Infelix lolium et steriles nascuntur avenae; Men. Tale tuum carmen nobis, divine poëta, Nec calamis solum aequiparas, sed voce magistrum. 40 45 Nos tamen haec, quocumque modo, tibi nostra vicissim 50 Daphnin ad astra feremus: amavit nos quoque Daphnis. Mop. An quicquam nobis tali sit munere majus ? Et puer ipse fuit cantari dignus, et ista Jam pridem Stimicon laudavit carmina nobis. Men. Candidus insuetum miratur limen Olympi, 55 60 iii. 649. Steriles avenae. Wild oats, called by Linnaeus avena fatua.40. He calls upon the shepherds to perform the wonted honours to the tomb of Daphnis, sprinkling leaves, and enveloping in thick shades (umbras, plur.) of numerous branches the running waters near which his tomb was placed.-46. Quale. See Ecl. iii. 80.-47. Restinguere. As the infinitive is a verbal substantive (See Zumpt, § 597, &c.), it corresponds with other substantives, as here with sopor. See Georg. 25, iii. 181; Aen. x. 759.-49. Alter has the force, as often, of secundus. Ab; the order of immediate succession is expressed by this preposition with the force of post. -54. Cantari dignus. The infinitive with the force of the ablative is rare in prose, but not uncommon in verse. See a similar construction, ver. 89.-56-80. We have now the deification of Daphnis, in which the poet ascribes to him all the attributes, and claims for him all the honours, of a rural deity. Candidus. Either serenely majestic, or glowing with heavenly splendour. Olympi. It is well known that the poets employ this mountain of Thessaly to denote heaven, the residence of the gods. See Ecl. vi. 86; Georg. i. 450; Aen. i. 374, &c.-58. Alacris qualifies voluptas.-59. Pana. The Greek god of shepherds, identified by the Romans with their own Faunus. Dryadas. The nymphs of trees, from deus, any wild-growing lofty tree.-60. Not only happiness, but serenity prevails.-61. Bonus, kind. See ver. 65; Ulla dolum meditantur; amat bonus otia Daphnis. Intonsi montes; ipsae jam carmina rupes, Ipsa sonant arbusta: Deus, deus ille, Menalca !' Mop. Quae tibi, quae tali reddam pro carmine dona? 65 70 75 80 Men. Hac te nos fragili donabimus ante cicuta. 85 Aen. xii. 647.-63. Intonsi; silvosi.-65. Aras. Any structure for worship by offering was called ara; that whereon victims were slain in honour of the superior deities was called altare. Duas (aras) altaria Phoebo. The celebration of the birthday of Julius Caesar fell upon the eve of the ludi Apollinares, the 12th July.-67. Bina; 68. duos. Two pocula to each altar, but only one crater, as larger. Such is the force of the numerals here. Zumpt, § 119. It is probable that Virgil here declares his intention to rank Caesar among the Lares worshipped in April, when the harvest began (at the Ambarvalia), and at the close of the vintage in autumn. To the first refer novo lacte, messis; to the latter, olivi and frigus. On both occasions he is to pour forth libations of wine.-69. Baccho, for vino; as Georg. i. 344; Aen. i. 215.—71. Ariusia. A district of the island of Chios, producing the choicest wines, called here nectar.-72. Lyctius: equivalent to Cretensis; from Lyctus, a town of Crete.-75. Probably again an allusion to the autumnal feast, and the Ambarvalia; for which, in connection with lustrabimus agros, see Georg. i. 338, &c.-80. A vow (votum) partook of the nature of a bargain. The worshippers covenanted to perform some specified service to the god (vota fecerunt), on condition that the god granted their prayer. If he did so, he was said damnare voti, or voto, to find them Haec nos, 'Formosum Corydon ardebat Alexim,' 90 liable to pay their vows (vota reddere), as having had their prayer granted.86, 87. The commencement of the second and third Eclogues. For the most beautiful imitation of this Eclogue, see Milton's Lycidas. ECLOGA VI. L. ALFENUS VARUS had been appointed by Octavianus, B. c. 40, to preside over Cisalpine Gaul, in room of Pollio, who belonged to the party of