LYCIDAS. Certe equidem audieram, qua se subducere colles Usque ad aquam et veteres, jam fracta cacumina, fagos, 10 MOERIS. Audieras? et fama fuit; sed carmina tantum LYCIDAS. 15 Heu! cadit in quemquam tantum scelus? heu! tua nobis Pene simul tecum solatia rapta, Menalca? 7. Se subducere, 'to withdraw themselves from the view;' that is, 'to slope downwards from the ridge to the plain.' The ridge of the hill is the part where the slope commences.-8. Jugum demittere, to decline, lower their brow with a gentle declivity.-9. Jam fracta cacumina, now mere broken tops.' Quintilian, quoting this line, reads confracta for jam fracta. .... = 11. Audieras? hadst thou heard? and there was a report.' With Wagner, we have placed a note of interrogation after audieras, as far more spirited than the common punctuation-a semicolon. Tantum valent quantum, do not avail at all.-13. Chaonias Dodonaeas: cf. A. 3, 466. The Chaones were anciently inhabitants of Dodona, and left their name to the district. Herodotus relates the story of two black pigeons that gave oracular responses in early times; but the epithet in this passage is merely ornamental. Aquila veniente, 'when the eagle swoops.' The allusion may be either to the sudden attack of the veterans on the defenceless shepherds; or perhaps to the Roman standard and the profession of the usurpers.-14. Quod nisi, &c.; that is, 'had I not been admonished by an omen that I should not resist, the contest might have cost us our lives. With quacunque understand via or ratione. Incidere, 'to terminate.' Another interpretation is: 'Had I not seen the futility of my urging the gift of Augustus in recompense for my first Eclogue (carmina), and thus cut short litigation (incidere lites) at all costs [quacunque (ratione)], my own life, as well as that of my poetical master, should have been sacrificed.' 17. Cadit.... scelus? Can such guilt be found in any man? Heu! tua nobis, &c., alas! were we, then, so near losing our consolation 20 Quis caneret Nymphas ? quis humum florentibus herbis MOERIS. Immo haec, quae Varo nec dum perfecta canebat: 6 25 derived from you, the consolation you conferred upon us? that is, your poetry, the solace of us all during these distressing times.-19. Quis; that is, si rapta essent, quis, &c., who would sing of the nymphs, of the beauty of the earth adorned with flowers, of the shady fresh fountains, or the verses which I learned without your knowing it' [sublegi (sc. the verses from Tityre to caveto)].-20. Spargeret.... induceret; that is, caneret, ut spargeretur.-21. Vel quae; that is, vel quis caneret ea, quae, &c. Sublegi tacitus, I learned from you by listening; that is, unknown to you. Some understand by tacitus, 'unable myself to sing." -22. Delicias nostras; that is, Amaryllis, the name by which we all celebrate our mistresses. Deliciae always means an object of love, a darling' object. 23-25. Tityre.... caveto, three lines given as a specimen from the poetry of Menalcas, a verbatim translation from Theocritus, Idyll. 3, 3-5.-23. Dum redeo, till I return: cf. Delibera haec dum ego redeo, Ter. Adel. 2, 1, 42; Exspectabo dum venit, Ter. Ph. 5, 7, 89. -24. Potum, 'to drink,' the supine, as in Ecl. 7, 11.-25. Occursare caveto = caveto ne occurses, guard against meeting.' 6 6 26. Immo quae (sc. quis caneret), 'nay rather, who would have completed the more important poem which he had begun in praise of Varus, who was to have preserved his lands for him, and of which I remember the following passage.'-27. Superet = supersit (supero is often = supersum: cf. A. 5, 519)- should Mantua only remain to us.' -28. Nimium vicina, too near,' though these two towns are forty miles apart. Cremonae. The lands of Cremona had been first alienated, because its inhabitants had espoused the cause of Brutus and Cassius; but being found too small to satisfy the demands of the soldiers, the adjacent territory of Mantua was added, even though the Mantuans had favoured the interests of Augustus! 29. Cantantes.... cycni, (should you accomplish this), the swans (those melodious birds that frequent the Mincio) will bear thy name aloft to the stars.' Homer in numerous passages mentions the plaintive notes of the swan on the point of death, as if presaging and welcoming dissolution. Cf. Ecl. 8, 55. LYCIDAS. Sic tua Cyrneas fugiant examina taxos; MOERIS. 30 35 40 Id quidem ago et tacitus, Lycida, mecum ipse voluto, 30. Sic, 'thus;' that is, if you do so, I implore these blessings upon you.' For this common formula of imploring, compare Hor. Od. 1, 3, 1. Cyrneas, Corsican,' from Kúgyn, the Greek name of the island of Corsica, which abounded in yew-trees. When bees have an opportunity of feeding on these, their honey has a bitter flavour. In the Georgics, Virgil directs that there should not be yews near the bee-hives. Examina. See Ecl. 7, 13.-32. Poëtam.... Vatem. Vates ἀοιδός, and is generally derived from the Doric garns; to both of these the western bard bore a close affinity.-33. Pierides. See Ecl. 3, 85.——— 34. Non ego credulus illis; that is, I believe them not.' For the construction of credulus with a dative, cf. Hor. Od. 1, 11, 8.