Silius Italicus: PUNICA

Bruttia maerentem casus patriaeque suosque
Hannibalem accepit tellus. hic aggere saeptus
in tempus posita ad renouandum bella coquebat:
abditus ut silua, stabulis cum cessit ademptis,
amisso taurus regno gregis auia clauso             5
molitur saltu certamina iamque feroci
mugitu nemora exterret perque ardua cursu
saxa ruit, sternit siluas rupesque lacessit
irato rabidus cornu: tremit omnis ab alto
prospectans scopulo pastor noua bella parantem.             10
sed uigor hausurus Latium, si cetera Marti
adiumenta forent, praua obtrectante suorum
inuidia, reuocare animos ac stare negata
cogebatur ope et senio torpescere rerum.
parta tamen formido manu et tot caedibus olim             15
quaesitus terror uelut inuiolabile telis
seruabant sacrumque caput, proque omnibus armis
et castrorum opibus dextrisque recentibus unum
Hannibalis sat nomen erat.

The Bruttian land received Hannibal, mourning the misfortunes of his country and his own.
Here, enclosed by a rampart, he was brewing the renewal of wars, with forces set aside for the occasion:
hidden as in a forest, when, his stalls taken away,
the bull, his kingship over the herd lost, with the herd penned in pathless places,             5
strives for combat with a leap, and now with fierce
bellowing terrifies the groves, and through steep places at a run
rushes upon the rocks, lays low the woods and provokes the crags
with his angry horn, raging: every shepherd trembles, from a high
crag looking out, at him preparing new wars.             10
But the vigor that would have drained Latium, if the other aids
to Mars had been present, with the perverse envy of his own detracting,
was compelled to recall his spirits and to stand with aid denied,
and to grow torpid with the senescence of affairs.
nevertheless the dread won by his hand and the terror once earned by so many slaughters             15
were guarding, as if inviolable to weapons, his sacred head; and in place of all arms
and the resources of the camps and fresh right hands, the single
name of Hannibal was enough.

tot dissona lingua
agmina, barbarico tot discordantia ritu             20
corda uirum mansere gradu, rebusque retusis
fidas ductoris tenuit reuerentia mentes.
      Nec uero Ausonia tantum se laetus agebat
Dardanidis Mauors: iam terra cedit Hibera
auriferis tandem Phoenix depulsus ab aruis,             25
iam Mago exutus castris agitante pauore
in Libyam propero tramisit caerula uelo.
ecce aliud decus haud uno contenta fauore
nutribat Fortuna duci.

so many battle-lines dissonant in language
columns, so many, discordant in barbaric rite             20
hearts of men remained in step, and, with affairs blunted,
reverence for the leader held faithful minds.
      Nor indeed did Mavors of the Dardanids exult only in Ausonia:
already the Iberian land yields,
the Phoenician at last driven from the gold-bearing fields,             25
already Mago, stripped of his camps, with panic driving him,
into Libya crossed the cerulean sea with a hasty sail.
behold, not content with one favor,
Fortune was nurturing another glory for the leader.

nam concitus Hannon
aduentabat, agens crepitantibus agmina caetris 30
barbara, et indigenas serus raptabat Hiberos.
non ars aut astus belli uel dextera deerat,
si non Scipiadae concurreret. omnia ductor
magna adeo Ausonius maiori mole premebat:
ut Phoebe stellas, ut fratri<s> lumina Phoeben 35
exuperant montisque Atlas et flumina Nilus,
ut pater Oceanus Neptunia caerula uincit.

for Hanno, swift-stirred, was approaching,
driving barbaric battalions with clattering shields, 30
and, belated, was sweeping up the indigenous Iberians.
neither art nor astuteness of war nor dexterity was lacking,
if only he did not collide with the Scipiad. So much did the
Ausonian leader press down all great things with a greater mass:
as Phoebus surpasses the stars, as her brother’s lights surpass Phoebe, 35
as Atlas surpasses mountains and the Nile the rivers,
as father Ocean conquers the Neptunian cerulean.

uallantem castra (obscuro nam uesper Olympo
fundere non aequam trepidanti coeperat umbra<m>)
adgreditur Latius rector, subitoque tumultu             40
caeduntur passim coepti munimina ualli
imperfecta super. contexere herbida lapsos
pondera, et in tumuli concessit caespes honorem.
      Vix uni mens digna uiro, nouisse minores
quam deceat pretiumque operis sit tradere famae.             45
Cantaber ingenio membrorum et mole timeri
uel nudus telis poterat Larus.

attacking the one palisading the camp (for evening, with Olympus dark,
had begun to pour an unfair shadow upon the trembling man),
the Latin leader assails, and with sudden tumult             40
the defenses of the rampart, only just begun, unfinished on the top,
are cut down everywhere. The grassy sod wove over the fallen
weights, and the turf conceded the honor of a tumulus.
      Scarcely is there even in one a mind worthy of the man, for inferiors
to know what is fitting and to hand down to fame the price of the work.             45
The Cantabrian Larus could be feared for the ingenuity of his limbs and for his mass,
even naked of weapons.

hic fera gentis
more securigera miscebat proelia dextra
et, quamquam fundi se circum pulsa uideret
agmina, deleta gentilis pube cateruae 50
caesorum implebat solus loca: seu foret hostis
comminus, expleri gaudebat uulnere frontis
aduersae, seu laeua acies in bella uocaret,
obliquo telum reflexum Marte rotabat.
at, cum pone ferox auersi in terga ueniret 55
uictor, nil trepidans retro iactare bipennem
callebat, nulla belli non parte timendus.
huic ducis inuicti germanus turbine uasto
Scipio contorquens hastam, cudone comantis
disiecit crinis.

here, in the savage custom of his tribe, with axe-bearing right hand he would mingle battles
and, although he saw that the ranks around him were being routed,
the native youth of the squadron destroyed, 50
he alone filled the places of the slain: whether the foe
were at close quarters, he rejoiced to be sated with a wound in the opposing
brow; or if the left battle-line called into wars,
he would whirl his weapon in oblique battle, turned back.
but, when from behind, fierce, he came as victor into the backs of the turned-away, 55
not trembling at all, he was skilled to hurl the two-edged axe backward,
to be feared in no part of war. To this man the brother of the unconquered
leader, Scipio, hurling a spear with a vast whirl, with the cudo
scattered the streaming hair.

namque altius acta cucurrit 60
cuspis et elata procul est eiecta securi.
at iuuenis, cui telum ingens accesserat ira,
barbaricam adsiliens magno clamore bipennem
incutit. intremuere acies, sonuitque per auras
pondere belligero pulsati tegminis umbo, 65
haud impune quidem.

for indeed, driven deeper, the point ran 60
and, lifted, was flung far, out from the axe.
but the youth, whose anger had made his weapon tremendous,
leaping upon the barbarian double-axe with a great shout,
strikes it. the battle-lines trembled, and through the airs resounded
the boss of the smitten shield with war-bearing weight, 65
not with impunity indeed.

remeans nam dextera ab ictu
decisa est gladio ac dilecto immortua telo.
qui postquam murus miseris ruit, agmina concors
auertit fuga confestim dispersa per agros.
nec pugnae species, sed poenae tristis imago 70
illa erat, hinc tantum caedentum atque inde ruentum.

for his right hand, returning from the stroke,
was cut off by the sword and made dead to its beloved weapon.
he, after the wall had fallen for the wretched, in concord turned the ranks
to flight, at once scattered through the fields.
nor was that the appearance of battle, but a sad image of penalty, 70
here only of men doing the slaughter, and there of men collapsing.

per medios Hannon palmas post terga reuinctus
ecce trahebatur lucemque (heu dulcia caeli
lumina!) captiuus lucem inter uincla petebat.
cui rector Latius: 'Tanta, en, qui regna reposcant, 75
quis cedat toga et armiferi gens sacra Quirini.
seruitio si tam faciles, cur bella refertis?'
Haec inter celerare gradum, coniungat ut arma,
Hasdrubalem ignarum cladis praenuntius adfert
explorator eques.

through the midst Hannon, his palms bound behind his back,
behold, was being dragged, and the light (alas, sweet lights of heaven!)
the captive sought the light amid his bonds.
to whom the Latin ruler: 'Such as these, lo, who would repossess kingdoms, 75
to whom the toga and the sacred clan of arms-bearing Quirinus should yield.
if to servitude you are so compliant, why do you bring back wars?'
Meanwhile, to quicken the pace, that he might join arms,
an equestrian scout brings to Hasdrubal, unknowing of the calamity,
a harbinger of the disaster.

raptat dux obuia signa 80
ac, postquam optatam laetus contingere pugnam
uidit et ad letum magno uenientia cursu
agmina, suspiciens caelum 'Nil amplius' inquit
'uos hodie posco, superi. protraxtis ad arma
quod profugos, satis est: in dextra cetera nobis 85
uota, uiri. rapite, ite, precor.

the leader snatches up the standards in his path 80
and, after he, rejoicing, saw that he was reaching the longed-for battle
and the ranks coming toward death at a great run,
looking up to the sky he said, 'Nothing further
do I ask of you today, gods above. That you have drawn the fugitives out to arms
is enough: in the right hand the rest for us 85
our vows, men. Seize, go, I pray.'

