Forte sub arguta consederat ilice Daphnis,
daphnis beneath a rustling ilex-tree
compulerantque greges Corydon et Thyrsis in unum,
had sat him down; Thyrsis and Corydon
Trhyrsis ovis, Corydon distentas lacte capellas,
had gathered in the flock, Thyrsis the sheep,
ambo florentes aetatibus, Arcades ambo,
and Corydon the she-goats swollen with milk—
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et cantare pares, et respondere parati.
both in the flower of age, Arcadians both,
Huc mihi, dum teneras defendo a frigore myrtos,
ready to sing, and in like strain reply.
vir gregis ipse caper deerraverat; atque ego Daphnim
Hither had strayed, while from the frost I fend
aspicio. Ille ubi me contra videt: “Ocius” inquit
my tender myrtles, the he-goat himself,
“huc ades, O Meliboee, caper tibi salvus et haedi;
lord of the flock; when Daphnis I espy!
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et, si quid cessare potes, requiesce sub umbra.
Soon as he saw me, “Hither haste,” he cried,
huc ipsi potum venient per prata iuvenci,
“O Meliboeus! goat and kids are safe;
hic viridis tenera praetexit arundine ripas
and, if you have an idle hour to spare,
Mincius, eque sacra resonant examina quercu.”
rest here beneath the shade. Hither the steers
Quid facerem? Neque ego Alcippen, nec Phyllida habebam,
will through the meadows, of their own free will,
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depulsos a lacte domi quae clauderet agnos,
untended come to drink. Here Mincius hath
et certamen erat, Corydon cum Thyrside, magnum.
with tender rushes rimmed his verdant banks,
posthabui tamen illorum mea seria ludo:
and from yon sacred oak with busy hum
alternis igitur contendere versibus ambo
the bees are swarming.” What was I to do?
coepere; alternos Musae meminisse volebant.
No Phyllis or Alcippe left at home
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hos Corydon, illos referebat in ordine Thyrsis.
had I, to shelter my new-weaned lambs,
Nymphae, noster amor, Libethrides, aut mihi carmen,
and no slight matter was a singing-bout
quale meo Codro, concedite: proxima Phoebi
'twixt Corydon and Thyrsis. Howsoe'er,
versibus ille facit; aut, si non possumus omnes,
I let my business wait upon their sport.
hic arguta sacra pendebit fistula pinu.
So they began to sing, voice answering voice
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Pastores, hedera crescentem ornate poetam,
in strains alternate—for alternate strains
Arcades, invidia rumpantur ut ilia Codro;
the Muses then were minded to recall—
aut si ultra placitum laudarit, baccare frontem
first Corydon, then Thyrsis in reply.
cingite, ne vati noceat mala lingua futuro.
“Libethrian Nymphs, who are my heart's delight,
Saetosi caput hoc apri tibi, Delia, parvus
grant me, as doth my Codrus, so to sing—
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et ramosa Micon vivacis cornua cervi.
next to Apollo he—or if to this
Si proprium hoc fuerit, levi de marmore tota
we may not all attain, my tuneful pipe
puniceo stabis suras evincta coturno.
here on this sacred pine shall silent hang.”
Sinum lactis et haec te liba, Priape, quotannis
“Arcadian shepherds, wreathe with ivy-spray
exspectare sat est: custos es pauperis horti.
your budding poet, so that Codrus burst
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Nunc te marmoreum pro tempore fecimus; at tu,
with envy: if he praise beyond my due,
si fetura gregem suppleverit, aureus esto.
then bind my brow with foxglove, lest his tongue
Nerine Galatea, thymo mihi dulcior Hyblae,
with evil omen blight the coming bard.”
candidior cycnis, hedera formosior alba,
“This bristling boar's head, Delian Maid, to thee,
cum primum pasti repetent praesepia tauri,
with branching antlers of a sprightly stag,
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si qua tui Corydonis habet te cura, venito.
young Micon offers: if his luck but hold,
Immo ego Sardoniis videar tibi amarior herbis,
full-length in polished marble, ankle-bound
horridior rusco, proiecta vilior alga,
with purple buskin, shall thy statue stand.”
si mihi non haec lux toto iam longior anno est.
“A bowl of milk, Priapus, and these cakes,
Ite domum pasti, si quis pudor, ite iuvenci.
yearly, it is enough for thee to claim;
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Muscosi fontes et somno mollior herba,
thou art the guardian of a poor man's plot.
et quae vos rara viridis tegit arbutus umbra,
Wrought for a while in marble, if the flock
solstitium pecori defendite; iam venit aestas
at lambing time be filled,stand there in gold.”
torrida, iam lento turgent in palmite gemmae.
“Daughter of Nereus, Galatea mine,
Hic focus et taedae pingues, hic plurimus ignis
sweeter than Hybla-thyme, more white than swans,
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semper, et adsidua postes fuligine nigri;
fairer than ivy pale, soon as the steers
hic tantum Boreae curamus frigora, quantum
shall from their pasture to the stalls repair,
aut numerum lupus, aut torrentia flumina ripas.
if aught for Corydon thou carest, come.”
Stant et iuniperi, et castaneae hirsutae;
“Now may I seem more bitter to your taste
strata iacent passim sua quaque sub arbore poma;
than herb Sardinian, rougher than the broom,
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omnia nunc rident: at si formosus Alexis
more worthless than strewn sea-weed, if to-day
montibus his abeat, videas et flumina sicca.
hath not a year out-lasted! Fie for shame!
Aret ager; vitio moriens sitit aeris herba;
Go home, my cattle, from your grazing go!”
Liber pampineas invidit collibus umbras:
“Ye mossy springs, and grass more soft than sleep,
Phyllidis adventu nostrae nemus omne virebit,
and arbute green with thin shade sheltering you,
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Iuppiter et laeto descendet plurimus imbri.
ward off the solstice from my flock, for now
Populus Alcidae gratissima, vitis Iaccho,
comes on the burning summer, now the buds
formosae myrtus Veneri, sua laurea Phoebo;
upon the limber vine-shoot 'gin to swell.”
Phyllis amat corylos: illas dum Phyllis amabit,
“Here is a hearth, and resinous logs, here fire
nec myrtus vincet corylos, nec laurea Phoebi.
unstinted, and doors black with ceaseless smoke.
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Fraxinus in silvis pulcherrima, pinus in hortis,
Here heed we Boreas' icy breath as much
populus in fluviis, abies in montibus altis:
as the wolf heeds the number of the flock,
saepius at si me, Lycida formose, revisas,
or furious rivers their restraining banks.”
fraxinus in silvis cedat tibi, pinus in hortis.
“The junipers and prickly chestnuts stand,
Haec memini, et victum frustra contendere Thyrsim:
and 'neath each tree lie strewn their several fruits,
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ex illo Corydon Corydon est tempore nobis.
now the whole world is smiling, but if fair
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