Villa Maria Academy - Trumpet Yearbook (Erie, PA)

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The Descriptive Art of the Aeneid Wf ff if The greatest work of Rome's famed poet, Virgil, is the Aene'id . The fact is generally known that the Aeneid is lacking in originality-for the first six books are modeled after the Odyssey and the last six after the battles of the Tlliad. However, his skill in the coinage of new words and the haunting music of his versifcation are entire- ly Virgil's. i5f'..'bX ,Y fu . - i f ' -4 I Q, aX,Zf' . ' if . , M .nu srl c I 5 Virgil worked at the Aeneid with the utmost deliberation and care, but he did not live to perfect it. He bequeathed it to two friends, Varius and Tucca who edited it with the greatest care. In the form which it thus remived, the Aeneid became immediately the most popular and most highly esteemed poem of the Roman people. - A VVith the adventures of Aeneas, the poet interweaves allusions to the glories of the Julian line of which the Trojan hero was the assumed ancestor. Virgil also includes prophecies of the future splendor of the city of Rome. Although the Aeneid is considered inferior to the great works after which it was patterned and many of the characters seem unreal, especially the hero Aeneas, yet the various scenes and happenings are handled in the most expert man- ner and with a very high degree of poetical depth and feeling. ' Virgil depicts the beauty and sorrow of life as a true artist. He must indeed have delved deeply into the understanding of human nature when he could so authentically paint characters as they underwent various emotions-infinite pity, shadowy hope or flaming exultation. To make many of his passages clearer and more beautiful the poet often applied rhetorical expressions. Virgivs similes are cl-ear both in. thought and ex- pression, His alliteration makes the poem v-ery musical and harmonious. Truly, no poet ever made more effective use of rhetoric in verse. Simplicity, however, was the key to his style. When the Aeneid was first distributed, it became a school book, and as such it has remained for two thousand years. The Aeneid stands as a fitting monument of the illustrious Roman people. Tn conclusion it may he quoted, The Aeneid is the stateliest measure ever moulded by the lips of man. H. C. B., '31, 70 lr-

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Memories 0l0 Thus in the stilly night, Ere slumber's chain has bound me, Sad memories bring the light Of other days around me. Memories! Oh, indeed, who of us does not have memories which we hold sacred and guard in the treasure vaults of our hearts? Memories recorded in tiny books-memories over which we smile and sometimes sigh. With the passing of years-years which leave their imprint upon our brow -as we sail over the vast sea of life, we delight in blissful solitude and in allow- ing our fancies to roam once again through the flower-strewn lanes of youth. Our most beautiful memories are those of our school days-days when we shared joy and sorrow and formed friendships clearer than life. No matter the distance We roam, regardless of the years that intervene, nothing can erase from our minds those happy recollections. With a whimsical smile, we recall ourselves as wee freshiesf' bewildered by the new routine of high sehool5 we recall the lump that arose in our throats and the unashamed tears that gathered in our eyes and streamed down our faces as we bade farewell to our beloved Alma Mater and class- mates, and prepared to set the sails of our little ship that we might embark upon the unknown sea of serious responsibility. J s , '33 69

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My Virgilian Dream It was an evening in early autumn, just outside the little village of Andes in the year 54 B. C. The great golden harvest moon Shining down through the interlaced boughs of the trees made intricately designed patterns upon the soft grass. Standing beside a small smoothly-flowing stream, a tall dark-skinned youth in the toga. of young manhood, and a fair, almost. blonde maid, an unusual thing in an Italian, sadly contemplated its silvery surface. A E We must partf' the youth was saying. Perhaps it is for the best. My father is old, and he has paid dearly to educate me thus fa1'. It Will break his heart if I go not on to Milan. Thou knowest I am not strongg and poetry, it seems, must truly be the lot designated for me by the gods. But remember Carissima in all that l may write, as in all that I have written, you are the in- spiration, the good, and the beautiful. I shall think of you always as waiting here for me. May the gods forever keep you, and now farewell. Thirty-five years passed. On September 22, B. C., Publius Virilius Mare, unquestionably the greatest of Roman poets, a favorite of the gods, and intimate friend of emperors, died at the age of fifty-one. His secretary at Home in going over Virgil's papers discovered a poem, Carissima,', and noted underneath f'SeparationH. This secretary to Whom Virgil had dictated all his poems per- ceived that never before had he realized the true genius of his master. This one poem, though not particularly long was greater by far than even the Aeneid , for it contained the deepest, yet most elevating emotion of Virgil's life. That. evening on his way home, the secretary was set upon by robbers. The next morning his lifeless body was taken from the Tiber, and with him, for the paper had disappeared, died the greatest of the great Virgil's work. E. M., '31, ' Virgil Virgil, Virgil, from the heights, Vllhere you saw those wondrous sights, Travels, dreams and apparitions- The then-deceased in clear-viewed visions! Long and lengthy, clear described, Hou' small Troy the Greek defied. How it ended in their fall, How they built another wall. How another city founded, 'Till at last their power was bounded. Far off corners of the earth, How only stars could mark Romels girth, Your writing each and every trial In the best poetic style, 'Cause you left this Latin learning, The midnight oil we must keep burning. llfe must study, study hard To learn your poems, Ancient Bard. Yet we thank you for your songg But did it have to be so long? E. M., fsi. aa: n is