Mantua vae miserae nimium vicina Cremonae- Lyc. Sic tua Cyrneas fugiant examina taxos, 30 3 Moer. Id quidem ago et tacitus, Lycida, mecum ipse Si valeam meminisse; neque est ignobile carmen. Lyc. Quid, quae te pura solum sub nocte canentem 40 45 Moer. 'Daphni, quid antiquos signorum suspicis ortus? Ecce Dionaei processit Caesaris astrum, Astrum, quo segetes gauderent frugibus, et quo Insere, Daphni, piros; carpent tua poma nepotes.' 50 28. Mantua is at a considerable distance from Cremona, but it became involved in its fate, as the lands attached to Cremona, which had taken the side of Brutus and Cassius, were found insufficient to satisfy the soldiery.-29. The Mincius abounded in swans. — 30. Lycidas intreats Moeris to sing him more of the songs of Menalcas. Sic. A word introducing a prayer for some good to another (tua, &c. fugiant, &c.) depending on a condition (incipe, &c.) Cyrneas, from Kúpvos, Corsica. Honey made from the yew, in which Corsica abounded, was said to be bitter. -35. Varius and Cinna were distinguished poets, and contemporary with Virgil.-40. Purpureus is an epithet applied to all objects glorious in their beautyas swans, the snow, bright eyes, and here the spring. See Georg. iv. 54; Aen. i. 590, vi. 490.41. Candida populus. This is our silver poplar. 43. Verbs of permission and willingness, and, in general, verbs that are followed by ut with the subjunctive, may also be followed by the subjunctive without ut. Here ut feriant sine. Zumpt, 624.46. Antiquos signorum ortus, equivalent to antiquorum signorum ortus. This change is exceedingly common. Georg. i. 52, 211; iv. 267; Aen. I. 169, iii. 411, v. 375, vi. 10, x. 426, xii. 199. Antiquos, long known.' 47. Dionaei. Dione was the mother of Venus, from whom Julius Caesar was said to be descended. In the year B. c. 43, a comet, probably that known in our time as Halley's comet, appeared during the celebration of the festival in honour of Julius Caesar, and was held to be his deified spirit. 50. Pear-trees ingrafted now, under this propitious star See Omnia fert aetas, animum quoque; saepe ego longos Moer. Desine plura, puer, et, quod nunc instat, agamus; Carmina tum melius, cum venerit ipse, canemus. will produce fruit for posterity. 51. Moeris laments his failing inemory.-52. Memini condere. See Ecl. i. 17. — 53. Oblita, used in a passive sense. — 54. Lupi, &c. A rustic superstition, that, to be seen of a wolf first, was to lose one's voice.-57. Tibi. The dativus commodi, to give you a better opportunity of being heard. 59. Adeo, exactly.' 62. Tamen, after all.'-64. Usque, all the while.' Licet eamus. See ver. 43. 65. Fasce. To induce the old shepherd to sing, he proposes to relieve him of the kids he is carrying. See ver. 62.66. Puer, long by the arsis. ECLOGA X. C. CORNELIUS GALLUS, already mentioned by Virgil, (Ecl. vi. 64,) a man descended of poor ancestors, had, by his military skill and his amiable qualities, secured the friendship of Octavianus, afterwards Augustus Caesar. His lover, Lycoris-celebrated by Ovid, Propertius, Martial, and Gallus himself-had deserted him; and this Eclogue, said to have been composed in the spring of B. c. 37, at Naples, after Virgil had begun to write the Georgics, commemorates his grief. It consists of an introduction, 1-8; an account of the sympathy that things inanimate, shepherds, and gods felt for him, 9-30; the mournful strains of Gallus himself, 31-69; and the concluding declaration of Virgil's affection for the deserted lover. GALLUS. EXTREMUM hunc, Arethusa, mihi concede laborem: Quae nemora, aut qui vos saltus habuere, puellae Omnes, 'Unde amor iste, rogant, 'tibi?' Venit Apollo: Perque nives alium perque horrida castra secuta est.' Florentis ferulas et grandia lilia quassans. 5. 10 15 20 25 1. The nymph Arethusa (see Aen. iii. 694-6), pursued by the river-god Alpheius, was changed by Artemis into a stream, and flowing beneath the sea, rose again near Syracuse. An allusion here to the country of Theocritus. See Ecl. vi. 1.-4. Sic. Ecl. ix. 30. Fluctus, &c. See note to ver. 1. 5. Doris; a sea-goddess, wife of Nereus. See Ecl. vi. 35. - 10. Naïdes. The nymphs of rivers, lakes, and fountains. Generally Naiades. The allusion here is probably to the Muses, who are called Nymphae, Ecl. vii. 21. 10. Cum peribat; others read periret. See Zumpt, $ 579. — 11. Parnassi. A two-topped mountain (hence juga) of Phocis, above Delphi, a favourite haunt of the Muses. Pindi. A mountain range, forming the western boundary of Thessaly, another haunt of the Muses. 12. Aonie. The final e not elided. For the epithet, see Ecl. vi. 65. Aganippe. A fountain in mount Helicon, sacred to the Muses. 15. Arcadian mountains. 18. Adonis. A beautiful youth, beloved by Venus.-19. For opilio, upilio. — 20. Menalcas, a herdsman, was wet with the water in which he had soaked the acorns, the winter food of cattle as well as swine.-23. Comparing this line with ver. 47, we may infer that Lycoris had followed the army which, under Agrippa, marched into Gaul, and across the Rhine, in the early part of B. c. 37.-25. Quassans; that is, in capite. Pan deus Arcadiae venit, quem vidimus ipsi 30 Arcades. O mihi tum quam molliter ossa quiescant, 35 Certe, sive mihi Phyllis, sive esset Amyntas, Seu quicumque furor-quid turn, si fuscus Amyntas! Spicula. Tamquam haec sit nostri medicina furoris, 60 31. Ille; Gallus. Tamen. Referring to a suppressed idea of grief: yet, as a consolation.' See Aen. iv. 329, x. 509.-32. Cantare. The genitive. See Ecl. v. 54.44. Gallus was probably engaged in some of the military operations carried on under Octavianus Caesar. -46. Nec, &c. Gallus expresses a wish that he may have some ground to disbelieve a tale so strange. -47. See ver. 23. · 50. Gallus had written verses (see Ecl. vi. 72), in imitation of Euphorion of Chalcis.-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. Jam neque Hamadryades rursus nec carmina nobis 1 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.-"2. 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. |