Aut acris venabor apros. Non me ulla vetabunt
Frigora Parthenios canibus circumdare saltus.
Jam mihi per rupes videor lucosque sonantis
Ire; libet Partho torquere Cydonia cornu
Spicula. Tamquam haec sit nostri medicina furoris,
Aut deus ille malis hominum mitescere discat!
Jam neque Hamadryades rursus nec carmina nobis
Ipsa placent; ipsae, rursus concedite, silvae.
Non illum nostri possunt mutare labores;
Nec si frigoribus mediis Hebrumque bibamus,
Sithoniasque nives hiemis subeamus aquosae,
Nec si, cum moriens alta liber aret in ulmo,
Aethiopum versemus ovis sub sidere Cancri.
Omnia vincit Amor; et nos cedamus Amori.'
Haec sat erit, divae, vestrum cecinisse poëtam,
Dum sedet et gracili fiscellam texit hibisco,
Pierides; vos haec facietis maxima Gallo-
Gallo, cujus amor tantum mihi crescit in horas,
Quantum vere novo viridis se subjicit alnus.
Surgamus: solet esse gravis cantantibus umbra;
Juniperi gravis umbra; nocent et frugibus umbrae.
Ite domum, saturae, venit Hesperus, ite capellae.
57. Parthenios. Parthenius was a mountain between Arcadia and Argolis.-59. Cydonia, from Cydonia, a town of Crete. Both Parthian and Cretan archery was famous.-62. Hamadryades. See Ecl. v. 59.64, &c. Gallus is hopeless of relief even in the colds of Thrace, where winter is severest (Hebrus, a river, and Sithonia, a district of Thrace), or in Aethiopia, even in midsummer.-69. Amor; long by the arsis.— 72. Pieria, in Macedonia, was said to be the birthplace of the Muses. Maxima, maximi aestimata.-74. Se subjicere, to raise itself up from under to increase in height. That Gallus was not either a violent or a dishonest man, the friendship of Virgil, who inscribed to him his tenth Eclogue, testifies.'-Becker's Gallus, p. 12.
GEORGICON, the genitive plural in the Greek form, is derived from yswgyinos, belonging to husbandmen. This work treats of the various departments of farming, and is divided into four books. The subject of the first book, generally, is the cultivation of the soil, for the growth of crops. More particularly, we have an introduction, addressed to Virgil's patron, Maecenas, stating the nature of the whole work, 1-5; then an invocation to Sol, Luna, Liber, Ceres, the Fauns, the Dryades, Neptune, Aristaeus, Pan, Minerva, Triptolemus, Silvanus, and all the rural deities, along with Augustus Caesar, 5-42. Virgil then discusses the proper time and mode of ploughing and manuring, with reference to season, soil, fallow, succession of crops, irrigation, feeding down, and draining, 43-117. In connection with the trouble necessary to protect the soil from mischievous animals and plants, labour and invention are shown to be the result of Jupiter's succession to the throne of heaven, 118-159. The instruments of agriculture are described, 160-175. Miscellaneous directions; regarding the threshing-floor, 176-186; indications of a heavy or a light produce, 187-192; the medicating and the choice of seed, 193-203, are then given. The proper time for sowing is next taken up, 204-230. The sun's annual course, and the zodiac, 231-256. The four seasons. What should the farmer do in time of rain? 257-267; on holy days? 268-275. The moon's influence on certain days is treated of, 276-286. Some things are better done at night, some in the heat of the day, and some in winter, 287-310. We find then a description of the havoc made by an autumnal storm, 311-334. Therefore we must watch the weather, and worship the gods, 335-350. He dwells on the prognostics that foretell winds, 351-369; rain, 370-392; clear weather, 393-423; on prognostics derivable from the moon, 424-437; from the sun, 438-465. And he concludes with a splendid passage on the prodigies which prognosticated the civil war that followed the death of Julius Caesar, 466-497, and a prayer for the preservation of Augustus, 498-514.
Thomson's Seasons furnish the best imitation, in our language, of passages in the Georgics.
AD C. CILNIUM MAECENATEM.
QUID faciat laetas segetes, quo sidere terram
Vertere, Maecenas, ulmisque adjungere vitis
Conveniat; quae cura boum, qui cultus habendo
Sit pecori; apibus quanta experientia parcis:
Hinc canere incipiam. Vos, o clarissima mundi
Lumina, labentem coelo quae ducitis annum;
Liber et alma Ceres, vestro si munere tellus
Chaoniam pingui glandem mutavit arista,
Poculaque inventis Acheloïa miscuit uvis;
Et vos, agrestum praesentia numina, Fauni,
Ferte simul Faunique pedem Dryadesque puellae :
Munera vestra cano. Tuque o, cui prima frementem
Fudit equum magno tellus percussa tridenti,
Neptune; et cultor nemorum, cui pinguia Ceae
Ter centum nivei tondent dumeta juvenci ;
Ipse nemus linquens patrium saltusque Lycaei,
Pan, ovium custos, tua si tibi Maenala curae,
Adsis, o Tegeaee, favens; oleaeque Minerva
Inventrix; uncique, puer, monstrator aratri ;
Et teneram ab radice ferens, Silvane, cupressum;
Dîque deaeque omnes, studium quibus arva tueri,
Quique novas alitis non ullo semine fruges;
Quique satis largum coelo demittitis imbrem :
Tuque adeo, quem mox quae sint habitura deorum
Concilia, incertum est; urbisne invisere, Caesar,
Terrarumque velis curam, et te maximus orbis
Auctorem frugum tempestatumque potentem
Accipiat, cingens materna tempora myrto;
An deus immensi venias maris, ac tua nautae
Numina sola colant, tibi serviat ultima Thule,
Teque sibi generum Tethys emat omnibus undis;
1-5. Introduction, stating the object of the whole work.-5-42. Invocation to Sol, Luna (clarissima mundi lumina), Liber, Ceres, the Fauns and Dryades, Neptune, Aristaeus (cultor nemorum), Pan, Minerva, Triptolemus (unci monstrator aratri), Silvanus, and all the rural deities, along with Augustus Caesar.
