“Aeneid Book VI” by Virgil (translated by Seamus Heaney)

This was a labor of love by the recently deceased poet. Heaney had translated the Aeneid years before, in college, and it had remained close to his heart. The rudiments of this project of translation began as a jumping-off point for his poem, “Route 100”, dedicated to the birth of his first granddaughter, which loosely mimics Aeneas’ descent into the underworld, but in Ireland. Both poems conclude with the (re)birth of souls in the upper world or, in Heaney’s case, the birth of his granddaughter. Working on his original poem spurred Heaney to make a proper translation of Book VI, his college Latin teacher’s favorite book in the Aeneid. This is not a literal translation, nor does it try for iambic pentameter. It takes the flow, gist, and rhythm of Virgil’s original and sets it to modern English verse. As per Heaney, he uses simple words when simple words will do, interspersed with a doozy for effect. It is sparse, beautiful, and magical, conveying the essence of Virgil in new poetical form.