A

Diana tells of Camilla’s early life

(adapted from Vergil’s Aeneid 11.532-596)

Has tristes Latonia voces ore dabat: bellum ad gerendum mittitur dilecta Camilla et nostris armis frustra cingitur.  Priusquam Metabus antiquā urbe egressus est, comitem exsilio sustulit Camillam. Ipse infantem prae se sinu portabat.  Undique tela hostium premebant et Volscii audacibus cohortibus petebant. Ecce, medio fugae citus Amasenus haud summis ripis contentus fluebat.  Metabus, parans transire, caro oneri timet.  Omnia secum vertens subito in hanc sententiam incidit: Quidquid erit, superanda omnis fortuna ferendo est.  Medio telo natam in libro clausam circumligat quam ex periculo eripiat. Hoc dextrā potenti ita ad aethera tollens fatur:

"alma, tibi hanc, nemorum cultrix, Latonia virgo,
ipse pater famulam voveo; tua prima per auras
tela tenens supplex hostem fugit. accipe, testor,
diva tuam, quae nunc dubiis committitur auris."          

Dixit et telum iecit: sonuere undae atque celerem super amnem infelix fugit in telo Camilla.  Inde Metabus sese in flumen dedit atque amne victo telum cum virgine tutā (mirabile visu!) ex extremā ripā vellit.  Illos nec tectis nec moenibus ullae urbes acceperunt, sed in iugis vivebant.  Illic nata tenera in silvis equae ferae mammis alebatur.  Ut prima infans vestigia pedum humo posuit, pater manibus parvis tela praebuit et arcum ex umero pependit. Puella telis parvis plurimas aves usū frequente deicit.    

Diana haec memoriā tenet ac igitur fatur, “Utinam illa ne Teucros alienos conata esset laedere: foret nunc una comitum mearum aeternarum.  Nympha, adi ad tellus eō ubi proelium committitur.  Cape mea arma. Quicumque sacrum violaverit vulnere corpus, seu Tros seu Italus, mihi pariter det sanguine corpus.  Post ego miserandae illius corpus salvum patriae feram.”

Nota

Camilla was the daughter of Metabus, king of the Italic tribe of Volscians, and Casmilla, who died when Camilla was an infant. Metabus was driven out by the other Volscians from his city, taking Camilla with him. As Camilla grew up in the wilderness, she learned the arts of hunting and became skilled in spear throwing and archery, attributes associated with the virgin huntress Diana. Camilla and a band of Volscian maidens fought along with other Italians against the invading Trojans, led by Aeneas. In this adapted selection Diana (at times referring to herself in the 3rd person) describes Camilla’s childhood.

Latonia, -ae f. - daughter of Leto, i.e. Diana

Metabus, -i m. - Metabus, king of the Latin tribe of Volscians

exsilio - dative, translate as “for”

prae - before (+ abl.)

Amasenus, -i m.- Amasenus river

liber, libri m. - inner bark of a tree (original meaning of liber “book”)

circumligo (1) - to bind someone / something (acc.) to someone / something (dat.). See this part of the story illustrated in a 15th cent German woodcut.

almus, -a, -um – nourishing (Cf. “alma mater”)

cultrix, cultricis f. - inhabitant

famula, -ae f. - handmaid, female slave

voveo, -ere, vovi, votum - to pledge, dedicate

tela: here a poetic plural; translate as a singular

supplex, supplicis m./f. - suppliant

testor (1) - to call to witness

sonuere: 3rd person plural Perfect active indicative ending of sono, -ēre is an alternative to -ērunt, used primarily in poetry but occasionally in prose.

infelix, infelicis - unlucky, unfortunate (in • felix (gen. felicis))

mirabilis, -e - wonderful, amazing

vello, -ere, vulsi/velli, vulsus - to pluck, pull up

arcus, -us m. - a bow

umerus, -i m. - shoulder

frequēns (gen. frequentis) - often, regular, constant, repeated

Teucrus, -a -um - Trojan

Tros, Tois m. - Trojan

Italus, -i m. - Italian

miseror (1) - to lament, pity

B

 Camilla Enters Battle

(adapted from Vergil’s Aeneid 11.648-663)

At medias inter caedes properat Amazon, pharetrata Camilla, et expertā dextrā tela per campum sparget.  Aureus arcus et arma Dianae ex umero sonant.  Illa etiam, si quando in tergum pulsa recessit, respiciens arcu agmines reversā petit. At circā comites mirandae compositae sunt, Larinaque virgo Tullaque et Tarpeia, Italides, quae decus esset divae Camillae ipsi.

