The Legend of Dido and Aeneas
When, after a shipwreck, the Carthaginians said: life-wreck! - Aeneas, the hero of the Trojan War, in which the Greeks killed the Greeks, the only one who was saved by the Great Blue Sea - as the Carthaginians called the Mediterranean Sea - was thrown by the waves onto an unknown shore, then his lifeless body was taken by fishermen to the palace of their ruler.
So he ended up at the feet of Queen Dido, who began building the great city of Carthage in 825 BC. new era. This date was invented by completely different people, so the queen built her city, following only the dictates of her time and her heart.
Having lost everything and no longer expecting anything good from Fate and the Gods, Aeneas, when he opened his eyes, fell in love with the beautiful Dido, his savior, at first sight and decided to achieve her intimacy. Of course, solely as a sign of gratitude for his salvation, as every man who respects himself and does not respect a woman does.
But Queen Dido was busy all the time: she built what she wanted to build. And only then, many years later, completely different people will write that the queen built the great Carthage, the city that gave its name to the Great Civilization!
One day, Aeneas, as soon as he got to his feet and felt that he was again a man, whose main purpose was to win and conquer the heart of a beauty, asks to see Dido. But he is refused: “There’s a lot to do!”
Seven days have passed - every man knows that after seven days he is completely unbearable - he again sends her a message on parchment. That's what they called SMS in those distant times. And again a refusal.
A month later, he himself went to the city, made his way through the crowd of builders surrounding Dido, extended his hands to her, standing, of course, on his knees and trying to hug her knees, to the general surprise of the Carthaginians, and said:
– Dido, beloved, incomparable, priceless, I would like to meet you!
After each adjective, he, of course, added the word “mine” in order to emphasize who this pricelessness belongs to, but...
“Sorry, can’t you see that I’m busy,” Dido answered coldly.
Remember, dear ones: if a modern woman, like in ancient times, says “I’m busy!”, this means that she sends you - very politely - to all fours!
Well, Aeneas went. What he did next is unknown. They say that he composed something, the same thing that Virgil later found and rewrote into the poetic epic “Aeneid”. But Aeneas, you understand, did not find out about this. Men also do useful things, for example, begetting those who then become great men. But tell me: who, while praising a genius, a master, a creator, also exalts with pathos the one who conceived him, without even thinking about what good deed he is doing.
A year later, Aeneas came to the construction site again. And he sees the same picture: Dido is laying new temples and houses, building a port, paving roads, work is in full swing, everything is going on. And everything is led by the beautiful Dido, and everything obeys her. The city of Carthage is growing higher and wider, not knowing that it will forever go down in History not only with its birth, but also with its death!
Aeneas again rushes towards her, so persistent, stubborn, talking about his own things and again, kneeling down, stretching out his hands:
- Dido, I beg you, find a window, stay with me a little.
“I’m busy,” Dido answers, “how will they cope without me?” And anyway, do I owe you anything? I saved you, brought you back to life - and be healthy!
Aeneas burst into tears of grief, completely distraught with passion for Dido, boarded a ship and sailed out of despair to the Italian shores to build his city, Eternal Rome, as a symbol of his unchanging and unrequited love for Dido. And indeed: you can hang anything and any spaghetti about the worthlessness and uselessness of men on your ears, but Aeneas built his city! Moreover! He remained faithful to his Beloved!
And it has nothing to do with the three Punic wars that Roman men started against Carthaginian women!
Having completed the construction of the great Carthage, Dido ordered to organize a great holiday, invite her beloved Aeneas to it and have a wedding with him in the Carthaginian library. Then the most revered place was the Library, the largest building in which the main treasures of human genius were located.
But…
Dido heard in response the sad story that Aeneas, upset in his feelings, left a long time ago, and when leaving the Carthaginian coast, he sang songs about love all the time and shed bitter tears. Here, I left the parchment with the poems, all tear-stained, you can only read the title, “You are my Sun!”
And then such melancholy seized Dido that Carthage and her hardworking strong hands built. And such love played out in her soul and body that for all subsequent centuries, every man who considered himself a poet sang her in his works. A a real man always writes poetry, even if he doesn’t admit it to himself!
And Dido went to long journey to find your lover and hug him with your feminine arms and never let him go again!
So let's drink to whatever projects beautiful woman no matter how she put it into practice, no matter how passionate she was about her work, she never forgot that there was him nearby, the only man in love with her, who idolizes her, adores her and burns with desire!
And let female hand will always respond to outstretched male hands.
"AMO ERGO SUM!"
“I love - that means I exist!”
This is what men said in antiquity, raising their glasses of wine to beautiful ladies in Carthage. And they certainly added:
“And we will be happy!”

