THE ENEIS. BOOK I. The Argument. The Trojans, after a seven years' voyage, set sail for Italy, but are overtaken by a dreadful storm, which Æolus raises at Juno's request. The tempest sinks one, and scatters the rest. Neptune drives off the winds, and calms the sea. Eneas, with his own ship and six more, arrives safe at an African port. Venus complains to Jupiter of her son's misfortunes. Jupiter comforts her, and sends Mercury to procure him a kind reception among the Carthaginians. Eneas, going out to discover the country, meets his mother in the shape of a huntress, who conveys him in a cloud to Carthage, where he sees his friends whom he thought lost, and receives a kind entertainment from the queen. Dido, by a device of Venus, begins to have a passion for him, and, after some discourse with him, desires the history of his adventures since the siege of Troy, which is the subject of the two following books. ARMS and the man I sing, who, forced by Fate, The Latian realm, and built the destined town; His banish'd gods restored to rites divine, O Muse! the causes and the crimes relate; Against the Tiber's mouth, but far away, Stout for the war, and studious for their trade: The grace bestow'd on ravish'd Ganymed, Such time, such toil, required the Roman name, Now scarce the Trojan fleet, with sails and oars, Had left behind the fair Sicilian shores, Entering with cheerful shouts the watery reign, And ploughing frothy furrows in the main; When, labouring still with endless discontent, The queen of heaven did thus her fury vent"Then am I vanquish'd? must I yield? (said she) And must the Trojans reign in Italy? So Fate will have it; and Jove adds his force; Nor can my power divert their happy course. Could angry Pallas, with revengeful spleen, The Grecian navy burn, and drown the men? She, for the fault of one offending foe, The bolts of Jove himself presumed to throw: With whirlwinds from beneath she toss'd the ship, And bare exposed the bosom of the deep: Then as an eagle gripes the trembling gameThe wretch, yet hissing with her father's flame, She strongly seized, and, with a burning wound Transfix'd and naked, on a rock she bound. But I, who walk in awful state above, The majesty of heaven, the sister-wife of Jove, For length of years my fruitless force employ Thus raged the goddess: and, with fury fraught, roll, And heaven would fly before the driving soul. Imposed a king, with arbitrary sway, dress'd, And thus the tenor of her suit express'd— O Eolus! for to thee the king of heaven ad The power of tempests and of winds has given; Thy force alone their fury can restrain, And smooth the waves, or swell the troubled main A race of wandering slaves, abhorr❜d by me, Raise all thy winds: with night involve the skies; Twice seven, the charming daughters of the main, To this the god-" "Tis yours, O queen! to will He said, and hurl'd against the mountain side His quivering spear, and all the god applied. The raging winds rush through the hollow wound, And dance aloft in air, and skim along the ground; Then, settling on the sea, the surges sweep, Raise liquid mountains, and disclose the deep. South, East, and West, with mix'd confusion roar, And roll the foaming billows to the shore. The cables crack; the sailors' fearful cries Ascend; and sable night involves the skies; And heaven itself is ravish'd from their eyes. Loud peals of thunder from the poles ensue; Then flashing fires the transient light renew; |