quem superet, nequid desit
praebebimus hostem;
hic pacis leges, hic locus
arma capit.
tu modo---per matrem fraternaque tela, sagittas,
perque fugae comites, Dardana sacra,
deos!---
sic superent, quoscumque
tua de gente reportas
Mars ferus et damni sit
modus ille tui
Ascaniusque suos feliciter impleat
annos
et senis Anchisae molliter ossa cubent!---
parce, precor, domui, quae
se tibi tradit habendam!
quod crimen dicis praeter amasse
meum?
non ego sum Pthias magnisque oriunda Mycenis,
nec steterunt in te virque
paterque meus.
si pudet uxoris, non nupta, sed hospita dicar;
dum tua sit Dido, quidlibet esse feret.
We shall provide enemies for him to overcome and nothing shall fail.
Here are the laws of peace, here a place for weapons.
You only, I pray, by your mother and weapons of your brother, the arrows,
and by your companions of flight, the sacred gods of Dardanus,
that those of your race whom wild Mars carried back
may overcome fate, and may that be your only loss,
and may Ascanius complete his years happily
and may the bones of old Anchises lie softly!
that you only be sparing, I pray, to the house which has surrendered
itself to you.
What do you say is the crime other than my love?
I am not of Pthia or born of great Mycena,
nor did I have a father and husband who stood against you.
If it shames you to have me your wife, then I will be called not bride
but hostess;
While Dido is yours, she brings what she is wished to be.
superet: 3rd person, singular, present,
active, subjunctive; subjunctive used in indirect statement introduced
by quem
desit: 3rd person, singular, present, active,
subjunctive; from desino, desinare; final potential subjunctive connotes
certainty in future potentiality
praebebimus: 1st person, plural,
future, active, indicative; main verb
hostem: accusative, singular, feminine;
direct object of praebebimus
pacis: gentive, singular, feminine; genitive
of description
leges: accusative, plural, feminine
capit: 3rd person, singular, present, active,
indicative
tu modo: ‘you only’, supply precor from 163
fugae comites: ‘companions of flight’
superent: 3rd person, plural, present,
active, subjunctive; introduces a series of hortatory subjunctives
quoscumque: accusative, plural, masculine;
relative adjective, ‘whomever’
tua gente: ablative, singular, feminine; ablative
of separation with de
ferus: nominative, singular, masculine
; modifies Mars
sit: 3rd person, singular, present, active,
subjunctive; hortatory subjunctive
damni: genitive, singular, neuter ; from
damnum, damni
suos: masculine, singular; possessive 3rd
person adjective
impleat: 3rd person, singular, present,
active, subjunctive; hortatory subjunctive
senis: genitive, singular, masculine;
possessive genitive modifying Anchisae
parce: present active imperative
domui: accusative, singular, feminine;
object of parce
habendam: future passive participle;
accusative; modifying domui; ‘to be had’
se: 3rd person reflexive pronoun, reflecting
domui
tibi: dative, personal pronoun, indirect
object of tradit
amasse: =amavisse, perfect active infinitive,
Knnox advises to take as a noun with meum
praeter: adverb, ‘other than, except’
steterunt: perfect active indicative,
3rd person
in: translate as ‘against’