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Cover of The Aeneid

Poetry

The Aeneid

by Virgil

Translated by John Dryden

The legendary hero Aeneas flees the city of Troy with his father and young son, and travels to Italy to become the ancestor of the Romans.

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First published
c. 19 BCE
Length
107,547 words
Reading time
About 7 hr 29 min
Language
English (UK)

About the book

Virgil’s epic poem begins with Aeneas fleeing the ruins of Troy with his father Anchises and his young son Ascanius, with a plan to make a home in Italy. Because of a prophecy foretelling that the descendants of Aeneas will one day destroy Carthage, Juno’s favorite city, Juno orders the god of the winds to unleash a terrible storm. The ships are thrown off course and arrive at an African port. As Aeneas makes his way towards his new home he encounters Dido, Carthage’s queen, and falls deeply in love.

Although Charles W. Elliot stated that “the modern appreciation of the Iliad and the Odyssey has tended to carry with it a depreciation of the Aeneid ,” this epic poem continues to inspire artists, writers, and musicians centuries after its first telling. John Dryden’s translation captures the musicality of the original Latin verses while avoiding the stumbling of an English translation forced into dactylic hexameter.

the Read4Max reading text contains approximately 107,547 words arranged in 12 navigable sections.

The source metadata identifies Translator: John Dryden.

About the author

Virgil

Virgil (70 BCE–19 BCE) is described by Wikidata as Roman poet (1st century BC), with citizenship or national association recorded as Ancient Rome.

Recorded occupations include poet and writer. Languages recorded for Virgil include Latin. The structured record associates Virgil with Augustan poetry. Wikidata lists Eclogues, Georgics, and Aeneid among Virgil's notable works. Open Library identifies Prentice Hall Literature--World Masterpieces as a leading work in its author record. Open Library catalogs 67 works under this author record. The Read4Max catalog currently includes The Aeneid under Virgil's authorship.

70 BCE–19 BCE

Contributors

Translator

John Dryden

Reading options

  • A complete text with direct section navigation in the browser reader.
  • A downloadable EPUB for phones, tablets, desktop reading apps, and compatible ereaders.
  • Book and contributor metadata are checked against the source edition before indexing.

Themes and ideas

  • Aeneas (Legendary character)
  • Legends
  • Epic poetry, Latin

Table of contents

Open reader
  1. Book I
  2. Book II
  3. Book III
  4. Book IV
  5. Book V
  6. Book VI
  7. Book VII
  8. Book VIII
  9. Book IX
  10. Book X
  11. Book XI
  12. Book XII
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