing gifts."­

50-53

sic fatus validis ingentem viribus hastam
Having spoken in this way, he hurled a huge spear with his mighty strength
in latus inque feri curvam compagibus alvum
into the side and into the belly of the beast, curved with jointed timbers
contorsit. stetit illa tremens, uteroque recusso
It stuck there trembling, and as the womb reverb­erated,
insonuere cavae gemitumque dedere cavernae.
the hollow caverns resounded and gave a groan.

54-56

et, si fata deum, si mens non laeva fuisset,
And, if the pronou­nce­ments of the gods, if their intention had not been unfavo­urable,
impulerat ferro Argolicas foedare latebras
he would have compelled us to destroy the Greek hiding places with our weaponry
Troiaque nunc staret, Priamique arx alta maneres.
and Troy would now stand, and you, high citadel of Priam, would remain.

57-64

ecce, manus iuvenem intera post terga revinctum
Look! In the meantime, with his hands tied behind his back,
pastores magno ad regem clamore trahebant
Trojan shepherds were dragging a young man to the king with a great outcry
Dardan­idae, qui se ignotum venien­tibus ultro,
he had offered himself up volunt­arily, unknown to them as they approa­ched,
hoc ipsum ut strueret Troiamque aperiret Achivis,
in order to contrive this very thing and to open up Troy to the Greeks,
obtulerat, fidens animi atque in utrumque paratus,
confident in his courage and prepared for each [outcome]
seu versare dolos seu certae occumbere morti.
either to weave his tricks, or to meet with certain death.
undique visendi studio Troiana iuventus
From all sides the Trojan young men rushed up, pouring round in their eagerness to watch
circumfusa ruit certantque inludere capto.
and they compete to mock the one who has been captured.

65-68

accipe nunc Danaum insidias et crimine ab uno
Now hear of the plots of the Greeks and learn about all of them from this one crime.
disce omnes.
namque ut conspectu in medio turbatus, inermis
For when he, confused, unarmed, stood there in the middle of [plain] view,
constitit atque oculis Phrygia agmina circum­spexit,
and when he looked around with his eyes at the Trojan ranks,

69-72

"heu, quae nunc tellus­," inquit, "quae me aequora possunt
he said, "­Alas! Now which land, which seas are able
accipere? aut quid iam misero mihi denique restat,
to accept me? Or, in the end, what now remains for miserable me,
cui neque apud Danaos usquam locus et super ipsi
for whom there is no place at all among the Greeks, and in addition
Dardanidae infensi poenas cum sanguine poscun­t?"
the hostile Greeks themselves demand punishment with blood?­"

73-76

quo gemitu conversi animi compressus et omnis
Our minds were transf­ormed by this groan and all violence was checked
impetus. hortamur fari quo sanguine cretus,
We urged him to say from which blood line he came.
quid-ve ferat; memoret quae sit fiducia capto.
or what [news] he brings; what trust he says there might be for a captive.
[ille haec deposita tandem formidine fatur:]
[He, when his fear had at last been laid aside, said these things:]

77-80

"­cuncta equidem tibi, rex fuerit quodcu­mque, fatebor
"I for my part will confess to you the whole truth, king, come what may,"
vera," inquit; "­neque me Argolica de gente negabo.
he said, "And I shall not deny that I am from the Greek race.
hoc primus. nec, si miserum Fortuna Sinonem
This is the first thing. If malicious Fortune made Sinon miserable,
finxit, vanum etiam mendac­emque improba finget.
she will not also make him false and deceitful.

81-87

fando aliquod si forte tuas pervenit ad aures
If by chance, in talk, some [mention of] the name of Palamedes, son of Belus, has reached your ears.
Belidae nomen Palamedis et incluta fama
and his glory was celebrated in legend
gloria, quem falsa sub proditione Pelasgi
whom the Greeks, under a false accusation of treachery,
insontem infando indicio, quia bella vetabat,
innocent on an unspea­kable charge, because he was opposing war,
demisere neci, nunc cassum lumine lugent:
sent down to death, now, deprived of life, they mourn:
illi me comitem et consan­gui­nitate propinquum
as a companion to him and related by blood,
pauper in arma pater primis huc misit ab annis.
My father, a poor man, sent me to war here from earliest manhood.