-35. Neque videor may either mean, nor am I seen' (by others), or, 'nor do I appear to myself.' Vario, the celebrated tragic and epic poet of the Augustan age, mentioned by Horace, Od. 1, 6. All the manuscripts read Varo, which is evidently a mistake introduced by the copyists, who were misled by the previous mention of Varus. (Caius Helvius) Cinna was another contemporary poet of some celebrity.-36. Argutos canoros, warbling,' 'musical.' 6 6 37. Id quidem ago, that I am going to do,'' am thinking of," that is engrossing all my thoughts.' The id means carmen Menalcae (referring to verse 32).-38. Neque = non enim, 'for (it is) not.'-39. Ades is more expressive than veni; it excludes the idea of the time occupied in coming, and merely, literally, conveys the presence of the party so addressed, 'be present.'-41. Populus. There are three species of the poplar-tree-the black, the white, and the Libyan, of which the Candida populus in the text is considered a variety, called bicolor, the under side of the leaf being white, and the upper green. This species is what we call the silver poplar.'-42. Umbracula, bowers.'. These lines are from the address of the Cyclops to Galatea, in Theocritus, Idyll. 11, 42-49.-43. Construe: sine (ut) insani fluctus feriant litora, · LYCIDAS. Quid, quae te pura solum sub nocte canentem MOERIS. 'Daphni, quid antiquos signorum suspicis ortus? Astrum, quo segetes gauderent frugibus, et quo Insere, Daphni, piros; carpent tua poma nepotes.' 45 50 55 'let the wild waves lash the shore.' The nymph is invited to leave for awhile the favourite haunts of her father's realms, and repair rather to the sylvan beauties of the country. 6 44. Pura sub nocte, 'in the stilly night,' in the calm night.' Purus, in its general sense, signifies free from (anything).'-45. Numeros, 'the melody or air,' the tune,' the measure.' 46. Moeris repeats the words to which the other alluded. Thus the praises of Augustus are introduced as another attempt to conciliate his favour, in order to recover his lands, which, although promised, he is still unable to save from spoliation.-47. Dionaei, from Dione, the mother of Venus, the mother of Aeneas, father of Julus, from whom descended the gens Julia. Processit orta est, has arisen:' cf. Ecl. 6, 86. Astrum, a comet,' seen first in July 711 A.U. c., during the celebration of the Julian festival. It is supposed to be the same that appeared in 1680 A. D., and is called Halley's Comet. Horace calls it Julium Sidus, Od. 1, 12, 47. This comet was believed by the ignorant to be the soul of Julius Caesar appearing in heaven. In conformity with this idea, Virgil represents him among the rural deities, G. 1, 26. -48. Segetes gauderent, the corn-fields were (expected) to luxuriate.' -49. Duceret colorem, was to ripen.'-50. Nepotes: the meaning is, that his property will remain in his family for generations, and not be despoiled by rapacious soldiers.-51. Omnia fert aetas, time steals away (fert aufert) everything, even the memory (animum);' Moeris stops short, and apologises for not proceeding, his memory having failed him.-52. Condere longos soles, to spend even to sunset the long days: cf. Hor. Od. 4, 5, 29.-53. Oblita, in a passive sense, forgotten.' -54. Lupi; the wolves have seen Moeris before he saw them.' The effect of this was superstitiously believed to be loss of voice. The effect on the wolf, if seen first, was considered to be the same; hence the proverb, Lupus in fabula,' when one whose name is mentioned suddenly enters and stops the conversation. = . F 6 LYCIDAS. Causando nostros in longum ducis amores. MOERIS. Desine plura, puer, et, quod nunc instat, agamus. 69 65 56. Causando.... amores, by your excuses you tantalise me, as I long to hear you sing.-57. Stratum silet, 'is smoothly hushed.' Aequor means 'Lake Benācus.'-58. Aspice, gaze around,' and behold how motionless every object is. Murmuris aurae murmurantis aurae: cf. populum late regem for regentem, A. 1, 21.-59. Hinc adeo: adeo may be construed either with hinc or with media-precisely at this spot,' or at this spot is exactly the middle of the way,' 'we have gone just precisely half-way to Mantua.' Voss renders it besides,'' moreover.-60. Bianor, also called Ocnus or Aucnus, grandson of Tiresias, and son of Tiberis and Manto, is said to have founded Mantua, and to have so named it after his mother: cf. A. 10, 199.-61. Stringunt amputant or decerpunt, pluck,' or 'gather:' cf. stringere quernas glandes, G. 1, 305.-62. Urbem Mantuam.-64. Usque, all the way;' construe usque with cantantes.-65. Hoc fasce, of this burden ;' that is, the kids which he was carrying. = = 66. Puer has the last syllable long on account of the arsis. To plura supply dicere. Quod nunc instat, 'what is now urgent;' alluding to the conveying of the kids to the new possessor of the farm.-67. Ipse = Menalcas. ECLOGA X. CAIUS CORNELIUS GALLUS, already mentioned (Ecl. vi. 64), a man descended from poor ancestors, had, by his military skill and amiable qualities, secured the friendship of Octavianus, afterwards Caesar Augustus. 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 37 B. C., at |