uocat ecce furentis
hinc pater, hinc patruus. gemina o mihi numina belli,
ducite, adeste, sequor. dignas spectabitis, aut me
praescia mens fallit, uestro iam nomine caedes.

behold, to the raging battle calls me
from this side my father, from that my uncle. O twin numina of war for me,
lead, be present, I follow. You will behold slaughters worthy of you, or my
prescient mind deceives me—slaughters now in your name.

nam quis erit tandem campis telluris Hiberae             90
bellandi modus? en umquam lucebit in orbe
ille dies, quo te armorum, Carthago, meorum
aspiciam sonitus admotaque bella trementem?'
      Dixerat, et raucus stridenti murmure clangor
increpuit: tonuere feris clamoribus astra.             95
concurrunt, quantumque rapit uiolentia ponti
et Notus et Boreas et inexorabilis Auster,
cum mergunt plenas tumefacta sub aequora classes,
aut cum letiferos accendens Sirius ignis
torret anhelantem saeuis ardoribus orbem,             100
tantum acies hominumque ferox discordia ferro
demetit. haud ullus terrarum aequarit hiatus
pugnarum damna, aut strages per inhospita lustra
umquam tot dederit rabies horrenda ferarum.

for what, at last, will there be a measure of warring on the fields of the Iberian earth?             90
lo, will there ever shine upon the orb that day on which I shall see you, Carthage, trembling at the noises of my arms and the battles brought up?'
      He had spoken, and a hoarse clangor with strident murmur rang out: the stars thundered with wild shouts.             95
they run together; and as much as the violence of the sea and the South Wind and the North Wind and the inexorable Auster snatch away,
when the swollen waters plunge full fleets beneath the level waves,
or when Sirius, kindling lethal fire, scorches the panting orb with savage burnings,             100
so much the battle-line and the fierce discord of men with iron reaps down.
no yawning gap of the lands has equaled the losses of battles, nor has the horrendous rabies of beasts ever, through inhospitable lairs, dealt so many slaughters.

iam campi uallesque madent, hebetataque tela. 105
et Libys occubuere et amantes Martis Hiberi.
stat tamen una loco perfossis debilis armis
luctaturque acies, qua concutit Hasdrubal hastam.
nec finem daret ille dies animosaque uirtus,
ni perlapsa uiro loricae tegmen harundo 110
et parco summum uiolasset uulnere corpus
suasissetque fugam.

now the fields and valleys are drenched, and the weapons are blunted. 105
and the Libyans have fallen, and the Iberians, lovers of Mars.
yet the battle-line stands in one place, weakened with pierced weapons,
and it struggles, where Hasdrubal brandishes the spear.
nor would that day and spirited valor have given an end,
if a reed-shaft, gliding through the covering of the cuirass to the man, 110
had not with a sparing wound violated the surface of the body
and urged flight.

rapido certamina linquit
in latebras euectus equo noctisque per umbram
ad Tartessiacos tendit per litora portus.
Proximus in pugna ductori Marte manuque 115
regnator Nomadum fuerat, mox foedere longo
cultuque Aeneadum nomen Masinissa superbum.
huic fesso, quos dura fuga et nox suaserat atra,
carpenti somnos subitus rutilante coruscum
uertice fulsit apex, crispamque inuoluere uisa est 120
mitis flamma comam atque hirta se spargere fronte.

he swiftly leaves the combats, borne on a horse into hiding-places and through the shadow of night,
and he makes for the Tartessian harbors along the shores.
Nearest in the fight to the leader, in Mars and in hand-to-hand, had been the ruler of the Nomads, 115
Masinissa—a proud name—soon through a long treaty and through the culture of the Aeneads.
for this man, worn out, whom harsh flight and black night had prompted to take sleep,
as he was snatching slumber, a sudden crest shone with a coruscant, rutilant summit upon his crown,
and a gentle flame seemed to envelop his curled hair and to scatter itself over his shaggy brow. 120

concurrunt famuli et serpentis tempora circum
festinant gelidis restinguere fontibus ignis;
at grandaeua deum praenoscens omina mater
'Sic, sic, caelicolae, portentaque uestra secundi 125
condite:' ait 'dure<t> capiti per saecula lumen.
ne uero, ne, nate, deum tam laeta pauesce
prodigia aut sacras metue inter tempora flammas.
hic tibi Dardaniae promittit foedera gentis,
hic tibi regna dabit regnis maiora paternis 130
ignis et adiunget Latiis tua nomina fatis.'
sic uates, iuuenisque animum tam clara mouebant
monstra, nec a Poenis ulli uirtutis honores,
Hannibal ipse etiam iam iamque modestior armis.

They run together, the servants, and around the temples they hurry to quench with icy springs the serpent-like fires;
but the aged mother, foreknowing the omens of the gods,
"Thus, thus, heaven-dwellers, store away your favorable portents," she says, "may the light endure upon the head through the ages. 125
No indeed, no, my son, do not fear so joyful prodigies of the gods, nor dread the sacred flames among your temples.
This promises to you the federate bonds of the Dardanian nation,
this fire will give to you kingdoms greater than your paternal realms 130
and will join your name to the Latin fates."
So spoke the prophetess; and such bright wonders moved the young man’s spirit, nor were any honors of valor from the Poeni lacking—
Hannibal himself even now and now more modest in arms.

Aurora obscuri tergebat nubila caeli 135
uixque Atlantiadum rubefecerat ora sororum:
tendit in Ausonios et adhuc hostilia castra.
atque, ubi se uallo intulerat, ductorque benigno
accepit Latius uultu, rex talibus infit:
'Caelestum monita et sacrae responsa parentis 140
disque tua, o Rutulum rector, gratissima uirtus
auulsum Tyriis huc me duxere uolentem.
si tibi non segnes tua contra fulmina saepe
uisi stare sumus, dignam te, nate Tonantis,
adferimus dextram.

Aurora was wiping the dark clouds of the sky, 135
and had scarcely reddened the faces of the Atlantid sisters:
he stretches toward the Ausonian and still hostile camp.
and, when he had brought himself within the rampart, and the leader with a kindly
Latin countenance received him, the king thus begins:
'The counsels of the celestials and the sacred responses of my parent, 140
and your valor, most pleasing to the gods, O ruler of the Rutulians,
have led me, torn from the Tyrians, hither, willing.
if to you we have not often seemed sluggish to stand
against your thunderbolts, we bring a right hand worthy of you,
O son of the Thunderer.'

nec nos aut uana subegit             145
incertae mentis leuitas et mobile pectus,
aut spes et laeti sectamur praemia Martis:
perfidiam fugio et periuram ab origine gentem.
tu, quando Herculeis finisti proelia metis,
nunc ipsam belli nobiscum inuade parentem.             150
ille tibi, qui iam gemino Laurentia lustro
possedit regna et scalas ad moenia Romae
admouet, in Libyam flammis ferroque trahendus.'
      Sic Nomadum ductor. tunc dextra Scipio dextram
amplexus: 'Si pulchra tibi Mauorte uidetur,             155
pulchrior est gens nostra fide.

nor has the idle levity            145
of an uncertain mind and a changeable heart compelled us,
nor do we in hope pursue the joyous prizes of Mars:
I flee perfidy and a race perjured from its origin.
you, since you have finished wars at the Herculean bounds,
now assail with us the very parent of war.            150
that man for you, who already for a double lustrum
has possessed the Laurentian realms and sets ladders to the walls of Rome,
must be dragged to Libya with flames and steel.'
      Thus the leader of the Nomads. then Scipio, his right hand clasping the right hand,
said: 'If fair to you it seems by Mavors,            155
fairer is our race in faith.'

dimitte bilinguis
ex animo socios. magna hinc te praemia clarae
uirtutis, Masinissa, manent, citiusque uel armis
quam gratae studio uincetur Scipio mentis.
cetera quae Libyam portari incendia suades, 160
expediet tempus.

dismiss the double-tongued
allies from your mind. great prizes of illustrious
virtue await you here, Masinissa, and Scipio will be won over more quickly
by the zeal of a grateful mind than even by arms.
as for the other conflagrations which you advise to be carried into Libya, 160
time will expedite.

nec enim sunt talia rerum
non meditata mihi, et mentem Carthago fatigat.'
hinc iuueni dona insignem uelamine picto
dat chlamydem stratumque ostro, quem ceperat ipse
deiecto uictor Magone animique probarat, 165
cornipedem, tum, qua diuum libabat ad aras
Hasdrubal, ex auro pateram galeamque comantem.
exin firmato sociali foedere regis
uertendas agitat iam nunc Carthaginis arces.
Massylis regnator erat ditissimus oris 170
nec nudus uirtute Syphax, que<m> iura petebant
innumerae gentes extremaque litore Tethys.

for indeed such things of affairs are not unmeditated by me, and Carthage wearies my mind.'
thereupon to the youth he gives gifts: a cloak distinguished with painted covering,
and a couch spread with purple, and a hoofed steed, which he himself,
a victor with Mago cast down, had captured and had tested for spirit;             165
then, the bowl of gold with which Hasdrubal used to pour libations to the gods at the altars,
and a crested helmet. Thereafter, the treaty of alliance with the king having been confirmed,
he already now stirs the citadels of Carthage to be overturned.
      There was the most wealthy ruler of the Massylian shore,
Syphax, not bare of virtue, whom for laws sought countless nations
and Tethys at the farthest shore.             170

multa uiro terra ac sonipes et belua, terror
bellorum, nec non Marti delecta iuuentus.
nec foret, aut ebore aut solido qui uinceret auro 175
Gaetulisue magis fucaret uellus aenis.
has adiungere opes auidus reputansque laborem,
si uertat rex ad Poenos, dare uela per altum
imperat atque animo iam tum Africa bella capessit.

