Georgics

Virgil

Vergil. The Poems of Vergil. Rhoades, James, translator. London: Oxford University Press, 1921.

  1. All these rules
  2. Regarding, let your land, ay, long before,
  3. Scorch to the quick, and into trenches carve
  4. The mighty mountains, and their upturned clods
  5. Bare to the north wind, ere thou plant therein
  6. The vine's prolific kindred. Fields whose soil
  7. Is crumbling are the best: winds look to that,
  8. And bitter hoar-frosts, and the delver's toil
  9. Untiring, as he stirs the loosened glebe.
  10. But those, whose vigilance no care escapes,
  11. Search for a kindred site, where first to rear
  12. A nursery for the trees, and eke whereto
  13. Soon to translate them, lest the sudden shock
  14. From their new mother the young plants estrange.
  15. Nay, even the quarter of the sky they brand
  16. Upon the bark, that each may be restored,
  17. As erst it stood, here bore the southern heats,
  18. Here turned its shoulder to the northern pole;
  19. So strong is custom formed in early years.
  20. Whether on hill or plain 'tis best to plant
  21. Your vineyard first inquire. If on some plain
  22. You measure out rich acres, then plant thick;
  23. Thick planting makes no niggard of the vine;
  24. But if on rising mound or sloping bill,
  25. Then let the rows have room, so none the less
  26. Each line you draw, when all the trees are set,
  27. May tally to perfection. Even as oft
  28. In mighty war, whenas the legion's length
  29. Deploys its cohorts, and the column stands
  30. In open plain, the ranks of battle set,
  31. And far and near with rippling sheen of arms
  32. The wide earth flickers, nor yet in grisly strife
  33. Foe grapples foe, but dubious 'twixt the hosts
  34. The war-god wavers; so let all be ranged
  35. In equal rows symmetric, not alone
  36. To feed an idle fancy with the view,
  37. But since not otherwise will earth afford
  38. Vigour to all alike, nor yet the boughs
  39. Have power to stretch them into open space.