Virgil, Aeneid II.708
Melphi speaks
ipse subibo umeris, nec me labor iste gravabit:
The priest translates
«I will carry you on my own shoulders, and this burden will not weigh on me:»
And interprets
This line speaks to you of a weight you have chosen to carry out of love. Perhaps you are looking after an elderly parent, a child, a relative in difficulty, or a project others have left on your shoulders. Melphi recognises your generosity and tells you that when the reason is clear, the effort truly becomes lighter. But it also reminds you of a detail in the poem: Aeneas does not go alone, he holds his son by the hand and gives the others instructions. This is not the time to shoulder everything in silence; it is the time to carry with resolve and, at the same time, to ask for help with what nobody needs to carry alone.
The historical translations
Soggiuns’io, com’è d’uopo, in su le spalle
A me ti reca, e mi t’adatta al collo
Acconciamènte: ch’io robusto e forte
Sono a tal peso: e sia poscia che vuole:
“Haste, father, on these bending shoulders climb!
This back is ready, and the burden light;