88-96

dum stabat regno incolumis regumque vigebat
While he was standing unchal­lenged in his kingship and was influe­ntial in the
conciliis, et nos aliquod nomenque decusque
councils of the kings, I too bore both some renown and some high esteem.
gessimus. invidia postquam pellacis Ulixi
After, by the malice of deceitful Ulysses
(haud ignota loquor) superis concessit ab oris,
(I am not saying unknown things), he withdrew from the upper shores,
adflictus vitam in tenebris luctuque trahebam
crushed, I was dragging out my life in darkness and in grief
et casum insontis mecum indignabar amici.
and I grew resentful with myself at the fate of my innocent friend.
nec tacui demens et me, fors si qua tulisset,
And, rash, I did not stay silent and I promised that I, if any chance would offer itself,
si patrios umquam remeassem victor ad Argos,
if I ever would return to my native Argos as a victor,
promisi ultorem et verbis odia aspera movi.
[would be] his avenger and with these words I stirred up hatred.

97-100

hinc mihi prima mali labes, hinc semper Ulixes
Hence, the first blotch of evil [came] for me, hence Ulysses always
criminibus terrere novis, hinc spargere voces
was terrifying [me] with new charges, hence was spreading double­-edged words
in vulgam ambiguas et quaerere conscius arma.
among the common men and was delibe­rately seeking violence.
new requievit enim, donec Calchante ministro --
And he did not rest in fact, until with Calchas as his accomplice

101-104

sed quid ego haec autem nequiquam ingrata revolvo,
but why however am I going over these unpleasant things in vain
quidve moror? si omnes uno ordine habetis Achivos,
or why do I bother? If you consider all Greeks to be from the same class,
idque audire sat est, iamsusum sumite poenas:
and it is enough to hear that, now at last exact the punish­ment:
hoc Ithacus velit et magno mercentur Atrida­e."
the Ithacan would like this, and the sons of Atreus would buy it for a high price."­

105-107

tum vero ardemus scitari et quaerere causas
Then indeed we were burning to ask questions and to find out the reasons,
ignari scelerum tantorum artisque Pelasgae.
ignorant of such great evils of Greek cunning.
proseq­uitur pavitans et ficto pectore fatur:
He continues, trembling, and spoke with a composed heart:

108-113

"­saepe fugam Danai Troia cupiere relicta
"The Greeks have often desired to undertake their flight with Troy having been abandoned
moliri et longo fessi discedere bello;
and to leave, weary from the long war;
feciss­entque utinam! saepe illos aspera ponti
I wish that they had done that often, the harsh storms of the sea
interc­lusit hiems et terruit Auster euntes.
prevented tthem and the south wind frightened them as they set out.
praecipue cum iam hic trabibus contextus acernis
Especially when it was standing here now, interwoven with beams of maple,
staret equus, toto sonuerunt aethere nimbi.
this horse, thunde­rclouds rand out across the whole sky.

114-119

suspensi Eurypylum scitatum oracula Phoebi
Anxious, we sent Eurypylus to ask questions of the oracle of Phoebus Apollo,
mittimus, isque adytis haec tristia dicta reportat:
and he brought back this sad news:
"­san­guine placastis ventos et virgine caesa,
"You pacified the winds with blood and a slaugh­tered virgin
cum primum Iliacas, Danai, venistis ad oras:
when you, Greeks, first came to the shores of Troy
sanguine quaerendi reditus animaque litandum
a return must be sought by blood and sacrifice must be made.
Argoli­ca."­ vulgi que voc ut venit ad aures,
with a Greek life. When this speech came to the ears of the common people

120-125

obstipuere animi gelidusque per ima cucurrit
their hearts were astounded and an icy tremor ran through the depths
ossa tremor, cui fata parent, quem poscat Apollo.
of their bones, [wonde­ring] for whom the fates were making prepar­ations, whom Apollo was demanding.
hic Ithacus vatem magno Calchanta tumultu
At this point the Ithacan dragged forward the prophet Calchas witha great uproar
protrahit in medios; quae sint ea numina divum
into the middle [of us]; he demanded [to know] what this divine will of the gods was.
flagitat. et mihi iam multi crudele canebant
And already many were predicting for me the cruel
artificis scelus, et taciti ventura videbant.
crime of the schemer, and were silently watching what would transpire.

126-131

bis quinos silet ille dies tectusque recusat
For twice five days, that man was silent and he refused - hidden away -
prodere voce sua quemquam aut opponere morti.
to betray anyone with his own voice or throw them in the way of death
vix tandem, magnis Ithaci clamoribus actus,
Finally, with diffic­ulty, having been driven on by the great clamours of the Ithacan,
composito rumpit vocem et me destinat arae.
by pre-ar­ran­gement he broke his silence and he appointed me for the altar.