Section 5 · lines 50–56
The spear in the horse’s flank · Aeneid II · GCSE Latin · OCR J282/05
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SubjectObjectVerbGenitiveAblativePrepositionConjunctionAdverbVocative
Latin
English
50sīc fātūs, vălĭdīs īngēntēm vīrĭbŭs hāstăm
51īn lătŭs īnquĕ fĕrī cūrvām cōmpāgĭbŭs ālvŭm
52cōntōrsīt: stĕtĭt īllă trĕmēns, ŭtĕrōquĕ rĕcūssō
53īnsŏnŭērĕ căvaē gĕmĭtūmquĕ dĕdērĕ căvērnaē.
50Having spoken thus, he hurled a huge spear with his powerful strength
51into the side and into the belly of the beast curved with timbers:
52it stood there quivering, and as the belly was struck and shaken,
53the hollow caverns echoed and gave out a groan.
54ēt, sĭ fătā dēūm, sī mēns nōn laēvă fŭīssĕt,
55īmpŭlĕrāt fērro͜ Ārgŏlĭcās foēdārĕ lătēbrās,
56Troīăquĕ, nūnc stārēt, Prĭămīque͜ ārx āltă, mănērēs.
54And if the fates of the gods, if our minds had not been against us,
55he would have driven us to tear apart the Greek hiding places with steel,
56and Troy would now be standing, and you, lofty citadel of Priam, would still remain.
Style notes this section · 13Word order · 8Repetition and structure · 1Sound and metre · 1Word choice · 1Imagery and tone · 1Grammar · 1
50
validis, ingentem, viribus, hastamInterwoven word order
with mighty strength ... a huge spear
validis ... viribus and ingentem ... hastam are interlaced, so the strength and the spear are woven together, which makes the throw sound powerful.
51
curvam alvumHyperbaton
the curved belly
curvam and alvum are split by compagibus, so the timbers sit inside the belly, just as the Greeks sit inside the horse.
52
contorsitEnjambment
he hurled
contorsit runs over to the start of line 52 after two lines of build-up, so the throw lands with force at the beginning of the line.
52
stetitEmphatic position
it stuck fast
stetit comes straight after the colon, so the reader pictures the spear stopping dead in the wood.
52
uteroqueWord choice
womb
uterus means "womb", so the horse is pictured as pregnant with the soldiers inside it, a grim image of what will be "born" from it.
53
insonuereEmphatic position
they resounded
insonuere opens the line, so the echo of the hollow horse is the first thing we hear.
53
cavae cavernaeAssonance
hollow caverns
The repeated cav- sound in cavae ... cavernae imitates the hollow booming of the horse, so the reader can almost hear it.
53
cavernaeEmphatic position
the caverns
cavernae is held back to the end of the sentence, so the hollows that could have given the Greeks away are the last word.
54
si fata, si mensAnaphora
if the fates ..., if our minds
si is repeated at the start of each condition, which stresses the two things that went wrong: the will of the gods and the Trojans' own blindness.
55
impuleratEmphatic position
he would have driven
impulerat opens the line, so Laocoön's action is stressed: he came very close to saving Troy.
55
impuleratIndicative
he would have driven
The indicative impulerat is used where a subjunctive is expected, which shows how nearly it happened: Laocoön had all but driven them to it.
55
Argolicas latebrasHyperbaton
the Greek hiding places
Argolicas and latebras are split by foedare, so the act of tearing open sits inside the Greeks' hiding place.
56
maneresApostrophe
you would remain
Aeneas turns to speak directly to Priam's citadel, which shows his grief and lets the reader feel the loss of Troy.
Notes on the text 2
55
ArgolicasArgive
Greek
From Argos, a leading Greek city; Virgil uses Argolicus to mean simply "Greek".
56
PriamiquePriam
and of Priam
Priam was the old king of Troy. Aeneas, who is telling the story, belonged to a junior branch of the royal family.
Questions to think about · 2
- What does the sound of the spear striking the horse suggest to the reader, and why do the Trojans not notice?
- In lines 54–56 Aeneas imagines what might have been. What does this tell us about his feelings as he tells the story?
What if they had listened? background
Lines 54 to 56 are a moment of "if only". Aeneas is telling the story years later at Dido's court, and he knows that Troy fell. He blames two things: the fates set by the gods, and the Trojans' own folly. This mix of divine will and human blindness runs through the whole of Book 2: the gods want Troy to fall, but the Trojans also make their own fatal choices.
Vocabulary in this section · 43 wordsVocabulary tester
sic thus
for, fari, fatus sum speak
validus, -a, -um strong, powerful
ingens, -entis huge
vis, (pl.) vires, virium (f.) (pl.) strength
hasta, -ae (f.) spear
in (+ acc.) into
latus, -eris (n.) side, flank
in (+ acc.) + -que and into
ferus, -i (m.) wild beast
curvus, -a, -um curved
compages, -is (f.) joint, framework
alvus, -i (f.) belly
contorqueo, -ere, contorsi, contortum hurl (with a twist)
sto, stare, steti stand, stick fast
ille, illa, illud that; it
tremo, -ere, tremui quiver, tremble
uterus, -i (m.) + -que womb, belly; and
recutio, -ere, recussi, recussum strike back, shake
insono, -are, insonui resound
cavus, -a, -um hollow
gemitus, -us (m.) + -que groan; and
do, dare, dedi, datum give
caverna, -ae (f.) cavern, hollow
et and
si if
fatum, -i (n.) fate
deus, -i (m.) god
mens, mentis (f.) mind
non not
laevus, -a, -um left; unlucky; foolish
sum, esse, fui be
impello, -ere, impuli, impulsum drive, urge
ferrum, -i (n.) iron; sword
Argolicus, -a, -um Argive, Greek
foedo, -are spoil, mutilate
latebrae, -arum (f. pl.) hiding place
Troia, -ae (f.) + -que Troy; and
nunc now
Priamus, -i (m.) + -que Priam; and
arx, arcis (f.) citadel
altus, -a, -um high, lofty
maneo, -ere, mansi remain