Quem telo primum, quem postremum, aspera virgo
deicis?  Aut quot humi morientia corpora fundis?

 Eunaeum primum, cuius nudum pectus telo traiectabat, interfecit.  Ille de currū cadit atque mandens humum suo se in vulnere vertit. Tot Phrygii viri mortui sunt; tot funera.  Procul Ornytus venator equo fertur, qui ad nemora fugitum cursum mutaverat.  Hunc Camilla (neque enim labor agmine verso) deicit et stans super illa fatur: “Quo in silvis te, Tyrrhene, feras petere putasti? Quin dies advenit mulierum armis subeundis.  Hoc haud leve patrum umbris tibi referendum est: telo cecidisse Camillae.”

Camilla has grown up a favorite of Diana and a fierce warrior, who now leads her band of women warriors into battle against the invading Trojans.

pharetratus, -a, -um - wearing a quiver

arcus, -ūs, m. - bow

umerus, -i m. - the upper arm, shoulder

Diana, -ae f. - Diana (goddess of the hunt)

Larina, Tulla, Tarpeia: Italian female warrior companions of Camilla

Italidis, -is - Italian 

postremus, -a, -um - last

asper, aspera, asperum - rough, harsh, violent

quot - how many?

Eunaeus, -i m. - Eunaeus (Trojan warrior)

traicio, -icere, -ieci, -iectum - to throw over, pass through, pierce

mando, mandere, mandi, mansum - to bite (mandere humum “to bite the ground” is an idiom for those who fall in battle)

Phrygius , a, um: Phrygian, Trojan

Ornytus, -i m. - Ornytus (Etruscan ally to the Trojans)

Tyrrhenus, -a, -um - Tyrrhenian (Etruscan)

putasti - 2nd person singular perfect active indicative form is a shortened form of putavisti.  The omission of -vi- in perfect forms (syncope) is used primarily in poetry.

C

An Heroic Death

(adapted from Vergil’s Aeneid 11.794-831)

Audivit et Phoebus partem voti mente dedit, partem in ventos dimisit.  Dedit ut ille turbatam morte Camillam subito interficeret, sed non ut ille patriam iterum videret.  Ut telum manu missum per auras sonuit, cuncti cohortes Camillae ad reginam animos acres verterunt et illuc oculos tulerunt.  Ipsa nihil sensit venientis per aether teli, donec telum per pectus nudum haesit virginis (nefas visu!) et sanguinem altē bibit.  Comites igitur currunt et dominam suscipiunt.  Arruns ante omnes territus fugitum it, laetitiā metūque mixtis, nec iam telis virginum occurrere audet.  Ac velut lupus, priusquam tela inimica sequantur, in iuga alta fugiendi causā occiso pastore se condit, sentiens audax factum.  Nec aliter Arruns ex oculis se abstulit contentusque fugā mediis se miscuit in agminibus.  

Illa patiens dextrā telum trahit, sed ossa inter ferrum alto vulnere stat.  Clauduntur frigida funere lumina, purpureus quondam color ora relinquit.  Tum sic moriens ad Accam loquitur, “Acca soror gratissima, adeō potui. Tempus deest: nunc vulnus grave accepi, et tenebrae tegunt omnia circā. Fuge ad Latinos! Haec recentia tibi fatenda sunt: Turnus Troianis pugnandis defendat castrum et auxilium regiis tectis urbique det. Iamque vale.” Simul his dictis relinquebat habenas, humum ex equo cadens.  Deinque Camilla frigida toto solvit se corpore, arma vitamque relinquens, et fugit sub umbras.  Tum quin clamor comitum surgens ad aurea sidera tollitur.

Following her initial victory, Camilla slaughters Trojans and their allies on the battlefield.  She notices the glittering garb of a Trojan priest and begins to pursue him. The Etruscan Arruns has been stalking her through the battle and prays to Phoebus Apollo for help.

regina, -ae f. - queen

donec - until (conj.)

haereo, haerere, haesi, haesum - to cling, stick

laetitia, -ae f. - happiness

lupus, -i m. - wolf

inimicus, -a, -um - hostile, unfriendly (in • amicus)

pastor, -is m. - shepherd

contentus, -a, -um - content

ossa…stat - the original has been preserved here to illustrate an example of how Latin authors frequently used a neuter plural subject with a singular verb.

frigidus, -a, -um - cold

purpureus, -a, -um - purple, dark red

habena, -ae f. - rein, strap