Copied from parchments found during excavations of Carthage destroyed by the Romans, and translated from the Punic language into Russian
Evgeny Larin.
November 9, 2014

This story was first described by Naevius in the 3rd-2nd century BC. Virgil later included it in his epic “Aeneid” (written approximately 29 BC). Virgil's work was so popular that the inhabitants of Pompeii decorated their homes with quotes from it. In the Middle Ages (approximately 1689), the English composer G. Purcell wrote the opera “Dido and Aeneas”... And lines from the works of Russian authors who also addressed this topic make an equally strong impression on us, their contemporaries.

After the incident with the apple, which the Trojan Paris gave not to her, but to Venus, Jupiter's wife Juno hatched plans for revenge on the Trojans. In addition, she was aware of the prediction according to which her beloved Carthage was to perish as a result of a conflict with the state, which was to be founded by the descendants of the Trojans who survived the fall of Troy. Therefore, when the ships of Aeneas, who was not only a Trojan, but also the son of the hated Venus, set off in search of a new homeland, Juno created a terrible storm. Many ships sank and many people died as a result of this storm. Everyone would have died, but the ruler of the seas, Neptune, intervened in time, calmed the sea and sent the surviving ships to the shores of Africa, where Queen Dido reigned. The residents of Carthage warmly welcomed the guests, and the beautiful Dido, who survived a terrible personal tragedy and never knew family happiness she was simply captivated by the courage of Aeneas, who told her about the Trojan War, the sea adventures that she herself had once experienced, and how, while saving his father and son, Aeneas lost his beloved wife in defeated Troy. Many rulers of neighboring states wooed the beautiful Phoenician, but everyone invariably received a refusal. Dido did not know that she owed her love for Aeneas to his mother, nor did she know that she would fall victim in a fierce struggle between two goddesses. For a long time she resisted the again surging and almost forgotten feeling. But in the end she agreed to marry the Trojan. And happiness came to the beautiful palace of Carthage. Love for her husband, strengthened by previous years of loneliness and truly mother's love to his son from the deceased Trojan woman Creusa - all this became the meaning of her life, pushing aside concerns about the state she founded. But this happiness was short-lived - the messenger of Jupiter, Mercury, appeared to Aeneas and ordered him to continue his journey to the shores of Italy, where, according to the prediction, the Trojans were to find a new homeland. The same prediction said that Aeneas would have a third wife. Consequently, it was impossible to take Dido with him... But how to leave his beloved, how to inform her, who had only recently found happiness, about eternal separation?!... Aeneas did not want to lose Dido, but, as often happens, the sense of duty turned out to be stronger than love. Aeneas and his ships began to prepare for a secret departure... But either someone told, or loving heart prompted - the queen found out terrible secret husband. Where? For what? Why without her? No less upset, Aeneas replied that he could not resist the will of the gods and was only begging his beloved for forgiveness... Afraid to change decision made, Aeneas went to the ship. There Mercury visited him again and reminded him of the will of the gods. In the morning the ship went to sea. Taking a last look at the city he was leaving, Aeneas realized that something terrible had happened. He did not know that, unable to survive the new terrible loss, Dido plunged the sword he had forgotten into her heart and threw herself into the flames of the sacrificial fire... Here is what Joseph Brodsky writes:

"Great man looked out the window, and for her the whole world ended with the hem of his wide Greek tunic, whose abundance of folds resembled a stopped sea. He was looking out the window, and his gaze was now so far from these places that his lips froze like a shell where a rumble lurks, and the horizon in the glass was motionless. And her love was only a fish - maybe capable of launching into the sea after the ship and, cutting through the waves with a flexible body, perhaps overtaking it - but he, he mentally had already set foot on land. And the sea turned into a sea of ​​tears. But, as you know, it is in a moment of despair that a tailwind begins to blow. AND great man left Carthage. She stood in front of the fire that her soldiers had lit under the city wall, and saw how, in the haze of the fire, trembling between flames and smoke, Carthage silently disintegrated long before Cato’s prophecy.”

Dido (Dido), Elissa, in Roman mythology the queen, founder of Carthage, daughter of the king of Tire, widow of the priest of Hercules Akerbas or Sychaeus, who was killed by Dido's brother Pygmalion in order to seize his wealth. Having fled to Africa after the death of her husband with many companions and treasures, Dido bought land from the Berber king Yarba. According to the condition, she could take as much land as an ox's hide would cover; Having cut the skin into thin belts, Dido surrounded a large area with them and founded the citadel of Carthage Birsu (Greek “skin”) on this land. At its foundation, the heads of a bull and a horse were found, which foreshadowed Carthage's wealth and military power, which, however, was inferior to that of Rome (at the foundation of the temple on the Capitol in Rome, a human head was found - a sign of Rome's dominance over the world). According to Justin's version (XVIII 4-7), dating back to earlier Greek or Phoenician sources, Dido, pursued by Yarb's matchmaking, ascended the fire, remaining faithful to the memory of her husband. Roman tradition associated Dido with Aeneas. Perhaps this connection was first reflected in the poem of Naevius (3rd-2nd centuries BC) about the Punic War. Virgil processed it in the fourth book of the Aeneid: when Aeneas’s ships arrived in Carthage on the way from Troy, she, by the will of Venus, became Aeneas’ mistress. However, Jupiter sent Mercury to Aeneas with the order to sail to Italy, where he was destined to become the ancestor of the founders of Rome. Unable to bear the separation from Aeneas, Dido committed suicide by ascending to the fire and predicting the enmity of Carthage with Rome. The image of Dido may be derived from a Phoenician deity; the Carthaginians revered her as a goddess.
In the beginning In the 16th century, almost simultaneously with the first translations of Virgil’s Aeneid, tragedies were created: “Dido” by G. Giraldi Cintio; “Dido” by L. Dolce; “Dido sacrificing herself” by E. Jodelle and others; among poetic works: “The History of Queen Dido” by G. Sachs and others. Among dramatic works 17-18 centuries: “D. sacrificing herself” by A. Ardi; “Dido” by J. de Scudéry; “The Abandoned Dido” by P. Metastasio; "D." I. E. Schlegel; “Dido” by Ya. B. Knyazhnin and “Dido” by M. N. Muravyov.
The myth of Dido has enjoyed particular popularity in European musical and dramatic art since the middle. 17th century (among the first operas: “Dido” by F. Cavalli; “Mad Dido” by C. Pallavicino; “Dido and Aeneas” by G. Purcell; “Mad Dido” by A. Scarlatti, etc.). Composers A. Scarlatti (the second opera based on this plot), N. Porpora, G. F. Handel, N. Jommelli, T. Traetta, L. Cherubini, G. Paisiello, V. Fioravanti turned to P. Metastasio’s libretto.
Few works of ancient art related to myth have reached us (a fresco in Pompeii, a mosaic from Halicarnassus, a number of figurines of Dido committing suicide, etc.). European art turns to myth first in illustrations to Virgil’s poem, and starting from the 15th century - in painting. The most common plot was “the suicide of Dido” (paintings by A. Mantegna, Annibale Carracci, Guercino, G. B. Tiepolo, P. P. Rubens, S. Bourdon, C. Le Brun, A. Coipelle, J. Reynolds, etc.) , scenes of the feast of Aeneas and Dido and their hunt were also embodied (frescoes by J. Amigoni and G. B. Tiepolo, paintings by G. Reni, I. G. Tischbein, etc.), the plot “Dido founds Carthage” (G. B. Pittoni etc.)

