Aeneid, Book II · Virgil
Status · Work in progress
- Text
- Virgil, Aeneid II.40–66
- Latin text
- Virgil, Bucolics, Aeneid, and Georgics, edited by J. B. Greenough (Boston: Ginn & Co., 1900), via Perseus Digital Library
- Translation
- Alexandros Kalogrianitis
- First drafted
- August 2026
- Last revised
- September 2026
Lines 40–56
Lines 57–66
Aeneas begins his tale (1–13) · Building of the horse (13–39) · Sinon’s story (67–144) · Priam frees Sinon; the Palladium (145–198) · Death of Laocoon; the horse enters the city (199–249) · Sinon opens the horse (250–267) · The ghost of Hector (268–297) · Aeneas wakes to the burning city (298–317) · the fall of Troy through to the loss of Creusa and the book’s end (318–804).
Lines 40–56
The first one before everyone, with a great crowd accompanying,
Laocoon ran down from the top of the citadel, burning,
and from there (he cries): “Oh wretched citizens, how great a madness
Do you believe that the enemy has sailed away? Or do you think that any
gifts of the Greeks is without treachery? Is this how Ulysses is known (to you)?
Either the Greeks are hidden, enclosed in this timber,
or this machine was created against our walls
to spy on our homes and to come down from above into our city
or some other misfortune lies hidden: Don’t trust it, Trojans.
Whatever it is, I fear the Greeks even bearing gifts.”
Having spoken thus, he launched his huge spear with powerful strength
into the side and into the belly curved with connections, of the beast.
It stood, trembling, its womb reverberated, and the hollow
cavities rung out and gave out a groaning.
And, if the fates of the gods, if our mindset had not been unfavourable,
he’d [Laocoon] have compelled us to attack the Greek hiding-places with weapons
both Troy, you would now stand, and high altar of Priam, you would remain.
Lines 57–66
But look, Trojan shepherds were dragging, with great uproar, to
the King a young man tied up, his hands behind his back, who had offered himself
unknown by his own initiative to those coming
in order to accomplish this very thing and to open up Troy to the Greeks
trusting in his spirit and prepared for either outcome,
either to accomplish his trickery or to meet certain death.
From all sides the Trojan youth, having poured around through their zeal for watching,
rushed in and they contested in ridiculing the prisoner.
Now receive the Greeks’ ensnarement and learn the whole lot
from the guilt of one man.
Aeneas begins his tale (1–13) · Building of the horse (13–39) · Sinon’s story (67–144) · Priam frees Sinon; the Palladium (145–198) · Death of Laocoon; the horse enters the city (199–249) · Sinon opens the horse (250–267) · The ghost of Hector (268–297) · Aeneas wakes to the burning city (298–317) · the fall of Troy through to the loss of Creusa and the book’s end (318–804).
Lines 40–56
Lines 57–66
Grouped by sense-unit rather than single verse line here: the translation reorders phrases across the Latin line breaks in this passage.
Aeneas begins his tale (1–13) · Building of the horse (13–39) · Sinon’s story (67–144) · Priam frees Sinon; the Palladium (145–198) · Death of Laocoon; the horse enters the city (199–249) · Sinon opens the horse (250–267) · The ghost of Hector (268–297) · Aeneas wakes to the burning city (298–317) · the fall of Troy through to the loss of Creusa and the book’s end (318–804).