Prelection Aeneid Book I Page 1
1. Note que on virumque where it connects equal things. What?
1. Trojae is a gen. Going with what noun?
1. Note oris is not from os, oris n. mouth; but is from ora, orae
2. profugus, jactatus (3) and passus (5) all modify qui (1).
3. litora is explained in notes at bottom of page; READ THEM!
3. Note et . . . et which connects equal things = both . . . and
4. vi is declined on page 305 and you should look up its meaning in the dictionary. Note how it differs from the word vir, viri.
4. superum is explained in the notes and this kind of syncopated genitive is common in Vergil.
4. Note which words modify which words gramatically and which go with which in sense. Can iram really be described as memorem?
5. What is the first principal part of passus? A good verb to learn, very common in Vergil.
5. Note unusual meaning of dum; normally while, here it is until.
5. Tense of conderet? Think!
6. Latio – for the case of dative and ablatives always check your verb.
6. unde here in the sense of from where and it introduces a relative clause.
6-7. Think about the progression in the three nouns of genus, patres, moenia.
7. Note that altae modifies Romae. What does that suggest? Also think back to the last comment on line four.
8. Musa is here a vocative; that is why it is set off by a comma.
8. memora is a verb, and Musa should help you figure out the mood.
8. The note on quo numine laeso is good and means that you should take it as parallel with the I. Q. that follows.
9. tot is an indeclinable (always has the same form, and it is plural). What word does it go with?
10. pietate depends on what word? That will help explain the reason. Note its position between insignem and virum.
11. What tense is impulerit? Think!
11. Note that in last sentence there is no verb. The notes do help, when you read them.
11. Also note what words go with what words. Are endings wonderful or what?
12. tenuere is explained in notes, but you should recognize it; note the understood object is urbem.
13. Carthago, Carthaginis (f.) is a city in N. Africa. Notre that it is in apposition to urbs, and modified by dives (14)and asperrima (14); it is also the antecedent of quam (15).
15. fertur is best translated here as is said; now you should look for an infinitive.
15. Note that unam goes with quam and is juxtaposed with omnibus.
16. How can posthabita agree with Samo? Isn’t Samos an island? I get it. Do you?
16. coluisse is what form? Check back to fertur in 15.
16. What case is illius? Perhaps a check of page 308 might help and check the footnote on page 307.
17. hoc regnum gentibus esse is ind. Statement depending on tenditque fovetque (18), which verbs have dea as their subject.
18. si qua equals si aliqua; note the long mark (also called a macron) over the a. That makes it an ablative or, as here, an adverb. It is just an ablative of manner that has become frozen (used so much that it became an adverb).
19. sed enim is a very strong but.
19. duci is nicely explained in the notes. What conjugation?
20. audierat should have a v after the i; however, if the v were present, then the i would be a long and Vergil could not have that in this meter. Therefore he uses an old, syncopated form.
20. arcis is that archaic accusative that has -is instead of –es, just to confuse you. Would the fact that Vergil is writing about ancient times and mythological events make him want to use archaic language?
21-22. The indirect statement continues; note that venturum (22) is the future infinitive with esse left out.
21. bello is dependenton what word for its case? Which gives what reason, therefore?
22. Note the explanations of excidio and Libyae in the notes.
22. Note that the indirect statement has one final gasp here. The note on the Parcae is worth highlighting.
23-32 A long and tough sentence; don’t get lost.
23. Saturnia is the subject of the sentence; modified by metuens (22) and accensa (29), which resumes the sentence after the parentheses.
23. Note which words go with which.
24. quod intros a relative clause; the antecedent of quod is belli (23); prima modifies the feminine subject of gesserat, which is of course Juno. What is gesserat from? This is a good verb to learn. Note the different meanings it has, all depending on the object that it takes.
25. Note that the verb (in line 26) has two subjects in this line.
26. Anyone not recognize the tense of exciderant?
27. Tense of manet? This verb has several subjects (judicium, injuria (27),genus, honores (28). Note that repostum (26) modifies judicium, although it really goes with all the others as well. The four subjects are explained somewhat in the notes, but more will be said in class. Take notes then.
29. What is his? From hic, haec, hoc? Really? What case? What word does it depend on for its case? Does that give us an idea about the reason?
29. super is an adverb here. What does it mean then?
30. Troas is the object of the verb that goes with Saturnia from line 23. The verb is arcebat (31). Also note that jactatos (29) modifies Troas and that relliquias . . . Achilli (30) is in apposition.
32. errabant has a different subject; it is the understoof word Troes, which is modified by acti Fatis (32).
32. Note the footnote on anastrophe. Check your list of figures.
33. This is a gnomic line (to be explained in class). This is a major line and in effect is the theme of the entire Aeneid.
