Georgics — Book 2 — Gadsden Classics

Hactenus arvorum cultus et sidera caeli,

Thus far the tilth of fields and stars of heaven;

nunc te, Bacche, canam, nec non silvestria tecum

Now will I sing thee, Bacchus, and, with thee,

virgulta et prolem tarde crescentis olivae.

The forest's young plantations and the fruit

Huc, pater o Lenaee—tuis hic omnia plena

Of slow-maturing olive. Hither haste,

5 muneribus, tibi pampineo gravidus autumno

O Father of the wine-press; all things here

floret ager, spumat plenis vindemia labris—

Teem with the bounties of thy hand; for thee

huc, pater o Lenaee, veni nudataque musto

With viny autumn laden blooms the field,

tingue novo mecum direptis crura cothurnis.

And foams the vintage high with brimming vats;

Principio arboribus varia est natura creandis.

Hither, O Father of the wine-press, come,

10 namque aliae nullis hominum cogentibus ipsae

And stripped of buskin stain thy bared limbs

sponte sua veniunt camposque et flumina late

In the new must with me.

curva tenent, ut molle siler lentaeque genestae,

First, nature's law

populus et glauca canentia fronde salicta;

For generating trees is manifold;

pars autem posito surgunt de semine, ut altae

For some of their own force spontaneous spring,

15 castaneae nemorumque Iovi quae maxima frondet

No hand of man compelling, and possess

aesculus atque habitae Grais oracula quercus.

The plains and river-windings far and wide,

Pullulat ab radice aliis densissima silva,

As pliant osier and the bending broom,

ut cerasis ulmisque; etiam Parnasia laurus

Poplar, and willows in wan companies

parva sub ingenti matris se subicit umbra.

With green leaf glimmering gray; and some there be

20 Hos natura modos primum dedit, his genus omne

From chance-dropped seed that rear them, as the tall

silvarum fruticumque viret nemorumque sacrorum.

Chestnuts, and, mightiest of the branching wood,

Sunt aliae, quas ipse via sibi repperit usus.

Jove's Aesculus, and oaks, oracular

Hic plantas tenero abscindens de corpore matrum

Deemed by the Greeks of old. With some sprouts forth

deposuit sulcis, hic stirpes obruit arvo

A forest of dense suckers from the root,

25 quadrifidasque sudes et acuto robore vallos;

As elms and cherries; so, too, a pigmy plant,

silvarumque aliae pressos propaginis arcus

Beneath its mother's mighty shade upshoots

exspectant et viva sua plantaria terra;

The bay-tree of Parnassus. Such the modes

nil radicis egent aliae summumque putator

Nature imparted first; hence all the race

haud dubitat terrae referens mandare cacumen.

Of forest-trees and shrubs and sacred groves

30 Quin et caudicibus sectis—mirabile dictu—

Springs into verdure. Other means there are,

truditur e sicco radix oleagina ligno.

Which use by method for itself acquired.

Et saepe alterius ramos inpune videmus

One, sliving suckers from the tender frame

vertere in alterius mutatamque insita mala

Of the tree-mother, plants them in the trench;

ferre pirum et prunis lapidosa rubescere corna.

One buries the bare stumps within his field,

35 Quare agite o proprios generatim discite cultus,

Truncheons cleft four-wise, or sharp-pointed stakes;

agricolae, fructusque feros mollite colendo,

Some forest-trees the layer's bent arch await,

neu segnes iaceant terrae. Iuvat Ismara Baccho

And slips yet quick within the parent-soil;

conserere atque olea magnum vestire Taburnum.

No root need others, nor doth the pruner's hand

Tuque ades inceptumque una decurre laborem,

Shrink to restore the topmost shoot to earth

40 O decus, o famae merito pars maxima nostrae,

That gave it being. Nay, marvellous to tell,

Maecenas, pelagoque volans da vela patenti;

Lopped of its limbs, the olive, a mere stock,

non ego cuncta meis amplecti versibus opto,

Still thrusts its root out from the sapless wood,

non, mihi si linguae centum sint oraque centum,

And oft the branches of one kind we see

ferrea vox; ades et primi lege litoris oram.

Change to another's with no loss to rue,

45 In manibus terrae; non hic te carmine ficto

Pear-tree transformed the ingrafted apple yield,

atque per ambages et longa exorsa tenebo.

And stony cornels on the plum-tree blush.

Sponte sua quae se tollunt in luminis oras,

Come then, and learn what tilth to each belongs

infecunda quidem, sed laeta et fortia surgunt;

According to their kinds, ye husbandmen,

quippe solo natura subest. Tamen haec quoque, si quis

And tame with culture the wild fruits, lest earth

50 inserat aut scrobibus mandet mutata subactis,

Lie idle. O blithe to make all Ismarus

exuerint silvestrem animum cultuque frequenti

One forest of the wine-god, and to clothe

in quascumque voles artis haud tarda sequentur.

With olives huge Tabernus! And be thou

Nec non et sterilis, quae stirpibus exit ab imis,

At hand, and with me ply the voyage of toil

hoc faciat, vacuos si sit digesta per agros;

I am bound on, O my glory, O thou that art

55 nunc altae frondes et rami matris opacant

Justly the chiefest portion of my fame,

crescentique adimunt fetus uruntque ferentem.

Maecenas, and on this wide ocean launched

Iam quae seminibus iactis se sustulit arbos

Spread sail like wings to waft thee. Not that I

tarda venit seris factura nepotibus umbram,

With my poor verse would comprehend the whole,

pomaque degenerant sucos oblita priores

Nay, though a hundred tongues, a hundred mouths

60 et turpis avibus praedam fert uva racemos.

Were mine, a voice of iron; be thou at hand,

Scilicet omnibus est labor inpendendus et omnes

Skirt but the nearer coast-line; see the shore

cogendae in sulcum ac multa mercede domandae.

Is in our grasp; not now with feigned song

Sed truncis oleae melius, propagine vites

Through winding bouts and tedious preludings

respondent, solido Paphiae de robore myrtus;

Shall I detain thee.

65 plantis et durae coryli nascuntur et ingens

Those that lift their head

fraxinus Herculeaeque arbos umbrosa coronae

Into the realms of light spontaneously,

Chaoniique patris glandes, etiam ardua palma

Fruitless indeed, but blithe and strenuous spring,

nascitur et casus abies visura marinos.

