'The most truthful translation ever, conveying as many nuances and whispers as are possible from the original' — The Times

After a century of civil strife...

'The most truthful translation ever, conveying as many nuances and whispers as are possible from the original' — The Times

After a century of civil strife in Rome and Italy, Virgil wrote the Aeneid to honour the emperor Augustus by celebrating his legendary ancestor, Aeneas. As a patriotic epic inspired by Homer, the Aeneid also sought to provide Rome with a body of literature equal to that of Greece.

The poem tells the story of Aeneas, a survivor of the sack of Troy, and his seven-year journey: to Carthage, where he falls tragically in love with Queen Dido; then to the underworld; and finally to Italy, where he lays the foundations for Rome. It is a story of defeat and exile, love and war, hailed by Tennyson as 'the stateliest measure ever moulded by the lips of man'.

Translated with an introduction by David West.