The Aeneid: Virgil's Greatest Hits [Abridged and Annotated]

Table of Contents

About the author

Introduction

Chapter 1

A Shipwreck at Carthage

Some Facts about Virgil

Chapter 2

The Trojan Horse

Some Backstory:

Chapter 3

The Long Journey

Conflict! Conflict! Conflict!

Chapter 4

Unhappy Dido

A Timeline for The Aeneid

Chapter 5

Sailing to Italy

Keeping Track of the Characters

Chapter 6

The Underworld

Strange Roman Customs and Beliefs

Chapter 7

The Causes of War

Keeping Track of New Characters

Chapter 8

The Alliance with Evander

Critics of The Aeneid:

Chapter 9

The War Begins

Conflict! Conflict! Conflict!

Chapter 10

The Battle for Italy

Virgil’s Poetic Meter:

Chapter 11

The Pain of War

Virgil’s Best Lines:

Chapter 12

The End Comes for Turnus

That’s It?!  This Is How It Ends?

About the cover

The Aeneid

Virgil’s Greatest Hits

The Best Parts of the Roman National Epic

in a Fun-to-Read Translation by

David Crump

Quid Pro Books

New Orleans, Louisiana

The Aeneid

Virgil’s Greatest Hits

Published in 2013 in the Smashwords edition, by Quid Pro Books, at Smashwords.

Copyright © 2010 by David Crump. All rights reserved. The translation, compilation, and abridgement of this work are original to the author and all literary and intellectual property rights attach thereto. This book or parts of it may not be reproduced, copied, or transmitted (except as permitted by sections 107 and 108 of the U.S. Copyright Law and except by reviewers for the public press), by any means including voice recordings and the copying of its digital form, without the written permission of the publisher.

ISBN:  9781610279918

ISBN: 1610279913

A NOTE ON FORMATTING FOR THE DIGITAL EDITIONS:

The ebook versions of this work follow, as much as possible, the print editions. To that end, the digital editions change font size and emphases, and have other formatting, in line with the appearance of such passages in the print version. This is not a formatting error but is consistent with the author's intent.

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Publisher’s Cataloging-in-Publication

Virgil.

[Aeneis. English]

The Aeneid: Virgil’s Greatest Hits / Virgil; translated, abridged, and annotated by David Crump.

p. cm.

Includes introduction and modern annotations.

ISBN: 1610279913  (ePub)

ISBN-13: 9781610279918  (ePub)

ISBN-13: 9781610279932  (paperback)

The epic poem of the fall of Troy, the heroic journey, battles and loves of Aeneas, and the founding of Rome, from the great classical poet Virgil — as translated, condensed, and explained to modern readers by a professor who uses rhyme and a lively presentation that honors the spirit and true intent of Virgil without the customary literalism of previous translations.

1. Epic poetry, Latin—translations into English. 2. Aeneas (Legendary character)—Poetry. 3. Legends—Rome—Poetry.  I. Title. II. Virgil. III. Crump, David.

PA6807.A5R28  2010 

873’.01—dc22

Virgil with two Muses

Second-century A.D. mosaic, found near Carthage

The early reviews are in...

I really, really like it. It’s extremely vivid and readable and exciting, really fun to read. The supplemental material is great, just the right level.

- Casey Dué-Hackney

Center for Hellenic Studies (Harvard University)

If you have never had an interest in the classics, this may inspire it. The author gives context and accessibility to the previously obscure and inaccessible.

- Paul R. Rice

Professor and Poet, American University

Brash, engaging, and excellent for provoking thought about the purposes of translation . . . . A good read.

- Robert Palmer

Professor, University of Houston

David Crump shows Virgil at his best.  Behold! He has tamed a mastodonic giant. Many of us wished for such a translation. Professor Crump has made it our fortune.

- Bryan A. Garner

Garner’s Oxford Dictionary of Modern American Usage

The informal and appealing style with helpful (and occasionally tongue-in-cheek) notes will make [this book] an accessible introduction to ancient Rome’s greatest epic poem.

- Paul A. Zoch

Veteran High School Latin Teacher, St. Agnes Academy, and Author of Ancient Rome: An Introductory History

David Crump’s translation is smooth, refreshing, engaging and definitely very approachable for students. They will love to have notes, comments, and the background necessary to understand what is happening right there on the page as they read!