Since Nature lurks within the soil. And yet

Inseritur vero et fetu nucis arbutus horrida,

Even these, should one engraft them, or transplant

70 et steriles platani malos gessere valentis;

To well-drilled trenches, will anon put of

castaneae fagus, ornusque incanuit albo

Their woodland temper, and, by frequent tilth,

flore piri glandemque sues fregere sub ulmis.

To whatso craft thou summon them, make speed

Nec modus inserere atque oculos inponere simplex.

To follow. So likewise will the barren shaft

Nam qua se medio trudunt de cortice gemmae

That from the stock-root issueth, if it be

75 et tenuis rumpunt tunicas, angustus in ipso

Set out with clear space amid open fields:

fit nodo sinus: huc aliena ex arbore germen

Now the tree-mother's towering leaves and boughs

includunt udoque docent inolescere libro.

Darken, despoil of increase as it grows,

Aut rursum enodes trunci resecantur et alte

And blast it in the bearing. Lastly, that

finditur in solidum cuneis via, deinde feraces

Which from shed seed ariseth, upward wins

80 plantae inmittuntur: nec longum tempus, et ingens

But slowly, yielding promise of its shade

exsilit ad caelum ramis felicibus arbos

To late-born generations; apples wane

miraturque novas frondes et non sua poma.

Forgetful of their former juice, the grape

Praeterea genus haud unum nec fortibus ulmis

Bears sorry clusters, for the birds a prey.

nec salici lotoque neque Idaeis cyparissis,

Soothly on all must toil be spent, and all

85 nec pingues unam in faciem nascuntur olivae,

Trained to the trench and at great cost subdued.

orchades et radii et amara pausia baca

But reared from truncheons olives answer best,

pomaque et Alcinoi silvae, nec surculus idem

As vines from layers, and from the solid wood

Crustumiis Syriisque piris gravibusque volemis.

The Paphian myrtles; while from suckers spring

Non eadem arboribus pendet vindemia nostris,

Both hardy hazels and huge ash, the tree

90 quam Methymnaeo carpit de palmite Lesbos;

That rims with shade the brows of Hercules,

sunt Thasiae vites, sunt et Mareotides albae,

And acorns dear to the Chaonian sire:

pinguibus hae terris habiles, levioribus illae,

So springs the towering palm too, and the fir

et passo Psithia utilior tenuisque Lageos

Destined to spy the dangers of the deep.

temptatura pedes olim vincturaque linguam,

But the rough arbutus with walnut-fruit

95 purpureae preciaeque, et quo te carmine dicam,

Is grafted; so have barren planes ere now

Rhaetica? Nec cellis ideo contende Falernis.

Stout apples borne, with chestnut-flower the beech,

Sunt et Amineae vites, firmissima vina,

The mountain-ash with pear-bloom whitened o'er,

Tmolius adsurgit quibus et rex ipse Phanaeus;

And swine crunched acorns 'neath the boughs of elms.

Argitisque minor, cui non certaverit ulla

Nor is the method of inserting eyes

100 aut tantum fluere aut totidem durare per annos.

And grafting one: for where the buds push forth

Non ego te, Dis et mensis accepta secundis,

Amidst the bark, and burst the membranes thin,

transierim, Rhodia, et tumidis, Bumaste, racemis.

Even on the knot a narrow rift is made,

Sed neque quam multae species nec nomina quae sint,

Wherein from some strange tree a germ they pen,

est numerus; neque enim numero conprendere refert;

And to the moist rind bid it cleave and grow.

105 quem qui scire velit, Libyci velit aequoris idem

Or, otherwise, in knotless trunks is hewn

discere quam multae Zephyro turbentur harenae,

A breach, and deep into the solid grain

aut ubi navigiis violentior incidit Eurus,

A path with wedges cloven; then fruitful slips

nosse, quot Ionii veniant ad litora fluctus.

Are set herein, and—no long time—behold!

Nec vero terrae ferre omnes omnia possunt.

To heaven upshot with teeming boughs, the tree

110 fluminibus salices crassisque paludibus alni

Strange leaves admires and fruitage not its own.

nascuntur, steriles saxosis montibus orni;

Nor of one kind alone are sturdy elms,

litora myrtetis laetissima; denique apertos

Willow and lotus, nor the cypress-trees

Bacchus amat collis, aquilonem et frigora taxi.

Of Ida; nor of self-same fashion spring

Aspice et extremis domitum cultoribus orbem

Fat olives, orchades, and radii

115 Eoasque domos Arabum pictosque Gelonos:

And bitter-berried pausians, no, nor yet

divisae arboribus patriae. Sola India nigrum

Apples and the forests of Alcinous;

fert ebenum, solis est turea virga Sabaeis.

Nor from like cuttings are Crustumian pears

Quid tibi odorato referam sudantia ligno

And Syrian, and the heavy hand-fillers.

balsamaque et bacas semper frondentis acanthi?

Not the same vintage from our trees hangs down,

120 Quid nemora Aethiopum molli canentia lana,

Which Lesbos from Methymna's tendril plucks.

velleraque ut foliis depectant tenuia Seres;

Vines Thasian are there, Mareotids white,

aut quos Oceano propior gerit India lucos,

These apt for richer soils, for lighter those:

extremi sinus orbis, ubi aera vincere summum

Psithian for raisin-wine more useful, thin

arboris haud ullae iactu potuere sagittae?

Lageos, that one day will try the feet

125 Et gens illa quidem sumptis non tarda pharetris.

And tie the tongue: purples and early-ripes,

Media fert tristis sucos tardumque saporem

And how, O Rhaetian, shall I hymn thy praise?

felicis mali, quo non praesentius ullum,

Yet cope not therefore with Falernian bins.

pocula si quando saevae infecere novercae,

Vines Aminaean too, best-bodied wine,

miscueruntque herbas et non innoxia verba,

To which the Tmolian bows him, ay, and king

130 auxilium venit ac membris agit atra venena.

Phanaeus too, and, lesser of that name,

Ipsa ingens arbos faciemque simillima lauro;

Argitis, wherewith not a grape can vie

et, si non alium late iactaret odorem,

For gush of wine-juice or for length of years.

laurus erat; folia haud ullis labentia ventis;

Nor thee must I pass over, vine of Rhodes,

flos ad prima tenax; animas et olentia Medi

Welcomed by gods and at the second board,

135 ora fovent illo et senibus medicantur anhelis.

