Torrida: jam læto turgent in palmite gemmæ. Hic tantùm Boreæ curamus frigora, quantùm TH. Aret ager; vitio moriens sitit aëris herba: COR. Populus Alcidæ gratissima, vitis Iaccho: NOTES. sign of Cancer or Capricorn. It is the solstice of Cancer, or the summer solstice, which is here meant. Defendite: in the sense of avertite. 48. Palmite: the shoot or branch of the vine-Gemma: the buds, or first appearances of the young shoots of trees or shrubs. Lato: fruitful-fertile. 49. Pingues læde: fat pines; or, we may take tæde in a wider sense, implying any fuel, or combustible matter. 50. Fuligine: in the sense of fumo. The cottages of the poor seldom had a chimney. The fire was made directly under an aperture in the roof to discharge the smoke. We may well suppose the interior of the house to be blackened by that vapor. 51. Hic tantùm curamus. The meaning is: we care nothing for the cold of Boreas. Boreas is the Greek word for the north wind. The poets say he was the son of Astræus and Aurora; or, according to others, of the river Strymon, in Macedonia. He was king of Thrace, and carried away by force Orythia, the daughter of Erictheus, king of Athens, by whom he had two sons, Zetes and Calais. He was worshipped as a god. 53. Juniperi. The juniperus was a tree, having sharp and narrow leaves, and bearing a small, round, and odoriferous fruit. Servius understands juniperi and castanea to be the trees which are loaded with their respective fruit. Mr. Davidson takes them for the fruit itself, and considers stant in opposition to strata jacent: the former stand or hang ripening on the boughs, the latter in rich profusion cover the ground under their respective trees. Hirsuta: rough-prickly, in opposition to those that were sinooth, mentioned Ecl. i. 82: or it may only mean that they were yet in the shell. See Ecl. x. 76. 50 55 59. Sed omne nemus 60 virebit. 54. Poma jacent, &c. Much hath been said upon the reading of this line. Some read it thus; Poma jacent strata passim, queque sub sua arbore: apples lie scattered all around, every one under its own tree. Others read it thus: sua poma jacent strata passim, sub quâque arbore: their own apples lie scattered all around under every or each tree. This last, Dr. Trapp is fully persuaded is the correct reading. Heyne reads, quâque. 56. Videas et, &c. You would even see the rivers dry. The word et here is emphatical. 57. Vitio aëris : by the infection of the air; or, the excessive heat of the air. Sitit: is parched. 58. Liber. A name of Bacchus. See Ecl. v. 69. Invidit: hath refused the shadows of the vine to our hills. The meaning is: the vine does not flourish upon our hills. 60. Jupiter: the air-condensed vapor. Lato imbri: in fertilizing showers. 61. Aleida: Hercules, called also Alcides, from Alcæus, his grand-father. The populus was sacred to him. It is said he wore a crown of white poplar leaves when he descended to the infernal regions. 62. Myrtus. The myrtle tree was sacred to Venus, on account of the delicacy of its odor, or because it flourishes best on the margin of the sea, out of the foam of which she is said to have sprung. 66 Populus in fluviis, abies in montibus altis: NOTES. 70. Ex illo tempore: from that time, Corydon, Corydon is the one for me. Heyne observes, this line is unworthy of Virgil. It 70 is in imitation of Theocritus, Idyl. viii. 92, but far inferior to the original. THIS pastoral consists of two parts: the first is taken chiefly from the third Idyl of Theocritus: the latter from the second Idyl. The shepherd Damon bewails the loss of his mistress, Nisa, and is much grieved at the success of Mopsus, who had succeeded in obtaining her for a wife. Alphesibous relates the charms, or incantations of some enchantress, who endeavored, by magic arts, to make Daphnis in love with her. Pharmaceutria, the title of this Eclogue, is the same with the Latin Venefica, and signifies a sorceress. This Eclogue was written in the year of Rome 715, when L. Marcus Censorinus, and C. Calvisius Sabinus, were consuls. It is not certain to whom it was inscribed, whether to Augustus or Pollio; most commentators are in favor of the latter. 1. Dicemus musam PASTORUM Musam, Damonis et Alphesibai, pastorum Damonis et Immemor herbarum quos est mirata juvenca, Alphesibæi, quos cer tantes Juvenca imme- Certantes, quorum stupefactæ carmine lynces, mor herbarum mirata Et mutata suos requiêrunt flumina cursus · NOTES. 1. Musam: in the sense of carmen. 4. Mutata flumina, &c. This line may be read in two ways. The first and easiest is given in the ordo; the other is, mutata flumina requiêrunt suos cursus. In this case, requiesco must be taken actively, and mutata, in the sense of turbata, as Ruæus interprets it. But Virgil never uses that verb in an active sense in any part of his works, and as he is fond of imitating the Greeks, it is better to suppose that he follows them in the present instance, than that he deviates here from his uniform practice in the use of the verb. Beside, if we take requiesco actively, we must take mutata out of its usual acceptation. Damonis Musam dicemus et Alphesibai. 