many for the man—land, and the steed, and the beast, the terror
of wars, and likewise youth chosen for Mars.
nor was there, either in ivory or in solid gold, anyone to surpass him 175
or who would stain a fleece more with Gaetulian bronzes.
eager to join these resources, and reckoning the labor,
if the king should turn to the Punics, he orders the sails to be set over the deep
and already then in his mind he undertakes African wars.

uerum ubi peruentum, et portus tenuere carinae,             180
iam trepida fugiens per proxima litora puppe
Hasdrubal adflictis aderat noua foedera quaerens
rebus et ad Tyrios Massylia signa trahebat.
      Audito pariter populorum in regna duorum
aduenisse duces, qui tota mole laborent             185
disceptentque armis terrarum uter imperet orbi,
celsus mente Syphax acciri in tecta benigne
imperat et tanto regni se tollit honore.
tum laetos uoluens oculos aduersa per ora,
sic Latium adfatur iuuenem ac prior incipit ultro:             190
'Quam te, Dardanide pulcherrime, mente serena
accipio intueorque libens!

but when they had arrived, and the keels held the harbor,             180
already, fleeing in alarm along the nearest shores with his ship,
Hasdrubal was at hand, in straitened affairs, seeking new treaties,
and he was drawing the Massylian standards to the Tyrians.
      On hearing alike that into the realms of the two peoples
the leaders had come, who toil with their whole mass and debate by arms which of the lands of the world each shall rule,             185
exalted in mind, Syphax orders that they be kindly summoned into his halls
and uplifts himself with so great an honor of the kingdom.
then, rolling joyous eyes across the faces opposite,
thus he addresses the Latin youth and first begins unprompted:             190
'How with a serene mind I receive you, most beautiful Dardanian,
and look upon you gladly!'

quamque ora recordor
laetus Scipiadae! reuocat tua forma parentem.
nam repeto, Herculeas Erythia ad litora Gades
cum studio pelagi et spectandis aestibus undae 195
uenissem, magnos uicina ad flumina Baetis
ductores miro quodam me cernere amore.

and how gladly I recall the face of the Scipiad! your form calls back your parent.
for I recall, when I had come to Gades, the Herculean, at the Erythian shores,
with zeal for the deep and for beholding the tides of the wave 195
that, near the great streams of the Baetis, I beheld the great commanders with a certain wondrous love.

tum mihi dona uiri praeda delecta tulere,
arma simul regnoque meo tum cognita primum
cornipedum frena atque arcus, quis cedere nostra 200
nunc norunt iacula, et ueteris tribuere magistros
militiae, qui dispersas sine lege cateruas
uestro formarent ritu ad certamina Martis.
ast ego, cum contra, nostris quae copia regnis,
nunc auri ferrem, niuei nunc munera dentis, 205
nil ualui precibus. solos sibi cepit uterque,
quos cohibebat ebur uaginae sectilis, enses.

then to me the men brought gifts, chosen spoil,
arms as well, and to my realm then for the first time known,
horse-bridles and bows, to which our javelins now know to yield, 200
and they furnished masters of ancient militia,
who would shape the scattered, lawless bands,
according to your rite, for the contests of Mars.
but I, on the contrary, what abundance our kingdoms afford,
now would bring gold, now gifts of snowy tooth (ivory), 205
I availed nothing by entreaties. each of the two took for himself only the swords
which carved ivory of the scabbard was containing.

quare, age, laetus haue nostros intrare penatis
ac, mea quando adfert Libycum fortuna per undas
ductorem, facili, quae dicam, percipe mente. 210
et uos, qui Tyriae regitis Carthaginis arces,
Hasdrubal, huc aures, huc quaeso aduertite sensus.
quanta per Ausonios populos torrentibus armis
tempestas ruat et Latio suprema minetur,
utque bibant Tyrium bis quinos saeua per annos 215
Sicana nunc tellus, nunc litora Hibera cruorem,
cui nescire licet? quin ergo tristia tandem
considunt bella, et deponitis arma uolentes?

wherefore, come, gladly—hail to enter our Penates—
and, since my fortune brings a leader through the Libyan waves,
take in with an easy mind what I shall say. 210
and you, who rule the citadels of Tyrian Carthage,
Hasdrubal, turn your ears here, here, I pray, turn your senses.
how great a storm, with torrenting arms, rushes through the Ausonian peoples
and threatens last things to Latium,
and how for twice five years the Sicilian land now, now the Iberian shores 215
drink Tyrian blood—who is permitted not to know it?
why then do the grim wars not at last settle down, and will you not willingly lay down your arms?

tu Libya, tu te Ausonia cohibere memento.
haud deformis erit uobis ad foedera uersis 220
pacator mediusque Syphax.' subiungere plura
non passus, gentis morem arbitriumque senatus
Scipio demonstrat, uanique absistere coepti
spe iubet et patres docet haec expendere solos.
suadendi modus hic, quodque est de parte diei 225
exacti super ad mensas et pocula uertunt,
atque, epulis postquam finis, dant corpora somno
et dura in noctem curarum uincula soluunt.

you, Libya, you, remember to restrain yourself; you too, Ausonia. not unseemly to you, if you turn to treaties, will Syphax be as pacifier and mediator. 220
pacifier and mediator Syphax.' not allowing more to be added,
Scipio points out the custom of the people and the judgment of the senate,
and bids him desist from the vain hope begun, and teaches that the fathers alone weigh these things.
here ends the persuading, and whatever remains of the portion of the day 225
already spent they turn to tables and cups,
and, when there is an end to the feasts, they give their bodies to sleep
and loosen into the night the hard chains of cares.

      Iamque nouum terris pariebat limine primo
egrediens Aurora diem, stabulisque subibant             230
ad iuga solis equi, necdum ipse ascenderat axem,
sed prorupturis rutilabant aequora flammis:
exigit e stratis corpus uultuque sereno
Scipio contendit Massyli ad limina regis.
illi mos patrius fetus nutrire leonum             235
et catulis rabiem atque iras expellere alendo.
tum quoque fulua manu mulcebat colla iubasque
et fera tractabat ludentum interritus ora.

      And now Aurora, stepping forth from her first threshold, was bringing forth a new day for the lands,
and from the stalls the horses of the sun were going under the yokes,             230
nor had the Sun himself yet mounted the axle,
but the expanses were glowing rutilant with flames about to burst forth:
he draws his body from the bed, and with a serene countenance
Scipio hastens to the thresholds of the Massylian king. For him there was the ancestral custom to nurture the offspring of lions             235
and by rearing to expel rabies and angers from the cubs. Then too with tawny hand he was stroking the necks and manes,
and, unafraid, he was handling the wild mouths of the playing ones.

Dardanium postquam ductorem accepit adesse,
induitur chlamydem, regnique insigne uetusti 240
gestat laeua decus. cinguntur tempora uitta
albente, ac lateri de more adstringitur ensis.
hinc in tecta uocat, secretisque aedibus hospes
sceptrifero cum rege pari sub honore residunt.

After he had learned that the Dardanian leader was present,
he puts on a chlamys, and carries on his left the emblem, the glory, of the ancient kingdom. 240
his temples are girded with a white fillet, and to his side, in customary fashion, a sword is bound.
then he calls him into the house, and in the secret chambers the guest sits with the scepter-bearing king beneath equal honor.

Tum prior his infit terrae pacator Hiberae: 245
'Prima mihi, domitis Pyrenes gentibus, ire
ad tua regna fuit properantem et maxima cura,
o sceptri uenerande Syphax. nec me aequore saeuus
tardauit medio pontus. non ardua regnis
quaesumus aut inhonora tuis: coniunge Latinis 250
unanimum pectus sociusque accede secundis.

