Prooemium Aeneidis Vergilii
I was the one who played, with a slender reed pipe, a song;
And leaving the forests I provoked the neighbouring fields
to yield to the farmers, however eager they were; my singing
work was pleasing to them. But now, [of] the horrendous Martian
weapons, I sing, and the man, the first leaving Trojan coasts,
exiled by fate came to Italy and [to] the Lavinian[1] beaches.
Much was he tossed in the land and much was he tossed in the high-sea
by the Will of the gods and Juno's relentless cruelty;
He suffered much in war, until he could found a City,
bring the gods to the Latium, from where came the Latin people
and the Fathers of Alba, and the ramparts of Rising RΕmΔ.[2]
O Muse, remind me of the causes, by what reasons, what grieving spirit;
Why would the queen of the gods make him roll through so many misfortunes?
Why, unto such [a] pious man, would she force so numerous labours?
Tell me, Muse: Can heavenly hearts harbour so much anger?
This translation tries to preserve the aural dactylic hexameter rhythm of the original poem in Latin (some feet are enjambed).[3]
This translation includes the pre-proemium (lines 1-4), the authenticity of which is under discussion. Its inclusion is an artistic decision.
/La-wee-ni-an/ β©οΈ
rolled 'r' β©οΈ
Full scansion:
ββ’β’|ββ|β/β’β’|ββ|ββ’β’|β //
β|ββ’β’|ββ|ββ|ββ|ββ’β’|β //
β|ββ’β’|ββ’/β’|ββ|ββ’β’|β/β|ββ||
ββ|ββ’β’|β/β|ββ’β’|ββ’β’|ββ||
ββ’β’|ββ’β’|β/β|ββ’β’|ββ|β //
β|ββ|ββ’β’|ββ’β’|ββ’β’|ββ’β’|ββ||
ββ’β’|ββ’β’|β/β|ββ’β’|ββ’β’|ββ||
ββ|ββ’β’|β/β|ββ’β’|ββ|ββ||
ββ’β’|ββ|β/β|ββ’β’|ββ|ββ||
ββ|ββ’β’|ββ’/β’|ββ’β’|ββ|ββ||
ββ|ββ’β’|ββ’/β’|ββ’β’|ββ|ββ||
ββ’β’|ββ’β’|ββ’/β’|ββ’β’|ββ’β’|ββ||
ββ’β’|ββ’β’|β/β|ββ’β’|ββ’β’|ββ||
ββ’β’|ββ’β’|β/β’β’|ββ|ββ’β’|ββ||
ββ|β/β|ββ’β’|ββ|ββ’β’|ββ|| β©οΈ