Aeneid Bibliomancy Reading

This oracle points to a randomly selected line from The Aeneid. The surrounding passages are provided for context.

 

Your passage is from BOOK IX: DEATH IN THE DARK.

 

For Context:

BOOK IX: DEATH IN THE DARK

Messapus leads the van; and, in the rear,
The sons of Tyrrheus in bright arms appear.

In the main battle, with his flaming crest,
The mighty Turnus tow’rs above the rest.

Silent they move, majestically slow,
Like ebbing Nile, or Ganges in his flow.

The Trojans view the dusty cloud from far,
And the dark menace of the distant war.

Caicus from the rampire saw it rise,
Black’ning the fields, and thick’ning thro’ the skies.

Then to his fellows thus aloud he calls:
“What rolling clouds, my friends, approach the walls?

Arm! arm! and man the works! prepare your spears
And pointed darts! the Latian host appears.”

Thus warn’d, they shut their gates; with shouts ascend
The bulwarks, and, secure, their foes attend:

For their wise gen’ral, with foreseeing care,
Had charg’d them not to tempt the doubtful war,

Nor, tho’ provok’d, in open fields advance,
But close within their lines attend their chance.

Unwilling, yet they keep the strict command,
And sourly wait in arms the hostile band.