Ag leamh Virgil

Faoi deireanach, bhí ag léite trí leaganachaí de an Aeneid. Bheul, ní raibh trí leabhair gach go hiomlán. Chriochnaigh mé leis mo triúr de na haistriúcháin.

Fuair mé i mo gáraiste an tríur le chéile. Is oraiste agus beag an leabhar le C. Day-Lewis. Is uaine agus mór an leabhar le Allen Mandelbaum. Is dathannaí airgid agus dubh an leabhar le Robaird Mac Gearailt.

Réasunáithe mé go raibh ag tús a chur leis Day-Lewis. Thaithin sé liom an líne fhada go raibh in aice leis an méadar Laidin. Bhí sé níos dluth chomh na eile, ach bhí maith liom é nios fearr.

Ina theannta sin, i gcomparáid mé Day-Lewis leis an dá cheann eile. Gan amhras, is bréa liom is fearr an dara caibidil faoi an heachtraí na Aeneas ar feadh chogadh na Troy agus an éalú siar ar fud an Méanmhara. Go cinnte, chomh maith le sin, bhain mé taitneamh as grá tragóideach idir Dido agus Aeneas ina roinnt ceathrú.

Tar éis tamaill, áfach, faigheann an scéal iomlán achrann agus fola. Éirionn sé níos lú airgtheach. Céimnithe hídéil. Tá súil ag deireadh. Daoine troid agus daoine argóint agus daoine bás thar talamh agus ar shaibhreas. B'fhéidir, is cósulacht ár saor go fírinne ansin anois mar.

Reading Virgil.

Recently, I had read three versions of the Aeneid. Well, it wasn't three books each entirely. I started with my trio of translations.


I got from my garage the trio together. Orange and small's the book by C. Day-Lewis. Green and large's the book by Allen Mandelbaum. Silver and dark-colored's the book by Robert Fitzgerald.

I reasoned to begin with Day-Lewis. The long line pleased me that was near the Latin meter. It was more dense than the others, but I liked it better.


Furthermore, I compared Day-Lewis with the other two. Without a doubt, I loved most the second chapter about the adventures of Aeneas during the battle of Troy and the adventures westward across the Mediterranean. Certainly, equal to that, I enjoyed the tragic love between Dido and Aeneas in the fourth section.

After a while, however, the story gets full of strife and bloodshed. It turns to less invention. Dreams fade. Hopes end. People fight and people argue and people die over land and wealth. Perhaps, it's similar to our life truthfully then as now?


(Péinteáil/Painting. Éalú na Aeneas go Troy/Aeneas' Flight from Troy (1598): Frederico Barocci)