Aeneid 2:1-12 Course Notes: Aeneas complies with Dido's request and commences the story of Troy's downfall

Aeneid 2:1-12

Course Notes
© James Ransom 2015

Mastering his reluctance to recall to mind the disastrous fall of Troy,  Aeneas complies with Dido's request and prepares his listeners for the horrific narrative. 

Conticuēre omnēs intentīque ōra tenēbant
inde torō pater Aenēās sīc ōrsus ab altō:

īnfandum, rēgīna, iubēs renovāre dolōrem,
Trōiānās ut opēs et lāmentābile rēgnum
ēruerint Danaī, quaeque ipse miserrima vīdī          5
et quōrum pars magna fuī. quis tālia fandō
Myrmidonum Dolopumve aut dūrī mīles Ulixī
temperet ā lacrimīs? et iam nox ūmida caelō
praecipitat suādentque cadentia sīdera somnōs.
sed sī tantus amor cāsus cognōscere nostrōs           10
et breviter Trōiae suprēmum audīre labōrem,
quamquam animus meminisse horret lūctūque refūgit,
incipiam.

Conticuere omnes intentique ora tenebant
inde toro pater Aeneas sic orsus ab alto:

“conticuere” is third person plural perfect indicative active (poetic) of conticesco, conticescere, conticui (no passive), “to fall silent.”  The plural pronoun “omnes”= “they all,” “everyone.”  The adjective “intenti,” agreeing with “omnes,” is nominative masculine plural of intentus, intenta, intentum (1/2), “eager, intent, attentive.”  “ora” is nominative plural of os, oris, n., “mouth or [as here] face, gaze.”  “tenebant” is third person plural imperfect indicative active of teneo, tenere, tenui, tentum (2), “to hold, to watch.”

The indeclinable adverb “inde”= “thence, from there.”  “toro,” modified by “alto,” is ablative singular of torus, tori, m. (2), “bed, couch.”  “pater,” agreeing with “Aeneas,” is nominative singular of pater, patris, m. (3), “father.”   The indeclinable adverb “sic”= “thus, so.”  “orsus,” with “est” understood, is nominative singular masculine of the perfect passive participle of the deponent ordior, ordiri, orsus sum (4), “to begin, begin to weave.”

Infandum, regina, iubes renovare dolorem,
Troianas ut opes et lamentabile regnum
eruerint Danai…

The adjective “infandum,” modifying “dolorem,” is accusative singular of infandus, infanda, infandum, “unspeakable, abominable.”  “iubes” is second person singular present indicative active of iubeo, iubere, iussi, iussum (2), “to command, to order.”  “renovare” is present infinitive active of renovo, renovare, renovavi, renovatum (1), “to renew, revive, relive.”  “dolorem” is accusative singular of dolor, doloris, m. (3), “pain, sorrow, grief.”

The adjective “Troianas”= “Trojan. “opes” is accusative plural of ops, opis, f. (3), “resources, wealth.” “ut” in this context = “how.” LaFleur/McKay: “ut…eruint...[=] IND. QUEST. dependent on renovare…” The adjective “lamentabile,” modifying “regnum,” is singular neuter accusative of lamentabilis, lamentabile, “to be lamented.” “regnum” is accusative singular of regnum, regni, n. (2), “kingdom.” 

“eruerint,” subjunctive as expressing prior time in the sequence of tenses in indirect question (see Ganiban 17 n. 4, citing AG 482-5) is third person plural perfect subjunctive active of eruo, eruere, erui, erutum (3), “tear out, uproot, overthrow.”  “Danai”= “the Greeks.” 

…quaeque ipse miserrima vidi          5
et quorum pars magna fui.

The relative pronoun “quae” refers to the substantive “miserrima.”  que…et is archaic for et…et.  The pronoun “ipse” is here used reflexively.   The superlative adjective “miserrima,” here construed substantively, is neuter accusative plural of misserimus, misserima, misserimum (1/2), “most miserable.”  “vidi” is first person singular perfect indicative active of video, videre, vidi, visum (2) “to see.”

The relative pronoun “quorum” referes to “miserrima” in the previous line.  “pars” is nominative singular of pars, partis f. (3), “part.”  The adjective magna, agreeing with “pars,” is feminine nominative singular of magnus, magna, magnum, “great, large, mighty.”  “fui” is first person singular perfect indicative active of sum, esse, fui, futurus. 