Then first among these the pacifier of the Iberian land begins: 245
'My first care, with the Pyrenean peoples tamed, was to go
to your realms as I hastened, and my greatest concern,
O Syphax, venerable wielder of the scepter. Nor did the cruel
sea in the mid-sea delay me. We ask not things arduous to your realms
nor dishonoring to yours: join to the Latins a unanimous heart, 250
and, as an ally, accede to favorable fortunes.'

non tibi Massylae gentes extentaque tellus
Syrtibus et latis proauita potentia campis
amplius attulerint decoris, quam Romula uirtus
certa iuncta fide et populi Laurentis honores.             255
cetera quid referam? non ullus scilicet ulli
aecus caelicolum, qui Dardana laeserit arma.'
      Audiuit laeto Massylus et adnuit ore
complexusque uirum 'Firmemus prospera' dixit
'omina, nec uotis superi concordibus absint,             260
cornigerumque Iouem Tarpeiumque ore uocemus.'
et simul extructis caespes surrexerat aris
uictimaque admotae stabat subiecta bipenni,
cum subito abruptis fugiens altaria taurus
exiluit uinclis mugituque excita late             265
impleuit tecta et fremitu suspiria rauco
congeminans trepida terrorem sparsit in aula.
uittaque, maiorum decoramen, fronte sine ullo
delapsa attactu nudauit tempora regis.

not for you would the Massylian peoples and the land stretched out
along the Syrtes and your ancestral puissance over the broad plains
bring more adornment than Romulean virtue
joined with sure faith and the honors of the Laurentine people.             255
why should I recount the rest? surely none of the heaven-dwellers
is favorable to anyone who has injured the Dardan arms.'
      He heard, the Massylian, with a glad countenance and nodded assent,
and embracing the man said, 'Let us confirm the favorable
omens, and let the High Gods not be absent from harmonious vows,             260
and let us call by mouth horn-bearing Jupiter and the Tarpeian.'
and at once, with altars built up, turf had risen,
and the victim, brought near, stood with the two-edged axe set beneath,
when suddenly a bull, fleeing the altars with his bonds burst,
leaped out, and, roused to bellowing, far and wide he filled the roofs,             265
and, doubling his gasps with a hoarse roaring,
he scattered terror in the trembling hall. and the fillet, the adornment of his ancestors,
slipping from his brow without any touch, laid bare the king’s temples.

talia caelicolae casuro tristia regno 270
signa dabant, saeuique aderant grauia omina fati.
hunc fractum bello regem solioque reuulsum,
tempus erit, cum ducet agens ad templa Tonantis
qui tunc orabat socialia foedera supplex.
his actis repetit portum puppesque secundo 275
dat uento et notis reddit se Scipio terris.

such sad signs were the celestials giving for a kingdom about to fall, 270
and harsh omens of savage fate were at hand.
this king, broken by war and torn from his throne,
there will be a time when he will lead, driving to the temples of the Thunderer,
the one who then as a suppliant was praying for allied covenants.
with these things done, he seeks the harbor and gives the ships to a favorable
wind, 275
and Scipio returns himself to well-known lands.

      Concurrere auidae gentes, uariosque subacta
Pyrene misit populos. mens omnibus una:
concordes regem appellant regemque salutant.
scilicet hunc summum norunt uirtutis honorem.             280
sed, postquam miti reiecit munera uultu,
Ausonio non digna uiro, patriosque uicissim
edocuit ritus et Romam nomina regum
monstrauit nescire pati, tum uersus in unam,
quae restat, curam, nullo super hoste relicto,             285
et Latios simul et uulgum Baetisque Tagique
conuocat ac medio in coetu sic deinde profatur
'Quando ita caelicolum nobis propensa uoluntas
adnuit, extremo Libys ut deiectus ab orbe
aut his occideret campis, aut axe relicto             290
Hesperio patrias exul lustraret harenas:
iam uestra tumulos terra celebrare meorum
est animus pacemque dare exposcentibus umbris.

      Avid peoples flocked together, and the subdued Pyrene sent forth diverse nations. One mind was in all: in concord they call him king and hail him as king. Surely they know this to be the highest honor of valor.             280
but, after he declined the gifts with a gentle countenance, not worthy of an Ausonian man, and in turn instructed them in ancestral rites and showed that Rome does not know how to endure the names of kings, then, turned to the one care which remains, with no enemy left over,             285
he summons at once the Latins and the populace of the Baetis and the Tagus, and thus then he speaks in the midst of the assembly: 'Since the propitious will of the celestials has assented to us, that the Libyan, cast down from the farthest part of the world, should either fall on these plains, or, the Hesperian axis left behind, as an exile traverse his native sands:             290
now my intention is that your earth celebrate the tombs of my men and to grant peace to the demanding shades.'

mente fauete pari atque aures aduertite uestras.
septima cum solis renouabitur orbita caelo, 295
quique armis ferroque ualent, quique arte regendi
quadriiugos pollent currus, quis uincere planta
spes est, et studium iaculis impellere uentos,
adsint ac pulchrae certent de laude coronae.
praemia digna dabo, e Tyria spolia incluta praeda, 300
nec quisquam nostri discedet muneris expers.'
sic donis uulgum laudumque cupidine flammat.

grant favor with an equal mind and turn your ears.
when the seventh orbit of the sun will be renewed in the sky, 295
both those who are strong in arms and steel, and those who excel in the art of guiding
four-yoked chariots, for whom there is hope to win by foot,
and who have zeal to impel the winds with javelins,
let them be present and contend for the praise of the fair crown.
I will give worthy prizes, spoils from Tyrian illustrious plunder, 300
nor shall anyone depart devoid of our gift.'
thus he inflames the crowd with gifts and with desire of praises.

      Iamque dies praedicta aderat, coetuque sonabat
innumero campus, simulatasque ordine iusto
exequias rector lacrimis ducebat obortis.             305
omnis Hiber, omnis Latio sub nomine miles
dona ferunt tumulisque super flagrantibus addunt.
ipse, tenens nunc lacte, sacro nunc plena Lyaeo
pocula, odoriferis aspergit floribus aras.
tum manis uocat excitos laudesque uirorum             310
cum fletu canit et ueneratur facta iacentum.

      And now the foretold day was at hand, and the plain resounded with an innumerable assembly,
and the ruler was leading the simulated obsequies in due order, with tears welling up.             305
every Iberian, every soldier under the Latin name
bring gifts and add them upon the blazing tombs. He himself, holding now cups filled with milk,
now with sacred Lyaeus, sprinkles the altars with odoriferous flowers.
Then he calls the Manes, summoned forth, and with weeping he sings the praises of the men             310
and venerates the deeds of the fallen.

      Inde refert sese circo et certamina prima
incohat ac rapidos cursus proponit equorum.
fluctuat aequoreo fremitu rabieque fauentum,
carceribus nondum reseratis, mobile uulgus             315
atque fores oculis et limina seruat equorum.
iamque, ubi prolato sonuere repagula signo
et toto prima emicuit uix ungula cornu,
tollitur in caelum furiali turbine clamor,
pronique ac similes certantibus ore secuntur             320
quisque suos currus magnaque uolantibus idem
uoce locuntur equis.

      Then he returns to the circus and initiates the first contests
and sets forth the rapid courses of the horses.
it surges with a sea-like roar and the madness of the favoring crowd,
with the starting-gates not yet unbarred, the mobile populace             315
keeps with their eyes the doors and thresholds of the horses.
and now, when at the displayed signal the bars resounded
and along the whole curve the foremost hoof scarcely flashed forth,
a shout is lifted to the sky in a frenzied whirlwind,
and, leaning forward and with faces like the contestants, they follow,             320
each his own chariots, and with a great voice they speak the same cries
to the flying horses.

quatitur certamine circus
<s>pectantum, ac nulli mentem non abstulit ardor:
instant praeceptis et equos clamore gubernant.
fuluus, harenosa surgens tellure, sub auras 325
erigitur globus atque operit caligine densa
cornipedumque uias aurigarumque labores.
hic studio furit acris equi, furit ille magistri.

the circus is shaken by the contest of the spectators, and ardor has taken away no one’s mind: they press on with their precepts and govern the horses with shouting. a tawny mass, rising from the sandy earth, is lifted up into the air, 325
and it covers, with dense caliginous haze, the ways of the hoofed steeds and the labors of the charioteers. here one rages with zeal for the fierce horse, there another for the master.

hos patriae fauor, hos accendit nobile nomen
antiqui stabuli. sunt quos spes grata fatiget 330
et noua ferre iugum ceruix. sunt, cruda senectus
quos iuuet et longo sonipes spectatus in aeuo.

these men the favor of their fatherland, these the noble name of an ancient stable inflames;
there are those whom pleasing hope drives hard, and a neck new to bear the yoke. 330
there are those whom green old age delights, and the steed proven through a long lifetime.

      Euolat ante omnis rapidoque per aera curru
Callaicus Lampon fugit atque ingentia tranat
exultans spatia et uentos post terga relinquit.             335
conclamant plausuque fremunt uotique peractam
maiorem credunt praerepto limite partem.
at, quis interior cura et prudentia circi
altior, effusas primo certamine uires
damnare et cassis longe increpitare querelis             340
indispensato lassantem corpora nisu:
'Quo nimius, quo, Cyrne, ruis?' (nam Cyrnus agebat)
'uerbera dimitte et reuoca moderatus habenas.'
heu surdas aures! fertur securus equorum
nec meminit, quantum campi decurrere restet.             345
      Proximus, a primo distans, quantum aequore currus
occupat ipse, loci tantum, sed proximus ibat
Astur Panchates: patrium frons alba nitebat
insigne et patrio pes omnis concolor albo.

