Virgil, Aeneid IV.1-2
Melphi speaks
At regina gravi iamdudum saucia cura
volnus alit venis, et caeco carpitur igni.
The priest translates
«But the queen, long since wounded by a heavy care, feeds the wound with the blood of her veins and is consumed by a hidden fire.»
And interprets
If these days you carry a feeling you have not yet told anyone, this line is speaking to you. It may be a new love, a wish to change jobs, a longing that comes back in the evening. A hidden fire does not go out on its own: the longer you keep it shut in, the more it feeds on you, on your sleep, on your energy. Melphi does not tell you to smother it, nor to throw yourself in without thinking. It tells you to recognise it, to give it a name and a little light. A feeling faced openly warms you; one kept in the dark burns. Start talking about it, at least with yourself.
The historical translations
Ma la regina d’amoroso strale
Già punta il core, e ne le vene accesa
D’occulto foco, intanto arde e si sface;
Now felt the Queen the sharp, slow-gathering pangs
of love; and out of every pulsing vein
nourished the wound and fed its viewless fire.