The Aeneid

by Virgil, E. Fairfax Taylor (Editor)

Overview

When Troy falls at the end of the Trojan War, the Trojan hero Aeneas and his followers embark on a journey to find a new home. After recounting the disastrous end of the war and the Greek ruse of the Trojan Horse, Aeneas and his men struggle against the scheming gods to make their way to Latium, where they intend to build a new home by any means necessary.

Although Virgil died before he could fully complete his epic poem, the first Emperor of Rome, Augustus Caesar, insisted that Aeneid be published. The story of the conquer of Latium, a city-state close to where Rome would one day be founded, served was an important work of propaganda about the heroic origins of the Roman Empire. The Aeneid is often compared to the Greek epic poems Iliad and Odyssey by Homer, as they are written in the same rhyme scheme and cover the same events and themes as Homer’s works.

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Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781607780182
Publisher:	MobileReference
Publication date:	01/01/2010
Series:	Mobi Classics
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	412 KB

About the Author

Virgil (Publius Vergilius Maro) was an ancient Roman poet who wrote during the reign of Augustus, the first Roman emperor. In addition to his epic poem Aeneid, Virgil’s Ecolgues (Bucolics) and Georgics are recognized as major works of Latin literature, and have been studied, adapted, imitated, and copied by later poets and scholars. Virgil’s poetry has also had a lasting influence on Western literature, inspiring countless works including Dante’s Divine Comedy, in which Virgil guides Dante through Hell and Purgatory.

Read an Excerpt

CHAPTER 1

I sing of arms and the man whom fate had sent To exile from the shores of Troy to be The first to come to Lavinium and the coasts Of Italy, and who, because of Juno's Savage implacable rage, was battered by storms At sea, and from the heavens above, and also By tempests of war, until at last he might Bring his household gods to Latium, and build his town,
Can anger like this be, in immortal hearts?

• * *

There was an ancient city known as Carthage
Fearful of this and remembering the old War she had waged at Troy for her dear Greeks,
So formidable the task of founding Rome.

• * *

Sicily was still in sight behind them As, with joyous sails spread out, their brazen prows Sped through the foaming waters, and Juno said,
Thus, burning with resentment, in her mind Turning these matters over and over, the goddess Made her way to the spawning place of storms,
• * *

So Juno said to Aeolus, entreating,
• * *

Having said this, Aeolus takes his spear And with its blunt end bashes open a hole In the hollow mountain's side, and then, at once,
As Aeneas cries out thus, a sudden violent Burst of wind comes crashing against the sails,
• * *

Then Neptune, god of the sea, became aware Of the loud commotion of the waves upsurging From the still foundations down below; and deeply Troubled within raised up his placid face Above the roiling waters and looked across And saw Aeneas's scattered ships and saw The Trojans overpowered by the waves,
• * *

Exhausted by the terrible storm at sea,
There is a long deep inlet there that is A port and shelter in whose mouth an island Breakwater pacifies incoming waves,
His followers get themselves onto the welcome beach,
• * *

Meanwhile Aeneas climbs to a high cliff, so He can look far out, over the open ocean,
"O my companions, O you who have undergone,
The others ready the prizes for the feast to come:
• * *

And now the day was coming to its end.
The father smiled upon her with the look That clears the sky of storms and brings fair weather.
• * *

It is thus he speaks, and sends the son of Maia Down from the place of the gods to make it so That Carthage, with its streets and towers, should open To let the Teucrians in, and so that Dido Would grant them gracious welcome to her lands,

(Continues…)

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Table of Contents

The AeneidAcknowledgements
Introduction

The Aeneid

One: The Trojans reach Carthage
Two: Aeneas' Narration—The Sack of Troy
Three: Aeneas' Narration continued—His Travels
Four: The Tragedy of Dido
Five: The Funeral Games
Six: The Visit to the Underworld
Seven: War in Latium
Eight: The Site of the Future Rome
Nine: Siege of the Trojan Camp
Ten: The Relief and Pitched Battle
Eleven: Councils of War: Pitched Battle Again
Twelve: Decision: the Death of Turnus

List of Variations from the Oxford Text
Glossary of Names
Select Bibliography
Maps
Genealogical Table of the Royal House of Troy and Greece

Editorial Reviews

"Readers of Ahl's well-crafted lines will come face-to-face with the excitement and energy of Virgil's moving original. Fantham's 40-page introduction will enlighten both new readers and old fans; also helpful are the maps of the Roman world, the select bibliography, extensive glossary, index of proper names, and—especially— Ahl's 100 pages of explanatory notes. Highly recommended." —CHOICE

From the Publisher

"Ferry's rendition of The Aeneid has allowed me to look at this epic with fresh eyes and as a result has given me a new enthusiasm and excitement for The Aeneid which I never thought would be possible since I have translated it from the Latin on my own and have read various English versions of it so many times. It is astounding that in 2006, at the age of 82, Ferry undertook the most formidable and difficult work of his career by beginning his translation of The Aeneid. At an age when most literary and academic careers are winding down, Ferry has done his very best and most ambitious work."

Open Letters Monthly

"An outstanding achievement."

Weekly Standard - Susan Kristol

"Ferry's Aeneid can be read with excitement and pleasure."

Washington Post - Michael Dirda

"A marvel throughout. . . . Ferry’s blank verse is as understatedly traditional, and unflashy, as his diction. The whole accumulates into a stately, inevitable force. . . . The advantages of Ferry's version seem obvious to me: regularity of meter, clarity of image, simplicity of language, understatement of the horrific. Throughout, Ferry maintains a coolness even amid the most terrible drama. It is as if he were writing not in our still-Romantic (even if post-Romantic) personal vein, but altogether in another mode: a classical, fatalistic one, to be sure, but also one in which emotion and achievement matter communally."

New York Review of Books

07/01/2017
More than the Iliad and Odyssey of Homer, The Aeneid of the Roman poet Virgil shapes Western literature and cultural identity, our idea of the hero and the nation. National Book Award-winning poet and translator Ferry (emeritus English, Wellesley Univ.; Bewilderment: New Poems and Translations), takes up the Aeneid with engaging results. His previous translations include Horace's Odes and Virgil's Eclogues and Georgics. Virgil's stately but vigorous dactylic hexameter is difficult to render in natural English. Ferry prefers iambic pentameter blank verse to achieve the heroic effects. This translation holds its own with the verse renditions of John Dryden, C. Day Lewis, Allen Mandelbaum, and Robert Fagles. Ferry's diction is accurate in tone and pitch, if not always literal. For closer, word-for-word translations, one should consult those of Elaine Fantham, or the prose versions of H. Rushton Fairclough and David West. The chief criticism is the lack of a glossary of names and places, making it challenging at times for those not familiar with the material to keep up with the array of characters. VERDICT An elegant and fluent version highly recommended for serious general readers.—Thomas L. Cooksey, formerly with Armstrong Atlantic State Univ., Savannah

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