Ante, pererratis amborum finibus, exsul MELIBOEUS. At nos hinc alii sitientes ibimus Afros; Pars Scythiam et rapidum Cretae veniemus Oaxen, En unquam patrios longo post tempore fines, ! Pauperis et tuguri congestum cespite culmen, to Augustus, that he avers that the laws of nature must be reversed before he can become ungrateful.-62. Pererratis amborum finibus. This could not be effected except by previously conquering the Romans, whose territory intervened. Tityrus, therefore, would here represent the impossibility of such an event.-63. Ararim.... Tigrim. The Arar, afterwards Sauconna, then Sangona, now the Saône, properly belongs to Gaul. In Virgil's time, however, the boundaries of Gaul and Germany were not definitely settled. Besides, on the map of Eratosthenes, then in vogue, the Arar was made to unite the Rhône with the Rhine. It need not be wondered at, as it has been, that Tityrus should know the names of these rivers: disbanded soldiers, returning from these parts of the world, could most easily spread the tidings of those two nations among the lower orders in Italy. It should be remembered, that the Germans and the Parthians were at that time the most formidable enemies of the Romans.-64. Illius; that is, of Augustus. 65. At nos, &c., but we (on the contrary) shall depart hence, others (to) the Africans of the Desert.' Meliboeus contrasts the fate of himself and his fellow-exiles with the happy lot of Tityrus.66. Oaxen. Oaxes, a river of Crete, on which stood the city of the same name: as Libya and Scythia are opposed, so are Crete and Britain.-67. Penitus.... divisos, separated from, or beyond the limits of the whole world:' the world was surrounded by the ocean, but Britain lay beyond the ocean; therefore the Roman concluded that Britain did not belong to this world. In the reign of Claudius (54 A.D.), Aulus Plautius, who was leader of an expedition into Britain, could scarcely induce his troops to follow him, as they believed, beyond the end of the world.-SUET. CLAUD.-68. En! unquam, &c., Shall I ever again be delighted in beholding the lands once mine? I shall hereafter see but a few ears of grain; that which is now well cultivated will become worthless by neglect.-69. Tuguri: cf. peculi, verse 33, note. The roofing of cottages was formed, as they are still in some countries, by first laying a thin grassy turf on the rafters, to which the grassroots gave cohesion; over this was placed the thatch.-71. Impius, 'heartless,' 'inhuman,' or unconscientious:' impius was applied to one who violated any of the kindly ties of nature from the highest to the lowest. Novalia and segetes here simply mean 'corn-fields.' Properly, с Barbarus has segetes? en, quo discordia cives TITYRUS. 75 Hic tamen hanc mecum poteras requiescere noctem 80 Et jam summa procul villarum culmina fumant, 6 novalis ager, or novale, meant either unbroken grass-land' (lay), or 'land tilled and left fallow alternately;' Plin. 17, 5; and 18, 19; Varr. L. L. 5, 39.—72. Barbarus, a barbarian,' as at this time there were many of the legions recruited from the allies and provinces, especially from Gaul. To all, except the Greeks and themselves, the Romans applied this term. Quo, to what condition.'-73. Produxit, has gradually brought.' Quis, for whom," for whose benefit.' Consevimus,have we sown and planted:' consero applies equally to the planting of fruit-trees and to the sowing of grain in general.— 74. Însere nunc (ironically), ingraft,' or 'plant,' in general. Ordine is here used technically, and means in the form of a quincunx.77. Pendere de rupe, to hang or stoop over the verge of the precipice.' Procul may be construed either with pendere or with ridebo; that is, to stoop far over the precipice,' or 'behold from a distance." The latter is preferable.-79. Cytisum. The cytisus here meant is generally understood to be the medicago arborea, arborescent lucerne,' a plant bearing a bright yellow flower in early spring, and producing leguminous seeds. 6 80. Poteras, you might have rested.' Observe the peculiar appropriateness of the indicative, as marking what might have taken place, but actually did not; cf. Hor. S. 2, 1, 16; and Zumpt, Gram. 518.-81. Fronde super viridi, on a bed of fresh leaves.' Mitia poma, 'mellow, ripe fruits' (in general). This passage determines the time of the Eclogue to have been October or November, till which time chestnuts are not ripe.-82. Pressi lactis; that is, cheese,' 'pressed curd,' for immediate use.-83. Et jum, &c., and already in the distance,' &c. The smoke must have issued from the roofs through apertures: the first authentic notice which we have of the existence of chimneys is so late as 1347 A.D. It may be remarked, that in these last four lines, the season, the hour, and the position of the scene are all pointed out: the ripeness of the fruits denoting autumn; the lengthening shadows, the time of the day; and altis de montibus, the proximity of the Apennines. ECLOGA II. THIS Eclogue was perhaps the first written by Virgil, and was probably composed about 42 or 43 B. C. The poet had seen in the house of Asinius Pollio (then governor of Gallia Transpadana), a youth named Alexander, who acted as cupbearer, and he formed the same attachment to him as Socrates, Plato, and others manifested to handsome boys. He bears the name of Alexis, Virgil that of the shepherd Corydon, and Asinius that of Iollas. Pollio, charmed with this eclogue, presented Alexander to Virgil, by whom he was carefully educated, and became a grammarian. Many things have been transferred into this poem from Theocritus. ALEXIS. FORMOSUM pastor Corydon ardebat Alexim, O crudelis Alexi, nihil mea carmina curas ? 