Note how in this passage Vergil brought back numerous key words from the first eleven lines: (memora/memor; bello/belli; Trojae/Trojam; Latinum/Latio; jactatus/jactatos; gentem, genus/genus; multum, multa/multos; animis/ animo; alto, altae/alta; saevae/saevi; irae/irarum; Romae/Romanum; fato/fatis; conderet/ condere; primus/prima; causas/causae; Tantae/Tantae.
34. in with the accusative often has the sense of towards, onto.
35. laeti modifies the understood subject. Do read the notes.
36. Note that Juno, Junonis is a third declension noun. How do you translate cum?
36. What word does aeternum modify?
37. For haec secum, the note is accurate and worth remembering
37. This infinitive of exclamation comes up one more time.
37. Note that victam modifies the me that is the first half of mene (the –ne part simply makes the rest a question.
38. Which infinitive should you translate first? What noun does Teucrorum go with?
38. Italia has a macron over the final a; therefor look to the verb for its C+R. What verb? What is the C+R?
39. Quippe is a word that indicates irony or sarcasm on the part of the speaker. Do not use forsooth. How would you translate this sentence and indicate sarcasm?
39. The –ne on the end of Pallasne sure looks familiar.
40. ponto sure could be another C+R from what is explained in the notes. What?
41. Note what words go together. Remember when you looked up illius on line 16? Does unius ring a bell?
43. Note the –que on each verb; translate both . . . and.
43. ratis - our old friend, the arcahic accusative.
44. flammasis clearly acc., but what verb does it go with?
45. Which explanation do you think is best for scopulo? Check the notes.
46. ego – Who is the speaker? Just a reminder.
46. Ast is called an early form, which means it is archaic.
48. bella gero recalls gesserat (22) and is the same idiom. Remember, there are other meanings for gero.
48-49. Note that the two verbs are two different tenses. What is the speaker saying?
49. supplex is in apposition to quisquam (48), which continues as the subject; translate as a suppliant.
49. aris – Check the notes for the C+R. Which is the better choice?
What do we learn about Juno from this passage? What kind of argument/logic does she use in lines 39-45? What fear does she express in 48-49? What impression does the intelligent reader (that is YOU) form about Juno on the basis of this passage?
50. Talia is from talis, tale (page 306, bottom left), but is used here as a substantive (adj. used as noun). What case? Why?
50. Who is the dea? What case? Any words modifying dea?
51. Note how the punctuation (commas) makes clear what goes with what. loca . . . Austris seems to be in apposition with patriam, which is further explained by Aeoliam (52).
52. What words go with what? Does it help you visualize the scene.
52. Note the macron on Hic. What does that make the word mean?
53. If all the words are the same case, what case are they? Why? Explain luctantis.
54. Where is the subject of premit? What case is imperio? How does it go with the verb?
54. Look up frenum in the dictionary to understand the verb frenat.
54. Notice how et connects equal things, which tells you both words on either side are in the same case. Which? How do they go with the verb?
55. Illi is used here as a pronoun. What is the antecedent?
55. montis is nicely placed, suggesting that it goes with murmure or with claustra in the next line.
56. fremunt is worth looking up and noting that for the Romans this was an onomatopoetic word.
57. iras is part of line 57
58. faciat is what tense? CLUE: -iat.
58. maria is declined like a neuter 3rd declension adj. (Page 306, bottom left).
59. quippe is here used to insist that the statement is true, without sarcasm or irony; stating that the truth is crystal-clear.
59. ferant, verrant are explained in the notes. Think faciat.
59. rapidi is an adj. without a noun (another substantive), What word is understood with it. What has been discussed here that could be described as swift, rapid, etc.
60. speluncis is called abl. P.I.W. inm notes, but since the verb is ab-do (which is do, dare, dedi, datus), could it not also be considered dat. I.O.? English word from speluncis?
61. insuper is an adverb here, meaning what? Read the notes on the rest of the line. Good stuff.
62. foedere certo is best explained as an ablative of accordance. What do you think that this means? What other words would you expect to see with this C+R?
63. sciret is used here in the sense of know how to, which explains the infinitives nicely.
63. laxas is quite far from the word it modifies. Think this was done on purpose?
63. jussus is key here. What case? Modifying what? How to translate it best? Remember that it is from jubeo, that it is a participle.
64. quem is the correlative or connecting relative pronoun. What is its antecedent?
64. usa est is clearly the verb. What is the first principal part? This is a verb worth learning, being used over 50 times in what we will read this year and next.
65. Note how the words are arranged in this line. What declension is hominum?
66. dedit had the sense of give the power to, which explains the infinitives. Remember that infinitives are nouns and here are the direct objects of dedit. What is the D.O. of tollere? I hope your answer is not vento, which clearly depends on tollere in another way. What way?
67. mihi depends on inimica, which makes the pronoun what C+R?
68. portans modifies what word in the preceding line? How many D.O.s does it take here?
