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(From Æneid, Book VII) Translated by C. P. Cranch
THE SEA was flushing in the morning’s rays, | |
| And from the ethereal heights Aurora’s car | |
| With rose and saffron gleamed; when suddenly | |
| The winds were stilled, and every breath of air, | |
| And the oars struggled through the sluggish sea. | 5 |
| And here Æneas from the deep descries | |
| A spacious grove. Through this the Tiber pours | |
| His smiling waves along, with rapid whirls, | |
| And yellow sand, and bursts into the sea. | |
| And all around and overhead were birds | 10 |
| Of various hues, accustomed to the banks | |
| And river-bed; from tree to tree they flew, | |
| Soothing the air with songs. Then to the land | |
| He bids the crews direct the vessels’ prows, | |
| And joyfully the shadowy river gains. * * * * * | 15 |
| All through that night the Tiber calmed his flood, | |
| And, ebbing backward, stood with tranquil waves, | |
| Smoothing its surface like a placid lake, | |
| That without struggling oars the ships might glide. | |
| So on their way they speed with joyous shouts. | 20 |
| Along the waters slip the well-tarred keels; | |
| The waves with wonder gaze, and from afar | |
| The woods, unused to such a sight, admire | |
| Upon the stream the heroes’ glittering shields | |
| And painted vessels. Night and day their oars | 25 |
| They ply, pass the long bending river’s curves; | |
| And through green shades of overhanging trees | |
| They pierce, along the tranquil waters borne. | |
| The fiery sun had reached his noonday height, | |
| When from afar they see a citadel, | 30 |
| And walls, and scattered houses here and there; | |
| Which now Rome matches with the skies, but then | |
| Evander’s small and humble town. Then swift | |
| They turn their prows, and near the city’s walls. | |
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