Anne novum tardis sidus te mensibus addas,
Qua locus Erigonen inter Chelasque sequentis
Panditur; ipse tibi jam brachia contrahit ardens
Scorpios, et cœli justa plus parte reliquit :
Quidquid eris—nam te nec sperant Tartara regem,
Nec tibi regnandi veniat tam dira cupido;
Quamvis Elysios miretur Graecia campos,
Nec repetita sequi curet Proserpina matrem—
Da facilem cursum, atque audacibus adnue coeptis,
Ignarosque viae mecum miseratus agrestes,
Ingredere, et votis jam nunc adsuesce vocari.
Vere novo, gelidus canis cum montibus humor
Liquitur, et Zephyro putris se gleba resolvit,
Depresso incipiat jam tum mihi taurus aratro
Ingemere, et sulco attritus splendescere vomer.
Illa seges demum votis respondet avari
Agricolae, bis quae solem, bis frigora sensit;
Illius immensae ruperunt horrea messes.
Ac prius ignotum ferro quam scindimus aequor,
Ventos et varium coeli praediscere morem
Cura sit ac patrios cultusque habitusque locorum ;
Et quid quaeque ferat regio, et quid quaeque recuset.
Hic segetes, illic veniunt felicius uvae;
Arborei fetus alibi, atque injussa virescunt
Gramina. Nonne vides, croceos ut Tmolus odores,
India mittit ebur, molles sua tura Sabaei;
At Chalybes nudi ferrum, virosaque Pontus
Castorea, Eliadum palmas Epiros equarum?
Continuo has leges aeternaque foedera certis
Imposuit natura locis, quo tempore primum
Deucalion vacuum lapides jactavit in orbem,
Unde homines nati, durum genus. Ergo age, terrae
Pingue solum primis extemplo a mensibus anni
Fortes invertant tauri, glebasque jacentis
Pulverulenta coquat maturis solibus aestas.
At si non fuerit tellus fecunda, sub ipsum
Arcturum tenui sat erit suspendere sulco;
43-117. The proper time and mode (deep ploughing, depresso aratro) of ploughing (with a hint as to manuring dry and exhausted soils, and burning the stubble on barren ground), with reference to season, soil, fallow, succession of crops, irrigation, feeding down, and draining.
Illic, officiant laetis ne frugibus herbae,
Hic, sterilem exiguus ne deserat humor arenam.
Alternis idem tonsas cessare novales,
Et segnem patiere situ durescere campum ;
Aut ibi flava seres, mutato sidere, farra,
Unde prius laetum siliqua quassante legumen,
Aut tenuis fetus viciae tristisque lupini
Sustuleris fragiles calamos silvamque sonantem.
Urit enim lini campum seges, urit avenae,
Urunt Lethaeo perfusa papavera somno.
Sed tamen alternis facilis labor: arida tantum
Ne saturare fimo pingui pudeat sola, neve
Effetos cinerem immundum jactare per agros.
Sic quoque mutatis requiescunt fetibus arva;
Nec nulla interea est inaratae gratia terrae.
Saepe etiam steriles incendere profuit agros,
Atque levem stipulam crepitantibus urere flammis :
Sive inde occultas vires et pabula terrae
Pinguia concipiunt; sive illis omne per ignem
Excoquitur vitium, atque exsudat inutilis humor;
Seu pluris calor ille vias et caeca relaxat
Spiramenta, novas veniat qua succus in herbas;
Seu durat magis, et venas adstringit hiantis,
Ne tenues pluviae, rapidive potentia solis
Acrior, aut Boreae penetrabile frigus adurat.
Multum adeo, rastris glebas qui frangit inertis,
Vimineasque trahit crates, juvat arva; neque illum
Flava Ceres alto nequidquam spectat Olympo;
Et qui, proscisso quae suscitat aequore terga,
Rursus in obliquum verso perrumpit aratro,
Exercetque frequens tellurem, atque imperat arvis.
Humida solstitia atque hiemes orate serenas,
Agricolae; hiberno laetissima pulvere farra,
Laetus ager; nullo tantum se Mysia cultu
Jactat, et ipsa suas mirantur Gargara messis.
Quid dicam, jacto qui semine comminus arva
Insequitur, cumulosque ruit male pinguis arenae,
Deinde satis fluvium inducit rivosque sequentis,
Et, quum exustus ager morientibus aestuat herbis,
Ecce supercilio clivosi tramitis undam
Elicit? Illa cadens raucum per levia murmur
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