Virgil, Aeneid XII.894-895
Melphi speaks
Non me tua fervida terrent
dicta, ferox: di me terrent et Iuppiter hostis.
The priest translates
«Your fiery words do not frighten me, proud man: it is the gods that frighten me, and Jupiter my enemy.»
And interprets
This verse invites you to tell real threats apart from those that only make noise. Perhaps someone is raising their voice at you, a boss, a relative, a rival, and you feel crushed by their words. Melphi tells you: the words of someone who provokes you do not have the power you fear. What deserves your attention are the real forces at play, the circumstances, the facts, what you truly cannot control. Be careful not to waste your energy answering every provocation blow for blow. It is the right time to stay calm before someone who shouts and to focus on what really matters.
The historical translations
Il capo, Ah, gli rispose, che per fiero
Che mi ti mostri, io de la tua fierezza,
Orgoglioso campion, punto non temo,
Nè di te: degli Dei temo e di Giove,
Che nimici mi sono e meco irati.
shook his head, saying: “It is not thy words,
not thy hot words, affright me, savage man!
Only the gods I fear, and hostile Jove.”