Aeneid

Hero? No. He is an agent and a penitent.

In the world of literature - like other worlds - texts are in a constant and close relationship with each other. These resonances are more fascinating when the author makes no clear reference to them or, better yet, is even unaware of them himself; this is where the pleasure of discovering and understanding the text turns into a game of detection. But very often the author makes the work easier and gives you so many subtle and profound clues in the structure, narrative, rhythm, motif, and style that you wonder if all of these were indeed deliberately planned or a sign of the author's weakness and lack of thought.

The case of the Aeneid and its relationship with the Iliad and the Odyssey is perhaps the most famous example of this. When you start reading the Aeneid, you are amazed by its colorful resemblance to the Homeric epics and may be disappointed after a while. If I were to indulge myself, it's as if we have a second-hand copy by an ambitious but not very skillful author who has tried to rewrite the Iliad and the Odyssey with Latin names. This resemblance, whatever we may call it - re-creation, imitation, or inspiration - which I think is a combination of all of these - is not an accusation that Virgil actively tried to avoid. The most important critiques written about the Aeneid in these two thousand years or so start from this entangled relationship, or end with it, or at least refer to it.

The story is that Aeneas (pronounced /əniəs/ in French, /ˈiːniəs/ in English, and /aɪˈniːəs/ in classical Latin) was a Trojan hero but on the periphery of the Trojan War. The gods, especially his mother Aphrodite and Poseidon, had a special regard for him and saved him every time he was wounded, until the last time he disappeared and was no longer very important to Homer as to where he was. Virgil, however, returns to this idea. In the Aeneid, written nearly seven centuries after the Iliad, we see that Aeneas has returned to the war and remains in Troy until the end of the work. And when something goes wrong for him, he is forced to leave the city, of course with a historical mission: to found the Roman Empire.

The first six books of the Aeneid are the story of Aeneas' long and arduous journey with his companions to reach Latium [a historical region in Italy where the city of Rome was built]. Something like Odysseus' first journey in search of home. And the second half of the book is Virgil's Iliad, that is, the story of the wars that Aeneas must fight to establish this realm. In between, we have romance, a journey to the world of the dead, and a battle between the elements, each of which is a supporter of one side of the story. But with all this, there is a big gap between the Aeneid and the Homeric epics. Here, the individual pride of the type of Iliad is not very important, and the storytelling and heroics of Odysseus are also not very much used. The main problem is beyond the struggle with the gods or the return home, and it is something of the nature of duty (a literal translation of the Latin term pietas) and the suffering human who feels his responsibility towards his son/people/history higher than any kind of individual pride. In other words, Aeneas is an agent and a penitent. He cannot be killed in battle with pride like Hector and Achilles, he cannot have a home for himself, and he cannot use the gifts of love. [Listen to Henry Purcell's Dido and Aeneas.] Destiny (and Virgil) has another plan for him: he must endure the hardships of this difficult path to give birth to the most powerful empire in the world.

Virgil wrote the book three decades before the birth of Christ. At that time, Rome had passed through the periods of monarchy (8th to 6th centuries BC) and republic (6th century BC to the time of writing the book), and Augustus had suppressed the civil wars and republicans and was now ruling as the first dictator of the empire. Of course, contrary to the image we have of the bloody and sometimes crazy Roman emperors, Augustus was a dreamer and a peace seeker - of course, after having shed enough blood - and his ideal society was simple, hardworking, and dutiful. In the Aeneid, Virgil not only links the history of the empire to myth and the gods and makes it legitimate but also promotes these ideals as much as possible. [Of course, Virgil's relationship with Augustus and the empire was more multilayered and complex than this.]

