Today’s new poem is an encounter between Aeneas and the Harpies, half-women, half savage birds. Things do not go well, and the Harpies give Aeneas an unwelcome prophecy.
Aeneas succeeds in rescuing his son and father, but cannot save his wife, Creusa. Hear the story in Latin and follow in English here.
At first Aeneas’s Father Anchises didn’t want to go, but now his son carries him to safety through the flames as Troy falls. Hear Virgil’s poetry in Latin and follow in English here.The painting is by Johann Heinrich Schönfeld.
Today’s new poem is by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. It is a tribute to Virgil on the 1,900th anniversary of his death and is an example of how deeply great European writers have been steeped in and influenced by Latin poetry. One of the aims of Pantheon Poets is to give you a better experience of Latin poems recited in the original than translations can provide, even if you don’t know Latin yourself.
Is Catullus losing Lebia? It looks like it. Hear the poem in Latin and follow it in English here.
Another war against the Parthians looks in the offing and the outcome of the last one does not reflect well on Roman military pride and moral fibre. An inspiring example is needed. Step forward Regulus, who long ago persuaded the Senate to reject a deal with the Carthaginians which would have saved his own life. Hear the Regulus Ode here.