Thus divinely ordered to leave, Aeneas dares not disobey, but, dreading Dido’s reproaches and tears, he prepares to depart secretly.  His plans are, however, detected by Dido, who vehemently demands, how he dares forsake her now?  By Jupiter’s orders, Aeneas remains unmoved by her reproaches, and sternly reminds her that he always declared he was bound for Italy.  So, leaving Dido to brood over her wrongs, Aeneas hastens down to the shore to hasten his preparations for departure.  Seeing this, Dido implores her sister to detain her lover, and, as this proves vain, orders a pyre erected, on which she places all the objects Aeneas has used.

That night the gods arouse Aeneas from slumber to bid him sail without taking leave of the Tyrian queen.  In obedience to this command, our hero cuts with his sword the rope which moors his vessel to the Carthaginian shore, and sails away, closely followed by the rest of his fleet.  From the watch-tower at early dawn, Dido discovers his vanishing sails, and is so overcome by grief that, after rending “her golden length of hair” and calling down vengeance upon Aeneas, she stabs herself and breathes her last in the midst of the burning pyre.  The Carthaginians, little expecting so tragical a denouement, witness the agony of their beloved queen in speechless horror, while Anna wails aloud.  Gazing down from heaven upon this sad scene, Juno directs Iris to hasten down and cut off a lock of Dido’s hair, for it is only when this mystic ceremony has been performed that the soul can leave the body.  Iris therefore speedily obeys, saying: 

  “This lock to Dis I bear away
   And free you from your load of clay:” 
   So shears the lock:  the vital heats
   Disperse, and breath in air retreats.

Book V. Sailing on, Aeneas, already dismayed by the smoke rising from the Carthaginian shore, is further troubled by rapidly gathering clouds.  His weather-wise pilot, Palinurus, suggests that, since “the west is darkening into wrath,” they run into the Drepanum harbor, which they enter just one year after Anchises’ death.  There they show due respect to the dead by a sacrifice, of which a serpent takes his tithe, and proceed to celebrate funeral games.  We now have a detailed account of the winning of prizes for the naval, foot, horse and chariot races, and the boxing and archery matches.

While all the men are thus congenially occupied, the Trojan women, instigated by Juno in disguise, set fire to the ships, so they need no longer wander over seas they have learned to loathe.  One of the warriors, seeing the smoke, raises the alarm, and a moment later his companions dash down to the shore to save their ships.  Seeing his fleet in flames, Aeneas wrings his hands, and prays with such fervor that a cloudburst drenches his burning vessels.  Four, however, are beyond repair; so Aeneas, seeing he no longer has ship-room for all his force, allows the Trojans most anxious to rest to settle in Drepanum, taking with him only those who are willing to share his fortunes.