Authors: Virgil
Dido spoke: ‘Jupiter, to you we pray, since men say that you
ordain the laws of hospitality. Grant that this day may be a day
of happiness for the Tyrians and the men from Troy, and may
our descendants long remember it. Let Bacchus, giver of good
cheer, be among us, and kindly Juno, and you, Tyrians, celebrate
this gathering with welcome in your hearts.’
At these words she poured a libation of wine on the table to
honour the gods, and having poured it, she took it first and just
touched it to her lips. She then passed it to Bitias with a smile
and a challenge. Nothing loth, he took a great draught from the
740 golden bowl foaming to the brim, and bathed himself in wine.
The other leaders of the Carthaginians did the same after him.
Long-haired Iopas, the pupil of mighty Atlas, then sang to his
gilded lyre of the wanderings of the moon and the labours of
the sun, the origin of the human race and of the animals, the
causes of rain and of the fires of heaven, of Arcturus, of
the Hyades, bringers of rain, of the two Triones, the oxen of the
Plough; why the winter suns are so eager to immerse themselves
in the ocean, and what it is that slows down the passage of the
nights. The Tyrians applauded again and again and the Trojans
followed their lead.
So the doomed Dido was drawing out the night with all
manner of talk, drinking long draughts of love as she asked
750 question after question about Priam and Hector, what armour
Memnon, son of the Dawn, was wearing when he came, what
kind of horses did Diomede have, how tall was Achilles. ‘But
no,’ she said, ‘come tell your hosts from the beginning about
the treachery of the Greeks, the sufferings of your people and
your own wanderings, for this is now the seventh summer that
has carried you as a wanderer over every land and sea.’
They all fell silent, gazing at Father Aeneas, and he began to
speak from his raised couch: ‘O queen, the sorrow you bid
me bring to life again is past all words, the destruction by the
Greeks of the wealth of Troy and of the kingdom that will be
mourned for ever, and all the horrors I have seen, and in which
I played a large part. No man could speak of such things and
not weep, none of the Myrmidons of Achilles or the Dolopians
of Neoptolemus, not even a follower of Ulixes, a man not prone
to pity. Besides, the dewy night is already falling fast from the
10 sky and the setting stars are speaking to us of sleep. But if you
have such a great desire to know what we suffered, to hear in
brief about the last agony of Troy, although my mind recoiled
in anguish when you asked and I shudder to remember, I shall
begin:
Year after year the leaders of the Greeks had been broken in
war and denied by the Fates, until, with the aid of the divine
skill of Pallas Athene, they built a horse the size of a mountain,
cutting pine trees to weave into it for ribs. They pretended it
was a votive offering for their safe return to Greece, and that
was the story on men’s lips. Then they chose some men by lot
from their best warriors and shut them up in the darkness of its
20 belly, filling the vast cavern of its womb with armed soldiers.
Within sight of the mainland is the island of Tenedos, famous
in story. While the kingdom of Priam stood, it was rich and
prosperous, but now there is only a bay giving a none too safe
anchorage for ships. The Greeks sailed here and took cover on
its lonely shore. We thought they had left us and sailed for
Mycenae with favouring winds. The whole of Troy then shook
itself free of its long sorrow. The gates were thrown open and
the people went out rejoicing to see the Greek encampment, the
deserted shore and all the places abandoned by the enemy. Here
was the Dolopian camp and here fierce Achilles had his tent.
30 This was where the fleet was drawn up. This was where they
used to fight their battles. Some gazed at the fatal offering to the
virgin goddess Minerva and marvelled at the huge size of the
horse. Thymoetes was the first to urge them to drag it inside
their walls and set it on their citadel, whether it was treachery
that made him speak, or whether the Fates of Troy were already
moving towards that end. But Capys, and those of sounder
judgement, did not trust this offering. They thought it was some
trick of the Greeks and should be thrown into the sea, or set fire
to and burned, or that they should bore holes in its hollow belly
and probe for hiding places. The people were uncertain and
their passions were divided.
40 Then suddenly at the head of a great throng Laocoon came
running down in a blaze of fury from the heights of the citadel,
shouting from a distance as he came: ‘O you poor fools! Are
you out of your minds, you Trojans? Do you seriously believe
that your enemies have sailed away? Do you imagine Greeks
ever give gifts without some devious purpose? Is this all you
know about Ulixes? I tell you there are Greeks hiding in here,
shut up in all this wood, or else it is a siege engine designed for
use against our walls, to spy on our homes and come down on
the city from above, or else there is some other trick we cannot
see. Do not trust the horse, Trojans. Whatever it is, I am afraid
of Greeks, even when they bear gifts.’
50 With these words he threw a great spear with all his strength
into the beast’s side, into the curved timbers of its belly. It stuck
there vibrating, the creature’s womb quivered and the hollow
caverns boomed and groaned. If divine Fate, if the minds of the
gods had not been set against us, Laocoon would surely have
forced us to tear open the hiding places of the Greeks with our
swords, Troy would still be standing and the high citadel of
Priam would still be in its place.
