High on an hundred pillars stood that mighty house and fair,170
High in the burg, the dwelling-place Laurentian Picus won,
Awful with woods, and worshipping of sires of time agone:
Here was it wont for kings to take the sceptre in their hand,
Here first to raise the axe of doom: 'twas court-house of the land,
This temple, and the banquet-hall; here when the host was slain
The fathers at the endlong boards would sit the feast to gain.
There too were dight in cedar old the sires of ancient line
For there was fashioned Italus, and he who set the vine,
Sabinus, holding yet in hand the image of the hook;
And Saturn old, and imaging of Janus' double look,180
Stood in the porch; and many a king was there from ancient tide,
Who in their country's battle erst the wounds of Mars would bide:
And therewithal were many arms hung on the holy door.
There hung the axes crookèd-horned, and taken wains of war,
And crested helms, and bolts and locks that city-gates had borne;
And spears and shields, and thrusting-beaks from ships of battle torn.
There with Quirinus' crooked staff, girt in the shortened gown,
With target in his left hand held, was Picus set adown,—
The horse-tamer, whom Circe fair, caught with desire erewhile,
Smote with that golden rod of hers, and, sprinkling venom's guile,190
Made him a fowl, and colours fair blent on his shifting wings.
In such a temple of the Gods, in such a house of kings,
Latinus sat when he had called those Teucrian fellows in,
And from his quiet mouth and grave such converse did begin:
"What seek ye, sons of Dardanus? for not unknown to me
Is that your city or your blood; and how ye crossed the sea,
That have I heard. But these your ships, what counsel or what lack
Hath borne them to Ausonian strand o'er all the blue sea's back?
If ye have strayed from out your course, or, driven by stormy tide
(For such things oft upon the sea must seafarers abide),200
Have entered these our river-banks in haven safe to lie,
Flee not our welcome, nor unknown the Latin folk pass by;
The seed of Saturn, bound to right by neither law nor chain,
But freely following in the ways whereof the God was fain.
Yea now indeed I mind a tale, though now with years outworn,
How elders of Aurunce said that mid these fields was born
That Dardanus, who reached at last the Phrygian Ida's walls,
And Thracian Samos, that the world now Samothracia calls:
From Tuscan stead of Corythus he went upon his ways;
Whose throne is set in golden heaven, the star-besprinkled place,210
Who adds one other to the tale of altared deities."
He ended, but Ilioneus followed in words like these:
"O king, O glorious Faunus' child, no storm upon the main
Drave us amid the drift of waves your country coast to gain;
And neither star nor strand made blind the region of our road;
But we by counsel and free will have sought out thine abode,
Outcast from such a realm as once was deemed the mightiest
The Sun beheld, as o'er the heaven she ran from east to west.
Jove is the well-spring of our race; the Dardan children joy
In Jove for father; yea, our king, Æneas out of Troy,220
Who sends us to thy door, himself is of the Highest's seed.
How great a tempest was let loose o'er our Idæan mead,
From dire Mycenæ Sent; what fate drave either clashing world,
Europe and Asia, till the war each against each they hurled,
His ears have heard, who dwells afar upon the land alone
That ocean beats; and his no less the bondman of the zone,
That midmost lieth of the four, by cruel sun-blaze worn.
Lo, from that flood we come to thee, o'er waste of waters borne,
Praying a strip of harmless shore our House-Gods' home to be,
And grace of water and of air to all men lying free.230
We shall not foul our land's renown; and thou, thy glory fair
We know, and plenteous fruit of thanks this deed of thine shall bear:
Nor ever may embrace of Troy Ausonia's soul despite.
Now by Æneas' fates I swear, and by his hand of might,
Whether in troth it hath been tried, or mid the hosts of war,
That many folks—yea, scorn us not that willingly we bore
These fillets in our hands today with words beseeching peace—
That many lands have longed for us, and yearned for our increase.
But fate of Gods and Gods' command would ever drive us home
To this your land: this is the place whence Dardanus was come,240
And hither now he comes again: full sore Apollo drave
To Tuscan Tiber, and the place of dread Numicius' wave.
Moreover, here some little gifts of early days of joy
Giveth our king, a handful gleaned from burning-tide of Troy:
Anchises at the altar erst would pour from out this gold;
This was the gear that Priam used when in the guise of old
He gave his gathered folk the law; sceptre, and holy crown,
And weed the work of Ilian wives."
Now while Ilioneus so spake Latinus held his face,
Musing and steadfast, on the ground setting his downcast gaze,250
Rolling his eyes all thought-fulfilled; nor did the broidered gear
Of purple move the King so much, nor Priam's sceptre fair,
As on his daughter's bridal bed the thoughts in him had rest,
For ancient Faunus' fateful word he turned within his breast.
