Section 2 · lines 14–24
The horse is built · Aeneid II · GCSE Latin · OCR J282/05
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SubjectObjectVerbGenitiveDativeAblativePrepositionConjunctionAdverb
Latin
English
14dūctōrēs Dānaūm, tōt iām lābēntĭbŭs ānnīs,
15īnstār mōntĭs ĕquūm dīvīnā Pāllădĭs ārtē
16aēdĭfĭcānt, sēctāque͜ īntēxūnt ābiĕtĕ cōstās:
17vōtūm prō rĕdĭtū sĭmŭlānt; eā fāmă văgātūr.
14the leaders of the Danaans, when so many years had already slipped by,
15build a horse the size of a mountain with the divine skill of Pallas
16and they weave its ribs with sawn fir;
17they pretend it is an offering for their return; that is the rumour that spreads.
18hūc dēlēctā vīrūm sōrtĭtĭ cōrpŏră fūrtĭm
19īnclūdūnt caēcō lătĕrī, pĕnĭtūsquĕ căvērnās
20īngēntīs ŭtĕrūmque͜ ārmātō mīlĭtĕ cōmplēnt.
18Here, having drawn lots, they secretly shut chosen bodies of men
19inside its dark side, and deep within they fill the huge caverns
20and the belly with armed soldiers.
21ēst īn cōnspēctū Tĕnĕdōs, nōtīssĭmă fāmă
22īnsŭlă, dīvĕs ŏpūm, Prīāmĭ dŭm rēgnă mănēbānt,
23nūnc tāntūm sĭnŭs ēt stătĭō mălĕ fīdă cărīnĭs:
24hūc sē prōvēctī dēsērto͜ īn lītŏrĕ cōndūnt.
21Within sight lies Tenedos, very well known by fame,
22an island rich in wealth while Priam's kingdom still stood,
23now it is only a bay and an untrustworthy anchorage for ships:
24they sail out here and hide themselves on the deserted shore.
Style notes this section · 12Word order · 6Word choice · 1Grammar · 5
14
ductoresEmphatic position
the leaders
ductores opens the section and the sentence, so the Greek leaders are the first thing we hear. It puts the blame for the trick on the Greek commanders from the start.
14
annisDelay
years
annis is held to the end of the line, so the reader feels the weight of ten long years of war before the trick is revealed.
16
aedificantEnjambement
The horse is of such a size that its construction bursts over the line
16
secta abieteHyperbaton
with cut fir
secta and abiete are separated by intexunt, so the words weave around the verb. The word order mirrors the planks being woven together.
17
simulantVivid present
they pretend
The present tense makes the Greeks' deceit happen before the reader's eyes, which makes it more vivid and alarming.
17
vagaturVivid present
spreads
The present tense shows the rumour spreading as if it were happening now. It suggests how easily the lie took hold.
18
delecta, virum, sortiti, corporaInterwoven word order
chosen bodies of men picked by lot
The words for the chosen men are interwoven (delecta virum sortiti corpora). The tangled order mirrors the soldiers packed tightly together inside the horse.
19
includuntVivid present
they shut in
The present tense makes the scene immediate, as if the reader watches the soldiers being sealed inside.
20
penitus, cavernas, ingentis, uterumChiasmus
deep caverns … huge belly
The phrases for the inside of the horse are arranged around ingentis, so the language itself seems to enclose a hollow space. It stresses how vast and deep the horse's belly is.
20
uterumPregnancy vocabulary
belly, womb
uterus can mean womb, so the horse is pictured as pregnant with soldiers. The image is sinister: the horse will "give birth" to the men who destroy Troy.
20
complentVivid present
they fill
The present tense ends the description with the horse full of armed men, leaving the reader with a sense of threat.
21
notissimaSuperlative
most famous
notissima stresses how well known Tenedos once was. This contrasts sharply with what it has become (line 23): a poor and unsafe bay.
