Virgil, Aeneid II.49
Melphi speaks
Quicquid id est, timeo Danaos et dona ferentis.
The priest translates
«Whatever it is, I fear the Greeks even when they bring gifts.»
And interprets
It is no accident that this line came to you: someone, right now, is offering you something that looks too good to be true. It may be a job offer out of nowhere, a very convenient deal, a kind gesture from someone who was hostile until yesterday. Melphi is not telling you to refuse everything: it is telling you to look inside the gift before you carry it into your house. Real generosity stands up to questions; the self-interested kind gets irritated when you ask. Watch out for the hurry they push on you: it is often the clearest sign. Say thank you, take your time, and calmly check who really gains from this gift.
The historical translations
Annibal Caro (1581)
Per di sopra assalirne. E che che sia,
Certo o vi cova o vi si ordisce inganno,
Chè de’ Pelasgi e de’ nemici è ’l dono.
Per di sopra assalirne. E che che sia,
Certo o vi cova o vi si ordisce inganno,
Chè de’ Pelasgi e de’ nemici è ’l dono.
Theodore C. Williams (1910)
Trust not this horse, O Troy, whate'er it bode!
I fear the Greeks, though gift on gift they bear.”
Trust not this horse, O Troy, whate'er it bode!
I fear the Greeks, though gift on gift they bear.”
Source
Publius Vergilius Maro, Aeneis, ed. J. B. Greenough (1900)
Virgil, Aeneid II.49