The Aeneid

encounter of the fleet. Fireballs are thrown, and pointed jav’lins fly; The fields of Neptune take a purple dye. The queen herself, amidst the loud alarms, With cymbals toss’d her fainting soldiers warms— Fool as she was! who had not yet divin’d Her cruel fate, nor saw the snakes behind. Her country gods, the monsters of the sky, Great Neptune, Pallas, and Love’s Queen defy: The dog Anubis barks, but barks in vain, Nor longer dares oppose th’ ethereal train. Mars in the middle of the shining shield Is grav’d, and strides along the liquid field. The Dirae souse from heav’n with swift descent; And Discord, dyed in blood, with garments rent, Divides the prease: her steps Bellona treads, And shakes her iron rod above their heads. This seen, Apollo, from his Actian height, Pours down his arrows; at whose winged flight The trembling Indians and Egyptians yield, And soft Sabaeans quit the wat’ry field. The fatal mistress hoists her silken sails, And, shrinking from the fight, invokes the gales. Aghast she looks, and heaves her breast for breath, Panting, and pale with fear of future death. The god had figur’d her as driv’n along By winds and waves, and scudding thro’ the throng. Just

opposite, sad Nilus opens wide His arms and ample bosom to the tide, And spreads his mantle o’er the winding coast, In which he wraps his queen, and hides the flying host. The victor to the gods his thanks express’d, And Rome, triumphant, with his presence bless’d. Three hundred temples in the town he plac’d; With spoils and altars ev’ry temple grac’d. Three shining nights, and three succeeding days, The fields resound with shouts, the streets with praise, The domes with songs, the theatres with plays. All altars flame: before each altar lies, Drench’d in his gore, the destin’d sacrifice. Great Caesar sits sublime upon his throne, Before Apollo’s porch of Parian stone; Accepts the presents vow’d for victory, And hangs the monumental crowns on high. Vast crowds of vanquish’d nations march along, Various in arms, in habit, and in tongue. Here, Mulciber assigns the proper place For Carians, and th’ ungirt Numidian race; Then ranks the Thracians in the second row, With Scythians, expert in the dart and bow. And here the tam’d Euphrates humbly glides, And there the Rhine submits her swelling tides, And proud Araxes, whom no bridge could bind; The Danes’ unconquer’d offspring march