The passage was one of the most famous in “The Aeneid.” In Latin it reads, “Forsan et haec olim meminisse iuvabit.”įagles renders this line, “A joy it will be one day, perhaps, to remember even this.” Is it really pleasing to think about a traumatic event? A reason this line bedevils readers is because “please” is only one of the possible translations of iuvo. He got up, knelt on the carpet in front of his file cabinet and pulled out some pages. (Fagles) asked if it would be acceptable for him to read a passage that bedeviled him. In a 1997 New York Times interview, celebrated translator Robert Fagles singled out this line as one that “bedeviled” him: Not only is this line famous, it is also confusing. Even outside of Classics, the line has been widely referenced everywhere from articles about Pirates baseball to the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. They reach dry land where Aeneas tries to lift their spirits, giving a speech in which he utters some of the most famous words in Latin, “forsan et haec olim meminisse iuvabit” (1.203). ( source)Īfter losing to the Greeks, fleeing their burning city, and wandering around the Mediterranean en route to fulfill their leader’s destiny of founding Rome, the Trojans endure a horrifying ordeal at sea. Handouts on basic grammar and vocabulary are available at the Latin Handout Page.When Aeneas (with swirled shield) recalls this moment, will it be with pleasure? (From Andreas Rumpf’s “Chalkidische Vasen,” from a lost Greek vase). Bennett's New Latin Grammar or, better, Allen and Greenough's New Latin Grammar. A list of representative articles provided below, as well a some guidelines for the Critique.Ī systematic grammar of Latin is recommended. You may choose any relevant article, either dealing with Book II or with the Aeneid (or Virgil) in general. In addition, students are required to have read two scholarly articles during the semester and to provide a critique of them (with the second and third exam). Additional information will be provided as the exams approach. The exams will be partly open book (explanation of grammatical principles), partly translation, partly scansion. There will be 3 exams, covering lines 1-267 (Sinon and the Horse) lines 268-558 (The Fall of Troy) and lines 559-804 (The Flight from Troy). An online translation maybe found here: Aeneid II - English (the Dryden edition at the Perseus site) The Loeb edition (found often at Borders) has a facing English translation, which may be useful for those tackling Vergil for the first time. Remember that English translations are not grammatically faithful to the original. The Vergil Homepage has an outstanding on-line grammatical commentary, word by word, which can be very helpful.ĭo not hestitate to make use of a modern edition in order to understand the grammar of the Latin. It's 58 pages, but well worth printing out. I have posted a copy of Book II of Knapp's edition (text and commentary). Older, but still very useful for literary commentary and grammar, is Knapp's Aeneid. Also useful (but only for the first six books) is Pharr's Aeneid. Barbara Weiden Boyd's Vergil's Aeneid (2004) is also useful but does not contain the entire text. An excellent recent edition is that of Randall T. The version at The Latin Library has been formatted for printing and can be used to annotate vocabulary and grammar.
You may use any text of the Aeneid available to you. The work required is considerable, the rewards commensurate. Our goal is to read with ease the entirety of Book II and to articulate a basic understanding of Vergil's technique (including scansion and rhetorical devices). Students are expected to have prepared the assigned text well enough to read it with minimal difficulty and discuss grammatical constructions. We will move slowly at first, more quickly as the semester progresses. As with all authors, the style and vocabulary become more easily absorbed as the work progresses.
Vergil's style is syntactically uncomplicated, but does present some complication for the student advancing from intermediate Latin. Complete familiarity with basic forms (declension patterns, pronouns, verb tenses, infinitives, and participles) is required. The student is expected to have mastered a basic second year vocabulary and to be prepared to absorb a considerable quantity of new vocabulary. We will read Book II of Vergil's AENEID, focusing closely on the grammar, vocabulary, and style of the text, with significant comment on the historical, cultural, and mythological background.
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