      He flies out before all, and on a rapid chariot through the air
the Callaican Lampon flees and, exulting, swims across
vast spaces and leaves the winds behind his back.             335
They shout aloud and roar with applause, and they believe the greater
part of their vow accomplished, the boundary pre-snatched.
But those for whom there is an inner care and a higher prudence
of the circus, to condemn the forces poured out in the first bout,
and from afar to upbraid with empty complaints him who, by unmeasured strain,             340
is tiring the bodies: 'Whither, over-eager, whither, Cyrnus, do you rush?' (for Cyrnus was driving)
'Lay down the lashes and call back the reins with moderation.'
Alas, deaf ears! He is borne along, uncareful of the horses,
nor does he remember how much of the field remains to run.             345
      Next, at a distance from the first by as much space
as a chariot itself occupies on the plain—so much of ground—yet next was going
the Astur Panchates: his white brow shone as a native insignia,
and every foot was of a hue matching the native white.

ingentes animi, membra haud procera decusque 350
corporis exiguum, sed tum sibi fecerat alas
concitus atque ibat campo indignatus habenas:
crescere sublimem atque augeri membra putares.
Cinyphio rector cocco radiabat Hiberus.
Tertius aequata currebat fronte Peloro 355
Caucasus.

huge in spirit, limbs not tall, and the ornament of the body exiguous, 350
but then, incited, he had made for himself wings
and went across the plain, indignant at the reins:
you would think him rising on high and his limbs augmented.
The Iberian driver was blazing in Cinyphian scarlet.
Third was running, with his front matched to Pelorus, 355
Caucasus.

ipse asper, nec qui ceruicis amaret
adplausae blandos sonitus clausumque cruento
spumeus admorsu gauderet mandere ferrum.
at docilis freni et melior parere Pelorus
non umquam effusum sinuabat deuius axem, 360
sed laeuo interior stringebat tramite metam,
insignis multa ceruice et plurimus idem
ludentis per colla iubae. mirabile dictu,
nullus erat pater: ad Zephyri noua flamina campis
Vettonum eductum genetrix effuderat Harpe. 365
nobilis hunc Durius stimulabat in aequore currum,
Caucasus antiquo fidebat Atlante magistro.

he himself was rough, and not one who would love
the coaxing sounds of a patted neck, nor, foaming, would rejoice to chew the iron
shut fast, with bloody bite. But Pelorus, docile to the bridle and better at obeying,
never, straying, would bend a loosened axle, 360
but on the inner left-hand track he was grazing the turning-post,
notable for his great neck, and likewise very full of mane
playing along his neck. Wondrous to say,
there was no father: at the new blasts of Zephyr, on the plains
of the Vettones, the dam Harpe had delivered him, bringing him forth. 365
The noble Durius was goading on this chariot over the level,
Caucasus was trusting to Atlas, his ancient trainer.

ipsum Aetola, uago Diomedi condita, Tyde
miserat: exceptum Troiana ab origine equorum
tradebant, quos Aeneae Simoentos ad undas             370
uictor Tydides magnis abduxerat ausis.
iamque fere medium euecti certamine campum
in spatio addebant, nisusque adprendere primos
Panchates animosus equos super altior ire
et praecedentem iam iamque ascendere currum             375
pone uidebatur, curuatisque ungula prima
Callaicum quatiens pulsabat calcibus axem.
      At postremus Atlas, sed non et segnior ibat
postremo Durio: pacis de more putares
aequata fronte et concordi currere freno.             380
sensit ut exhaustas, qui proximus ibat, Hiberus
Callaicas Cyrni uires, nec ut ante salire
praecipitem currum, et fumantis uerbere cogi
adsiduo uiolenter equos, ceu monte procella
cum subita ex alto ruit, usque ad colla repente             385
cornipedum protentus et in capita ardua pendens
concitat ardentem, quod ferret lora secundus,
Panchatem uocesque addit cum uerbere mixtas:
'Tene, Astur, certante feret quisquam aequore palmam
erepto?

himself Aetolian Tyde, founded for wandering Diomedes, had sent; they handed down that he was taken from a Trojan lineage of horses, which from the waves of the Simois victorious Tydides had led away from Aeneas with great ventures.             370
And now, carried almost to the middle of the field in the contest, they were adding in the course, and the bold Panchates, striving to catch the leaders, seemed to go higher above and to climb upon the chariot going before, again and again, from behind;             375
and with his foremost hoof curved, shaking, he was striking the Callaican axle with his heels.
      But Atlas, though last, yet was not going more sluggishly behind Durius last: you would think, in the manner of peace, that they were running with even brow and with a concordant bridle.             380
When Hiberus, who was going nearest, sensed the Callaic strengths of Cyrnus exhausted, and that the chariot did not leap headlong as before, and that the smoking horses were being driven violently by incessant lash, like when from a mountain a sudden squall rushes down from on high, stretched out all the way to the necks of the horn-footed steeds and hanging over their lofty heads, he goads on fiery Panchates, because he bore the reins as second, and he adds voices mixed with the lash:
“Will anyone, Astur, while the level plain is contending, carry off the palm wrested from you?

consurge, uola, perlabere campum 390
adsuetis uelox pennis. decrescit anhelo
pectore consumptus Lampon, nec restat hianti,
quem ferat ad metas, iam spiritus.' haec ubi dicta,
tollit se sonipes, ceu tunc e carcere primo
corriperet spatium, et nitentem opponere curuos 395
aut aequare gradus Cyrnum post terga relinquit.
confremit et caelum et percussus uocibus altis
spectantum circus.

Rise up, fly, glide through the field 390
swift with accustomed wings. Lampon diminishes, consumed
with a heaving breast, nor does breath now remain for the gasping one
to bear him to the metae.' When these things were said,
the steed lifts himself, as if then from the first starting-gate
he were snatching the course, and he leaves Cyrnus behind his back, who strove to set against him curving 395
strides or to equal his pace. Both heaven resounds, and the circus,
struck by the loud voices of the spectators.

fertur sublime per auras
altius attollens ceruicem uictor ouantem
Panchates sociosque trahit prior ipse iugalis.             400
      At postremus Atlas, Durius postremus in orbem
exercent artis: laeuos nunc adpetit ille
conatus, nunc ille premit certatque subire
dexter, et alterni nequiquam fallere temptant:
donec confisus primaeuae flore iuuentae             405
oblicum Durius conuersis pronus habenis
opposuit currum atque euersum propulit axem
Atlantis senio inualidi, sed iusta querentis:
'Quo ruis? aut quinam hic rabidi certaminis est mos?
et nobis et equis letum commune laboras.'             410
dumque ea proclamat, perfracto uoluitur axe
cernuus, ac pariter fusi, miserabile, campo
discordes sternuntur equi.

he is borne on high through the airs,
lifting higher his victorious, exultant neck;
Panchates, himself the foremost yoke-horse, draws along his teammates.             400
      But last Atlas, and last Durius upon the circuit,
ply their arts: now the one aims at left-hand maneuvers,
now the other presses and strives to come up on the right,
and by turns they try in vain to outwit;
until, confident in the primeval flower of youth,             405
Durius, leaning forward with the reins turned, set his chariot
slantwise and drove against and upturned the axle
of Atlas, weakened by old age, yet making a just complaint:
‘Where are you rushing? Or what custom is this of rabid contest?
you strive after a common death for us and for the horses.’             410
And while he cries this aloud, with axle broken he is rolled
headlong, and at the same time, poured out—pitiably—on the field,
the horses, now at odds, are strewn.

quatit aequore aperto
lora suis uictor, mediaque Pelorus harena
surgere nitentem fugiens Atlanta reliquit. 415
nec longum Cyrni defessos prendere currus.
hunc quoque cunctantem et sero moderamina equorum
discentem rapido praeteruolat incitus axe.
impellit currum clamor uocesque fauentum,
iamque etiam dorso atque umeris trepidantis Hiberi 420
ora superposuit sonipes, flatusque uapore
terga premi et spumis auriga calescere sentit.

he shakes the reins on the open level
over his own, the victor, and Pelorus in the mid sand
left behind Atlas, striving to rise, as he fled. 415
nor was it long to catch the weary chariots of Cyrnus.
him too, lingering and learning the controls of the horses too late,
the impetuous one flies past with a rapid axle.
the clamor and voices of the favoring supporters drive the chariot,
and now even upon the back and shoulders of the trembling Iberian 420
the steed has set its mouth, and the charioteer feels
his back pressed by the vapor of the breath and to grow hot with the foams.

incubuit campo Durius misitque citatos
uerbere quadrupedes, nec frustra: aequare uidetur,
aut etiam aequauit iuga praecedentia dexter. 425
attonitus tum spe tanta: 'Genitore, Pelore,
te Zephyro eductum nunc nunc ostendere tempus.
discant, qui pecudum ducunt ab origine nomen,
quantum diuini praecellat seminis ortus.
uictor dona dabis statuesque altaria patri.' 430
et, ni successu nimio laetoque pauore
proditus elapso foret inter uerba flagello,
forsan sacrasset Zephyro, quas uouerat, aras.

Durius pressed upon the plain and sent the quickened
quadrupeds with the lash, nor in vain: he seems to equal,
or even, skillful, he matched the preceding yokes. 425
then astonished at so great a hope: 'Father, Pelorus,
you, brought forth by Zephyr, now, now is the time to show yourself.
let those learn, who draw their name from the origin of herd‑beasts,
how far the birth of divine seed excels.
as victor you will give gifts and you will set up altars to your father.' 430
and, had he not—betrayed by too great success and joyful fear—
let the whip slip in the midst of the words,
perhaps he would have consecrated to Zephyr the altars he had vowed.

tum uero infelix, ueluti delapsa corona
uictoris capiti foret, in se uersus ab ira 435
auratam medio discindit pectore uestem,
ac lacrimae simul et questus ad sidera fusi.
nec iam subducto parebat uerbere currus.
pro stimulis dorso quatiuntur inania lora.

then indeed the unlucky man, as if a crown had slipped from the victor’s head,
turned upon himself in anger, he rends the gilded garment at the middle of his breast, 435
and tears and complaints at once are poured to the stars. nor now did the chariot obey with the lash withdrawn.
in place of goads, empty reins are shaken on his back.

