Virgil, Aeneid V.709-710
Melphi speaks
quo fata trahunt retrahuntque, sequamur;
quidquid erit, superanda omnis fortuna ferendo est.
The priest translates
«Wherever the fates drag us forward and drag us back, there let us follow; whatever comes, every fortune is to be overcome by bearing it.»
And interprets
If lately you feel you take two steps forward and one step back, this line speaks to you gently. It does not ask you to beat the current by force: it asks you to follow it wisely, without ever dropping the oars. In love, at work, or in a family matter that will not move, your strength right now is endurance. Whoever can carry a crooked season comes out of it steadier than whoever fights it with frayed nerves. This is not surrender; it is active patience. Accept the rhythm of things, hold your direction, and let time work on your side too. Fortune, good or bad, is crossed by carrying it.
The historical translations
Magnanimo signor, comunque il fato
Ne tragga o ne ritragga, e che che sia,
Vincasi col soffrire ogni fortuna.
“O goddess-born, we follow here or there,
as Fate compels or stays. But come what may,
he triumphs over Fortune, who can bear
whate'er she brings. Behold, Acestes draws