Nor thee, Bumastus, with plump clusters swollen.

sed neque Medorum, silvae ditissima, terra,

But lo! how many kinds, and what their names,

nec pulcher Ganges atque auro turbidus Hermus

There is no telling, nor doth it boot to tell;

laudibus Italiae certent, non Bactra neque Indi

Who lists to know it, he too would list to learn

totaque turiferis Panchaia pinguis harenis.

How many sand-grains are by Zephyr tossed

140 Haec loca non tauri spirantes naribus ignem

On Libya's plain, or wot, when Eurus falls

invertere satis inmanis dentibus hydri

With fury on the ships, how many waves

nec galeis densisque virum seges horruit hastis;

Come rolling shoreward from the Ionian sea.

sed gravidae fruges et Bacchi Massicus humor

Not that all soils can all things bear alike.

inplevere; tenent oleae armentaque laeta.

Willows by water-courses have their birth,

145 Hinc bellator equus campo sese arduus infert;

Alders in miry fens; on rocky heights

hinc albi, Clitumne, greges et maxima taurus

The barren mountain-ashes; on the shore

victima, saepe tuo perfusi flumine sacro,

Myrtles throng gayest; Bacchus, lastly, loves

Romanos ad templa deum duxere triumphos.

The bare hillside, and yews the north wind's chill.

Hic ver adsiduum atque alienis mensibus aestas

Mark too the earth by outland tillers tamed,

150 bis gravidae pecudes, bis pomis utilis arbos.

And Eastern homes of Arabs, and tattooed

At rabidae tigres absunt et saeva leonum

Geloni; to all trees their native lands

semina nec miseros fallunt aconita legentis

Allotted are; no clime but India bears

nec rapit inmensos orbis per humum neque tanto

Black ebony; the branch of frankincense

squameus in spiram tractu se colligit anguis.

Is Saba's sons' alone; why tell to thee

155 Adde tot egregias urbes operumque laborem,

Of balsams oozing from the perfumed wood,

tot congesta manu praeruptis oppida saxis

Or berries of acanthus ever green?

fluminaque antiquos subter labentia muros.

Of Aethiop forests hoar with downy wool,

An mare, quod supra, memorem, quodque adluit infra

Or how the Seres comb from off the leaves

anne lacus tantos? Te, Lari maxume, teque,

Their silky fleece? Of groves which India bears,

160 fluctibus et fremitu adsurgens Benace marino

Ocean's near neighbour, earth's remotest nook,

an memorem portus Lucrinoque addita claustra

Where not an arrow-shot can cleave the air

atque indignatum magnis stridoribus aequor

Above their tree-tops? yet no laggards they,

Iulia qua ponto longe sonat unda refuso

When girded with the quiver! Media yields

Tyrrhenusque fretis inmittitur aestus Avernis?

The bitter juices and slow-lingering taste

165 Haec eadem argenti rivos aerisque metalla

Of the blest citron-fruit, than which no aid

ostendit venis atque auro plurima fluxit.

Comes timelier, when fierce step-dames drug the cup

Haec genus acre virum, Marsos pubemque Sabellam

With simples mixed and spells of baneful power,

adsuetumque malo Ligurem Volscosque verutos

To drive the deadly poison from the limbs.

extulit, haec Decios, Marios, magnosque Camillos,

Large the tree's self in semblance like a bay,

170 Scipiadas duros bello et te, maxume Caesar,

And, showered it not a different scent abroad,

qui nunc extremis Asiae iam victor in oris

A bay it had been; for no wind of heaven

inbellem avertis Romanis arcibus Indum.

Its foliage falls; the flower, none faster, clings;

Salve, magna parens frugum, Saturnia tellus,

With it the Medes for sweetness lave the lips,

magna virum; tibi res antiquae laudis et artem

And ease the panting breathlessness of age.

175 ingredior, sanctos ausus recludere fontis,

But no, not Mede-land with its wealth of woods,

Ascraeumque cano Romana per oppida carmen.

Nor Ganges fair, and Hermus thick with gold,

Nunc locus arvorum ingeniis: quae robora cuique,

Can match the praise of Italy; nor Ind,

quis color et quae sit rebus natura ferendis.

Nor Bactria, nor Panchaia, one wide tract

Difficiles primum terrae collesque maligni,

Of incense-teeming sand. Here never bulls

180 tenuis ubi argilla et dumosis calculus arvis,

With nostrils snorting fire upturned the sod

Palladia gaudent silva vivacis olivae.

Sown with the monstrous dragon's teeth, nor crop

Indicio est tractu surgens oleaster eodem

Of warriors bristled thick with lance and helm;

plurimus et strati bacis silvestribus agri.

But heavy harvests and the Massic juice

At quae pinguis humus dulcique uligine laeta,

Of Bacchus fill its borders, overspread

185 quique frequens herbis et fertilis ubere campus—

With fruitful flocks and olives. Hence arose

qualem saepe cava montis convalle solemus

The war-horse stepping proudly o'er the plain;

despicere; huc summis liquuntur rupibus amnes

Hence thy white flocks, Clitumnus, and the bull,

felicemque trahunt limum—quique editus austro

Of victims mightiest, which full oft have led,

et filicem curvis invisam pascit aratris:

Bathed in thy sacred stream, the triumph-pomp

190 hic tibi praevalidas olim multoque fluentis

Of Romans to the temples of the gods.

sufficiet Baccho vitis, hic fertilis uvae,

Here blooms perpetual spring, and summer here

hic laticis, qualem pateris libamus et auro,

In months that are not summer's; twice teem the flocks;

inflavit cum pinguis ebur Tyrrhenus ad aras,

Twice doth the tree yield service of her fruit.

lancibus et pandis fumantia reddimus exta.

But ravening tigers come not nigh, nor breed

195 Sin armenta magis studium vitulosque tueri

Of savage lion, nor aconite betrays

aut ovium fetum aut urentis culta capellas,

Its hapless gatherers, nor with sweep so vast

saltus et saturi petito longinqua Tarenti

Doth the scaled serpent trail his endless coils

et qualem infelix amisit Mantua campum,

Along the ground, or wreathe him into spires.

pascentem niveos herboso flumine cycnos;

Mark too her cities, so many and so proud,

200 non liquidi gregibus fontes, non gramina deerunt;

Of mighty toil the achievement, town on town

et, quantum longis carpent armenta diebus,

Up rugged precipices heaved and reared,

exigua tantum gelidus ros nocte reponet.

And rivers undergliding ancient walls.