Interea metis certus iam laudis agebat 440
sese Panchates et praemia prima petebat
arduus. effusas lenis per colla, per armos
uentilat aura iubas, tum mollia crura superbi
attollens gressus magno clamore triumphat.
par donum solido argento caelata bipennis 445
omnibus, at uario distantia cetera honore.

Meanwhile toward the turning-posts, now certain of praise, Panchates was driving himself and, towering, was seeking the first prizes. 440
a gentle breeze ventilates the flowing manes over necks, over shoulders;
then, lifting his soft legs with proud gait, he triumphs amid great clamor.
an equal gift for all is a double-axe caelated in solid silver, 445
but the rest are distinct with varying honor.

primus ecum uolucrem, Massyli munera regis
haud spernenda, tulit. tulit hinc uirtute secundus
e Tyria, quae multa iacet, duo pocula, praeda,
aurifero perfusa Tago. uillosa leonis 450
terga feri et cristis horrens Sidonia cassis
tertius inde honor est.

first he took the swift steed, gifts of the Massylian king, not to be scorned.
then the second, by prowess, took two cups, booty from Tyre, which lies rich in many things, bathed with the gold-bearing Tagus. shaggy
hides of the savage lion and a Sidonian helmet bristling with crests 450
then the third honor is.

postremo munere Atlantem,
quamuis perfracto senior subsederat axe,
accitum donat ductor, miseratus et aeuum
et sortem casus. famulus florente iuuenta             455
huic datur, adiuncto gentilis honore galeri.
      His actis ductor laeta ad certamina plantae
inuitat positisque accendit pectora donis:
'Hanc primus galeam (hac acies terrebat Hiberas
Hasdrubal), hunc ensem, cui proxima gloria cursus,             460
accipiet: caeso pater hunc detraxit Hyempsae.

lastly, with the final gift, the leader presents Atlas, although, an old man, he had sunk down with a broken axle; called up, the leader grants it, pitying both his age and the lot of his mishap. a servant in flourishing youth is given to him, with the clan‑native honor of a galerus appended.      With these things done, the leader invites to the joyful contests of the foot, and with the gifts set out he kindles their hearts:
'Him who is first shall receive this helmet (with this Hasdrubal used to terrify Iberian battle‑lines), this sword, whose glory is next after the race, he shall receive: from the slain Hyempsa my father stripped this.'            455
huic datur, adiuncto gentilis honore galeri.
      His actis ductor laeta ad certamina plantae
inuitat positisque accendit pectora donis:
'Hanc primus galeam (hac acies terrebat Hiberas
Hasdrubal), hunc ensem, cui proxima gloria cursus,            460
accipiet: caeso pater hunc detraxit Hyempsae.

tertius extremam tauro solabere palmam.
cetera contenti discedent turba duobus
quisque ferox iaculis, quae dat gentile metallum.'
Fulgentes pueri Tartessos et Hesperos ora 465
ostendere simul uulgi clamore secundo.
hos Tyria misere domo patria inclita Gades.

the third you will solace with a bull for the final palm.
the rest of the crowd will depart content with two apiece,
each fierce with javelins which the native metal gives.'
Shining, the boys displayed at once the Tartessian and Hesperian shores 465
with the favorable shout of the crowd.
these did illustrious Gades, from their Tyrian fatherland-home, send.

mox subit aspersus prima lanugine malas
Baeticus: hoc dederat puero cognomen ab amne
Corduba et haud paruo certamina laeta fouebat.             470
inde comam rutilus, sed cum fulgore niuali
corporis, impleuit caueam clamoribus omnem
Eurytus: excelso nutritum colle crearat
Saetabis, atque aderant trepidi pietate parentes.
tum Lamus et Sicoris, proles bellacis Ilerdae,             475
et Theron, potator aquae, sub nomine Lethes
quae fluit immemori perstringens gurgite ripas.
      Qui postquam arrecti plantis et pectora proni
pulsantesque aestu laudum exultantia corda
accepere tuba spatium, exiluere per auras             480
ocius effusis neruo exturbante sagittis.

soon there comes up, his cheeks sprinkled with first down,
a Baetican: from the river Corduba had given to the boy this cognomen,
and was fostering the joyous contests with no small favor.             470
then Eurytus, ruddy in his hair, but with the snowy brilliance
of his body, filled the whole enclosure with shouts:
Saetabis had reared him, nurtured on a lofty hill,
and his parents were present, trembling with devotion.
then Lamus and Sicoris, offspring of warlike Ilerda,             475
and Theron, a drinker of water, under the name of Lethe,
which flows, skimming its banks with a forgetful eddy.
      Who, after, poised on their soles and with chests inclined,
and hearts beating, exulting with the heat of praise,
received from the trumpet the course; they leapt through the air             480
swifter than arrows poured forth, the string driving them out.

diuersa et studia et clamor, pendentque fauentes
unguibus atque suos, ut cuique est gratia, anheli
nomine quemque cient. grex inclitus aequore fertur
nullaque tramissa uestigia signat harena, 485
omnes primaeui flauentiaque ora decori,
omnes ire leues atque omnes uincere digni.
Extulit incumbens medio iam limite gressum
Eurytus et primus breuibus, sed primus, abibat
praecedens spatiis.

varied both the zeal and the clamor, and the supporters hang
by their fingernails and, as favor inclines for each, they, gasping,
call each runner by name. The renowned band is borne over the plain
and no sand, though traversed, marks their footprints, 485
all in prime youth and with blond faces of fair beauty,
all light to go and all worthy to conquer.
Eurytus, leaning in, now on the middle track lifted his stride
and was off first—by a short margin, yet first—
going ahead by spaces.

instat non segnius acer 490
Hesperos ac prima stringit uestigia planta
praegressae calcis. satis est huic esse priori,
huic sperare sat est fieri se posse priorem.
acrius hoc tendunt gressus animique uigore
corpora agunt.

he presses on no less briskly, keen, 490
Hesperos, and with his foremost sole he grazes the footprints
of the preceding heel. For that one it is enough to be prior,
for this one it is enough to hope he can become prior.
more keenly at this they stretch their steps and with the vigor
of their spirit drive their bodies.

auget pueris labor ipse decorem.             495
ecce leui nisu postremoque agmine currens,
postquam sat uisus sibi concepisse uigoris,
celsus inexhaustas effundit turbine uires
non expectato subitusque erumpit et auras
praeuehitur Theron: credas Cyllenida plantam             500
aetherio nexis cursu talaribus ire.
iamque hos iamque illos, populo mirante, relinquit
et, modo postremus, nunc ordine tertia palma,
Hesperon infestat sua per uestigia pressum.
nec iam, quem sequitur tantum, sed prima coronae             505
spes trepidat tantis uenientibus Eurytus alis.

labor itself augments the boys’ decor.             495
behold, running with light effort and in the rearmost rank,
after he seemed to himself to have conceived enough vigor,
lofty he pours out inexhausted forces in a whirlwind,
unlooked-for, and sudden he bursts forth and is borne through the breezes,
Theron is carried forward: you would believe the Cyllenian sole             500
to go with aetherial talaria fastened for the course.
now these and now those, with the people marveling, he leaves behind,
and, just now last, now in order the third palm,
he harasses Hesperos, pressed close along his footsteps.
and now not only he whom he follows, but the first hope of the crown             505
—Eurytus—trembles at such great wings coming.

quartus sorte loci, sed, si tres ordine seruent
inceptos cursus, nequiquam uana laborans,
Tartessos fratrem medio Therone premebat.
nec patiens ultra tollit sese aequore Theron 510
igneus et plenum praeteruolat Hesperon irae.
unus erat super, et metae propioribus aegros
urebat finis stimulis; quascumque reliquit
hinc labor, hinc penetrans pauor in praecordia uires,
dum sperare licet, breuia ad conamina uterque 515
aduocat: aequantur cursus, pariterque ruebant.

fourth in place by lot; but, if the three should keep in order the courses they had begun, toiling in vain at empty hope, Tartessos was pressing his brother, with Theron in the middle.
nor, patient no longer, Theron lifts himself from the level ground, 510
fiery, and he flies past Hesperos full of wrath.
one was left ahead, and, as they drew nearer the turning-post, the finish was scorching the weary with goads; whatever strength toil had left here, there fear, penetrating into the precordia, supplied;
while it is permitted to hope, each summons to brief attempts; 515
the courses are equalized, and they were rushing side by side.

et forsan gemina meruissent praemia palma,
peruecti simul ad metas, ni, terga secutus
Theronis, fusam late per lactea colla
Hesperos ingenti tenuisset saeuus ab ira 520
traxissetque comam. tardato laetus ouansque
Eurytus euadit iuuene atque ad praemia uictor
emicat et galeae fert donum insigne coruscae.
cetera promisso donata est munere pubes
intonsasque comas uiridi redimita corona 525
bina tulit patrio quatiens hastilia ferro.

and perhaps they would have deserved twin prizes of the palm,
borne together to the turning-posts, if not, following the back
of Theron, the hair streaming wide over the milky neck
Hesperos, savage from mighty wrath, had held fast and 520
had dragged the hair. With the youth delayed, rejoicing and exulting
Eurytus gets clear, and as victor he darts to the prizes
and bears the distinguished gift, a flashing helmet.
the rest of the youth were presented with the promised boon,
and, with unshorn locks wreathed with a green crown, 525
each bore two spear-shafts, shaking native iron.