Dido and Aeneas is the first truly great opera. The author of the opera is Englishman Henry Purcell. This is one of the largest English composers. After Purcell's death, his works were highly appreciated by his contemporaries. He wrote Dido and Aeneas as a young man in 1689, he embodied glory English music. Initially, the work was intended for a boarding school where only girls studied. Libretto of the opera by Nahum Tate based on the fourth book of Virgil "Aeneid", which describes the story of Aeneas. The opera Dido and Aeneas is considered Purcell's most striking work. This is his only composition based on music without spoken dialogue.

The opera consists of three acts. The first act begins with a classic tragic introduction. After this, Belinda calms her mistress Dido, who is the queen of Carthage. Dido's heart is full of love for Aeneas. Aeneas is a Trojan hero who sailed to the shores of Carthage after the fall of Troy. He appears with his subordinates. At the end of the scene, it becomes clear to all viewers that Dido and Aeneas have a wonderful feeling for each other - love. General admiration is expressed in beautiful dances.

The second scene introduces us to the villains, among whom there is a witch, several of whom are leading. While in their caves, the villains come up with a plan to raise a storm at sea. They want to separate Dido and Aeneas. They want to force Dido to leave Aenea. The film contains recitative and chorus. The song of the witches sounds triumphantly, anticipating victory over love. The scene ends with a chorus of echoes, simulating the sound of a cave.

The plot of the second act tells about the hunt that Queen Dido planned for her noble guest. The villains - a sorceress and two witches - intend to destroy the union of Dido and Aeneas and destroy Carthage in the flames of fire. The Chorus, Belinda and the second lady describe the grove and Aeneas's boast about the boar he killed. When Dido and her companions leave to escape the storm, a mysterious inner voice stops him and does not allow him to follow Dido. The spirit in the person of Mercury was sent by the sorceress with an order from Jupiter. He informs Aeneas that he must leave Dido that same night. After all, his calling is to create the majestic city of Rome. Aeneas is confused by this news, but understands that he must do everything as the gods order. The action ends with the witches expressing joy that their plan was a success.

The third act begins with a chorus of Trojan sailors preparing to sail from the shores of Carthage. Suddenly a witch appears with a choir of witches. They cannot contain their joy, because now Aeneas will disappear, and their union with Dido will be dissolved. Afterwards, an upset Dido appears with her subordinates. She completely accepted her fate. Aeneas offers to stay with Dido and ignore Jupiter's orders, but Dido does not agree. She insists that Aeneas set out on his journey. But the queen admits to Belinda that she cannot bear parting with her lover. Dido holds the hand of her assistant Belinda and dies. The aria from the opera “I should lie down in the ground” sounds tragic. This is the most spectacular aria among the entire work. This is where the opera ends.

During the author's lifetime, the opera "Dido and Aeneas" was staged only once, when the graduates graduated from school. Despite all the fame and popularity, some are of the opinion that the author showed his abilities better in music for the theater, which was written for other occasions.