Nigra fere et presso pinguis sub vomere terra

Or should I celebrate the sea that laves

et cui putre solum,—namque hoc imitamur arando—

Her upper shores and lower? or those broad lakes?

205 optima frumentis; non ullo ex aequore cernes

Thee, Larius, greatest and, Benacus, thee

plura domum tardis decedere plaustra iuvencis;

With billowy uproar surging like the main?

aut unde iratus silvam devexit arator

Or sing her harbours, and the barrier cast

et nemora evertit multos ignava per annos

Athwart the Lucrine, and how ocean chafes

antiquasque domos avium cum stirpibus imis

With mighty bellowings, where the Julian wave

210 eruit; illae altum nidis petiere relictis,

Echoes the thunder of his rout, and through

at rudis enituit inpulso vomere campus.

Avernian inlets pours the Tuscan tide?

Nam ieiuna quidem clivosi glarea ruris

A land no less that in her veins displays

vix humilis apibus casias roremque ministrat;

Rivers of silver, mines of copper ore,

et tophus scaber et nigris exesa chelydris

Ay, and with gold hath flowed abundantly.

215 creta negant alios aeque serpentibus agros

A land that reared a valiant breed of men,

dulcem ferre cibum et curvas praebere latebras.

The Marsi and Sabellian youth, and, schooled

Quae tenuem exhalat nebulam fumosque volucris

To hardship, the Ligurian, and with these

et bibit humorem et, cum volt, ex se ipsa remittit

The Volscian javelin-armed, the Decii too,

quaeque suo semper viridi se gramine vestit

The Marii and Camilli, names of might,

220 nec scabie et salsa laedit robigine ferrum:

The Scipios, stubborn warriors, ay, and thee,

illa tibi laetis intexet vitibus ulmos,

Great Caesar, who in Asia's utmost bounds

illa ferax oleo est, illam experiere colendo

With conquering arm e'en now art fending far

et facilem pecori et patientem vomeris unci.

The unwarlike Indian from the heights of Rome.

Talem dives arat Capua et vicina Vesevo

Hail! land of Saturn, mighty mother thou

225 ora iugo et vacuis Clanius non aequus Acerris.

Of fruits and heroes; 'tis for thee I dare

Nunc, quo quamque modo possis cognoscere, dicam.

Unseal the sacred fountains, and essay

Rara sit an supra morem si densa requires—

Themes of old art and glory, as I sing

altera frumentis quoniam favet, altera Baccho,

The song of Ascra through the towns of Rome.

densa magis Cereri, rarissima quaeque Lyaeo—

Now for the native gifts of various soils,

230 ante locum capies oculis alteque iubebis

What powers hath each, what hue, what natural bent

in solido puteum demitti omnemque repones

For yielding increase. First your stubborn lands

rursus humum et pedibus summas aequabis harenas.

And churlish hill-sides, where are thorny fields

Si deerunt, rarum pecorique et vitibus almis

Of meagre marl and gravel, these delight

aptius uber erit; sin in sua posse negabunt

In long-lived olive-groves to Pallas dear.

235 ire loca et scrobibus superabit terra repletis,

Take for a sign the plenteous growth hard by

spissus ager; glaebas cunctantis crassaque terga

Of oleaster, and the fields strewn wide

exspecta et validis terram proscinde iuvencis.

With woodland berries. But a soil that's rich,

Salsa autem tellus et quae perhibetur amara,

In moisture sweet exulting, and the plain

frugibus infelix—ea nec mansuescit arando

That teems with grasses on its fruitful breast,

240 nec Baccho genus aut pomis sua nomina servat—

Such as full oft in hollow mountain-dell

tale dabit specimen: tu spisso vimine qualos

We view beneath us—from the craggy heights

colaque prelorum fumosis deripe tectis;

Streams thither flow with fertilizing mud—

huc ager ille malus dulcesque a fontibus undae

A plain which southward rising feeds the fern

ad plenum calcentur; aqua eluctabitur omnis

By curved ploughs detested, this one day

245 scilicet, et grandes ibunt per vimina guttae;

Shall yield thee store of vines full strong to gush

at sapor indicium faciet manifestus et ora

In torrents of the wine-god; this shall be

tristia temptantum sensu torquebit amaro.

Fruitful of grapes and flowing juice like that

Pinguis item quae sit tellus, hoc denique pacto

We pour to heaven from bowls of gold, what time

discimus: haud umquam manibus iactata fatiscit,

The sleek Etruscan at the altar blows

250 sed picis in morem ad digitos lentescit habendo.

His ivory pipe, and on the curved dish

Humida maiores herbas alit, ipsaque iusto

We lay the reeking entrails. If to rear

laetior. Ah nimium ne sit mihi fertilis illa

Cattle delight thee rather, steers, or lambs,

nec se praevalidam primis ostendat aristis!

Or goats that kill the tender plants, then seek

Quae gravis est, ipso tacitam se pondere prodit,

Full-fed Tarentum's glades and distant fields,

255 quaeque levis. Promptum est oculis praediscere nigram,

Or such a plain as luckless Mantua lost

et quis cui color. At sceleratum exquirere frigus

Whose weedy water feeds the snow-white swan:

difficile est: piceae tantum taxique nocentes

There nor clear springs nor grass the flocks will fail,

interdum aut hederae pandunt vestigia nigrae.

And all the day-long browsing of thy herds

his animadversis terram multo ante memento

Shall the cool dews of one brief night repair.

260 excoquere et magnos scrobibus concidere montis,

Land which the burrowing share shows dark and rich,

ante supinatas aquiloni ostendere glaebas,

With crumbling soil—for this we counterfeit

quam laetum infodias vitis genus. Optima putri

In ploughing—for corn is goodliest; from no field

arva solo: id venti curant gelidaeque pruinae

More wains thou'lt see wend home with plodding steers;

et labefacta movens robustus iugera fossor.

Or that from which the husbandman in spleen

265 Ac si quos haud ulla viros vigilantia fugit,

Has cleared the timber, and o'erthrown the copse

ante locum similem exquirunt, ubi prima paretur

That year on year lay idle, and from the roots

arboribus seges et quo mox digesta feratur,

Uptorn the immemorial haunt of birds;

mutatam ignorent subito ne semina matrem.

They banished from their nests have sought the skies;

Quin etiam caeli regionem in cortice signant,

But the rude plain beneath the ploughshare's stroke

270 ut, quo quaeque modo steterit, qua parte calores

Starts into sudden brightness. For indeed

Austrinos tulerit, quae terga obverterit axi,

The starved hill-country gravel scarce serves the bees

restituant: adeo in teneris consuescere multum est.