   

…quis talia fando
Myrmidonum Dolopumve aut duri miles Ulixi
temperet a lacrimis?...

quis:  interrogative pronoun.  The adjective “talia” is nominative neuter plural of talis (3), “such, so great.”  “fando” is ablative gerund of the deponent for, fari, fatus sum (1), “to speak, talk, say.” 

“Myrmidonum Dolupumve”= “Myrmidons and Dolopians.”; partitive genitives controlled by the interrogative pronoun “quis” in the previous line.  The conjunction “aut”= “or.” The adjective “duri,” qualifying “miles,” is genitive masculine singular of durus, dura, durum (1/2), “harsh, rough, severe.”  “miles” is genitive singular of miles, militis, m. (3), “soldier.”  “Ulixi” is genitive of Ulixes, Ulixis, m., “Ulysses.” 

The potential subjunctive “temperet” is third person singular present subjunctive active of tempero, temperare, temperavi, temperatum (1), “to refrain or abstain from; forbear.”  The preposition “a,” controlling “lacrimis” in the ablative, = “from.” “lacrimis” is ablative plural of lacrima, lacrima, f. (1), “a tear [from crying].”

                            …et iam nox umida caelo
praecipitat suadentque cadentia sidera somnos.

The adverb “iam” = “even now, already.”  “nox” is nominative singular of nox, noctis, f. (3), “night.” The adjective “umida,” modifying “nox,”  is nominative feminine singular of umidus, umida, umida (1/2), “moist, damp; humid.”  “caelo,” with the preposition “de,” = “down from,” understood,  is ablative singular of caelum, caeli, n. (2), “heaven.” 

“praecipitat” is third person singular present indicative active of the intransitive praecipio, praecipitare, praecipitavi, praecipitatum (1), “to cast down, to throw headlong”; here used intransitively of the subject “nox umida” (cf. “the dewy night is rushing from the sky”--Lombardo).  “suadent” is third person plural present indicative active of suadeo, suadere, suasi, suasum (2), “to urge, persuade.”  “-que” links “suadent…somnos” to the previous clause.  “cadentia” is nominative neuter plural of “cadens,” the present active participle of cado, cadere, cecidi, casum (3), “to fall.”  “sidera” is nominative plural of sidus, sideris, n. (3), “star.” “somnos” is accusative plural of somnus, somni, m. (2), “sleep.” 

sed si tantus amor casus cognoscere nostros            10
et breviter Troiae supremum audire laborem,
quamquam animus meminisse horret luctuque refugit,

incipiam.

The conjunction “sed” = “but.”   The conjunction “si”= “if, supposing that.”  The adjective “tantus,” agreeing with “amor,” is nominative singular masculine of tantus, tanta, tantum (1^st/2^nd), “of such size, so great.”  The noun “amor” is nominative singular of amor, amoris, m. (3), “love, desire”; “tibi est” is understood.  The participle “casus” is nominative singular masculine of the perfect passive participle of “caso,” “to fall.” “cognoscere” is the present infinitive of cognosco, cognoscere, cognovi, cognitum, “to learn, to become acquainted with.” 

The conjunction “et” = “and.”  The adverb “breviter” = “shortly, briefly.” “Troiae” is the genitive of Troia, Troiae, f., “Troy.”  The superlative adjective “supremum,” modifying “laborem,” is accusative neuter singular of supremus, suprema, supremum (1^st/2^nd), “highest, greatest, final.”  “audire” is present infinitive active of audio, audire, audivi, auditum, “to hear.”  “laborem” is accusative singular of labor, laboris (3^rd), “labor, struggle.” 

The conjunction “quamquam” = “though, although.”  “animus” is nominative singular of animus, animi, m. (2^nd), “mind, soul.”  “meminisse” is perfect (in form, but present in meaning) infinitive active of the defective verb memini, meminisse, “to remember, to be mindful of.”  “horret” is third person singular present indicative active of the intransitive  horreo, horrere, horui, horruitum, “[of hair] to stand on end; to tremble, shiver [with fear or dread].  “luctu” is ablative singular of luctus, luctus, m. (4^th), “grief, sorrow.”  Ablative of cause.  “-que”:  “and”, linking “luctu” and “horret.”  “refugit” is third person singular present indicative active of refugio, refugere, refugi (3), “to flee, to escape.” 

“incipiam” is first person singular future indicative active of incipio, incipere, incepi, inceptum, “to begin.”