Virgil, Aeneid IX.184-185
Melphi speaks
Dine hunc ardorem mentibus addunt,
Euryale, an sua cuique deus fit dira cupido?
The priest translates
«Is it the gods who put this fire into our minds, Euryalus, or does each man’s fierce desire become his own god?»
And interprets
This line asks you a question worth hearing: does the urge you feel inside come from a true calling, or from a desire dressed up as destiny? Perhaps lately you want to make a bold move, change jobs, leave, declare your feelings, take a risk. Enthusiasm is precious and should not be smothered. But before you leap, take the time to tell the two apart. A genuine calling withstands questions, the night, the advice of those who love you; a craving dressed as a god is in a hurry and cannot bear objections. Be careful not to drag the people you love into a venture you have not weighed.
The historical translations
Eurïalo, io non so se Dio mi sforza
A seguir quel ch’io penso, o se ’l pensiero
Stesso di noi fassi a noi forza e dio.
Said Nisus: “Is it gods above that breathe
this fever in my soul, Euryalus?
or is the tyrant passion of each breast
the god it serves? Me now my urgent mind