- Francesca Behr

Latin Professor, University of Houston

"[This translation] brings Virgil’s Aeneid back to a 21st Century life . . . in an easy-to-absorb retelling."

- Ken Jones

Poet and Professor of Writing, The Art Institute

"It makes the Aeneid fun to read."

- Gary Taylor

Pulitzer Prize Nominee Writer

About the author

Professor David Crump grew up partly in Italy, partly in Texas. As a teenager, he took classes that involved translating Latin into Italian. He earned his degrees at Harvard College and the University of Texas. Today, he is a Professor of Law at the University of Houston, and he has represented most of the States in the United States Supreme Court. Early in his career, he worked as an aerospace engineer, an economist, and an assistant district attorney. His teaching books are used at many universities. He is the author of two novels and two books of poetry, and he is a guitar player in a band, an outfielder in the senior baseball league, and the father of four. He sees this translation of The Aeneid as a unique alternative for readers who are not Latin scholars.

The Aeneid

Virgil’s Greatest Hits

Translation, Abridgement, and Notes by

David Crump

Detailed TABLE OF CONTENTS

About the author

Introduction

1:  A Shipwreck at Carthage

Some Facts about Virgil

2:  The Trojan Horse

The Myth of the Trojan War

3:  The Long Journey

Conflict! Conflict! Conflict

4:  Unhappy Dido

A Timeline for The Aeneid

5:  Sailing to Italy

Keeping Track of the Characters

6:  The Underworld

Strange Roman Customs and Beliefs

7:  The Causes of War

Keeping Track of New Characters

8:  The Alliance with Evander

Critics of The Aeneid

9:  The War Begins

Conflict! Conflict! Conflict

10: The Battle for Italy

Virgil’s Poetic Meter

11: The Pain of War

Memorable Lines  from The Aeneid

12: The End Comes for Turnus

That’s It?! This Is How It Ends

About the cover

Notes and Asides [briefly explaining points at the underlined words and phrases]

Introduction

Virgil’s Greatest Hits: What Is This?

The Trojan War is over. The Trojan Horse has entered the city, and the dreaded Greeks have swarmed over Troy. The Trojan leader is a man named Aeneas (ee-NEE-us), and he is the hero of this story. His destiny is to establish the new civilization that will become the Roman republic. The Fates have decreed it.

This is the plot of The Aeneid. It’s a foundation of Western literature, and it’s one of the greatest stories ever told. There’s more to it, of course. The Trojans fight bloody battles, wrestle hurricane seas, and struggle with monsters. And there is a love story. Aeneas romances an exotic queen in Africa. He even visits the underworld, on his way to founding the Latin nation.

Where did the story come from? The Aeneid is an epic poem. What’s an epic? It’s a legend bigger than life. It deals with events like the founding of an empire.

The Iliad and The Odyssey were earlier epics. The Aeneid borrows from those two poems. But they were written in Greek, and The Aeneid is in Latin. Also, the Greek stories were handed down orally for years before they were put in writing. The Aeneid, on the other hand, was written by one poet, known as Virgil. Because a single writer of exceptional ability composed it, The Aeneid is a better-crafted epic. (Or, some people think so.)

Virgil lived just before the birth of Christ. The emperor was Caesar Augustus, who appears in the Bible. Augustus was the ruler who decreed that all the world should be taxed, and that’s why Joseph and Mary went to Bethlehem. The Aeneid is full of praise for Augustus and for Rome. Some passages sound like a Fourth-of-July speech.

The Aeneid has twelve books, as Virgil labeled them, but let’s call them chapters, because that’s what they are. He wrote in simple language, and The Aeneid soon became popular reading for average Romans.

So, what’s special about this translation? The Aeneid has been translated many times into English. One famous version dates from the 1600’s. But different translations serve different purposes. Some are for scholars, and those need to be word-for-word; but the problem is that the meaning tends to get lost. For example, the first Latin words are, Arma virumque cano — I sing of arms and a man — and many translations start with this phrase, literally: I sing of arms and a man. But the words I sing make you think the poet will lapse into music, like an opera diva. And arms: what does that mean? These literalisms are necessary for scholars, but not for the typical reader.