68. How does Ilium relate to the opening theme? Look at lines 5-7 again.
69-70. incute, obrue, age, disjice are all what form? Read all the notes in the book.
69. puppis is what case? Note that it is modified by submersas.
70. diversos is what gender? What noun is understood with this substantive?
71. bis septem is indeclinable. What is the only noun that it can go with?
72. The note at the bottom of the page is very good. Read carefully and we will discuss any questions in class.
72. quarum is what C+R if it depends on unam, the understood object of jungam (73)?
72. forma has a macron on the last letter. What word does it depend on? Does this help with the C+R?
72. Deiopea has macrons over each e. How many syllables in this name?
73. stabili is like what other Latin word. What declension? What part of speech?
74. ut intros three different subjunctive clauses. What are they? Which one here? Why?
74. annos is accusative. What is the verb? Does it need an object or is annos acc. D.O.T.?
75. Note what words go with what words and translate them that way.
76. Based on the note, what case is haec? contra is an adverb here, meaning in reply.
76. Tuus is an adjective. What noun does it go with?
76. quid optes is a clause. What kind? Look up opto and find what conjugation, which should tell you the temse, mood, and voice of the verb. quid is also a good clue, as is explorare.
77. –esso as an ending for a verb means that one does the action of the stem (here from capio, capere, cepi, captus) with enthusiasm. We will see this several times and it is worth filing away in your brain.
78. Each tu is the subject of concilias (79). You should look up the meaning of this verb, think of English derivatives, note the different direct objects, and perhaps translate the verb differently with each object. This is what a zeugma requires.
78. sceptra Jovemque is not a hendiadys. Why not? Think of what concilias means.
79. das is from do and has the same sense as dedit (66); note the infinitive.
80. tempestatum is explained in the notes, but what is the nominative and genitive singular?
81. The note says supply sunt with dicta. What case is haec then?
81. Note what words go together. Can conversa cuspide be anything besides Abl. Abs.
82. agmine – This is a good time to look up the word; recognize that the suffix ending –men makes it neuter and an abstraction (of sorts) while the stem ag- is from ago, agere, egi, actus. Other words like this are flumen, gramen, etc.
83. qua – note the macron on a and realize that this is the adverb equivalent to an ablative of route or P.I.W.
83. ruunt – vocab gives meaning as rush forth, in line 85, same word, the meaning is upturn, upheave, overturn. What is the difference and how cam one word have such different meanings? The answer lies in the fact that the first is INTRANSITIVE, which means that it takes no Direct Object; the second is TRANSITIVE, which means, surprise, that it does take a direct object. You might like to think about the Latin roots of in-trans-it-ive (the last three letters are not important.
84. incubuere – What are the letters that come before –ere and indicate a syncopated perfect? Is u one?
84. mari – given what we said about the declension of mare before and the verb here, guess at the C+R.
85. una with a macron on a is an adverb meaning together, at the same time. We will see it a great deal, so you had better learn it now and avoid the confusion with unus, una, unum. You should recognize another ablative that has frozen and been adapted to an adverb.
85. Yes, you should know which wind is which.
85. procellis depends on what word for its case? What reason therefore follows?
86. fluctus is what declencion? Lots of nouns in this declension have verb stems (adventus, spiritus, etc.)
87. Note the arrangement of words here. Note also that stridor was for the Romans an onomatopoetic word, indicating an unpleasant sound, usually grating or shrill, like fingernails on chalk.
87. rudentum – what declension do you think this word is?
88. The –que on the end of the last two word in the indicate that the two are joined as both . . . and.
89. incubat is not the same word as seen in line 84. But they do have the same prefix.
90. Intonuere - What are the letters that come before –ere and indicate a syncopated perfect? Is u one? Am I repeating myself? Do these things keep coming up? Are they worth learning?
91. omnia is the original word on Page 306, bottom left; here it is a substantive. The case is indicated by the presence of the word mortem. Think.
92. Aeneae is the genitive, going with what noun?
93. Name the subject of ingemit, another word that the Romans found onomatopoetic.
93. duplicis modifies what word in this line? Therefore it is called what?
94. Talia – here we are back with another substantive, just as in line 50.
94. The use of the interjection O suggest what case for beati and what figure of speech?
95. quis is an archaic form of the dative, from the days when qui, quae, quod was more regular and like second declension adjectives.
96. oppetere – usually found with mortem, this is a common Latin way of saying meet death, die.
96. Another O. Where is the vocative?
96. If gentis depends on fortissime, what is its C+R?
97-98. Mene – Let us look back at line 37, where many parallels with this sentence can be seen. Remember –ne, which makes for a question? Remember infinitive of exclamation? Which infinitive is that here? Think.
98. What words go with which? Translate them that way.
99-100. Remember that anaphora is a sign of parallel construction and that words in one clause can be used in another.