395 400 Et ductus cornu stabit sacer hircus ad aram, Jam vinctae vites, jam falcem arbusta reponunt, Contra non ulla est oleis cultura, neque illae Poma quoque, ut primum truncos sensere valentis, Et vires habuere suas, ad sidera raptim Vi propria nituntur, opisque haud indiga nostrae. Quid majora sequar? Salices humilesque genestae, 405 410 415 420 425 430 43 397-419. Vineyards need constant attention all the year round. 420-425. Olives do not need much attention. -426-428. Neither do fruit-trees. 429-453. Nor do other trees, which, from their beauty and their usefulness, should be extensively planted. Et juvat undantem buxo spectare Cytorum, 440 445 450 455 460 465 454-457. Other trees surpass the vine, which is often injurious in its effects.-458-542. This detail of the various advantages derived from planting, leads to a splendid eulogium on rural life. 459. Ipsa; of its own accord; that is, bountifully and willingly. - 460. Fundit and facilem both refer to the plenty of the fruits of the earth (see Aen. i. 445), and justissima to the return of crop from seed. 460. 'What though the dome be wanting, whose proud gate The allusion is to the Roman practice of clients visiting their patron early in the morning. 463. Inhiant; that is, agricolae. Inhiare generally governs the dative. 464. Ephyreïa. Ephyra was an ancient name for Corinth. Vessels made of Corinthian bronze were rare, and highly esteemed. 465. Assyrio veneno. Assyria is often taken to signify Syria: here Phoenicia, a portion of it. Venenum simply denotes the purple dye for which Phoenicia was celebrated. -466. Casia. This does not seem to be the casia mentioned in ver. At secura quies et nescia fallere vita, Me vero primum dulces ante omnia Musae, 470 475 480 485 213, Georg. iv. 30, 182, 304, which was probably spurge flax. It is evident that this casia was an odoriferous plant used to perfume their unguents.467. At. For the force of at, see Zumpt, $ 349. Fallere. The genitive. See Ecl. v. 47. The force of fallere here is to disappoint with false hope. -468. As Virgil (ver. 412) recommends small farms, latis fundis must here mean the open expanse of view that the country yields.-469. Tempe. This delightful valley, m Thessaly, between Olympus and Ossa, watered by the Peneüs, is often used to denote any rural scene of surpassing beauty.-474 Justitia. See Ecl. iv. 6.-475. Primum. Virgil wishes first to be a poet and philosopher; next, if that be unattainable, to be blessed with a country life. See 483, &c. Join dulces ante omnia. -476 Sacra fero. Poets are sometimes called priests of the Muses, and it was part of the duty of the priest, ferre sacra. Percussus amore 'Smit with the love of sacred song.'-Milton, Par. Lost, iii. ver. 39. -477. Vias et sidera, equivalent to vias siderum. So verses 486, 487, campi Spercheosque, equivalent to campi Sperchei, and so in other passages, where the last term modifies or explains the first. Thus Aen. vii. 751, Fronde et felici comtus oliva; crowned with a leafy chaplet, and that (et) of the blessed olive 481, 482. The short days of winter, when the sun seems to hurry to his ocean bed, and the long days of summer, when night seems to be obstructed in her approach, are alluded to. See a similar passage, the subject being a favourite one with some of the earlier Greek poets, Aen. i. 740, &c.-483, &c. Virgil prays that if the dulness of his faculties (arising from the coldness of his blood-a hypothesis of some ancient philosophers) prevented him from being a poet and a philosopher, he might enjoy rural delights. See ver. 476.-486, 487 Campi Spercheosque. For this form of speech, which the gramma Spercheosque et virginibus bacchata Lacaenis Panaque Silvanumque senem Nymphasque sorores! 490 495 500 505 rians call Hendiadys (ev dia dvoiv, one term by two), see ver. 477. The Spercheos was a river of Thessaly. 488. Taygeta (juga). The Taygetus was a mountain range of Laconia, on which the Laconian maids celebrated the rites of Bacchus (virginibus, &c). Haemi. A wooded mountain range of Thrace. -489. Finely imi tated by Cowper "Oh for a lodge in some vast wilderness, Time-piece. -490. Happy the philosopher, happy, too (fortunatus et ille, ver. 493) the peasant. 492. Acherontis avari. The Acheron was a small river of Epirus, but was supposed to communicate with the infernal regions. Here the poet alludes to it as an emblem of insatiable death, the fear of which the philosopher overcomes. - 495. Fasces. The ensigns of power for power itself. - 496. Fratres. Probably Phraates and Tiridates, near relations, who were contending for the throne of Parthia. 497. Dacus. The Dacians, who lived along the north of the Danube (Hister), west from the Black Sea, made constant inroads on the Romans; nor were they finally subdued till the time of Trajan. Conjurato used actively. Zumpt, $633.499. Peasants are freed from beggary and wealth-they have a competency.. -503-512. Virgil describes the passions and vices of a city life; 503, 504, love of military glory tempting some to seek fame abroad; 505, 506, luxuriousness tempting others to civil war; 507, some are misers; 508-510, others are attracted by the desire of distinction, as lawyers and statesmen; 510-512, and some, stained with blood, are forced to settle in foreign climes. 506. Sarrano. Tyrian. See ver. 465. Hic stupet attonitus Rostris; hunc plausus hiantem 510 520 525 Hinc anni labor; hinc patriam parvosque nepotes 530 535 509. Cuneos. The wedge-formed divisions of the Roman thea tres. Enim has here the force of a strong affirmative. See Aen. viii. 84.513, &c. How different are the pursuits of the peasant! 516. He enjoys constant and innocent returns to his labour all the year round.-519. Sicyon, west of Corinth, was famous for its olives.-527. Ipse dominus agitat; presides at the holiday rejoicings. -528. Ignis. The altar fire. Cratera. From this the cups of libation were filled. Coronant. Encircle with a chaplet of flowers (see Aen. iii. 525), as was the usage of our poet's time.-536. Dictaei. An epithet applied to Jupiter, from Dicte, the mountain in Crete where he was born. -537. The early Romans deemed it impious to eat so useful an animal as the ox.-538. Saturnus. According to the old Italian mythes, the Golden Age, full of rural innocence and peace, flourished under the paternal rule of Saturn. See Aen. viii, 319, &c. |