5 est; quorum carmine lynces stupefactæ sunt; et flumina mutata quoad suos cursus requiêrunt: dicemus, inquam, musam 6. Tu, O Pollio, fave 10 mihi, seu 15 8. En ille dies erit, cùm liceat mihi 11. Principium meorum laborum erat à te: meus labor desinet tibi 12. Sine hanc hederam serpere 17. O Lucifer, nascere, præveniensque age [mum: almum diem: dum ego deceptus indigno amore DA. Nascere, præque diem veniens age, Lucifer, alConjugis indigno Nisæ deceptus amore Dum queror, et divos (quanquam nil testibus illis Profeci) extremâ moriens tamen alloquor horâ. NOTES. 5. Dicemus: in the sense of narrabimus. 6. Tu mihi, &c. It is generally thought that the poet addresses himself to Pollio, who, about this time, returned to Rome in triumph, having overcome the Partheni, a people of Illyricum. The verb fave, or adsis, must be supplied, to make the sense complete. Ellipses of this kind are frequent, particularly among the poets. Timavi. See Æn. i. 244. 7. Sive legis, &c. Whether you coast along the shore of the Illyrian sea. Illyricum was a very extensive country lying on the right of the Adriatic sea, or gulf of Venice, including the ancient Liburnia and Dalmatia. Equoris. Equor properly signifies any plain or level surface, whether land or water. Erit: in the sense of aderit. 10. Cothurno. The cothurnus was properly a high-heeled shoe, worn by the tragedians to make them appear taller; by meton. put for tragedy, or the tragic style. Sophocleo: an adj. from Sophocles, an Athenian, the prince of tragic poetry. He was cotemporary with Pericles. Tua carmina sola, &c. Your verses alone worthy of the buskin-worthy of being introduced upon the stage. The cothurnus is here called Sophoclean, because Sophocles introduced it upon the stage. Pollio was not only a statesman, but a poet, and a distinguished writer of tragedy. See Ecl. iv. 12. 11. Principium, &c. This line is elliptical. The ellipsis is supplied in the ordo: the beginning of my labors was from thee; my labors shall end with thee. From this circumstance, some have been led to think that the poet alludes to Augustus, and not to Pollio. He wrote his first Eclogue, it is true, to compliment the generosity of his prince, and the Æneid to flatter his vanity. But we are to remember, it was through the interest and friendship of Pollio, that he re 20 covered his lands, and so had an occasion given him for writing; and further, that poets promise many things, which they do not perform. The 12. Sine hanc, &c. Permit this ivy to creep around thy temples amidst thy victorious laurels-permit me to crown thee with ivy, while others crown thee with laurel. This is a very delicate verse. poet here entreats his patron to permit his ivy to entwine about his temples among his victorious laurels; in other words, to accept these his verses, in the midst of his victories. The poetic crown was originally made of ivy exclusively, afterwards, sometimes it was made of laurel: but the triumphal crown was always made of laurel. Victrices lauros: alluding to the triumph with which he was honored for his victory. over the Partheni. 16. Tereti oliva: leaning against a tapering olive, Damon thus began. 17. Præveniens. The parts of the vert are separated for the sake of the verse, by Tmesis. This figure is frequent among the poets. Lucifer: the morning star, or Venus It is called Lucifer when going before the sun; Hesperus, when following after him. There is a fitness and propriety in Damon's calling upon the star, or planet Venus to arise, as if to listen to his complaint, since it was a love affair. Age: in the sense of advehe. 18. Conjugis. Conjux here is a betrothed or expected wife. Indigno amore: may mean immoderate love; or a love ill-requited-a love of which Nisa was unworthy. 20. Profeci: I have gained, or profited nothing. Illis testibus. It would scem that Nisa had pledged her faith to Damon, and called the gods to witness it; yet she violated her promises. Incipe Mænalios mecum, mea tibia, versus. Mænalus argutumque nemus pinosque loquentes 23. Ille mons Manalus Semper habet: semper pastorum ille audit amores, 24. Passus est calamos Panaque, qui primus calamos non passus inertes. esse cis omnes alios 34. Prolixaque mea barba sunt tibi odio. Incipe Mænalios mecum, mea tibia, versus. 32. O Nisa conjuncta O digno conjuncta viro! dum despicis omnes, mala NOTES. 21. Mænalios versus: Mænalean, or pastoral verses-such as used to be sung on mount Mænalus in Arcadia. It was sacred to Pan. By reason of its pleasant groves, and whispering pines, it was much frequented by shepherds, where they sang their loves. The poet personifies the mountain, and makes it listen to the songs of shepherds. 22. Loquentes: whispering-tuneful. 24. Qui primus: who first, &c. See Ecl. ii. 31. Inertes: in the sense of inutiles. 27. Gryphes: griffons. They were fabulous animals, having the body of a lion, and the wings and beak of an eagle. 28. Dama timidi: the timid deer. Ad pocula: in the sense of ad aquam, vel potum; by meton. 29. Incide faces. It was a custom among the Romans to lead the bride to the house of her husband with lighted torches before her. These torches were pieces of pine, or some unctuous wood, which were cut to a point, that they might be lighted the easier. It was usual to have five of these torches. Hence ducere uxorem, came to signify, to marry a wife; it is said of the husband: nubere viro, to marry a husband; this is said of the wife. eastward, would observe the stars retiring or settling behind it. Hence, as it respected them, the expression is the same as saying, the evening star is setting, and consequently the evening somewhat advanced; which would not be an unpleasant circumstance to the new-married couple. 