Virgil, born in 70 B.C., is best remembered for his masterpiece, The Aeneid. He earned great favor by portraying Augustus as a descendant of the half-god, half-man Aeneas. Although Virgil swore on his deathbed that The Aeneid was incomplete and unworthy, it has been considered one of the greatest works of Western literature for more than two thousand years.

Long a master of the crafts of Homeric translation and of rhapsodic performance, Stanley Lombardo now turns to the quintessential epic of Roman antiquity, a work with deep roots in the Homeric tradition. With characteristic virtuosity, he delivers a rendering of the Aeneid as compelling as his groundbreaking translations of the Iliad and the Odyssey, yet one that--like the Aeneid itself--conveys a unique epic sensibility and a haunting artistry all its own.

W. R. Johnson's Introduction makes an ideal companion to the translation, offering brilliant insight into the legend of Aeneas; the contrasting roles of the gods, fate, and fortune in Homeric versus Virgilian epic; the character of Aeneas as both wanderer and warrior; Aeneas' relationship to both his enemy Turnus and his lover Dido; the theme of doomed youths in the epic; and Virgil's relationship to the brutal history of Rome that he memorializes in his poem.

A map, a Glossary of Names, a Translator's Preface, and Suggestions for Further Reading are also included.

Table of Contents
Introduction 1
Map: The Voyages of Aeneas 42
Virgil: The Aeneid
Safe Haven After Storm 47
The Final Hours of Troy 74
Landfalls, Ports of Call 103
The Tragic Queen of Carthage 127
Funeral Games for Anchises 153
The Kingdom of the Dead 182
Beachhead in Latium, Armies Gather 213
The Shield of Aeneas 241
Enemy at the Gates 266
Captains Fight and Die 293
Camilla's Finest Hour 324
The Sword Decides All 355
Notes
Translator's Postscript 387
Genealogy: The Royal Houses of Greece and Troy 404
Suggestions for Further Reading 406
Variants from the Oxford Classical Text 410
Notes on the Translation 411
Pronouncing Glossary 424