Hinc grauiora uirum certamina, comminus ensis
destrictus bellique feri simulacra cientur.
nec, quos culpa tulit, quos crimina noxia uitae,
sed uirtus animusque ferox ad laudis amorem, 530
hi creuere pares ferro; spectacula digna
Martigena uulgo suetique laboris imago.
hos inter gemini (quid iam non regibus ausum?

Hence more weighty contests of men; at close quarters the sword
is drawn and the simulacra of fierce war are set in motion.
not those whom fault brought, whom crimes baneful to life,
but virtue and a fierce spirit toward the love of praise, 530
these grew equal with iron; spectacles worthy
for a Mars-born crowd and an image of accustomed labor.
among these the twin (what now is not dared by kings?

aut quod iam regni restat scelus?) impia circo
innumero fratres, cauea damnante furorem, 535
pro sceptro armatis inierunt proelia dextris.
is genti mos dirus erat, patriumque petebant
orbati solium lucis discrimine fratres.
concurrere animis, quantis confligere par est
quos regni furor exagitat, multoque cruore 540
exsatiata simul portantes corda sub umbras
occubuere.

or what crime of kingship now remains?) impious, in a countless-crowded circus the brothers, with the tiered seating condemning the frenzy, 535
entered battles for the scepter with armed right hands. This was the dire custom of the race, and the bereft brothers sought the paternal throne at the hazard of life.
they rushed together in spirit, with spirits as great as it befits to clash for those whom the frenzy of kingship drives, and, with much gore their hearts at once glutted, 540
bearing them down beneath the shades, they fell.

pari nisu per pectora adactus
intima descendit mucro; superaddita saeuis
ultima uulneribus uerba; et, conuicia uoluens,
dirus in inuitas effugit spiritus auras. 545
nec manes pacem passi. nam corpora iunctus
una cum raperet flamma rogus, impius ignis
dissiluit, cineresque simul iacuisse negarunt.
cetera distincto donata est munere turba,
ut uirtus et dextra fuit.

with equal exertion the blade, driven through their breasts,
descended to the inmost; to the savage wounds were superadded
final words; and, rolling out insults,
the dread spirit fled into the unwilling airs. 545
nor did the Manes permit peace. for as the conjoined
pyre, with its flame, was sweeping up the bodies together, the impious fire
sprang apart, and denied that the ashes lay together at once.
the remaining throng was endowed with a distinct reward,
in proportion as their virtue and right hand were.

duxere iuuencos             550
impressis dociles terram proscindere aratris,
duxere adsuetos lustra exagitare ferarum
uenatu iuuenes, quos dat Maurusia praeda.
necnon argenti necnon insignia uestis
captiuae pretia et sonipes et crista nitenti             555
insurgens cono, spolia exuuiaeque Libyssae.
      Tum iaculo petiere decus, spectacula circi
postrema, et metae certarunt uincere finem
Burnus auis pollens, quem misit ripa ~metalli
qua Tagus auriferis pallet turbatus harenis,             560
et Glagus insignis uentos anteire lacerto,
et, cuius numquam fugisse hastilia cerui
praerapida potuere fuga, uenator Aconteus,
Indibilisque, diu laetus bellare Latinis,
iam socius, uolucresque uagas deprendere nube             565
adsuetus iaculis, idem et bellator, Ilerdes.

they led steers, trained to furrow the earth with pressed-in ploughs,             550
they led youths accustomed to harry the lairs of wild beasts
by hunting, such as Maurusian prey supplies. And likewise prizes
of silver, and badges of captive clothing, and a courser,
and a crest rising on a gleaming cone, spoils and Libyan exuviae.
      Then with the javelin they sought glory, the final spectacles
of the circus, and they strove to overtake the end of the turning-post—
Burnus, strong in ancestry, whom the bank of ~metalli sent,
where the Tagus, gold-bearing, grows pale, troubled with golden sands,             560
and Glagus, eminent for outstripping the winds by arm-power,
and Aconteus the hunter, whose spear-shafts stags could never
escape by most-swift flight, and Indibilis, long glad to wage war
upon the Latins, now an ally, and the Ilerdan, accustomed
with javelins to catch wandering birds in a cloud—likewise a warrior.

laus Burni prima, infixit qui spicula metae:
est donum serua albentis inuertere lanas
murice Gaetulo docta. at, quem proxima honorant
praemia, uicinam metae qui propulit hastam, 570
accepto laetus puero discessit Ilerdes,
cui ludus nullam cursu non tollere dammam.
tertia palma habuit geminos insignis Aconteus
nec timidos agitare canes latratibus aprum.

first praise was Burnus’s, who fixed the darts in the meta:
the gift is a maidservant skilled to turn white fleeces
with Gaetulian murex. But he whom the next prizes honor,
who drove his spear near the meta, 570
Ilerdes departed happy with the boy received,
for whom it is play to carry off any doe by speed. The third palm notable Aconteus
won—a twin pair of hounds—and he is not afraid to set the dogs
to harry the boar with their barkings.

      Quos postquam clamor plaususque probauit honores,             575
germanus ducis atque effulgens Laelius ostro
nomina magna uocant laeti manesque iacentum
atque hastas simul effundunt. celebrare iuuabat
sacratos cineres atque hoc decus addere ludis.
ipse etiam mentis testatus gaudia uultu             580
ductor, ut aequauit meritis pia pectora donis,
et frater thoraca tulit multiplicis auri,
Laelius Asturica rapidos de gente iugales,
contorquet magnis uictricem uiribus hastam
consurgens umbrisque dari testatur honorem.             585
hasta uolans, mirum dictu, medio incita campo
substitit ante oculos et terrae infixa cohaesit.

      After the shout and applause had approved those honors,             575
the leader’s brother and Laelius, effulgent in purple,
joyful, call great names and at once invoke the shades of the fallen
and let fly their spears. It was a pleasure to celebrate
the consecrated ashes and to add this honor to the games.
the commander himself too, attesting with his countenance the joys of his mind,             580
when he equalled pious hearts with rewards to match their merits,
both the brother carried off a cuirass of manifold gold,
Laelius a rapid yoke-team from the Asturian race;
he hurls with great strength the conquering spear,
rising up, and declares that the honor is given to the shades.             585
The flying spear, marvellous to say, sped in mid-field,
halted before their eyes and, fixed in the earth, stuck fast.

tum subitae frondes celsoque cacumine rami
et latam spargens quercus, dum nascitur, umbram.
ad maiora iubent praesagi tendere uates: 590
id monstrare deos atque hoc portendere signis.
Quo super augurio, pulsis de litore cunctis
Hesperio Poenis, ultor patriaeque domusque
Ausoniam repetit Fama ducente triumphum.

then sudden fronds and branches on the lofty summit,
and, while it is being born, an oak scattering broad shade.
the presaging vates bid him aim for greater things: 590
that the gods show this and portend it by these signs.
Upon this augury besides, with all the Hesperian Punics driven from the shore,
the avenger of country and house
makes for Ausonia again, with Fame leading, in triumph.

nec Latium curis ardet flagrantius ullis,             595
quam iuueni Libyam et summos permittere fasces.
sed non par animis nec bello prospera turba
ancipiti senior temeraria coepta uetabant
magnosque horrebant cauta formidine casus.
      Ergo, ubi delato consul sublimis honore             600
ad patres consulta refert deturque potestas
orat delendae Carthaginis, altius orsus
hoc grandaeua modo Fabius pater ora resoluit:
'Haud equidem metuisse queam, satiatus et aeui
et decoris, cui iam superest et gloria et aetas,             605
ne credat nos inuidiae certamine consul
laudibus obtrectare suis.

nor does Latium burn more ardently with any anxieties,             595
than to entrust to the youth Libya and the supreme fasces.
But the party, not equal in spirit nor prosperous in war,
the elders, wavering, forbade rash undertakings
and shuddered at great chances with cautious fear.
      Therefore, when, the honor having been conferred, the consul, exalted,             600
reports measures to the Fathers and power is granted,
he prays for the destruction of Carthage; beginning from a loftier point,
the very aged Fabius the father opened his lips in this manner:
‘I, for my part, could not be thought to have feared—sated with both years
and honors—he to whom both glory and time still remain,             605
lest the consul believe that we, in the contest of envy,
are detracting from his praises.’

satis inclita nomen
gestat fama meum, nec egent tam prospera laude
facta noua. uerum et patriae, dum uita manebit,
deesse nefas animumque nefas scelerare silendo. 610
bella noua in Libyae moliris ducere terras?
hostis enim deest Ausoniae, nec uincere nobis
est satis Hannibalem.

illustrious enough fame bears my name,
nor do new deeds need so prosperous a praise.
but also to the fatherland, while life shall remain,
it is nefas to fail, and nefas to pollute the spirit by keeping silent. 610
are you contriving to lead new wars into the lands of Libya?
for an enemy is lacking to Ausonia, nor is it enough for us to conquer Hannibal.