While this was going on, there was a sudden outcry, and some
Trojan shepherds came before the king, dragging a man with
his hands tied behind his back. They knew nothing about him.
60 They had come upon him and he had given himself up. This was
all part of his scheme. His purpose was to open Troy to the
Greeks. He knew exactly what he wanted to do, and he was
ready for either outcome, to spin his web or to meet certain
death if he failed. In their eagerness to see the prisoner, Trojan
soldiers came running up from all sides, and gathered round to
join in jeering at him. Listen now to this story of Greek treachery,
and from this one indictment, learn the ways of a whole people.
Dishevelled and defenceless, he stood there with every eye upon
him, looking all round him at the warriors of Troy, and said
70 with a great sigh: ‘There is nowhere for me now on sea or land.
There is nothing left for a man like me, who has no place among
the Greeks, and now here are my enemies the Trojans, baying
for my blood.’
He groaned. We had a change of heart, and all our passions
were checked. We fell to asking him what his family was, and
what he had come to tell us. We wanted to hear why he had
allowed himself to be taken prisoner.
‘O king Priam,’ he replied, ‘I am the sort of man who will
confess the whole truth to you, whatever it may be. First of all,
80 I am a Greek from Argos, and I will not deny it. Fortune may
have made Sinon an object of pity, but for all her malice, she
will never make him a cheat or a liar. You may perhaps have
heard tell of the name of Palamedes, son of Belus, and the great
glory that was his. Although he was innocent, false information
was infamously laid against him. His offence was that he
objected to the war, and the Greeks put him to death. They
murdered him and now they mourn him. This Palamedes was
my comrade and my kinsman. My father was a poor man, and
sent me here to the war to be with him from my earliest years.
While Palamedes was secure in his kingship and had authority
90 in the council of the kings, we too had some standing and some
credit. But after he left the shores of this upper world, the victim
of the jealousy of Ulixes and his smooth tongue (you all know
about Ulixes), I was prostrate and dragged out my life in darkness
and grief, brooding to myself over the downfall of my
innocent friend, till, like a madman, I broke my silence and
promised that I would miss no chance of revenge if ever I came
back in victory to our native Argos. My words roused his bitter
hatred. This was my first step on a slippery path. From this
moment on, Ulixes kept me in a constant state of fear by one
new accusation after another. From this moment on he spread
vague rumours about me among the common soldiers. He knew
he was guilty and was looking for weapons to use against me.
100 Nor did he rest until with Calchas the priest as his lackey…
but why do I waste time? Why go over this sordid story to no
purpose? If in your eyes all Greeks are the same, and all you have
to know is that a man is a Greek, then give me my punishment. It
is long overdue. This would please Ulixes, our friend from
Ithaca, and Agamemnon and Menelaus would pay you well
for it.’
By this time we were burning to ask questions and find out
why all this had happened. We had never met villainy on this
scale before. We were not familiar with the arts of Greece. He
went on with his lies, cringing with fear as he spoke:
‘The Greeks have often wanted to make their escape from
here and leave Troy far behind them, abandoning this long and
110 weary war. And oh how I wish they had done so! But again and
again rough seas here kept them in port or the south wind
alarmed them as they were setting sail. And most of all, when
this construction of interwoven maple beams, this horse, was at
last in position here, the black clouds thundered all round the
sky. We were at a loss and sent Eurypylus to consult the oracle
of Phoebus Apollo, and this is the grim response he brought
back from the shrine: “When you Greeks first came to Troy you
killed a virgin and appeased the winds with her blood. With
blood you must find a way to return. You must sacrifice a Greek
120 life.” When this answer came to people’s ears, they did not
know where to turn, and the cold fear ran through the marrow
of their bones. For whom were they to prepare death? Whom
did Apollo want? At this point there was a great uproar, and
the Ithacan dragged out the prophet Calchas into the middle of
us and demanded to know what was the will of the gods. Many
people could detect even then the ruthless hand of the schemer
directed against me. They saw what was to come and held their
peace. For ten days Calchas gave no answer, concealing himself
and refusing to say the word that would betray a man and send
him to his death. But at long last, all according to plan, he
allowed the clamour raised by the Ithacan to force him to break
130 his silence and mark me out for the altar. They all agreed. They
had all been afraid, but now one man was doomed, and this
they could endure.
‘The day of the abomination was soon upon us. The sacred
rites were all prepared for me. The salted meal was sprinkled
and the sacrificial ribbons were round my head. I escaped from
death, I admit it, I broke my bonds, and lay hidden all night in
the reeds of a marsh, waiting for them to set sail, and wondering
if they had. I have no hope now of seeing the land which was
once my home, or my beloved children, or my father whom I
140 have so often longed for. Perhaps they will be punished for my
escape, and wash away this guilt of mine with their own helpless
blood. But I beg of you by the gods who know the truth, by any
honesty that may survive unsullied between men, pity me in my
great suffering. I know in my heart I have not deserved it.’