With lowly cassias and with rosemary;

Collibus an plano melius sit ponere vitem,

Rough tufa and chalk too, by black water-worms

quaere prius. Si pinguis agros metabere campi,

Gnawed through and through, proclaim no soils beside

275 densa sere; in denso non segnior ubere Bacchus;

So rife with serpent-dainties, or that yield

sin tumulis adclive solum collisque supinos,

Such winding lairs to lurk in. That again,

indulge ordinibus, nec setius omnis in unguem

Which vapoury mist and flitting smoke exhales,

arboribus positis secto via limite quadret.

Drinks moisture up and casts it forth at will,

Ut saepe ingenti bello cum longa cohortis

Which, ever in its own green grass arrayed,

280 explicuit legio et campo stetit agmen aperto,

Mars not the metal with salt scurf of rust—

directaeque acies, ac late fluctuat omnis

That shall thine elms with merry vines enwreathe;

aere renidenti tellus, necdum horrida miscent

That teems with olive; that shall thy tilth prove kind

proelia, sed dubius mediis Mars errat in armis:

To cattle, and patient of the curved share.

omnia sint paribus numeris dimensa viarum;

Such ploughs rich Capua, such the coast that skirts

285 non animum modo uti pascat prospectus inanem,

Thy ridge, Vesuvius, and the Clanian flood,

sed quia non aliter viris dabit omnibus aequas

Acerrae's desolation and her bane.

terra neque in vacuum poterunt se extendere rami.

How each to recognize now hear me tell.

Forsitan et scrobibus quae sint fastigia quaeras.

Dost ask if loose or passing firm it be—

ausim vel tenui vitem committere sulco.

Since one for corn hath liking, one for wine,

290 Altior ac penitus terrae defigitur arbos,

The firmer sort for Ceres, none too loose

aesculus in primis, quae quantum vertice ad auras

For thee, Lyaeus?—with scrutinizing eye

aetherias, tantum radice in Tartara tendit.

First choose thy ground, and bid a pit be sunk

Ergo non hiemes illam, non flabra neque imbres

Deep in the solid earth, then cast the mould

convellunt; inmota manet, multosque nepotes,

All back again, and stamp the surface smooth.

295 multa virum volvens durando saecula vincit.

If it suffice not, loose will be the land,

Tum fortis late ramos et bracchia pandens

More meet for cattle and for kindly vines;

huc illuc, media ipsa ingentem sustinet umbram.

But if, rebellious, to its proper bounds

Neve tibi ad solem vergant vineta cadentem,

The soil returns not, but fills all the trench

Neve inter vitis corylum sere, neve flagella

And overtops it, then the glebe is gross;

300 summa pete aut summa defringe ex arbore plantas

Look for stiff ridges and reluctant clods,

tantus amor terrae—neu ferro laede retunso

And with strong bullocks cleave the fallow crust.

semina, neve oleae silvestris insere truncos:

Salt ground again, and bitter, as 'tis called—

nam saepe incautis pastoribus excidit ignis,

Barren for fruits, by tilth untamable,

qui furtim pingui primum sub cortice tectus

Nor grape her kind, nor apples their good name

305 robora conprendit frondesque elapsus in altas

Maintaining—will in this wise yield thee proof:

ingentem caelo sonitum dedit; inde secutus

Stout osier-baskets from the rafter-smoke,

per ramos victor perque alta cacumina regnat

And strainers of the winepress pluck thee down;

et totum involvit flammis nemus et ruit atram

Hereinto let that evil land, with fresh

ad caelum picea crassus caligine nubem,

Spring-water mixed, be trampled to the full;

310 praesertim si tempestas a vertice silvis

The moisture, mark you, will ooze all away,

incubuit glomeratque ferens incendia ventus.

In big drops issuing through the osier-withes,

Hoc ubi, non a stirpe valent caesaeque reverti

But plainly will its taste the secret tell,

possunt atque ima similes revirescere terra;

And with a harsh twang ruefully distort

infelix superat foliis oleaster amaris.

The mouths of them that try it. Rich soil again

315 Nec tibi tam prudens quisquam persuadeat auctor

We learn on this wise: tossed from hand to hand

tellurem Borea rigidam spirante movere.

Yet cracks it never, but pitch-like, as we hold,

Rura gelu tum claudit hiems nec semine iacto

Clings to the fingers. A land with moisture rife

concretam patitur radicem adfigere terrae.

Breeds lustier herbage, and is more than meet

Optima vinetis satio, cum vere rubenti

Prolific. Ah I may never such for me

320 candida venit avis longis invisa colubris,

O'er-fertile prove, or make too stout a show

prima vel autumni sub frigora, cum rapidus Sol

At the first earing! Heavy land or light

nondum hiemem contingit equis, iam praeterit aestas.

The mute self-witness of its weight betrays.

Ver adeo frondi nemorum, ver utile silvis;

A glance will serve to warn thee which is black,

vere tument terrae et genitalia semina poscunt.

Or what the hue of any. But hard it is

325 Tum pater omnipotens fecundis imbribus Aether

To track the signs of that pernicious cold:

coniugis in gremium laetae descendit et omnis

Pines only, noxious yews, and ivies dark

magnus alit magno commixtus corpore fetus.

At times reveal its traces.

Avia tum resonant avibus virgulta canoris

All these rules

et Venerem certis repetunt armenta diebus;

Regarding, let your land, ay, long before,

330 parturit almus ager Zephyrique tepentibus auris

Scorch to the quick, and into trenches carve

laxant arva sinus; superat tener omnibus humor;

The mighty mountains, and their upturned clods

inque novos soles audent se germina tuto

Bare to the north wind, ere thou plant therein

credere, nec metuit surgentis pampinus austros

The vine's prolific kindred. Fields whose soil

aut actum caelo magnis aquilonibus imbrem,

Is crumbling are the best: winds look to that,

335 sed trudit gemmas et frondes explicat omnis.

And bitter hoar-frosts, and the delver's toil

Non alios prima crescentis origine mundi

Untiring, as he stirs the loosened glebe.

inluxisse dies aliumve habuisse tenorem

But those, whose vigilance no care escapes,

crediderim: ver illud erat, ver magnus agebat

Search for a kindred site, where first to rear

orbis et hibernis parcebant flatibus Euri,

A nursery for the trees, and eke whereto

340 cum primae lucem pecudes hausere virumque

Soon to translate them, lest the sudden shock

terrea progenies duris caput extulit arvis,

From their new mother the young plants estrange.

inmissaeque ferae silvis et sidera caelo.

