Virgil's Aeneid
Book 1
Part 4 Aeneas meets his mother, Venus (305 - 417)
Aeneas meets his mother, disguised as a local girl
Meanwhile Aeneas, conscious as ever of his duty, after mulling over numerous options during the night, decided, as soon as the friendly daylight arrived, to go out and explore the new place, to find out what coast he'd been blown on to, who occupied it (it seemed uncultivated), men or animals, and report his findings to his men. He concealed the ships in a clump of woodland, close to a cave in the rock overgrown with trees and shaded with prickly shrubs; he set off accompanied only by Achates, who toted a pair of broad-tipped spears. His mother contrived to meet him in the middle of a wood, affecting the look and dress of a girl, like an athletic young Spartan, or a girl from Thrace like Harpalyce, who breaks in horses, and diverts the rushing Hebrus from its course. For the huntress, as you might expect, shouldered a bow ready for action, with hair worn loose, blowing in the breeze, and legs bare to the knee, her flowing dress pulled up and secured with a knot. She spoke first. "Good morning, gentlemen!" she said. "Tell me, do you happen to have seen any of my sisters hereabouts, maybe sporting a quiver and a tunic of spotted lynx fur, or shouting as she tracked a frothing boar?" [324]
So said Venus; and Venus' son began thus to answer her:
"I've had neither sight nor sound of any sister of yours, young... lady, or what should I call you? You don't have the look of a mortal, nor do you sound like one; you're surely a goddess - Phoebus' sister, or one of the Nymphs? Be gracious, whoever you are, and help us out of our difficulties, tell us under what heaven we are, where in the world we've been washed up; we're lost and know nothing of this land or its people, driven here by the wind and the might of the sea. I'll sacrifice many a victim for you on your altars with this right hand of mine." [334]
Venus informs him he's in Carthage, and tells him the story of its founder, Dido
Venus replied: "I do not believe I am worthy of such an honour; it's the fashion for young Tyrian girls to take quivers around with them, wearing boots, lace-up purple knee-length ones. The kingdom you see is Phoenician , the people Tyrians, and the city Agenor's; but set within territory that belongs to the Libyans - a people hard to handle in war. The power rests with Dido, who left the city of Tyre to escape her brother. The tale of her pain is long and complicated: I shall tell you the salient points. Her husband was Sychaeus, the wealthiest landowner in Phoenicia, and the poor woman loved him most deeply. Her father had given her to him when she was still a virgin, and all the signs were good on the wedding day. But her brother was ruler of Tyre - Pygmalion, a criminal who surpassed all others in brutality. A demonic force came between the two men. Out of blind lust for his gold, the evil Pygmalion hacked Sychaeus down in front of the altars, all unsuspecting, with his back turned, unmoved by his sister's love for the man. For a long time the wicked perpetrator covered up the crime, and the tormented the frantic lover with empty hopes, and continuous pretence. But the actual ghost of her unburied husband appeared to her in her dreams, somehow showing his features drained of blood; he pointed out the altar, scene of the murder, and showed where his chest had been pierced by the metal, and uncovered the entire crime, the house's secret. [356] Then he urged her to hurry to escape, and leave her native land, and as a resource for her journey, he disclosed ancient treasures in the ground, an immense quantity of silver and gold. Inspired by all this, Dido collected her friends and prepared to flee. They rallied to her, those victims of the tyrant's inhuman hatred or those whose fear of him was real; they commandeered some ships which happened to be standing by, and piled the gold on board. The wealth coveted by Pygmalion was shipped out; the leader of the coup was a woman. They reached the place where now you see the massive walls, and the newly rising stronghold of Carthage, having purchased the land, called the Byrsa in honour of the deed, as much ground as they could cover with a bull's hide. But anyway, who are you? Where do you come from? Where are you making for?" At these questions Aeneas gave a sigh, and forcing himself to reply, spoke passionately as follows: [371]
"O goddess, if I were to go back and begin at the beginning, and you had time to listen to the history of our troubles, Vesper would be closing the day, and it would be pitch dark. A storm, by complete chance, brought us to the African coast. We have sailed over many different seas, from ancient Troy, if Troy perhaps is a name which has reached your ears. I am Aeneas, a man of honour, who carry my gods, rescued from the enemy, in my ships with me; my reputation is known beyond the sky. I head for Italy, my homeland, and my family descends from almighty Jupiter. I set out across the Phrygian sea with twenty ships, following my allotted destiny, with my goddess mother showing me the way; just seven survive, battered by the sea and by Eurus. Driven out from Europe and Asia, I wander the African wilderness, with no friends, no resources." Not letting him complain further, Venus interrupted his catalogue of woe thus: [386]
Venus says that his friends are safe, before revealing herself.
"Whoever you are, you hardly seem like a person the gods hate: you still have life and breath, and you have reached the city of Carthage. Go on from here, and present yourself at the queen's house. I can tell you that your friends have been restored to you and your fleet has safely returned, blown in here when the winds changed to the north, unless the information my stupid parents gave me was useless. Look at the swans, twelve of them merrily flying in a line, whom Jupiter's bird, stooping from his heavenly perch, was harrying, exposed as they were in the sky; now they appear to be either landing in a long line, or landed and looking about them. Just as they, now back on the ground, relax with much beating of wings, and throng round their leader trumpeting, in the same way your ships and your young men are either in port, or heading for the harbour under full sail. Just go straight on, and follow where the road takes you." [401]
She spoke, and as she turned her head, her neck shone with a rose-coloured radiance, and her divine hair, as she tossed it, breathed out a supernatural perfume; her dress slid down to her feet; the real goddess was exposed by her haughty stride. When he recognised his mother, he ran after her disappearing back shouting: "Why do you go on tormenting your son with false hopes, you heartless woman? Why is it forbidden for us to meet as equals, and hear the truth and speak truth in return?" Flinging such accusations, he directed his steps towards the walls. But as he walked, the goddess Venus enclosed him in an opaque mist, and wrapped him in a thick cloud, so nobody could see them or touch them or delay them, or ask the reason for their coming. The goddess herself flew off to Paphos, delighted to be paying a visit to her home, where there was a temple to her, and a hundred altars glowed with Sabaean incense, and scented the air with fresh garlands of flowers. [417]
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