Naturally, the hero of such an epic should be anti-hero. Someone who is neither very strong nor very weak nor even so firm and stable that he never bends. Aeneas is not only none of these but also has very deep emotions. He remembers the city, his home, and his comrades for any reason, his heart burns against his enemies, and he is looking for the least amount of bloodshed. His surroundings and soldiers beside and in front of him are also mostly ordinary people, farmers and villagers who pick up their axes and spears from the side of the ground and go to war. Even in the courts of the kings of Italy, there is no news of thunder and lightning. In other words, in Virgil's world, ordinary people can also be heroes, provided they do not forget their duty towards their home and homeland. Of course, these same ordinary people also endure the greatest hardships. The Aeneid reminds us at every moment that great success also requires great sacrifices.

Let's move two thousand years forward. Virgil speaks to everyone in a certain way. For Hitler, Roosevelt, or Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the way to victory over the enemy and having a powerful state that is the source of pride is to listen to the call of duty. For many others, Aeneas is a symbol of the second type of friendship and peace-seeking that can unite Europe. But above all, there is an Aeneas who is a symbol of the human being who has been uprooted and condemned to eternal suffering, whether of a Christian or Kafkaesque nature. In any case, no matter how much we are defenders of the will and power of choice, we are all to some extent like Aeneas: agents and penitents.

P.S: Read with the excellent translation of Robert Fagles and the wonderful introduction of Bernard Knox. Like the Iliad and the Odyssey, I have translated it into Persian before, but with my previous good experience, this time I preferred the English translation.

P.P.S: I had written something about the Iliad and Odyssey before.

P.P.P.S: With many thanks to my dear readers.

Ok, but this was truly so much better than the Iliad or the Odyssey. The story presented here has a unique charm that sets it apart. Aeneas, he is the only main hero from an epic that I didn't despise with every fiber of my being. In fact, his character is quite interesting and complex. He shows qualities of bravery, determination, and a sense of duty. While Hector in the Iliad was also a character I adored, Aeneas has his own appeal. He faces numerous challenges and obstacles on his journey, yet he perseveres. His story is one of adventure, sacrifice, and growth. It makes for a captivating read that keeps you engaged from beginning to end.

Spontaneously, I rate this book as 3 stars.

I leave the rating open-ended because I don't think I have done justice to the book.

The translation by Neufers reads rhythmically and is linguistically wonderful.

Vergil inserts a monumental expansion into the epic, which greatly detracts from my reading pleasure and tires me.

At the moment, I can't contribute more to this book. A lack of historical awareness and political ignorance are a poor foundation for the Aeneid.

All that remains for me is the simple subjective perception: not my book, or perhaps I'll come back to it sometime.

Evo – topos neizrecivosti: It's impossible to use all possible superlatives here, they wouldn't be enough to convey what the "Aeneid" is all about. Encountering classic works truly rejuvenates a person – it represents a necessary reset to touch upon modernity. And truly good translations, as is the case here, extend modernity to antiquity. Marjanca Pakiž has managed to make Vergil sound like someone very close, with amazing dedication to ensure that modernization is both supported, authentic, and infinitely elegant. Reading this edition is a brilliant adornment of the Roman culture, a recapitulation of mythology and ancient history, and a style manual, full of adventures and challenges. The experience would not be half as good if there wasn't just, of course, an excellent translation where the hexameter is faithfully respected from the first to the last line, but also exceptional translator's notes, useful, not burdensome, erased, and, I dare say, wittily spiritual – especially since Pakiž doesn't shy away from almost personally colored evaluations, as well as critical considerations of some inconsistencies in the work, which make reading even more interesting. Therefore, all 767 notes form a kind of cryptobook in relation to the "Aeneid", which multiplies rewards for all the dedicated. And let's not even talk about how many times I looked at the geographical map that comes with this edition! This is, then, reading with full combat and travel gear – and, to make things even better – accessible! Because Pakiž has neither overestimated nor underestimated the reader – whoever wants to approach Vergil will be able to do so according to their own measure, but with rarely valuable help. Truly, such a precious edition rarely appears in any culture and must absolutely be recognized and welcomed.

