Virgil, Aeneid IV.296
Melphi speaks
quis fallere possit amantem?
The priest translates
«who could deceive someone in love?»
And interprets
This line tells you something simple: those who love you notice everything. If you are thinking of hiding a decision, a change or a worry from someone close, know that they have probably sensed it already, from a silence or a glance. Staying quiet to spare them pain often hurts more than the truth. It works the other way too: if you feel someone is keeping something from you, you may not be imagining it, affection has fine antennae. This is not the time for subterfuge. Choose honesty, with tact, and give the other person the chance to respond as an adult.
The historical translations
Annibal Caro (1581)
Fu ciò che impose. Ma Didon del tratto
Tosto s’avvide: e che non vede amore?
Fu ciò che impose. Ma Didon del tratto
Tosto s’avvide: e che non vede amore?
Theodore C. Williams (1910)
But what can cheat true love? The Queen foreknew
But what can cheat true love? The Queen foreknew
Source
Publius Vergilius Maro, Aeneis, ed. J. B. Greenough (1900)
Virgil, Aeneid IV.296