Aeneid

Widely considered one of Rome’s greatest poets, Virgil is well known for his epic poem the Aeneid which tells the tale of Rome’s historic origins. Comprised of twelve books, the first six trace Aeneas’ journey from the ruins of Troy to Italy while the remaining books recount the saga of Aeneas’ struggles to establish a settlement in Italy for what would ultimately lead to the foundation of the great Roman Empire.

Virgil's classic song of arms, heroes, and gods is one of the great heritages of Western civilization. Its grandeur, its scope, its passion, have been sought in translation by reverent poets throughout the ages.

Ahl's Oxford translation is a more legthy version due to his informal, often colloquial approach. He uses a version of Virgil's ancient hexameter, a swift-moving line varying between twelve and seventeen syllables, divided among six feet, each of which carries its principle stress on the first syllable.

45 page introduction

7 page translator's note

3 page bibliography

2 page chronology

maps

ancestral chart

111 pages of notes

26 page index and glossary