Since the reading took a long time, my notebook has been significantly filled. And a brief overview of the notes would be overwhelming, so I will now make some kind of summary of summaries. First of all, a very general impression: Vergil is an epic poet, but with delicate lyrical reflections. As much as I enjoyed the stories, so much did all the lyrical flights and poetic turns delight me, which make even the harshness in a special way tender. What is especially striking, and what someone could know even before reading, is that the "Aeneid", in relation to what is better known to us, Homer's eyes, is the gaze of the defeated. And not an ordinary gaze, but light and triumph, founding for understanding the特殊性 of a community. Hence Vergil communicates both with the then moment, so with Homer, but also, like every epic poet, with eternity. Otherwise, it is often overlooked that between Homer and Vergil there is a span of, by God, eight centuries! Imagine if today we compare some modern novel with something from the 12th century? Time shrinks.

Review of some favorite moments, by songs:

I) Aeolus' towering cave and Neptune calming the winds:

“He spoke and with his words he stilled the seething tumult,
scattered the piles of clouds and restored the sun's light.” (57)

II) Cassandra is the most convincing least believable prophetess in the history of prophecy.

Aeneas dreams of Hector's shade.

III) Gushing – blood from green editions. Aeneas meets the dead Polydorus.

At the foot of Etna: The Greek who begs the Trojans to take him in.

Polyphemus on the mountain without that one eye of his. (168)

IV) Dido is eaten up by love. Conflicts and encouragements of Juno and Venus.

Dido's curse because of unrequited love:

“(...) I will be far away, but with dark fire
I will follow you. And when cold death parts my soul from my body,
I will be with you as a ghost! You will pay the penalty!
I know, for news will reach me even to the deepest underworld.” (192)

The mystery of the Ethiopian sorceress.

Dido's suicide.

V) The race of ships and the prize – the golden cloak with an engraving.

VI) The descent to the underworld!

And the knowledge that Hades is not final – that souls go up and then return to bodies. Metempsychosis! (292)

VII) The escalation of war. (Until this moment, the "Aeneid" was more similar to the "Odyssey", from this point it becomes the "Iliad".)

VIII) The river Tiber speaks in its own name. (358)

But also: “the waters and the woods wonder: you have not seen until now that such ships shine
and that ships are so colorful.” (360)

In the "Aeneid", sunrises are very common, but also deeds.

Venus in bed convinces Vulcan to help with weapons. Aeneas' shield. (379) And on it all of Italian history and all of Roman future.

IX) Nisus and Euryalus infiltrate among Turnus' soldiers.

X) The greater gods: Jupiter is angry.

Description: “And among them is, behold, also strong Venus' care:
the Dardanian boy, and he has revealed his beautiful head and it shines –
like the twinkling light of a jewel in dark gold
on a diadem or some other precious thing, or like what shines
from a dark chest, of terebinth wood, skillfully
inserted part of ivory. The boy's neck is very white and
his hair flows down, and soft gold is gathered.” (446)

Aeneas gets angry. And he also silences the head of the slain. (467)

Juno intervenes: creates a ghost in the likeness of Aeneas so that Turnus can escape.

XI) Camilla as one of the most impressive amazons – baring her breasts in battle – heroic death.

XII) The final battle: Aeneas vs. Turnus.

Venus with a cry gives Aeneas a herb, to help.

Comparison: general unrest as when a shepherd finds bees in a hollow rock. (558)

I don't have anything new to add to what has been accumulated over the centuries about the Aeneid :D

It is a classic, yes, it is a magnificent and influential work, that's all there is and no one disputes it. But here, I will always be among the first admirers of the Odyssey and its crafty hero, Pious Aeneas takes a backseat.

And of course, it would be completely unfair not to mention that the translation by Marjana Pakiž in my opinion has achieved the right balance between the archaic and the modern. Her comments seem just right and in place to me. All in all, I would love for us to have more and more frequent translations like this from the classical languages.