Notes on the text 9
15
PalladisPallas
of Pallas
Pallas Athena, goddess of crafts and war, called Minerva by the Romans. She favoured the Greeks and helped them build the horse.
19
caeco lateriNote
suggests the dark vastness of the hidden recesses in the horse.
19
cavernasNote
a ship building term
20
ingentisNote
Virgil’s favourite adjective
20
armato militeNote
used as a collective for the soldiers
21
conspectuNote
mainly a prose term
21
TenedosTenedos
Tenedos
A small island a few miles off the coast near Troy, where the Greek fleet hid while pretending to sail home.
22
PriamiPriam
of Priam
The king of Troy during the war, father of Hector and Paris.
23
maleNote
with negative force is a colloquial term promoted to epic by Virgil
Questions to think about · 3
- How does Virgil make the wooden horse seem huge and threatening?
- Find the words that describe the horse as if it were a living creature. What is the effect?
- Tenedos was once famous and rich. Why might Virgil stress what it has become?
The wooden horse background
After ten years of war the Greeks still could not take Troy. With the help of Athena (Minerva to the Romans) they built a huge wooden horse, hid their best warriors inside it, and left it on the shore as if it were an offering to the goddess for a safe journey home. The rest of the fleet sailed only as far as the island of Tenedos and waited out of sight.
The story was famous long before Virgil: in Homer's Odyssey the bard Demodocus sings of it, and Odysseus remembers the long wait inside the horse. Virgil tells it from the Trojans' side, as a tale of deceit and disaster.
Vocabulary in this section · 65 wordsVocabulary tester
ductor, -oris (m.) leader
Danai, -orum (m. pl.) the Danaans, the Greeks
tot (indecl.) so many
iam (adv.) already
labor, labi, lapsus sum slip by, glide past
annus, -i (m.) year
instar (indecl. n.) the size of, like
mons, montis (m.) mountain
equus, -i (m.) horse
divinus, -a, -um divine
Pallas, Palladis (f.) Pallas (Athena)
ars, artis (f.) skill, art
aedifico, -are build
seco, -are, secui, sectum; -que cut; and
intexo, -ere, intexui, intextum weave together, interlace
abies, abietis (f.) fir (wood)
costa, -ae (f.) rib
votum, -i (n.) offering, vow
pro (+ abl.) for
reditus, -us (m.) return
simulo, -are pretend
is, ea, id this, that
fama, -ae (f.) rumour, story
vagor, -ari, vagatus sum spread, wander
huc (adv.) here, into this place
deligo, -ere, delegi, delectum choose, pick
vir, viri (m.) man
sortior, -iri, sortitus sum choose by lot
corpus, corporis (n.) body
furtim (adv.) secretly, by stealth
includo, -ere, inclusi, inclusum shut in
caecus, -a, -um dark, hidden, blind
latus, lateris (n.) side, flank
penitus (adv.); -que deep within; and
caverna, -ae (f.) hollow, cavern
ingens, ingentis huge
uterus, -i (m.); -que belly, womb; and
armatus, -a, -um armed
miles, militis (m.) soldier
compleo, -ere, complevi, completum fill
sum, esse, fui be
in (+ abl.) in, within
conspectus, -us (m.) sight, view
Tenedos, -i (f.) Tenedos
notus, -a, -um well known, famous
insula, -ae (f.) island
dives, divitis rich
ops, opis (f.) (pl.) wealth, resources
Priamus, -i (m.) Priam
dum (conj.) while
regnum, -i (n.) kingdom, rule
maneo, -ere, mansi, mansum remain, stand
nunc (adv.) now
tantum (adv.) only
sinus, -us (m.) bay
et (conj.) and
statio, -onis (f.) anchorage
male (adv.) badly; with fida, hardly
fidus, -a, -um safe, trustworthy
carina, -ae (f.) keel; ship
se themselves
proveho, -ere, provexi, provectum carry forward; (passive) sail out
desertus, -a, -um deserted, lonely
litus, litoris (n.) shore
condo, -ere, condidi, conditum hide