Georgics

Virgil

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

  1. Apples, moreover, soon as first they feel
  2. Their stems wax lusty, and have found their strength,
  3. To heaven climb swiftly, self-impelled, nor crave
  4. Our succour. All the grove meanwhile no less
  5. With fruit is swelling, and the wild haunts of birds
  6. Blush with their blood-red berries. Cytisus
  7. Is good to browse on, the tall forest yields
  8. Pine-torches, and the nightly fires are fed
  9. And shoot forth radiance. And shall men be loath
  10. To plant, nor lavish of their pains? Why trace
  11. Things mightier? Willows even and lowly brooms
  12. To cattle their green leaves, to shepherds shade,
  13. Fences for crops, and food for honey yield.
  14. And blithe it is Cytorus to behold
  15. Waving with box, Narycian groves of pitch;
  16. Oh! blithe the sight of fields beholden not
  17. To rake or man's endeavour! the barren woods
  18. That crown the scalp of Caucasus, even these,
  19. Which furious blasts for ever rive and rend,
  20. Yield various wealth, pine-logs that serve for ships,
  21. Cedar and cypress for the homes of men;
  22. Hence, too, the farmers shave their wheel-spokes, hence
  23. Drums for their wains, and curved boat-keels fit;
  24. Willows bear twigs enow, the elm-tree leaves,
  25. Myrtle stout spear-shafts, war-tried cornel too;
  26. Yews into Ituraean bows are bent:
  27. Nor do smooth lindens or lathe-polished box
  28. Shrink from man's shaping and keen-furrowing steel;
  29. Light alder floats upon the boiling flood
  30. Sped down the Padus, and bees house their swarms
  31. In rotten holm-oak's hollow bark and bole.
  32. What of like praise can Bacchus' gifts afford?
  33. Nay, Bacchus even to crime hath prompted, he
  34. The wine-infuriate Centaurs quelled with death,
  35. Rhoetus and Pholus, and with mighty bowl
  36. Hylaeus threatening high the Lapithae.
  1. Oh! all too happy tillers of the soil,
  2. Could they but know their blessedness, for whom
  3. Far from the clash of arms all-equal earth
  4. Pours from the ground herself their easy fare!
  5. What though no lofty palace portal-proud
  6. From all its chambers vomits forth a tide
  7. Of morning courtiers, nor agape they gaze
  8. On pillars with fair tortoise-shell inwrought,
  9. Gold-purfled robes, and bronze from Ephyre;
  10. Nor is the whiteness of their wool distained
  11. With drugs Assyrian, nor clear olive's use
  12. With cassia tainted; yet untroubled calm,
  13. A life that knows no falsehood, rich enow
  14. With various treasures, yet broad-acred ease,
  15. Grottoes and living lakes, yet Tempes cool,
  16. Lowing of kine, and sylvan slumbers soft,
  17. They lack not; lawns and wild beasts' haunts are there,
  18. A youth of labour patient, need-inured,
  19. Worship, and reverend sires: with them from earth
  20. Departing justice her last footprints left.