New Drinking Game: Take a Shot Every Time the Word “Virgin” is Used

Here is a rather interesting new drinking game that has emerged. The rule is simple - whenever the word “virgin” is used, one has to take a shot. It sounds like it could potentially be a lot of fun, or perhaps a bit of a wild ride depending on how often the word comes up. However, I must admit that I think I would have liked this game more if I hadn't read about it in under 24 hours. Maybe if I had more time to process and anticipate playing it, it would have held more appeal. But as it stands, it's an intriguing concept that could add an unexpected twist to a gathering with friends. Who knows, maybe it will become a popular game at parties in the future.

\"Fortune favors the brave.\"

The Aeneid, this immortal epic poem born from the genius of Publius Vergilius Maro, is considered one of the foundational classical works of world literature. It is directly related to the Greek bards, especially Homer, but as a historical continuation of the Trojan War, it also has connections to some of the tragedies of Aeschylus and Sophocles.

Vergil, this incomparable poet, shares two very interesting details with the Czech genius Franz Kafka. His magnum opus remains unfinished after eleven years of gestation, to which he dedicated the last years of his life, even when he was very ill. In the same way that Kafka did not finish his novels \"The Castle\" or \"The Trial,\" Vergil leaves the end of the Aeneid truncated when death surprises him at the age of 51.

On the other hand, he also shares with Kafka a decision that was disobeyed: Kafka, already seriously ill with tuberculosis, asks his friend and executor Max Brod to burn all his work. An order that Brod disobeys, bequeathing to us all that we read today of this author.

The same thing happens with Varius, a friend and also executor of Vergil, who on his deathbed asks him to burn everything written about the Aeneid, a poem that the poet was accustomed to reciting to Emperor Augustus.

When one reads the Aeneid, one knows in advance that if one really wants to have a global idea of what happens there, one should, if possible, read Hesiod's Theogony beforehand, which explains how the different gods of Olympus were born and how, after relating to mortals, they engendered the different heroes of the poems.

In this way, we learn that Aeneas is the fruit of the union of the goddess Venus (or Aphrodite for the Greeks) with his father Anchises, just as Achilles is born from the union of the goddess Thetis with the mortal Peleus, while with Ulysses this does not happen, although it is important to clarify the intimate relationship that the hero of the Odyssey has with Pallas Athena.

The gods always intervene before a possibly unfortunate destiny to change things, and this will also happen in the Aeneid, since Aeneas is constantly protected by Venus at different times, from the flight from Troy to the arrival on the shores of Hesperia, as Italy was anciently called, until the combats begin against the Latins under the order of the leader Turnus, who in turn will have the support of another goddess, Juno, who will generate in him and in his subjects the constant violence and animosity to go to war, as the god Ares (Mars) does with Hector in the Iliad.

Juno, jealous of the Trojans, will do the impossible to prevent Aeneas from founding a new Troy in Italy, also because she was slighted by the mortal Paris, who chose Venus, and by the amorous slight that Ganymede inflicts on her with a Trojan prince.

But Venus is not the only goddess who will be part of all this game of betrayals, discords, and battles. Other gods such as Jupiter (Zeus) or Vulcan, who, in the same way that he did with Ulysses, will forge the armor and shield of Aeneas for the battle with Turnus, will have a direct incidence.

Thus, everything will be prepared for war. But first, we must clarify that the Aeneid consists of two well-marked parts.

In the first place, after the destruction of Ilion, as Troy was also known, Aeneas escapes with his father Anchises on his back and his son Ascanius by the hand, losing in it his mortal wife, Creusa. From there, he will arrive in Carthage, where he will have a tormented affair with the queen, Dido. These events have a background that will bring more misfortunes to the Teucrian hero.

