Beginning(I.1-49)
I.34-49 “supmas salis aere ruebant” line 35
English: “they rushed through the froths of salt with bronze”
“Aere” here is literally translated as bronze. However, it’s in reference to the ships of Aeneas and his fleet. The bronze is only part of the ship, the material it is made of, but it stands to represent the whole ship, serving as one of the many synecdoches Vergil utilizes to describe Aeneas and the ships under his command. In this case, substitution of the ships with bronze better suits the scene portrayed through this line as the waves of the sea are being described beating against the ship, and the bronze which the ships are made of. With this poetic device, specific focus is placed on the splash of salt foam against copper and generates a more immersive and descriptive imagery of the “sumpas salis” hitting against the “aere” through the travelling of the ships.
I.102-123 “tum prora avertit” line 104
English Translation: “then the prow turns away”
Catastrophe and havoc ensue after the ravenous storms and winds Aeolus has stowed away in his cave are released to wreak destruction upon Aeneas and his fleets. In this sentence, Vergil refers to a ship being turned away literally as a prow being turned away, creating another synecdoche in which a part of a ship is stood in to represent the whole of it. Similarly, the usage of “prora,” in this case, is better suited for the meaning of the line and circumstances at hand. When a ship turns, its prow is the first portion of it to be turned to a specific direction. Usage of “prora” creates a more specific and imaginable portrayal of the ship being led to a different direction. Such a choice also strengthens the frightening sense of uncontrollability faced by the ship and its crew: they are no longer in control of the ship’s movement, which is now left to the wills of the winds and tempests.
I.180-197 “celsis in puppibus arma Caici” line 183
English Translation: “the arms on the towering sterns of Caici”
The synecdoche used in this instance serves a similar purpose as the ones used before, the ships here are referred to by their “puppibus” or sterns. Aeneas after the storm, is searching(vainly) for the men lost in the storm. Among the ships and lost men he is looking for, Vergil narrates his searching for the weapons located on the sterns of Caici’s ships, referring to the sterns directly produces a more engrossing depiction through a better detailed reference to the objects. The adjective modifying the sterns “celsis,” also makes the interchange of ships for sterns more suited, a narration of the towering sterns produces a richer portrayal of the ships and a more impactful and mighty image than simply referring to the ships as the ones being towering. The image of the ships becomes more alive in the mind of the reader just as it is in Aeneas’s mind while he wishes for vain hope to turn into apparent materiality.
I.1-11 “Musa, Mihi causas memora” line 8
English translation: “Muse, remember the reasons for me"
The alliteration in “M” sounds between Musa and Mihi help connect and simultaneously emphasize both words. The speaker here implores one of the seven Muses, Calliope patron of epic, for inspiration regarding his telling of the tale of Aeneas and his journeys. Adjoining the two words “Musa,” translated as Muse, and “Mihi,” translated as for me, allows for the reader’s immediate understanding and emphasis on the primary purpose of the following section: the exchange that is occurring between the narrator and the Muse. The closeness of the two words is also representative in the action that is being taken, the speaker is beseeching the Muse for inspiration and therefore directly addressing her just as the word describing him is directly adjacent to the word describing the Muse. Furthermore, the repeated “M” sound audibly contributes to the line’s musicality, fitting for the subject and deity it is being addressed to at hand.
I.81-101 “Cavum conversa cupside montem impulit” line 81
English translation: “He struck the cavernous mountain with a spear having been turned around”
Here the alliteration of the harsh “c” sound is repeated three times. After Juno’s words imploring his assistance in buffeting Aeneas and his men, Aeolus agrees and strikes the mountain, which contains and suppresses the “violently resisting winds” and the “noisy storms.” In doing so, he releases them to wreak havoc upon Aeneas and his fleets. The “c” sound used mirrors the sound that would be produced from Aelolus’s striking of the cave such as the clang of his spear upon the rocks and the subsequent cracking of the rocks that follows, bringing the line to life and allowing the reader to be immersed in the situation at hand. The violent alliteration of this line is also fitting for the action that is taking place and the savagery of the storms and winds that will be released.
