Virgil, Aeneid II.3
Melphi speaks
Infandum, regina, iubes renovare dolorem,
The priest translates
«You bid me, queen, to renew a grief too deep for words.»
And interprets
Melphi speaks to you of a hard story to tell. Perhaps someone is asking you to explain a painful event from your past, or perhaps you feel the need to tell it, yet every time you try your throat tightens. The verse tells you: it is normal for telling to reopen the wound, and you are not obliged to do it before you are ready. But when you find the right person, one who listens with respect, speaking can become a step towards freedom. You choose the moment, the place and the words: your pain deserves care.
The historical translations
Annibal Caro (1581)
Sua sponda incominciò: Dogliosa istoria
E d’amara e d’orribil rimembranza,
Regina eccelsa, a raccontar m’inviti:
Sua sponda incominciò: Dogliosa istoria
E d’amara e d’orribil rimembranza,
Regina eccelsa, a raccontar m’inviti:
Theodore C. Williams (1910)
A grief unspeakable thy gracious word,
o sovereign lady, bids my heart live o'er:
A grief unspeakable thy gracious word,
o sovereign lady, bids my heart live o'er:
Source
Publius Vergilius Maro, Aeneis, ed. J. B. Greenough (1900)
Virgil, Aeneid II.3