34. Hirsutum supercilium: my rough, or shaggy eyebrows. There could be no ground of complaint against Nisa for not loving these, and his long beard. These surely possess no charms. But as Dr. Trapp observes, the ground of his complaint lay in this: that her cruelty and scorn had so disheartened him, as to render him negligent of his outward appearance. 35. Mortalia: things done by mortals. This line is both beautiful and pathetic. 37. In nostris sepibus: in our enclosures gardens, fields. This and the four following lines are extremely delicate, and show the hand of a master. The circumstances here enumerated, the age of the young shepherd, nis being just able to reach the boughs, his officiousness in helping the girl and her mother gather the fruit, and his falling in love with her at the same time, are so well chosen, and happily expressed, that we may consider this passage 30. Sparge nuces: scatter nuts. It was as one of those happy and delicate touches a custom among the Romans at nuptials, which characterize the writings of Virgil. for the husband to throw nuts, &c. upon the Roscida. By this we are to understand, floor, that the boys and the rest of the com- Heyne observes, that the apples were wet pany might divert themselves in gathering with the dew of the morning. This will them. Hesperus deserit Oetam tib: the determine the time of the day, when they evening star is leaving Oeta for you. Oeta took their walk into the orchard. was a mountain, or rather range of mountains, of great height, in Thessaly. The inhabitants of Attica and Beotia being to the 39. Alter annus, &c. Lit. another year after the eleventh had just then taken me→ I had just entered my twelfth year. Ut vidi, ut perii, ut me malus abstulit error! NOTES. 41. Ut vidi, ut, &c. How I gazed, how I languished, how a fatal delusion carried me away! Nothing can exceed this line in tenderness of expression. The me malus abstulit error, represents him as snatched from himself, deprived of his reason and judgment, and lost in wonder and admiration, while he surveyed her beauteous form, and attractive charms. It also conveys to us a just idea of the nature of love, which is often delusive, deceptive, and unsuccessful, as was the particular case of Damon. Error: in the sense of insania, vel amor, says Heyne. Malus: fatal-unhappy. 44. Ismarus, &c. Ismarus and Rhodope were two very wild and rocky mountains in Thrace. Garamantes. These were a savage people inhabiting the interior parts of Africa. Hence they are here called extremi. 45. Edunt: plainly for ederunt, by Enallage; and that in the sense of produxerunt or genuerunt. 47. Matrem. Medea, the daughter of Etes, king of Colchis, a famous sorceress. She fell in love with Jason, one of the Argonauts, and by her directions and assistance, he obtained the golden fleece. She married him, and returned with him to Thessaly. He afterwards repudiated her, and married Creüsa, the daughter of the king of Corinth. In revenge for which, she slew the children, whom she bore him, before his eyes. See Ovid. Met. 7. Docuit: in the sense of impulit. 48. Commaculare: in the sense of polluere. 50. Improbus: wicked-impious. 52. Nunc lupus ultrò, &c. Now may the wolf of his own accord flee from the sheep; the hard oaks, &c. As if he had said: now 45 45. Edunt illum in duris cotibus, puerum nec nostri generis, nec nostri sanguinis 48. Tu, O mater eras quoque crudelis: eras ne 50 mater magis crudelis, an ille puer magis improbus! ille puer erat improbus; sed tu, O mater, quoque eras crudelis. 55 60. Habeto tu hoc extremum munus tui mo60 rientis amatoris the natural course of things may be changed. The most unlikely and unnatural things may take place, since a woman is found capable of such unfeeling and cruel conduct. 53. Alnus: the alder-tree. Narcisso: the flower daffodil. See Ecl. ii. 46. The 54. Myrica: shrubs-tamarisks. word is sometimes taken for pastoral poetry. Electra Sudent: in the sense of stillent. pinguia: rich amber. 55. Tityrus sit Orpheus, &c. May Tityrus become an Orpheus;-Orpheus in the woods, and an Orion among the dolphins. Orion was a famous lyric poet of Lesbos, who, on his return home from Italy with great wealth, was cast into the sea by the sailors for the sake of his money. A dolphin that had been charmed with his music, it is said, took him on his back, and carried him safe to Tanarus, a town on the southern promontory of the Peloponnesus. For Orpheus, see Ecl. iii. 46. 58. Omnia vel medium, &c. Let all things become even the middle of the sea-the deep sea. Since I must perish, let all the world be drowned. Vivile: elegantly put for valete. 59. Specula: the top, or summit. It properly signifies any eminence which commands a prospect of the country around it. Aërii montis. This may allude to the famous rock in Arcadia, called the lover's leap; from which, those, who threw themsclves into the sea, were cured of their love. 60. Deferar. This appears to be used in the sense of the Greek middle voice, which generally hath a reflex signification: I will throw myself. |