Aeneid 1:430-440 Course Notes: The beehive of activity at Carthage rendered in famous epic simile; Aeneas and Achates move among the Tyrians incognito

Latin IV:  Vergil, Aeneid
Instructor:  James Ransom
June 29, 2014

Aeneid 1:430-440

Course Notes

© James Ransom 2014

The beehive of activity as the walls of Carthage go up is depicted in a famous epic simile.  Aeneas feels a pang as he reflects that while Dido is actually building her citadel, he still merely dreams of Troy’s new beginning.  Aeneas and his right-hand man, Achates, moving incognito, mix and jostle among the Tyrian populace. 

Quālis apēs aestāte novā per flōrea rūra                        430
exercet sub sōle labor, cum gentis adultōs
ēdūcunt fētūs, aut cum līquentia mella
stīpant et dulcī distendunt nectare cellās,
aut onera accipiunt venientum, aut agmine factō
ignāvom fūcōs pecus ā praesēpibus arcent:               435
fervet opus, redolentque thymō fragrantia mella.

‘Ō fortunātī, quōrum iam moenia surgunt!’
Aenēās ait, et fastīgia suspicit urbis.
īnfert sē saeptus nebulā, mīrābile dictū,
per mediōs, miscetque virīs, neque cernitur ūllī.      440

Verbs in this Passage

In Order of Appearance

431	exerceo, exercere, exercui, exercitum	“to keep busy, work hard”
432	educo, educere, eduxi, eductum	“to lead out, lead forth”
433	stipo, stipare, stipavi, stipatum	“to press together; cram, stuff, fill”
433	distendo, distendere, distendi, distentum	“to stretch out”
434	accipio, accipere, accepi acceptum	“to receive; to accept”
434	venio, venire, veni, ventum	“to come, to arrive”
434	fio, fieri, factus sum	“to be made, to become”
435	arceo, arcere, arcui	“to shut in or up, enclose, confine”
436	ferveo, fervere, ferbui	“to be aglow, on fire”
436	redoleo, redolere, redolui,	“to smell of…[e.g., ‘thymo’]”
436	fragro, fragrare, fragravi, fragratum	“to smell sweet”
437	surgo, surgere, surrexi, surrectum	“to rise, arise, grow up”
438	aio	“to say”
438	suspicio, suspicere, suspexi, suspectum	“to gaze up, look up to; to admire”
439	infero, inferre, intuli, inlatum	“to bring, bear, carry in”
439	saepio, saepire, saepsi, saeptum	“to enclose, surround, envelop”
440	misceo, miscere, miscui, mixtum	“to mingle, to mix in with”
440	cerno, cernere, crevi, cretum,	“to discern, see distinctly, perceive”

Qualis apes aestate nova per florea rura                     430
exercet sub sole labor,…                                   

“Qualis,” introducing the epic simile and qualifying the subject “labor” in the following line, is nominative singular masculine of qualis, quale, “of such a kind as, just as, such as.”  “apes,” direct object of “exercet” in the following line, is accusative plural of apis, apis, f. (3^rd), “bee.” “aestate” is ablative singular of aestas, aestatis, f. (3^rd), “summer”; ablative of time when.  The adjective “nova,” modifying “aestate,” is ablative singular of novus, nova, novum, “new, fresh, young, early.”  The preposition “per”+accusative governs “rura.”  The adjective “florea,” qualifying “rura,” is accusative plural neuter of floreus, florea, floreum, “flowery.”  “rura,”governed by “per”, is accusative plural of rus, ruris, n. (3^rd), fields, rural area, country (as opposed to city). 
“exercet,” agreeing with its subject “labor,” is third person singular present indicative active of exerceo, exercere, exercui, exercitum, “to keep busy, work hard and steadily, work with discipline.” The preposition “sub”+ablative controls “sole.”  “sole” is ablative singular of sol, solis, m. (3^rd), “sun.”

                     …cum gentis adultos                      431
educunt fetus,…

The temporal conjunction “cum”= “when”; governs “educunt” in the following line.  “gentis” is genitive singular of gens, gentis, f. (3^rd), “race, clan, family.”  The adjective “adultos,” modifying “fetus” in the following line, is accusative plural masculine of   adultus, adulta, adultum, “mature, grown up.” 
“educunt,” agreeing with its subject “apes” at 430, is third person plural present indicative active of educo, educere, eduxi, eductum, “to lead out, lead forth.”  “fetus,” the direct object of “educunt,” is accusative plural of fetus, fetus, m (4^th), “offspring.” 

                                    …aut cum liquentia mella            432
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.

“aut” in an “aut…aut” construction:  “either…or…” “whether…or…”  The temporal conjunction “cum” controls “stipant” and “distendunt” in the following line.  “liquentia,” agreeing with “mella,” is accusative plural participle of the intransitive deponent liquor, liqui (3^rd),  “to flow, to melt away.” “mella,” direct object of “stipant” in the following line, is accusative plural of mel, melis, n. (3^rd), “honey, sweetness.”