Nay, even the quarter of the sky they brand

Nec res hunc tenerae possent perferre laborem,

Upon the bark, that each may be restored,

si non tanta quies iret frigusque caloremque

As erst it stood, here bore the southern heats,

345 inter, et exciperet caeli indulgentia terras.

Here turned its shoulder to the northern pole;

Quod superest, quaecumque premes virgulta per agros,

So strong is custom formed in early years.

sparge fimo pingui et multa memor occule terra,

Whether on hill or plain 'tis best to plant

aut lapidem bibulum aut squalentis infode conchas;

Your vineyard first inquire. If on some plain

inter enim labentur aquae tenuisque subibit

You measure out rich acres, then plant thick;

350 halitus atque animos tollent sata; iamque reperti,

Thick planting makes no niggard of the vine;

qui saxo super atque ingentis pondere testae

But if on rising mound or sloping bill,

urgerent; hoc effusos munimen ad imbris,

Then let the rows have room, so none the less

hoc, ubi hiulca siti findit canis aestifer arva.

Each line you draw, when all the trees are set,

Seminibus positis superest diducere terram

May tally to perfection. Even as oft

355 saepius ad capita et duros iactare bidentis,

In mighty war, whenas the legion's length

aut presso exercere solum sub vomere et ipsa

Deploys its cohorts, and the column stands

flectere luctantis inter vineta iuvencos;

In open plain, the ranks of battle set,

tum levis calamos et rasae hastilia virgae

And far and near with rippling sheen of arms

fraxineasque aptare sudes furcasque valentis,

The wide earth flickers, nor yet in grisly strife

360 viribus eniti quarum et contemnere ventos

Foe grapples foe, but dubious 'twixt the hosts

adsuescant summasque sequi tabulata per ulmos.

The war-god wavers; so let all be ranged

Ac dum prima novis adolescit frondibus aetas,

In equal rows symmetric, not alone

parcendum teneris, et dum se laetus ad auras

To feed an idle fancy with the view,

palmes agit laxis per purum inmissus habenis,

But since not otherwise will earth afford

365 ipsa acie nondum falcis temptanda, sed uncis

Vigour to all alike, nor yet the boughs

carpendae manibus frondes interque legendae.

Have power to stretch them into open space.

Inde ubi iam validis amplexae stirpibus ulmos

Shouldst haply of the furrow's depth inquire,

exierint, tum stringe comas, tum bracchia tonde—

Even to a shallow trench I dare commit

ante reformidant ferrum—tum denique dura

The vine; but deeper in the ground is fixed

370 exerce imperia et ramos conpesce fluentis.

The tree that props it, aesculus in chief,

Texendae saepes etiam et pecus omne tenendum,

Which howso far its summit soars toward heaven,

praecipue dum frons tenera inprudensque laborum;

So deep strikes root into the vaults of hell.

cui super indignas hiemes solemque potentem

It therefore neither storms, nor blasts, nor showers

silvestres uri adsidue capreaeque sequaces

Wrench from its bed; unshaken it abides,

375 inludunt, pascuntur oves avidaeque iuvencae.

Sees many a generation, many an age

Frigora nec tantum cana concreta pruina

Of men roll onward, and survives them all,

aut gravis incumbens scopulis arentibus aestas,

Stretching its titan arms and branches far,

quantum illi nocuere greges durique venenum

Sole central pillar of a world of shade.

dentis et admorso signata in stirpe cicatrix.

Nor toward the sunset let thy vineyards slope,

380 Non aliam ob culpam Baccho caper omnibus aris

Nor midst the vines plant hazel; neither take

caeditur et veteres ineunt proscaenia ludi

The topmost shoots for cuttings, nor from the top

praemiaque ingeniis pagos et compita circum

Of the supporting tree your suckers tear;

thesidae posuere atque inter pocula laeti

So deep their love of earth; nor wound the plants

mollibus in pratis unctos saluere per utres.

With blunted blade; nor truncheons intersperse

385 Nec non Ausonii, Troia gens missa, coloni

Of the wild olive: for oft from careless swains

versibus incomptis ludunt risuque soluto

A spark hath fallen, that, 'neath the unctuous rind

oraque corticibus sumunt horrenda cavatis

Hid thief-like first, now grips the tough tree-bole,

et te, Bacche, vocant per carmina laeta tibique

And mounting to the leaves on high, sends forth

oscilla ex alta suspendunt mollia pinu.

A roar to heaven, then coursing through the boughs

390 Hinc omnis largo pubescit vinea fetu,

And airy summits reigns victoriously,

conplentur vallesque cavae saltusque profundi,

Wraps all the grove in robes of fire, and gross

et quocumque deus circum caput egit honestum.

With pitch-black vapour heaves the murky reek

Ergo rite suum Baccho dicemus honorem

Skyward, but chiefly if a storm has swooped

carminibus patriis lancesque et liba feremus

Down on the forest, and a driving wind

395 et ductus cornu stabit sacer hircus ad aram

Rolls up the conflagration. When 'tis so,

pinguiaque in veribus torrebimus exta colurnis.

Their root-force fails them, nor, when lopped away,

Est etiam ille labor curandis vitibus alter,

Can they recover, and from the earth beneath

cui numquam exhausti satis est: namque omne quot annis

Spring to like verdure; thus alone survives

terque quaterque solum scindendum glebaque versis

The bare wild olive with its bitter leaves.

400 aeternum frangenda bidentibus, omne levandum

Let none persuade thee, howso weighty-wise,

fronde nemus. Redit agricolis labor actus in orbem

To stir the soil when stiff with Boreas' breath.

atque in se sua per vestigia volvitur annus.

Then ice-bound winter locks the fields, nor lets

Ac iam olim, seras posuit cum vinea frondes,

The young plant fix its frozen root to earth.

frigidus et silvis aquilo decussit honorem,

Best sow your vineyards when in blushing Spring

405 iam tum acer curas venientem extendit in annum

Comes the white bird long-bodied snakes abhor,

rusticus et curvo Saturni dente relictam

Or on the eve of autumn's earliest frost,

persequitur vitem attondens fingitque putando.

