The Aeneid | Page 9

unseen, surpris'd with wonder stands,?And longs, with joyful haste, to join their hands;?But, doubtful of the wish'd event, he stays,?And from the hollow cloud his friends surveys,?Impatient till they told their present state,?And where they left their ships, and what their fate,?And why they came, and what was their request;?For these were sent, commission'd by the rest,?To sue for leave to land their sickly men,?And gain admission to the gracious queen.?Ent'ring, with cries they fill'd the holy fane;?Then thus, with lowly voice, Ilioneus began:
"O queen! indulg'd by favor of the gods?To found an empire in these new abodes,?To build a town, with statutes to restrain?The wild inhabitants beneath thy reign,?We wretched Trojans, toss'd on ev'ry shore,?From sea to sea, thy clemency implore.?Forbid the fires our shipping to deface!?Receive th' unhappy fugitives to grace,?And spare the remnant of a pious race!?We come not with design of wasteful prey,?To drive the country, force the swains away:?Nor such our strength, nor such is our desire;?The vanquish'd dare not to such thoughts aspire.?A land there is, Hesperia nam'd of old;?The soil is fruitful, and the men are boldTh'?Oenotrians held it once- by common fame?Now call'd Italia, from the leader's name.?To that sweet region was our voyage bent,?When winds and ev'ry warring element?Disturb'd our course, and, far from sight of land,?Cast our torn vessels on the moving sand:?The sea came on; the South, with mighty roar,?Dispers'd and dash'd the rest upon the rocky shore.?Those few you see escap'd the Storm, and fear,?Unless you interpose, a shipwreck here.?What men, what monsters, what inhuman race,?What laws, what barb'rous customs of the place,?Shut up a desart shore to drowning men,?And drive us to the cruel seas again??If our hard fortune no compassion draws,?Nor hospitable rights, nor human laws,?The gods are just, and will revenge our cause.?Aeneas was our prince: a juster lord,?Or nobler warrior, never drew a sword;?Observant of the right, religious of his word.?If yet he lives, and draws this vital air,?Nor we, his friends, of safety shall despair;?Nor you, great queen, these offices repent,?Which he will equal, and perhaps augment.?We want not cities, nor Sicilian coasts,?Where King Acestes Trojan lineage boasts.?Permit our ships a shelter on your shores,?Refitted from your woods with planks and oars,?That, if our prince be safe, we may renew?Our destin'd course, and Italy pursue.?But if, O best of men, the Fates ordain?That thou art swallow'd in the Libyan main,?And if our young Iulus be no more,?Dismiss our navy from your friendly shore,?That we to good Acestes may return,?And with our friends our common losses mourn."?Thus spoke Ilioneus: the Trojan crew?With cries and clamors his request renew.
The modest queen a while, with downcast eyes,?Ponder'd the speech; then briefly thus replies:?"Trojans, dismiss your fears; my cruel fate,?And doubts attending an unsettled state,?Force me to guard my coast from foreign foes.?Who has not heard the story of your woes,?The name and fortune of your native place,?The fame and valor of the Phrygian race??We Tyrians are not so devoid of sense,?Nor so remote from Phoebus' influence.?Whether to Latian shores your course is bent,?Or, driv'n by tempests from your first intent,?You seek the good Acestes' government,?Your men shall be receiv'd, your fleet repair'd,?And sail, with ships of convoy for your guard:?Or, would you stay, and join your friendly pow'rs?To raise and to defend the Tyrian tow'rs,?My wealth, my city, and myself are yours.?And would to Heav'n, the Storm, you felt, would bring?On Carthaginian coasts your wand'ring king.?My people shall, by my command, explore?The ports and creeks of ev'ry winding shore,?And towns, and wilds, and shady woods, in quest?Of so renown'd and so desir'd a guest."
Rais'd in his mind the Trojan hero stood,?And long'd to break from out his ambient cloud:?Achates found it, and thus urg'd his way:?"From whence, O goddess-born, this long delay??What more can you desire, your welcome sure,?Your fleet in safety, and your friends secure??One only wants; and him we saw in vain?Oppose the Storm, and swallow'd in the main.?Orontes in his fate our forfeit paid;?The rest agrees with what your mother said."?Scarce had he spoken, when the cloud gave way,?The mists flew upward and dissolv'd in day.
The Trojan chief appear'd in open sight,?August in visage, and serenely bright.?His mother goddess, with her hands divine,?Had form'd his curling locks, and made his temples shine,?And giv'n his rolling eyes a sparkling grace,?And breath'd a youthful vigor on his face;?Like polish'd ivory, beauteous to behold,?Or Parian marble, when enchas'd in gold:?Thus radiant from the circling cloud he broke,?And thus with manly modesty he spoke:
"He whom you seek am I; by tempests toss'd,?And sav'd from shipwreck on your Libyan coast;?Presenting, gracious queen, before your throne,?A prince that owes his life to you alone.?Fair majesty, the refuge and redress?Of those whom fate pursues, and wants oppress,?You, who your pious offices employ?To save the relics of abandon'd Troy;?Receive the shipwreck'd