Virgil, Aeneid I.203
Melphi speaks
forsan et haec olim meminisse iuvabit.
The priest translates
«Perhaps one day it will be a pleasure to remember even this.»
And interprets
It is one of the most beloved verses in all literature, and Melphi has chosen it for you. If you are going through a tiring time, a move, an exam, a job change, a relationship to rebuild, the verse tells you: one day you will tell this story, and perhaps you will smile. It does not mean it does not hurt today; it means pain will not have the last word. Today’s trials will become part of your story, the one you will tell the people you love. Hold on, and meanwhile take a good look at what is happening: it will be your tale.
The historical translations
Annibal Caro (1581)
Di téma e di tristizia. E’ verrà tempo
Un dì, che tante e così rie venture,
Non ch’altro, vi saran dolce ricordo.
Di téma e di tristizia. E’ verrà tempo
Un dì, che tante e così rie venture,
Non ch’altro, vi saran dolce ricordo.
Theodore C. Williams (1910)
No more complaint and fear! It well may be
some happier hour will find this memory fair.
No more complaint and fear! It well may be
some happier hour will find this memory fair.
Source
Publius Vergilius Maro, Aeneis, ed. J. B. Greenough (1900)
Virgil, Aeneid I.203