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Notes Display Latin text | translated by Theodore C. Williams Book IX Chapter 18: The attack continued | Next chapter Return to index Previous chapter |
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But now the brazen trumpet's fearsome song blares loud, and startled shouts of soldiery spread through the roaring sky. The Volscian band press to the siege, and, locking shield with shield, fill the great trenches, tear the palisades, or seek approach by ladders up the walls, where'er the line of the defenders thins, and light through their black circle shines. The Trojans pour promiscuous missiles down, and push out hard with heavy poles -- so well have they been schooled to fight against long sieges. They fling down a crushing weight of rocks, in hope to break th' assailing line, where roofed in serried shields the foe each charge repels. But not for long the siegers stand; along their dense array the crafty Teucrians down the rampart roll a boulder like a hill-top, laying low the Rutule troop and crashing through their shields. Nor may the bold Rutulian longer hope to keep in cover, but essays to storm only with far-flung shafts the bastion strong. Here grim Mezentius, terrible to see, waved an Etrurian pine, and made his war with smoking firebrands; there, in equal rage, Messapus, the steed-tamer, Neptune's son, ripped down the palisade, and at the breach strung a steep path of ladders up the wall. |
503-524 At tuba terribilem sonitum procul aere canoro increpuit, sequitur clamor caelumque remugit. accelerant acta pariter testudine Volsci et fossas implere parant ac uellere uallum; quaerunt pars aditum et scalis ascendere muros, qua rara est acies interlucetque corona non tam spissa uiris. telorum effundere contra omne genus Teucri ac duris detrudere contis, adsueti longo muros defendere bello. saxa quoque infesto uoluebant pondere, si qua possent tectam aciem perrumpere, cum tamen omnis ferre iuuet subter densa testudine casus. nec iam sufficiunt. nam qua globus imminet ingens, immanem Teucri molem uoluuntque ruuntque, quae strauit Rutulos late armorumque resoluit tegmina. nec curant caeco contendere Marte amplius audaces Rutuli, sed pellere uallo missilibus certant. parte alia horrendus uisu quassabat Etruscam pinum et fumiferos infert Mezentius ignis; at Messapus equum domitor, Neptunia proles, rescindit uallum et scalas in moenia poscit. |