I.124-141 “Magno Misceri Murmure pontum.. Sensit Neptunus” line 124
English Translation: "Neptune felt that the sea was mixed with a great rumble”
Illustrative of the rumbling occurring within both the sea or the rumbling being done by Neptune once he realized what has happened, the repeated alliteration of the “M” sound helps audibly reveal the sounds occurring at this time, once more letting the line become more lifelike and more engaging for the reader similar to the “cavum conversa cupside.” The alliteration and subsequent placement of the words within this segment also allows the reader to understand that both the rumble is great along with the fact that the sea was mixed greatly. Although “magno” modifies “murmure” on the basis of case, the adjacency between “magno” and “misceri” permits the reader to understand the rumbling along with the mixing to both be done to a great degree.
I.23-33 “iactatos aequore toto // Troas, reliquias Danaum atque immitis Achilli” line 29-30
English Translation: “Trojans buffeted on the whole sea, the survivors of the Greeks and merciless Achilles.”
Initially, “Troas” is described by “iactatos” with Vergil describing the harsh conditions the Trojans have faced at sea and later “reliquas” where Vergil helps show the devastating war and grueling battles they first suffered through and left behind. Troas, while modified by “iactatos”, is delayed until the next line where it is placed next to “reliquias.” This decision emphasizes the word “Troas,” the Trojans are the ones suffering, and creates a smoother transition for the reader to more easily understand that the Trojans have faced both conditions: they have both been buffeted at sea and are also the straggling remnants of the Greeks and merciless Achilles. In addition, the placement of Troas next to reliquias creates a rhyme in the ending “as” sounds of both words, furthering the continuity of the description.
I. 81-101 “O Danaum fotissime gentis//Tydide!” line 97
English Translation: “O bravest Diomedes of the race of the Greeks!”
Here “Tydide” is placed as the first word of the subsequent line following the clause it is a part of, resulting in an enjambment. The delay in revealing Tydide’s name and instead leading with a superlative describing him as being the bravest of the Greeks helps set up suspense and paints in the mind of the reader an even greater image of the might and bravery of Tydide. The location of Tydide’s name as the first word on the second line also contributes to the stress Aeneas places in recalling him, made even more prominent with the understanding that Aeneas was almost killed by Tydide’s in the Trojan war but rescued by his mother. This stress allows the reader to better understand Aeneas’s despair at his possible demise and how strongly he is invocating the names of men he has known along with the direness of the situation at sea.
I. 142-156 “coorta est// Seditio, Saevitque animis ignobile vulgus” line 149
English Translation: ”a riot has arisen, and the lowly crowd rages with spirits”
“Seditio” is the subject of “coorta est,” with the riot being the thing that has begun to find birth within the populace. Despite this, “seditio” is delayed until the beginning of the second line. This enjambment once more places emphasis on the riot itself, but also builds suspense leading up to its reveal. The reader is left wondering what it is that is actually rising before they are able to move on to the second line and understand that it’s a riot. Placing “seditio” in the second line also permits the creation of other poetic devices such as an alliteration between “seditio saevitque,” a repeated “s” sound that can be understood to mirror the angry hissing of the populace, furthering the reader’s experience and understanding of the scene. The “seditio” itself is also explained by its adjourning clause made possible through enjambment, the riot is the raging of the crowd.
I.12-22 “quam Iuno fertur terris magis omnibus unam” line 15
English translation: “a city which alone Juno is said to have cherished more than all the lands”
In Vergil’s description of Carthage, he explores the relationship between Juno and Carthage, describing it as being a city that Juno cherishes the most dearly: “more than all the lands.” A chiasmus is employed within this line, between the two accusatives “quam” and ”unam” and the two ablatives “terris” and “omnibus” with the chasiatic pattern being accusative, ablative, ablative, accusative. Such an arrangement allows the words describing the city of Carthage to be placed on either ends of the line, separating them from the rest of the lines and underscoring to the reader the special nature of the islands for Juno. Moreover, the chiasmus also allows “omnibus” and “unam” to be placed directly next to one another, suggesting a comparison and contrast between the two different words and further highlighting how Carthage stands out “alone” from all other lands and its special nature.