The translation you’re about to read is different. It’s not for Latin scholars. It uses plain language, and it concentrates on the meaning. The first line, instead of I sing of arms and a man, is, This is a poem about war . . . and about a hero.  That’s what Virgil really meant. But the poetry needs to come across too, and so the lines rhyme. Roman poets didn’t use rhymes, but they look more like poetry today. And the meter, here, is what is called pentameter, with five beats to the measure. The Rolling Stones’ song Honky Tonk Women is a modern example of pentameter: "I MET a GIN-soaked BAR-room QUEEN in MEM-phis." The Aeneid is a different kind of poetry from the Stones’ song (but it’s also in plain language).

Some translations of The Aeneid are hard to read, because there are unfamiliar names and obscure subplots, but that won’t be a problem with this translation. It includes only the best parts of the epic, or Virgil’s Greatest Hits, and there are narratives to bridge the gaps, as well as notes to explain things. This translation will let readers have fun with The Aeneid.

How does the story begin? Virgil gives us a short introduction. Then he tells the story. But he starts in the middle, with the Trojans halfway through their journey. Later, he’ll go back and tell about the past. For now, imagine you’re a Trojan. You’ve lost the war. You’ve been forced to leave home.  You’re on a ship in a deep ocean, sailing toward a glorious future.

The

Aeneid

Chapter 1

A Shipwreck at Carthage

Arma virumque cano

— I sing of arms and a man

This is a poem about war . . . and about a hero.

His name was Aeneas. Forced into exile to follow

His destiny, long ago he journeyed from home—

From the shores of Troy—through oceans of violent foam

And battles on land with brutal losses, to found

This City of Romans, here on Italian ground.

He suffered tragedy often, because the Queen

Of the Gods, relentless Juno, pursued him with mean

Resentment, . . . until he could settle the great Latin nation,

Until he could bring in the gods of his home;

Until he could create our city’s foundation,

Until he could father the forebears of Rome.

Inspire me, Muse, so I can be reminded

Why Juno’s sacred pride became so blinded,

So wounded, as to force a man so great—

So noted for virtue, who faithfully followed his fate—

To suffer so long, in such a painful state.

In heaven, is there really that much hate?

[Aeneas and his countrymen have lost the Trojan War. After bouncing from island to island, they’ve reached Sicily, and  they’re sailing away, because Aeneas’s destiny is to establish Rome. But Juno, Queen of the Gods, hates the Trojans, and she will drive them off course, toward a place called Carthage. And it is with Carthage that Virgil begins:]

Juno and Carthage

Once on a time, so many ages ago,

Eastern sailors established the city we know

Today as Carthage. Rich in gold, and even more

Endowed with power, Carthage was harsh in war.

It arose across the sea from our Roman shore.

Juno loved its people best,

Over the other lands she blessed:

She kept her battle gear and chariot there,

And if the Fates should grant her heart’s own prayer,

Beloved Carthage, as capital, would become

The place where all the earth was governed from.

But Juno had heard that one day, a monster race.

Would mean the death of this, her hallowed place.

Descendants from vanquished blood of ancient Troy

Would see her Carthage, the city she loved, destroyed.

The Fates had said so! . . . Already, her hate was at its height

Against the Trojan kingdom: during the fight

For Troy, she’d supported the Greeks; and also, the slight

She’d received from Paris—a Trojan—to her face,

When he judged another prettier, brought her disgrace.

That beauty contest, stolen by the Trojan race!

Enraged by it all, Queen Juno angrily chased

Those Trojans whom mighty Achilles hadn’t killed

Through violent oceans and oceans still,

Through friendless countries far away.

It wasn’t easy. . . .  Rome wasn’t built in a day.

The Trojans launched their ships from Sicily.

Contented, with bronze-tipped oars in the salted sea,

They still could see the land they’d left behind,

When Juno spoke to herself, with a troubled mind—

With the wound she’d guard forever in her heart.

"Now, what! Am I to give up, beaten at the start?

"And not even try to stop the prince of Troy

"From reaching Italy, full of