Iam continens agmen migrantium impleverat vias, et conspectus aliorum renovabat lacrimas, vocesque etiam miserabiles exaudiebantur, mulierum praecipue, cum templa augusta ab armatis occupata praeterirent ac velut captos relinquerent deos.
Already an unbroken line of refugees had filled the streets, and the sight of others renewed the weeping, and indeed pitiable cries could be heard, mostly of women, when they passed by the venerable temple, taken by armed men, and given up their taken gods.
I’m not sure who’s doing the weeping in renovabat lacrimas. Conspectus appears to be the subject of the phrase - the sight of this throng of people seems to bring on renewed weeping. But who’s doing the weeping?
The previous sentence is: Ut vero iam fragor tectorum quae diruebantur in ultimis urbis partibus audiebatur pulvisque velut nube omnia impleverat, Albani tecta in quibus natus quisque educatusque erat relinquentes exierunt.
Certainly already the sound of rooves which were being destroyed was heard in the farthest parts of the cty and dust filled everywhere like a cloud, the Albani leaving the buildings in which they had been born and bred left [the city].
Maybe I’m just stupid today but I can’t quite parse the “aliorum”. “Aliorum lacrimas” would seem to make more sense than “conspectus aliorum” but to me the word is ambiguous and I’m having trouble comprehending it in any position. (But then the “renovabat” wouldn’t quite work…)(in any event, if it is indeed “aliorum lacrimas” then that’s who’s doing the weeping. But the clause is gobbledygook to me whatever “aliorum” modifies)
Anyway if it’s “conspectus aliorum” then it would seem that the sight is renewing tears in general, i.e. to the refugees: it’s not explicitly stated but the context would point to it. But it all hinges on the “aliorum”…
ed: I’ve done some more thinking on and off and “conspectus aliorum” more literally is “the sight of the others”, as if refugees are looking at each other and crying. That might make more sense but I might be overthinking it.
cum templa augusta ab armatis occupata praeterirent ac velut captos relinquerent deos – “when they passed by the venerable temples occupied by armed armed men and left behind the gods as if they (the gods) had been taken prisoner.” Velut goes with captos.
Ut vero iam fragor tectorum quae diruebantur in ultimis urbis partibus audiebatur pulvisque velut nube omnia impleverat, Albani tecta in quibus natus quisque educatusque erat relinquentes exierunt.
“When by now the crashing of roofs which were being destroyed was heard in the furthest parts of the city and dust filled everything like a cloud, the Albans came out, leaving the dwellings [“buildings” might be ok, but tecta is a poetic word for “homes”] in which each of them had been born and raised [“born and bred” is ok].” Vero is a connective from the preceding sentence. At first there was silent grief; when the crowd of refugees filled the streets, however, silence gave way to weeping – the sight of others [in the same condition] renewed their tears.
Iam continens agmen migrantium impleverat vias, et conspectus aliorum renovabat lacrimas,…
is a simplified version of Livy’s
…iam continens agmen migrantium inpleverat vias, et conspectus aliorum mutua miseratione integrabat lacrimas, vocesque etiam miserabiles exaudiebantur mulierum praecipue, cum obsessa ab armatis templa augusta praeterirent ac velut captos relinquerent deos.
…a line of refugees filling the streets, and the sight of others in with a shared misery renewed the weeping…