Ere the swift sun-steeds touch the wintry Signs,

Primus humum fodito, primus devecta cremato

While summer is departing. Spring it is

sarmenta et vallos primus sub tecta referto;

Blesses the fruit-plantation, Spring the groves;

410 postremus metito. Bis vitibus ingruit umbra,

In Spring earth swells and claims the fruitful seed.

bis segetem densis obducunt sentibus herbae;

Then Aether, sire omnipotent, leaps down

durus uterque labor: laudato ingentia rura,

With quickening showers to his glad wife's embrace,

exiguum colito. Nec non etiam aspera rusci

And, might with might commingling, rears to life

vimina per silvam et ripis fluvialis arundo

All germs that teem within her; then resound

415 caeditur, incultique exercet cura salicti.

With songs of birds the greenwood-wildernesses,

Iam vinctae vites, iam falcem arbusta reponunt,

And in due time the herds their loves renew;

iam canit effectos extremus vinitor antes:

Then the boon earth yields increase, and the fields

sollicitanda tamen tellus pulvisque movendus

Unlock their bosoms to the warm west winds;

et iam maturis metuendus Iuppiter uvis.

Soft moisture spreads o'er all things, and the blades

420 Contra non ulla est oleis cultura; neque illae

Face the new suns, and safely trust them now;

procurvam exspectant falcem rastrosque tenacis,

The vine-shoot, fearless of the rising south,

cum semel haeserunt arvis aurasque tulerunt;

Or mighty north winds driving rain from heaven,

ipsa satis tellus, cum dente recluditur unco,

Bursts into bud, and every leaf unfolds.

sufficit humorem et gravidas, cum vomere, fruges.

Even so, methinks, when Earth to being sprang,

425 Hoc pinguem et placitam Paci nutritor olivam.

Dawned the first days, and such the course they held;

Poma quoque, ut primum truncos sensere valentis

'Twas Spring-tide then, ay, Spring, the mighty world

et viris habuere suas, ad sidera raptim

Was keeping: Eurus spared his wintry blasts,

vi propria nituntur opisque haud indiga nostrae.

When first the flocks drank sunlight, and a race

Nec minus interea fetu nemus omne gravescit

Of men like iron from the hard glebe arose,

430 sanguineisque inculta rubent aviaria bacis.

And wild beasts thronged the woods, and stars the heaven.

Tondentur cytisi, taedas silva alta ministrat,

Nor could frail creatures bear this heavy strain,

pascunturque ignes nocturni et lumina fundunt.

Did not so large a respite interpose

Et dubitant homines serere atque inpendere curam

'Twixt frost and heat, and heaven's relenting arms

quid maiora sequar?—salices humilesque genestae

Yield earth a welcome.

435 aut illae pecori frondem aut pastoribus umbram

For the rest, whate'er

Sufficiunt saepemque satis et pabula melli—

The sets thou plantest in thy fields, thereon

et iuvat undantem buxo spectare Cytorum

Strew refuse rich, and with abundant earth

naryciaeque picis lucos, iuvat arva videre

Take heed to hide them, and dig in withal

non rastris, hominum non ulli obnoxia curae.

Rough shells or porous stone, for therebetween

440 Ipsae Caucasio steriles in vertice silvae,

Will water trickle and fine vapour creep,

quas animosi Euri adsidue franguntque feruntque,

And so the plants their drooping spirits raise.

dant alios aliae fetus, dant utile lignum

Aye, and there have been, who with weight of stone

navigiis pinus, domibus cedrumque cupressosque.

Or heavy potsherd press them from above;

Hinc radios trivere rotis, hinc tympana plaustris

This serves for shield in pelting showers, and this

445 agricolae et pandas ratibus posuere carinas,

When the hot dog-star chaps the fields with drought.

viminibus salices fecundae, frondibus ulmi,

The slips once planted, yet remains to cleave

at myrtus validis hastilibus et bona bello

The earth about their roots persistently,

cornus, Ituraeos taxi torquentur in arcus.

And toss the cumbrous hoes, or task the soil

Nec tiliae leves aut torno rasile buxum

With burrowing plough-share, and ply up and down

450 non formam accipiunt ferroque cavantur acuto.

Your labouring bullocks through the vineyard's midst,

Nec non et torrentem undam levis innatat alnus,

Then too smooth reeds and shafts of whittled wand,

missa Pado; nec non et apes examina condunt

And ashen poles and sturdy forks to shape,

corticibusque cavis vitiosaeque ilicis alvo.

Whereby supported they may learn to mount,

Quid memorandum aeque Baccheia dona tulerunt

Laugh at the gales, and through the elm-tops win

455 Bacchus et ad culpam causas dedit; ille furentis

From story up to story.

centauros leto domuit, Rhoetumque Pholumque

Now while yet

et magno Hylaeum Lapithis cratere minantem.

The leaves are in their first fresh infant growth,

O fortunatos nimium, sua si bona norint,

Forbear their frailty, and while yet the bough

agricolas! quibus ipsa procul discordibus armis

Shoots joyfully toward heaven, with loosened rein

460 fundit humo facilem victum iustissima tellus.

Launched on the void, assail it not as yet

Si non ingentem foribus domus alta superbis

With keen-edged sickle, but let the leaves alone

mane salutantum totis vomit aedibus undam,

Be culled with clip of fingers here and there.

nec varios inhiant pulchra testudine postis

But when they clasp the elms with sturdy trunks

inlusasque auro vestes Ephyreiaque aera,

Erect, then strip the leaves off, prune the boughs;

465 alba neque Assyrio fucatur lana veneno

Sooner they shrink from steel, but then put forth

nec casia liquidi corrumpitur usus olivi:

The arm of power, and stem the branchy tide.

at secura quies et nescia fallere vita,

Hedges too must be woven and all beasts

dives opum variarum, at latis otia fundis—

Barred entrance, chiefly while the leaf is young

speluncae vivique lacus et frigida Tempe

And witless of disaster; for therewith,

470 mugitusque boum mollesque sub arbore somni—

Beside harsh winters and o'erpowering sun,

non absunt; illic saltus ac lustra ferarum

Wild buffaloes and pestering goats for ay

et patiens operum exiguoque adsueta iuventus,

Besport them, sheep and heifers glut their greed.

sacra deum sanctique patres; extrema per illos

Nor cold by hoar-frost curdled, nor the prone

iustitia excedens terris vestigia fecit.