“stipant” is third person plural present indicative active of stipo, stipare, stipavi, stipatum (1^st), “to press together; cram, stuff, fill”; subject is “apes.”  The conjunction “et” joins “stipant” and “distendunt.”  The adjective “dulci,” modifying “nectare,” is ablative singular of dulcis, dulce (3^rd), “sweet, pleasant.”  “distendunt” is third person plural present indicative active of distendo, distendere, distendi, distentum (3^rd), “to stretch out; subject is “apes.”  “nectare” is  ablative singular of nectar, nectaris, n. (3^rd), “nectar; the drink of the gods.”  Instrumental ablative.  “cellas,” the direct object of “distendunt,” is accusative plural of cella, cellae, f. (1^st), “cell, chamber.” 

“aut” continues the “aut…aut” construction initiated at 432.  “onera,” direct object of “accipiunt,” is accusative plural of onus, oneris, n. (3^rd), “burden, freight, cargo.”  “accipiunt” is third person plural present indicative active of accipio, accipere, accepi acceptum (3^rd), “to receive; to accept,” subject is “apes.”  “venientum,” qualifying “onera,” is genitive present participle of  venio, venire, veni, ventum (4^th), “to come, to arrive.”  “aut” continues the “aut…aut…” construction. “agmine,” in an ablative absolute construction,” is ablative singular of agmen, agminis, n. (3^rd), “stream, column; army on the march.”  The participle “facto,” in ablative absolute construction, is ablative singular of the perfect participle of fio, fieri, factus sum, “to be made, to become.” 

The adjective “ignavom,” modifying “pecus,” is accusative singular neuter of ignavus, ignava, ignavum, “lazy.”  “fucos,” direct object of “arcent,” is accusative plural of fucus, fuci, m. (2^nd), “drone.”  The preposition “a”+ ablative governs “praesepibus”; “ablative of separation.  “praesepibus” is ablative plural of praesepe, praesepis, f. (3^rd), “beehive.”  “arcent” is third person plural present indicative active of arceo, arcere, arcui, “to shut in or up, enclose, confine.”

“fervet” is third person singular present indicative active of the intransitive ferveo, fervere, ferbui, “to be aglow”; subject is “opus.”  “opus” is nominative of opus, operis, n. (3^rd), “work, task.”  “redolent” is third person plural present indicative active of the intransitive redoleo, redolere, redolui,  “to smell of”; the subject is “mella.”  “thymo,” ablative singular of thymum, thymi, n. (2^nd), “thyme.”  “fragrantia,” agreeing with is present participle of fragro, fragrare, fragravi, fragratum (1^st), “to smell sweet.”  “mella,” subject of “redolent,” is nominative plural of mel, mellis, n. (3^rd), “honey.”   


'O fortunati, quorum iam moenia surgunt!'                        437
Aeneas ait, et fastigia suspicit urbis.

“O”: vocative exclamatory particle. The adjective “fortunati” is vocative plural of fortunatus, fortunata, fortunatum, “fortunate.”  The relative pronoun “quorum,” agreeing with its antecedent “fortunati” and limiting “moenia,” is genitive plural masculine of qui, quae, quod; possessive genitive. The temporal adverb “iam”=already; modifies “surgunt.” “moenia,” subject of “surgunt,” is nominative plural of moenia, moenium, n. (3^rd), “wall.”  “surgunt,” agreeing with its subject “moenia,” is third person plural present indicative active of surgo, surgere, surrexi, surrectum, “to rise, arise, grow up.” 

“Aeneas”:  nominative subject of “ait” and “suspicit.” “ait” is third person singular present indicative active of the defective aio, “to say.”  “et”:  conjunction linking “ait” to “suspicit.” “fastigia,” direct object of “suspicit,” is accusative plural of fastigium, fastigii, n. (2^nd), “roof; summit or highest point of a building.”  “suspicit” is third person singular present indicative active of suspicio, suspicere, suspexi, suspectum (3^rd), “to gaze up, look up to; to admire”; subject is “Aeneas.” “urbis,” a possessive genitive limiting “fastigia,” is genitive singular of urbs, urbis, f. (3^rd), “city, walled town, citadel.” 

Infert se saeptus nebula, mirabile dictu,
per medios, miscetque viris, neque cernitur ulli.               440

“infert” is third person singular present indicative active of infero, inferre, intulik inlatum, “to bring, bear, carry in”; subject is “Aeneas.”  The reflexive pronoun “se,” referring to “Aeneas,” is accusative singular; direct object of “infert.”  “saeptus,” agreeing with “Aeneas,” is nominative of the perfect passive participle of saepio, saepire, saepsi, saeptum (4^th), “to enclose, surround, protect, envelop.” “nebula” is ablative singular of nebula, nebulae, f. (1^st), “mist, cloud”; instrumental ablative.  “mirabile dictu”= “miraculous to say, amazing to relate”; see Ganiban notes 439 and 111. 

The preposition “per”+ accusative governs “medios.”  The adjective “medios,” modifying “Tyrios” understood, is accusative plural masculine of medius, media, medium, “middle, in the middle.”  “miscet” is third person singular present indicative active of misceo, miscere, miscui, mixtum, “to mingle, to mix in with.” “-que” links “infert” in the previous line with “miscet.” “viris” is dative plural of vir, viri, m. (2^nd), “man.”  The negative conjunction “neque” joins “miscet” with “cernitur.”  “cernitur” is third person singular present indicative passive of cerno, cernere, crevi, cretum, “to discern, see distinctly, perceive.”  The adjective “ulli” is dative plural masculine of ullus, ulla,  ullum, “any”; dative of agent.