The escape of Aeneas towards Italy has the same tenor as that of Ulysses returning to Ithaca in the Odyssey. Let us remember that there are several poems and tragedies in which the Odyssean returns after the fall of Troy are narrated. The same happens with the return of Agamemnon in the tragedy of Aeschylus and in the Oresteia, narrated by the same bard.

After living through the worst vicissitudes, the persecution of Juno, the death of many of his warriors, being subjected to storms that destroy his ships, he arrives in Italy, and it is here where the second part begins, which has in the narrative a very close similarity to the Iliad, when the Latins enter into war with the Teucrians. The last four books of the twelve that the Aeneid contains narrate these warlike events.

It is essential to have read the Iliad, since the description of the battles will be practically the same as those of Homer's poem. At times, the way Vergil describes it is so cruel that it seems that the reader is seeing that violence with which the Latins and Teucrians massacre each other on the battlefield. The blood splatters everywhere on all those who are killed by their enemy, the spears pierce every chest they find, and heads are split to the neck or men are decapitated without the slightest compassion.

It seems that Nikolai Gogol was inspired by the Iliad and the Aeneid to tell us so explicitly and so similarly what happens in the confrontation between the Ukrainian Cossacks and the Poles in his novel Taras Bulba, which shows the inspiration that poets like Homer or Vergil generated in the great writers of the modern era.

Another very important aspect to take into account is that the axis and the center of the Aeneid reside in book VI, when Aeneas descends to the Underworld to meet with Anchises, his deceased father. In the same way that when Ulysses descends to Hades, Aeneas must cross the different places of the Underworld, as does the great Dante Alighieri, who for much of the Divine Comedy chooses precisely Vergil for that journey. No one more suitable than the Latin poet to accompany him on that dark path.

Unlike what is narrated in the Divine Comedy, Vergil explains to us how the Underworld is in a more reduced way and as if all the places were very close to each other.

Aeneas is accompanied by the prophetess Sibyl, who shows him and explains what each thing is in the Avernus and what happens with the souls that are there.

What Dante will describe with all the luxury of details is shown to Aeneas quickly, such is the case of Charon, the boatman who transports the souls across the river Acheron, the Stygian lagoon, and the lake of Lethe, where Aeneas must also enter to forget part of what he has lived.

Already in books XI and XII, the final battle is developed, and it gives the sensation that Vergil draws a comparison with the Iliad to describe the most important confrontation of all between Aeneas and Turnus, as Homer did with Achilles and Hector.

It is clear the feeling of homage to Homer as well as the inspiration that the Greek poet infused him to continue the story in his own poem.

Comparing the Iliad and the Odyssey, both Aeneas and Achilles face their adversary with the object of avenging the death of Patroclus in the case of Achilles against Hector, and the death of Pallas at the hands of Turnus in what concerns Aeneas.

Unfortunately, and since the Aeneid remains inconclusive, we will never know what happens after this confrontation, of which I will not reveal the winner to protect that reader who wants to embark on the adventure of the brave and valiant warrior Aeneas, whose deeds have been immortalized in the gold of world literature thanks to Vergil, one of the fathers of literature.

So it was the will of the Fates...

\"La fortuna favorece a los valientes.\"

A pesar que el relato en sí no es tan interesante o épico como los de Homero, Virgilio logra un relato bien logrado y muy interesante. Virgilio's work has its own charm and significance. It presents a unique perspective on the events and characters.

Es bueno también conocer cómo explican los romanos el desenlace de algunos griegos, adaptado claro está a su realidad. By understanding the Roman interpretations, we can gain a deeper understanding of their culture and beliefs.

Es una de las pocas obras épicas en Roma que conozco por lo que el valor que tiene aún se eleva más, todo para dotar a Augusto de un origen divino. This work holds great value not only as an epic but also as a means to glorify Augustus.

Lamentablemente esta obra fue inconclusa. However, the fact that it is incomplete does not detract from its overall importance and influence. It still remains a significant piece of literature in the history of Rome.