Virgil, Aeneid XII.677
Melphi speaks
quo deus et quo dura vocat Fortuna, sequamur.
The priest translates
«let us follow where the god and harsh Fortune call.»
And interprets
This verse speaks to you of active acceptance. Perhaps these days you feel a path is being forced on you: a change you did not choose, a responsibility that has fallen on your shoulders, a test you can no longer avoid. You have looked for ways out, perhaps someone has shielded you, but now you understand it is time to walk towards it. Melphi tells you that following your lot is not giving up: it is ceasing to run and walking with your head held high. Be careful not to turn acceptance into despair. Welcome what is coming as a calling, and face it with dignity and with all the strength you have.
The historical translations
Annibal Caro (1581)
Via dove la fortuna e Dio ne chiama!
Via dove la fortuna e Dio ne chiama!
Theodore C. Williams (1910)
to stay the stroke. But let me hence pursue
that path where Heaven and cruel Fortune call.
to stay the stroke. But let me hence pursue
that path where Heaven and cruel Fortune call.
Source
Publius Vergilius Maro, Aeneis, ed. J. B. Greenough (1900)
Virgil, Aeneid XII.677