It is truly magnificent, as in such a small work, the author was able to express mastery in depicting feelings, to depict a picture in which the inevitable magical threads of fate and the almost deliberate indifference of those who do not participate in the fate of the main characters are perfectly conveyed. The persistent succession of recitatives and all sorts of ariatic forms seems to speed up the action, perfectly emphasizing the characters and positions of the characters. The dialogues between the queen and Aeneas guide the harsh course of events: on the one hand, her sadness and protests, on the other, the gloomy responses of the hero who knows his confession. In the sad ending, which describes a gloomy death scene, the queen announces her voluntary death and wants to leave a bright memory of herself. The sound of the basso ostinato and the repetition of the words “Remember my” became famous throughout the world.

Purcell's opera depicts the ancient myth of the life of Aeneas. The poem was very popular among composers. But few of Purcell’s works remain relevant to this day. For two centuries the opera was not staged; only after its first performance in London in 1895 did it become popular again. The aria “When I am laid in earth” from the opera “Dido and Aeneas” has become a world masterpiece. You can listen to this and other arias for free on the Orpheus club website.

Juno, seeing from the heights of Olympus that the Trojan fleet sailing from Sicily to Italy was close to its goal, was inflamed with anger and hurried to Aeolia to the king of the winds. She asked him to release the winds and sink the Trojan fleet. Aeolus obeyed and opened the cave where the winds were locked.

The god of the sea, Neptune, noticing this, commanded the winds to leave his domain and pacified the angry waves. Triton and the Nereid Kimatoya, on the orders of Neptune, removed the ships from the underwater reefs, and he himself moved those that ran aground with his trident.

Aeneas with difficulty gathered only seven ships from the entire fleet and landed with them on the near shore. It was Libya. The bay they entered was calm and safe, surrounded by rocks and forest. In its depths one could see a spacious grotto - the home of the nymphs - with a clear stream and stone benches. Here the Trojans landed on shore to take a break from adversity. Achates, Aeneas' constant friend, struck a fire and built a fire; others carried soaked wheat from the ships so that, after drying it by the fire, they could grind it and prepare food for themselves. Aeneas, meanwhile, accompanied by Achates, climbed onto a nearby rock to look out from there for some remnants of his fleet, but did not see a single ship, but noticed a herd of slender deer grazing in the valley below. They immediately went down and killed seven of the largest animals from the herd with bows. Then Aeneas divided the spoils so that each ship had a deer. The travelers brought wine and, lying down on the grass, enjoyed delicious drink and food until nightfall. But the feast was sad, for everyone was saddened by the thought of their missing friends.

The next morning, Aeneas and Akhat went to explore the surroundings. Entering the thicket of the forest, they met the goddess Venus, the mother of Aeneas, in the form of a young maiden in a hunting robe. “Have you met any of my friends?” - the goddess asked them. “No,” answered Aeneas, “we haven’t met one, oh maiden, I don’t know what to call you, but in your appearance, in your voice, you are not a mortal... you are a goddess!.. Perhaps the sister of Apollo or a nymph? But whoever you are, be merciful to us and help us in our trouble; tell me what country we are in. A storm has driven our ships to this land, and we do not know where we are.”

“You are near the city of Carthage,” said Venus. - This land is called Libya and is inhabited by warlike Libyans. Queen Dido rules in Carthage; She, persecuted by her brother, fled with her friends, taking her wealth, from Tire, from the Phoenician country, and built a city here on land she bought from the Libyan leaders. But tell me: who are you, where are you from and where is your path?”

Aeneas told her everything. Then the goddess revealed to them that they would be received friendly in Carthage, and gave hope that they would see their missing comrades there - as the birds foretold, for at that time twelve swans, pursued by an eagle, rustling with their wings, sank to the ground. Having said this, the goddess left, taking on her form again, and the air was filled with the fragrance of ambrosia.

Aeneas went with Achates to the walls of Carthage.