Dead weight of summer upon the parched crags,

475 Me vero primum dulces ante omnia Musae,

So scathe it, as the flocks with venom-bite

quarum sacra fero ingenti percussus amore,

Of their hard tooth, whose gnawing scars the stem.

accipiant caelique vias et sidera monstrent,

For no offence but this to Bacchus bleeds

defectus solis varios lunaeque labores;

The goat at every altar, and old plays

unde tremor terris, qua vi maria alta tumescant

Upon the stage find entrance; therefore too

480 obicibus ruptis rursusque in se ipsa residant,

The sons of Theseus through the country-side—

quid tantum Oceano properent se tinguere soles

Hamlet and crossway—set the prize of wit,

hiberni, vel quae tardis mora noctibus obstet.

And on the smooth sward over oiled skins

Sin, has ne possim naturae accedere partis,

Dance in their tipsy frolic. Furthermore

frigidus obstiterit circum praecordia sanguis:

The Ausonian swains, a race from Troy derived,

485 rura mihi et rigui placeant in vallibus amnes,

Make merry with rough rhymes and boisterous mirth,

flumina amem silvasque inglorius. O ubi campi

Grim masks of hollowed bark assume, invoke

Spercheosque et virginibus bacchata Lacaenis

Thee with glad hymns, O Bacchus, and to thee

Taygeta! O, qui me gelidis convallibus Haemi

Hang puppet-faces on tall pines to swing.

sistat et ingenti ramorum protegat umbra!

Hence every vineyard teems with mellowing fruit,

490 Felix, qui potuit rerum cognoscere causas,

Till hollow vale o'erflows, and gorge profound,

atque metus omnis et inexorabile fatum

Where'er the god hath turned his comely head.

subiecit pedibus strepitumque Acherontis avari.

Therefore to Bacchus duly will we sing

Fortunatus et ille, deos qui novit agrestis,

Meet honour with ancestral hymns, and cates

panaque Silvanumque senem Nymphasque sorores:

And dishes bear him; and the doomed goat

495 illum non populi fasces, non purpura regum

Led by the horn shall at the altar stand,

flexit et infidos agitans discordia fratres

Whose entrails rich on hazel-spits we'll roast.

aut coniurato descendens Dacus ab Histro,

This further task again, to dress the vine,

non res Romanae perituraque regna; neque ille

Hath needs beyond exhausting; the whole soil

aut doluit miserans inopem aut invidit habenti

Thrice, four times, yearly must be cleft, the sod

500 quos rami fructus, quos ipsa volentia rura

With hoes reversed be crushed continually,

sponte tulere sua, carpsit; nec ferrea iura

The whole plantation lightened of its leaves.

insanumque forum aut populi tabularia vidit.

Round on the labourer spins the wheel of toil,

sollicitant alii remis freta caeca ruuntque

As on its own track rolls the circling year.

in ferrum, penetrant aulas et limina regum;

Soon as the vine her lingering leaves hath shed,

505 hic petit excidiis urbem miserosque Penatis,

And the chill north wind from the forests shook

ut gemma bibat et Sarrano dormiat ostro;

Their coronal, even then the careful swain

condit opes alius defossoque incubat auro;

Looks keenly forward to the coming year,

hic stupet attonitus rostris; hunc plausus hiantem

With Saturn's curved fang pursues and prunes

per cuneos—geminatus enim plebisque patrumque—

The vine forlorn, and lops it into shape.

510 corripuit; gaudent perfusi sanguine fratrum,

Be first to dig the ground up, first to clear

exsilioque domos et dulcia limina mutant

And burn the refuse-branches, first to house

atque alio patriam quaerunt sub sole iacentem.

Again your vine-poles, last to gather fruit.

Agricola incurvo terram dimovit aratro:

Twice doth the thickening shade beset the vine,

hinc anni labor, hinc patriam parvosque nepotes

Twice weeds with stifling briers o'ergrow the crop;

515 sustinet, hinc armenta boum meritosque iuvencos.

And each a toilsome labour. Do thou praise

Nec requies, quin aut pomis exuberet annus

Broad acres, farm but few. Rough twigs beside

aut fetu pecorum aut cerealis mergite culmi,

Of butcher's broom among the woods are cut,

proventuque oneret sulcos atque horrea vincat.

And reeds upon the river-banks, and still

Venit hiems: teritur Sicyonia baca trapetis,

The undressed willow claims thy fostering care.

520 glande sues laeti redeunt, dant arbuta silvae;

So now the vines are fettered, now the trees

et varios ponit fetus autumnus et alte

Let go the sickle, and the last dresser now

mitis in apricis coquitur vindemia saxis.

Sings of his finished rows; but still the ground

Interea dulces pendent circum oscula nati,

Must vexed be, the dust be stirred, and heaven

casta pudicitiam servat domus, ubera vaccae

Still set thee trembling for the ripened grapes.

525 lactea demittunt pinguesque in gramine laeto

Not so with olives; small husbandry need they,

inter se adversis luctantur cornibus haedi.

Nor look for sickle bowed or biting rake,

Ipse dies agitat festos fususque per herbam,

When once they have gripped the soil, and borne the breeze.

ignis ubi in medio et socii cratera coronant,

Earth of herself, with hooked fang laid bare,

te libans, Lenaee, vocat pecorisque magistris

Yields moisture for the plants, and heavy fruit,

530 velocis iaculi certamina ponit in ulmo,

The ploughshare aiding; therewithal thou'lt rear

corporaque agresti nudant praedura palaestrae.

The olive's fatness well-beloved of Peace.

Hanc olim veteres vitam coluere Sabini,

Apples, moreover, soon as first they feel

hanc Remus et frater, sic fortis Etruria crevit

Their stems wax lusty, and have found their strength,

scilicet et rerum facta est pulcherrima Roma,

To heaven climb swiftly, self-impelled, nor crave

535 septemque una sibi muro circumdedit arces.

Our succour. All the grove meanwhile no less

Ante etiam sceptrum Dictaei regis et ante

With fruit is swelling, and the wild haunts of birds

inpia quam caesis gens est epulata iuvencis,

Blush with their blood-red berries. Cytisus

aureus hanc vitam in terris Saturnus agebat;

Is good to browse on, the tall forest yields

necdum etiam audierant inflari classica, necdum

Pine-torches, and the nightly fires are fed

540 inpositos duris crepitare incudibus enses.

And shoot forth radiance. And shall men be loath

Sed nos inmensum spatiis confecimus aequor,

To plant, nor lavish of their pains? Why trace

et iam tempus equum fumantia solvere colla.

Things mightier? Willows even and lowly brooms