Virgil, Aeneid VI.851-853
Melphi speaks
tu regere imperio populos, Romane, memento;
hae tibi erunt artes; pacisque imponere morem,
parcere subiectis, et debellare superbos.
The priest translates
«You, Roman, remember to rule the peoples with your command; these will be your arts: to give peace its rule of life, to spare those who have yielded, and to defeat the proud in war.»
And interprets
This line tells you something simple: everyone has their own art, and yours today is to lead. Perhaps in your family, perhaps at work, you find yourself having to take charge of a situation, to set rules where there is confusion. The line shows you how to do it well: firmness with those who take advantage and push back, generosity with those who have already given way and ask only to start again. This is not the time to try to please everyone, nor to crush the weaker. Putting things in order is a service, not a triumph. Lead like this, and the peace you build will outlast your own effort.
The historical translations
Ma voi, Romani miei, reggete il mondo
Con l’imperio e con l’armi, e l’arti vostre
Sien l’esser giusti in pace, invitti in guerra;
Perdonare a’ soggetti, accòr gli umíli,
Debellare i superbi. In questa guisa
But thou, O Roman, learn with sovereign sway
To rule the nations. Thy great art shall be
To keep the world in lasting peace, to spare
humbled foe, and crush to earth the proud.”