Aeneas' Love for Dido
Based on Book 4 of the Aeneid
In my poem “Dido’s Cursed Love,” I imagine Dido’s thoughts when Aeneas encountered her in the underworld in Book 6. Here, I imagine an answer Aeneas might have considered in Book 4, although I doubt it would have made any difference. Yes, Virgil does say that Aeneas loves Dido — I didn’t make that up — he just doesn’t tell her. And he’s not driven mad by it, like Dido was.
I have entered footnotes manually, because the footnote function doesn’t appear to work within the poetry block.
Beautiful lady, most excellent, Queen of Carthage, Juno’s friend. You, widowed, childless, kin-betrayed, and exiled, Yet landed again, your people re-planted. I, widowed, too, and exiled, though consoled with a son, But wandering, my people’s guide and guardian of our sacred things. Oh, I loved you, benefactress, love you still. Most kind and gracious, merciful To conquered, storm strewn Troy. But I cannot stay, nor you come with me. Your goddess hates me, who am son of Venus. [1] Will she ever relent? I thought she had. Rained into a cave, thunder and lightning Like my swollen, beating heart, your heart. You wanted me then. I did not refuse. And so it went. A year’d have made it marriage. [2] But we had not even all of winter ‘ere Mercury called me. No torch, no scroll, [3] so I to my duty, you to yours, Still childless, again your lover gone, But not dead this time and no betrayal! Remember Italy and I’ll recall Carthage. Let’s join us now as allies, in good will, though not connubial. Let Juno learn friendship with a husband’s daughter [4] And Venus grant Elissa a noble consort for fair offspring. [5]
Footnotes:
So far it is not clear to me that either Aeneas or Dido know about the enmity between Juno and Venus.
By the Roman custom of usus. This is my reading: Virgil doesn’t say this directly. I don’t know if this was also a custom attributed to the Trojans or the Greeks of that time.
Seems to refer to a form of marriage other than usus.
Virgil seems to follow the story that Venus was the daughter of Jupiter by Dione.
Elissa is Dido’s Phoenician name.