Here was the son, the fate-foretold, the outland wanderer,
Called on by equal doom of God the equal throne to share;
He from whose loins those glorious sons of valour should come forth
To take the whole world for their own by utter might of worth.
At last he spake out joyfully: "God grace our deed begun,
And his own bidding! man of Troy, thine asking shall be done:260
I take your gifts: nought shall ye lack from King Latinus' hand,
Riches of Troy, nor health and wealth of fat and fruitful land.
But let Æneas come himself if he so yearn for me,
If he be eager for our house, and would our fellow be;
Nor let him fear to look upon friends' faces close anigh,
Part of the peace-troth shall be this, my hand in his to lie.
And now bear back unto your king this bidding that I send:
I have a daughter; her indeed with countryman to blend
The answers of my father's house forbid, and many a sign
Sent down from heaven: from over sea comes one to wed our line;270
They say this bideth Latin Land; a man to raise our blood
Up to the very stars of heaven: that this is he fate would,
I think, yea hope, if any whit my heart herein avail."
He spake, and bade choose horses out from all his noble tale,
Whereof three hundred sleek and fair stood in the stables high:
These biddeth he for Teucrian men be led forth presently,
Wing-footed purple-bearing beasts, with pictures o'er them flung
Of woven stuff, and, on their breasts are golden collars hung:
Gold-housed are they, and champ in teeth the yellow-golden chain
But to Æneas, absent thence, a car and yoke-beasts twain280
He sends: the seed of heaven are they, and breathing very fire,
The blood of those that Circe stole when she beguiled her sire,
That crafty mistress, winning them, bastards, from earthy mare.
So back again Æneas' folk high on their horses fare,
Bearing Latinus' gifts and words, and all the tale of peace.
But lo, where great Jove's bitter wife comes from the town of Greece,
From Argos wrought of Inachus, and holds the airy way.
Far off she sees Æneas' joy, and where the ship-host lay
Of Dardans: yea from Sicily and far Pachynus head
She seeth him on earth at last and raising roofèd stead,290
And all the ships void: fixed she stood, smit through with bitter wrath,
And shook her head: then from her breast the angry words came forth:
"Ah, hated race! Ah, Phrygian fates that shear my fates atwain!
Was there no dead man's place for you on that Sigean plain?
Had ye no might to wend as slaves? gave Troy so poor a flame
To burn her men, that through the fire and through the swords ye came?
I think at last my godhead's might is wearied and gone by,
That I have drunk enough of hate, and now at rest may lie:— I,
who had heart to follow up those outcasts from their land,
And as they fled o'er all the sea still in their path would stand.300
Against these Teucrians sea and sky have spent their strength for nought:
Was Syrtes aught, or Scylla aught, or huge Charybdis aught?
Lo now the longed-for Tiber's breast that nation cherisheth
Safe from the deep and safe from me: while Mars might do to death
Those huge-wrought folk of Lapithæ: the very Father-God
Gave up the ancient Calydon to Dian's wrath and rod.
What was the guilt of Lapithæ? what crime wrought Calydon?
But I, the mighty spouse of Jove, who nought have left undone
My evil hap might compass, I who ran through all craft's tale
Am vanquished of Æneas now. But if of no avail310
My godhead be, I will not spare to pray what is of might,
Since Heaven I move not, needs must I let loose the Nether Night.
Ah! say it is not fated me the Latin realm to ban,
Lavinia must be fated wife of this same Trojan man,
Yet may I draw out time at least, and those great things delay;
At least may I for either king an host of people slay:
For father and for son-in-law shall plenteous price be paid,
With Trojan and Rutulian blood shalt thou be dowered, O maid;
Bellona's self shall bridal thee; not Cisseus' seed alone
Was big with brand; not she alone with wedding-ring has shone:320
Yea, and this too is Venus' child; another Paris comes
To kindle deadly torch again in new-born Trojan homes."
So spake she terrible, and sank into the earth below,
Yea to the nether night, and stirred Alecto, forge of woe,
From the dread Goddesses' abode: sad wars she loveth well,
And murderous wrath, and lurking guile, and evil deeds and fell:
E'en Pluto loathes her; yea, e'en they of that Tartarean place,
Her sisters, hate her: sure she hath as many a changing face,
As many a cruel body's form, as her black snakes put forth.
To whom in such wise Juno spake and whetted on her wrath:330
"Win me a work after thine heart, O Virgin of the night,
Lest all my fame, unstained of old, my glory won aright,
Give place: lest there Æneas' sons Latinus overcome
By wedlock, and in Italy set up their house and home:
Thou, who the brothers of one heart canst raise up each 'gainst each,
And overturn men's homes with hate, and through the house-walls' breach
Bear in the stroke and deadly brand—a thousand names hast thou,—
A thousand arts of ill: Stir up thy fruitful bosom now;
Be render of the plighted peace; of war-seed be the sower;339
That men may yearn for arms, and ask, and snatch in one same hour."