petitur quae gloria maior
litore Elissaeo? stimuli si laudis agunt nos,
hanc segetem mete. composuit propioribus ausis 615
dignum te Fortuna parem.

what greater glory is sought
on the Elissan shore? if the spurs of praise drive us,
reap this harvest. Fortune has composed for ventures nearer at hand 615
a peer worthy of you.

uult Itala tellus
ductoris saeui, uult tandem, haurire cruorem.
quo Martem aut quo signa trahis? restinguere primum est
ardentem Italiam.

the Italian land wants the cruel leader’s blood, wants at last to drink it.
where are you dragging Mars, or where the standards? the first task is to extinguish burning Italy.

tu fessos auius hostis
deseris ac septem denudas proditor arces. 620
an, cum tu Syrtim ac sterilis uastabis harenas,
non dira illa lues notis iam moenibus urbis
adsiliet uacuumque Iouem sine pube, sine armis
inuadet? quanti, ut cedas Romamque relinquas,
emerit! et tanto percussi fulmine belli 625
sicine te, ut nuper Capua est accitus ab alta
Fuluius, aequoreis Libyae reuocabimus oris?

you, astray from the enemy, abandon the weary and, traitor, strip bare the seven citadels. 620
Or, while you lay waste the Syrtis and the barren sands,
will not that dire pestilence leap upon the now-familiar walls of the City
and assail Jove left empty, without youth, without arms?
For what price, that you yield and leave Rome, has she earned! and we, smitten by so great a thunderbolt of war 625
shall we thus recall you to the sea-washed shores of Libya,
as lately from lofty Capua Fulvius was summoned?

uince domi et trinis maerentem funera lustris
Ausoniam purga bello. tum tende remotos
in Garamantas iter Nasamoniacosque triumphos 630
molire. angustae prohibent nunc talia coepta
res Italae.

Conquer at home, and purge Ausonia, mourning funerals for three lustra (15 years), by war. Then aim your path to the remote Garamantes and set in motion Nasamonian triumphs 630
undertake them. Pressing Italian affairs forbid such beginnings
now.

pater ille tuus, qui nomina uestrae
addidit haud segnis genti, cum consul Hiberi
tenderet ad ripas, reuocato milite primus
descendenti auide superatis Alpibus ultro 635
opposuit sese Hannibali. tu consul abire
a uictore paras hoste atque auellere nobis
scilicet hoc astu Poenum? si deinde sedebit
impauidus nec te in Libyam tuaque arma sequetur,
capta damnabis consulta improuida Roma. 640
sed fac turbatum conuertere signa tuaeque
classis uela sequi.

that father of yours, who added names to your not-sluggish nation,
when, as consul, he was making for the banks of the Hiberus,
with the soldiery recalled, was the first, of his own accord, to set himself in the way
to Hannibal, as he was eagerly descending after the Alps had been overcome. 635
you, as consul, prepare to depart from a victorious foe and to pluck from us,
forsooth, by this stratagem, the Punic man? If then he will sit
undaunted, nor will follow you into Libya and your arms,
you will condemn Rome, captured, for your improvident counsels. 640
but suppose him, thrown into turmoil, to turn his standards and to follow
the sails of your fleet.

nempe idem erit Hannibal, idem
cuius tu uallum uidisti e moenibus urbis.'
haec Fabius, seniorque manus paria ore fremebat.
Tum contra consul: 'Caesis ductoribus olim 645
magnanimis gemino leto, cum tota subisset
Sidonium possessa iugum Tartessia tellus,
non Fabio, non, quis eadem est sententia cordi,
quoquam ad opem uerso, fateor, primoribus annis
excepi nubem belli solusque ruenti 650
obieci caelo caput atque in me omnia uerti.
tum grandaeua manus puero male credita bella
atque idem hic uates temeraria coepta canebat.

Surely it will be the same Hannibal, the same
whose rampart you saw from the city’s walls.'
Thus spoke Fabius, and the elder faction murmured matching things with their lips.
Then the consul in reply: 'With the commanders, magnanimous, once cut down by twin death, 645
when the Tartessian land, possessed, had fallen wholly beneath the Sidonian yoke,
not to Fabius, not—to any whose heart holds the same opinion—
having turned anywhere for help, I confess, in the earliest years
I caught the cloud of war, and alone to the collapsing sky 650
I offered my head, and upon me everything was turned.
then the aged faction was entrusting wars ill to a boy,
and this same prophet was chanting rash undertakings.'

dis grates laudemque fero, sub numine quorum
gens Troiana sumus: puer ille et futtilis aetas 655
imbellesque anni necdum maturus ad arma
Scipio restituit terras inlaesus Hiberas
Troiugenis, pepulit Poenos, solisque secutus
extremas ad Atlanta uias, exegit ab orbe
Hesperio nomen Libyae nec rettulit ~auri 660
signa prius, quam fumantis circa aequora uidit
Romano Phoebum soluentem litore currus.
asciuit reges idem. nunc ultimus actis
restat Carthago nostris labor.

I bear thanks and praise to the gods, under whose divine will
we are the Trojan race: that boy and futile age 655
and unwarlike years, not yet mature for arms,
Scipio, unharmed, restored the Iberian lands
to the Trojan-born, drove the Carthaginians, and, following the sun’s
farthest roads to Atlas, drove from the Hesperian world
the name of Libya, nor did he bring back the standards 660
before he saw Phoebus unyoking his chariot around the steaming
waters at the Roman shore.
he likewise enrolled kings. Now, last among the deeds performed,
Carthage remains our labor.

hoc sator aeui
Iuppiter aeterni monet. Hannibali ecce senectus 665
intremit aut aegros simulat mentita timores,
ne finem longis tandem peperisse ruinis
sit noster titulus. certe iam dextera nobis
experta, et robur florentibus auximus annis.

this the begetter of the eternal age, Jupiter, admonishes. Behold, for Hannibal old age 665
trembles, or, feigning, he puts on sickly fears,
lest our title be to have at last brought forth an end to long ruins.
surely already our right hand is tried, and we have increased our strength in flourishing years.

ne uero fabricate moras, sed currere sortem 670
hanc sinite ad ueterum delenda opprobria cladum
quam mihi serua<ue>re dei. sat gloria cauto
non uinci pulchra est Fabio, peperitque sedendo
omnia Cunctator. nobis nec Mago nec Hannon
nec Gisgone satus nec Hamilcare terga dedisset, 675
si segnes clauso traheremus proelia uallo.

do not indeed fabricate delays, but allow this lot to run 670
to delete the opprobria of ancient disasters, which the gods have reserved for me.
fair enough is the glory for the cautious Fabius—not to be conquered—and by sitting
the Delayer brought forth everything. for us neither Mago nor Hanno
nor one begotten of Gisgo nor of Hamilcar would have turned their backs, 675
if we were dragging out the battles, sluggish, behind a closed rampart.

Sidoniusne puer uix pubescente iuuenta
Laurentis potuit populos et Troia adire
moenia flauentemque sacro cum gurgite Thybrim
et potuit Latium longo depascere bello: 680
nos Libyae terris tramittere signa pigebit
et Tyrias agitare domos? secura pericli
litora lata patent, et opima pace quieta
stat tellus. timeat tandem Carthago timeri
adsueta, et nobis, quamuis Oenotria nondum 685
Hannibale arua uacent, superesse intellegat arma.

Could the Sidonian boy, with youth scarcely pubescent,
reach the Laurentian peoples and the walls of Troy,
and the Tiber, blond with its sacred surge,
and could he graze down Latium with long war: 680
shall we be loath to carry our standards across the lands of Libya
and to agitate the Tyrian homes? The shores, secure from peril,
lie broad, and the land stands at rest in opulent peace.
Let Carthage at last fear to be feared—long used to being feared—
and let her understand that for us, although Oenotria’s fields do not yet 685
lie empty of Hannibal, arms remain in reserve.

illum ego, quem uosmet cauti consultaque uestra
in Latio fecere senem, cui tertia large
fundenti nostrum ducuntur lustra cruorem,
illum ego ad incensas trepidantem et sera pauentem             690
aduertam patriae sedes. an Roma uidebit
turpia Agenoreae muris uestigia dextrae:
Carthago immunis nostros secura labores
audiet interea et portis bellabit apertis?
tum uero pulset nostras iterum improbus hostis             695
ariete Sidonio turris, si templa suorum
non ante audierit Rutulis crepitantia flammis.'
      Talibus accensi patres, fatoque uocante,
consulis adnuerunt dictis, faustumque precati
ut foret Ausoniae, tramittere bella dederunt.

that man I, whom you yourselves, cautious, and your counsels
have made to grow old in Latium, for whom a third lustrum is being
drawn out while he lavishly pours our blood— that man I, trembling
and fearing too late, will turn toward the blazing seats of his fatherland.             690
Or will Rome behold on her walls the shameful traces
of the Agenorean right hand? Will Carthage, scot-free,
heedless, meanwhile hear of our labors and wage war with her gates
thrown open? Then indeed let the shameless enemy once more batter our towers             695
with a Sidonian ram, if he shall not first have heard his own temples
crackling with Rutulian flames.'
      Inflamed by such words, and with fate calling,
the Fathers assented to the consul’s words, and, praying
that it might be auspicious for Ausonia, they granted to transfer the war.