Climbing the hill, from where both the city and the palace were visible, Aeneas was incredibly surprised by the huge buildings, gates, and streets lined with stone. Everywhere there was a flurry of activity - walls were being erected, loopholes were erected; some carried heavy stones, others hewed columns to decorate the theater, in one place they began building a new house, in another they dug a harbor. "ABOUT happy people, you are already building the walls of your city!” - Aeneas exclaimed, looking at the battlements, and walked with quick steps through the crowd, unnoticed by anyone. In the middle of the city, in a small grove, a magnificent temple to the goddess Juno was erected. Approaching him, Aeneas was surprised to see a whole series paintings depicting both heroic battles and the suffering of the Trojans. He was pleased that the Carthaginians sympathized with his people.

While he was admiring the paintings, Queen Dido appeared, accompanied by armed young men, resembling Venus in beauty and figure. Entering the vestibule of the temple, the queen sat on the throne and began to judge the people and distribute the work. At this time, Aeneas and Akhat, with surprise and joy, saw their missing friends in the crowd surrounding the queen.

They approached Dido, told her that they sailed with Aeneas, but their ships were separated by a storm, and asked her for protection and permission to repair the ships in order to sail to Italy, if King Aeneas united with them again, or, if he died, in Sicily to King Acestes.

The queen graciously listened to their request and promised protection and help. “Who does not know,” she said, “the great Aeneas, the beautiful Troy and its sad fate? We do not live so far from the rest of the world that we have not heard of your glory, and our hearts are not so cruel as not to sympathize with your sad fate. If you want to go to Hesperia or Sicily, then I will send you there, providing you with supplies; if you want to stay with us, then look at my city as if it were your own. Why isn't Aeneas here with you? I will now send reliable people all over the seashore to find your king.” But then Aeneas himself appeared.

Dido was captivated by the beauty and masculinity of Aeneas. She greeted him in a friendly manner and invited him and his companions to her palace, where she ordered a rich feast to be held in honor of their arrival. She ordered the people of Aeneas who remained on the ships to carry various supplies. Aeneas hastily sent his friend, Achates, for Ascanius and for the rich gifts that he saved from the devastated Troy.

Venus and Cupid. Lucas Cranach the Elder

Venus, fearing for the safety of Aeneas in Libya, asked her son, Cupid, to take the form of young Ascanius and strike the heart of Dido with his well-aimed spear, and she would fall in love with Aeneas. The God of Love willingly agreed and, taking the form of Ascanius, whom Venus had meanwhile transported sleepily to the fragrant groves of Italy, went with Achat to Carthage. Arriving at the palace, they found the Trojans and the noblest Tyrians already at the table. The queen, enchanted by the young man, did not let him go from her throughout the feast and fell under the power of the god of love. When the cups began to be passed around, and Aeneas began to talk, at Dido’s request, about the fate of Troy and his own, a fiery love for the hero arose in the queen’s heart, and the more the queen looked at him, the more her passion flared up. When the feast ended late at night and everyone went to rest, the queen’s only thought was about Aeneas.

Juno, ready to do anything to prevent Aeneas from reaching Italy, invited the goddess Aphrodite to arrange the marriage of Aeneas with Dido. The goddess Aphrodite agreed, because in this way the unhappy wanderings of her son would cease, and he would acquire a rich state.

Aeneas was lured into the net by the goddesses; seduced by the queen’s virtues, he forgot about the great promises given to the family and decided to share power over Carthage with Dido. But Jupiter, holding in his hand the fate of the world, did not want the plans destined for the Aeneas family to lay the foundation of a new state in Italy to remain unfulfilled, and sent with Mercury an order to Aeneas to hastily leave Carthage and sail to Italy.

Aeneas with a heavy heart obeyed Jupiter, ordered the secret production of a fleet and, deaf to the pleas and reproaches of Dido, set off. Then the abandoned queen decided to die. By her order, a high fire was built in the courtyard of the palace; Dido mounted him and, when the fire burned, she pierced her tormented heart with a sword. And the last, dying glance of the dying woman was turned to the direction where, in the distance, barely turning white, the sails of a ship could be seen, quickly moving away from the Libyan shores.