I.50 - 63 “Vasto rex Aeulus antro” line 52
English Translation: “king Aeolus in a vast case”
A chiastic arrangement is produced through the use of cases in an ablative, nominative, nominative, ablative pattern. When first introducing Aeolus to the reader, the chaiasmus employed helps create a visual picture of the king: Aeolus is literally sitting in an empty cave, with the words describing the empty cave situated around the words describing king Aeolus, immersing and painting a literal picture of the scene to the reader.
I.157-179 “horrentique atrum nemus imminet umbra” line 165
English Translation: “and with a dreading shadow the dark grove threatens”
After surviving the savage storm that was wrought upon them, Aeneas and his fleet of men finally reach land. In the description of the island’s appearance, the forests are described as being dark and ominous through the use of hanting words like "horrentique" and “atrum”. Furthering this image within the minds of the reader is the chiasmus utilized in characterizing the grove present on the island with an ablative, nominative, nominative, ablative pattern, which in turn results with the “dreading shadow” hanging around the dark forest, similarly creating another visual picture that heightens and furthers the reader’s experience in understanding this line. This arrangement also provides the added benefit of allowing the two adjectives depicting the eeriness of the scenery, “horrentique atrum,” in either case to be placed right next to each other and strengthening the overall effect.
I.1-11 “saevae memorem Iunonis ob iram” line 4
English translation: “because of the mindful anger of savage Juno”
The narrator describes the cause of Aeneas’s journey and all that he has had to suffer as stemming from the violence of the gods and Juno’s personal anger. For such a description, Vergil literally describes Juno as savage, “savae,” and her anger as mindful, “memorem” when rather, it would have been more fitting for Juno to be the one described as mindful and her anger as savage. This double transferred epithet places emphasis on both adjectives. Moreover, the placement of these adjectives underscores the cruel nature of Juno while simultaneously personifying her anger as an unforgetting and unforgiving person who relentlessly pursues and haunts Aeneas, creating a more vivid sense for the reader of the forces that have driven Aeneas on his journey.
I.81-101 “Simois corepta sub undis scuta virum galeasque et fortia corpora volvit” ch 100 - 101
English Translation: “Simois rolls so many shields and helmets and brave bodies of men having been snatched up under the waves”
During the fierce storm, Aeneas begins desperately recalling the trials he has already faced and all the men who have already lost their lives during the Trojan war. As part of his recollection, he remembers all the soldiers who were caught in Simois’s waves, describing their bodies as brave. The adjective “fortia” would have more logically applied to the men to whom the bodies belonged rather than the bodies themselves, but in purposefully modifying their bodies with the adjective, the mortality of the river and the death of the men are highlighted. It is not simply the bravery of the men who once lived that Vergil and Aeneas seek to prove to the reader, but instead the deaths of even men who were brave. This poetic device strengthens the agony of Aeneas’s pleas and paints an even more distressing picture.
I.124-141 “summa placidum caput extulit unda” line 127
English Translation: “he raised out his calm head from the top of the wave”
After realizing that a storm has occurred at sea, Neptune raises his head from the waves to assess the situation. While Neptune’s head is technically the noun being described as calm, it makes more sense for “placidum” to describe the “unda” from which Neptune’s head emerges. This transferred epithet helps create a chiasmus between “summa… unda” and “placidum caput” and consequently a word picture in which Neptune’s head is emerging from between the waves. Moreover, doing so also compels the reader to understand Neptune as also being calm despite having his domain intruded upon by other gods, strengthening his authority and setting the tone for a future simile in which Neptune is compared to being similar as a statesman who quells the angers of a mob. The urgency of the situation is now over and instead through this poetic device a sense of quiet authority and power is conveyed to the reader.