5 1. Ardebat Alexim, ardently loved Alexis.' The poets often use intransitive verbs to govern an accusative or an infinitive; cf. Hor. Od. 4, 9, 13. Some would supply in or ob before the accusative.2. Delicias, the favourite.' Domini, of his master,' Iollas, who is named in verse 57. Quid speraret. Between quid and quod in such phrases as this, there is this difference: quid is hypothetic, denoting something about which there is no certainty of its existence, or of what kind it may be ; whereas quod denotes something certain, definite. Non habeo quod sperarem, I have no hope whatever; but non habeo quid sperarem, some hope I may have, but of what kind or degree it is, or whether it exists at all, I know not, cannot tell.-4. Haec incondita jactabat, &c., these extemporaneous effusions he poured forth in solitude,' &c. As to this use of solus, cf. Ecl. 9, 44, and A. 4, 462.— 5. Studio inani, with unavailing ardour." 6 6 7. Denique, at last.' The ordinary use of this word is to conclude an enumeration of a series of successive periods of time.-8. Nunc etiam, &c., Corydon in these lines shews the passionate ardour of his affection, since during the scorching heat of noon, when all nature, except the cicála, is seeking repose in the cool shade, he cannot rest. Captant, eagerly seek.-9. Virides lacertos. The green Thestylis et rapido fessis messoribus aestu lizard is the most beautiful of its species, and is found only in the south of Europe and in Guernsey. It is from 15 to 24 inches in length, and very easily tamed. Occultant, 'shelter.'-10. Thestylis, a female slave, whose name, as well as that of Corydon, is borrowed from Theocritus. Rapido aestu fessis, exhausted by the intense heat.' -11. Allia serpyllumque. These herbs, garlic and wild thyme, were used in the composition of moretum, a dish minutely described in the poem called MORETUM, ascribed to Virgil. The garlic and wild thyme were pounded with parsley, oil, cheese, and vinegar, in a mortar, and, thus prepared, very much relished by the peasants.12. Mecum, in unison with me;' that is, they alone, amid this scorching heat, are companions of my sad strains. Some translate mecuin, 'around me,' but this deprives the expression of its poetry. We must not confound the cicála with our grasshopper: the cicála not being found in England, has no English name. Their distinguishing habit of perching among trees is thus beautifully referred to in Byron, who adopts the Italian name:— 6 6 'The shrill cicálas, people of the pine, Making their summer lives one ceaseless song.' -14. Nonne fuit satius pati, 'was it not better for me to endure,' or, 6 was I not happier when I endured,' &c. Tristes iras, fatal aversion.' -18. Alba ligustra cadunt, the white privet-flowers,' which are deciduous and short-lived, making the allusion very pointed. Vaccinia nigra, 'dark blue,' or 'purple hyacinth:' there is no flower quite black. The species of hyacinth meant here is most probably the Imperial Martagon, and the particular flower the lilium floribus reflexis, or Martagon. Vaccinium is the Aeolic οὑακίννιον = οὑακίνθιον = ὑακίνθιον, a diminutive from vázvos, which is the word used by Theocritus in Idyl. 10, 28, which Virgil translates by vaccinia in Ecl. 10, 39.-19, 20. In these verses Corydon boasts of his wealth, and thus tries to excite the regard of Alexis. Nivei, we have put a comma between this word and pecoris, thus making it an epithet of lactis, and not of pecoris, as Servius does. Both Homer and Theocritus have yáλæ λevzòv.-22. Defit. The difference between defieri and deesse is, that the former expresses ‘gradual decrease' in the quantity of anything; the latter, its total Canto, quae solitus, si quando armenta vocabat, 25 30 Nec sum adeo informis: nuper me in litore vidi, · absence.-24. Amphion was the fabulous founder of Thebes. Hor. resolves the fable in A. P. 394. Dircaeus, Theban,' from Dirce, the queen of Lycus, king of Thebes: others say from the fountain Dirce, which had its name from the queen's body having been thrown into it by Amphion and his brother Zethus. In Actaeo Aracyntho, 'Attic Aracynthus,' which was a mountain on the confines of Boeotia and Attica. The o of Actaeo is not elided before the usual quadrisyllabic Aracyntho, a Greek model being followed in both peculiarities. In fact, it is a literal transcript of the verse— ̓Αμφίων Διρκαῖος ἐν ̓Ακταίῳ ̓Αρακύνθῳ. -25. In litore, while standing on the beach.'-26. Placidum ventis, or, as we may read, placidis ventis, unruffled by the breeze;' cf. A. 5, 763. Daphnim, another handsome shepherd, a fabled son of Mercury, and famed in Sicilian legend for his handsome person.27. Si.... imago, if my image (as reflected from the water) never deceives me (as am sure it never does).' Observe the force of the indicative here as denoting certainty.-28. Sordida, homely,' 'humble,' 'mean,' as compared with the elegance of the city. -29. Figere cervos, transfix,' that is, 'shoot the deer.' 30. Hibisco. The hibiscus is a species of mallows, the althaea officinalis, on which goats fed. Heyne would render hibisco as an ablative, and translate with a green switch of mallows.'-33. Ovium magistros, shepherds.'-34. Nec te poeniteat, let it not seem beneath you," &c.; Wagner renders it:nor will you regret having learned.'35. Haec eadem, sc. carmina. Quid non, &c., what has not Amyntas done?' Amyntas, a rival of Corydon, had left nothing undone, in order that he might equal him in his musical performance. 36. Disparibus, of unequal lengths.' The Pandean pipes were valued in proportion to the number of the reeds, which varied from seven up to twenty-five.-38. Secundum, 'next to me in merit." |