Antony, and had been driven from his command. With Varus were associated the poet Corn. Gallus, a Roman eques, and Octavianus Musa. Varus and Virgil had before together received instructions in philosophy from Siron, an Epicurean. In the year B. C. 39, Virgil, who had fled to Rome from violence offered to him by the soldiery, even after his lands had been restored, returned home, and, to conciliate Varus, composed this Eclogue. The subject is principally a rapid and poetical account of the Epicurean theory of the creation of the world, along with some of the most noted mythes, and a delicate compliment to Gallus. SILENUS. PRIMA Syracosio dignata est ludere versu 5 1. Prima; either first in Latin poetry, or at first, for primum; as Georg. i. 12. Syracosio. Theocritus was a native of Syracuse. See Ecl. iv. 1.-2. Thalia. The Muse that presided over pastoral poetry. -3. When Virgil, who had written pastoral poetry, was attempting higher strains, he was checked by Apollo (Cynthius, from Cynthus, a mountain in Delos, at the foot of which he was born), and recommended to sing a humble (deductum) song.-6. Super tibi erunt; the same as supererunt. This separation is not uncommon. See Georg. ii. Agrestem tenui meditabor arundine Musam. 349, 351; Aen. ii. 567, vii. 559.-8. See Ecl. i. 2.—9. Injussa; referring to the instructions of Apollo.-13. Chromis et Mnasylos. The names of two Satyrs.-14. Silenum. This constant companion of Bacchus, at least in the later mythes, is represented as old, and ever indulging in wine.-15. Inflatum venas. See Ecl. i. 55. Iaccho. A name for Bacchus, from laxx, to utter loud shouts of joy; here equivalent to vino. See Ecl. v. 69.-17, 18. A brief and graphic picture of the old god, stretched in sleep, still keeping hold of the wine-jar, and his garland lying beside him. Procul indicates interval of space, small or greatthe interval to be judged of from the context. Here the interval is small, near. Tantum, referable either to time, or rather to space; from his head, and no more.-21. Videnti. Silenus had been awakened, and saw what they were doing.-27. In numerum, keeping time with the music.-30. Rhodope et Ismarus, mountains of Thrace, the land of Orpheus. Orpheă to be pronounced Orphyā.-31. Here commences the Epicurean cosmogony. Inane; the void which the Epicureans held to be the original condition of the universe. The scattered atoms (semina) of earth (terrarum), air (animae), water (maris), fire (ignis), Tum durare solum et discludere Nerea ponto phae, 35 40 45 50 Claudite, Nym Dictaeae Nymphae, nemorum jam claudite saltus, Aut herba captum viridi, aut armenta secutum, 55 were united (coacta) to form bodies. See Ovid, Met. i. 21, &c.—35. Nerea. A sea-god, here put for the waters of the sea, but to be translated literally. Ponto, in ponto.-38. The rains are represented as falling from a greater height, in consequence of the greater elevation of the clouds.-39. Cum primum incipiant, &c.; that is, Canebat primum ortum silvarum, et primos errores animalium, &c.-41. See Ovid, Met. i. 348, &c.-42. Prometheus, for having stolen fire from heaven (furtum), and given it to man, was by Jupiter's command chained to Mount Caucasus, an eagle preying on his liver.-43. The third mythe was that of the Argonautic expedition, in which Hylas, a youth beloved by Hercules, was carried off in Mysia, by a nymph, and sought in vain. Quo fonte, apud quem fontem.--44. Hylā, Hylă: neither a is cut off. The first is long by the arsis, the second short before omne.-48. Proetides. The daughters of Proetus were driven into madness by Juno, and believed themselves to have been changed into cows.-53. Fultus hyacintho. The -us made long by the arsis. This is rare after a long syllable, and at the end of the fifth foot, but it is in imitation of the Greek usage. For the construction of latus fultus, see Ecl. i. 55.-55. Pasiphae herself is introduced as uttering these words.-56. Dictaeae; |