Boskovic: BARTHOLOMAEI BOSCOVICHIIE SOCIETATE JESU ECLOGAE

Ad patrias sedes, unde aliquamdiu abfuerat, reversus Lycidas, quum exultantia insueto adparatu Pastorum mapalia offendisset, de Regum ad Infantis Dei cunas adventu a Tytiro edocetur.

Returning to his fatherland seats, whence he had been absent for some time, Lycidas, when with a triumphant, unusual display he had come upon the shepherds’ mapalia, is instructed by Tityrus concerning the kings’ arrival at the crib of the Infant God.

Lycidas Tytirus

[1] [Ly.] Tytire, quandoquidem patriis divisus ab oris

[1] [Ly.] Tytire, since indeed separated from your native shores

[2] Externos agitare greges, et littora jussus

[2] To drive foreign flocks, and by command to the shores

[3] Visere, quae fluctu procul alluit unda marino,

[3] To behold those things which a wave, afar, wets with the marine flood,

[4] Nunc redeo; quid nostra novo magalia cultu

[4] Now I return; what do our huts gain by new cultivation

[5] Laeta nitent, festoque agitant vacua arva tumultus?

[5] Do joyful things gleam, and do the empty fields stir up festive tumults?

[6] [Ty.] O Lycida, infelix Lycida, quae tam invida longum

[6] [Ty.] O Lycida, unhappy Lycida, who so enviously endured a long

[7] Suasit iter fortuna, aliasque abstraxit in oras,

[7] Fortune urged the journey, and drew him away to other shores,

[8] Ne Regum pompas admirarere superbas,

[8] Lest you admire the proud pomps of Kings,

[9] Et nostris ignota prius miracula silvis?

[9] And miracles hitherto unknown to our woods?

[10] [Ly.] Quid facerem, male grata mei si jussa parentis

[10] [Ly.] What could I do, if the commands of my parent were ill‑pleasing to me?

[11] Urgebant? Corilos, atque haec viridantia testor

[11] Were they urging? Hazels — and these green things I call to witness

[12] Gramina, discessi lugens, Puerumque sub antro,

[12] Gramina, I departed, lamenting, and the Boy beneath the cavern,

[13] Et Pueri matrem fletu erumpente reliqui;

[13] And I left the boy’s mother, bursting forth in tears;

[14] Sed lacrimis nil mota feri sententia Patris.

[14] But the father's savage sentence was not moved at all by tears.

[15] At nunc hoc etiam abfuerat, dum lentus aberro,

[15] But now even this was absent, while, sluggish, I strayed away,

[16] Ne pompas, et tanta miser portenta viderem.

[16] Lest I, wretched, see pomp and such great portents.

[17] Tu tamen, ut potis es, miserum solare dolorem;

[17] You, however, as far as you are able, console the miserable sorrow;

[18] Qui Reges, unde adfuerint da, Tytire, nobis.

[18] Give to us, Tytire, whence the kings have come.

[19] [Ty.] Magna petis; quis enim tot barbara nomina gentis

[19] [Ty.] You ask for great things; for who, indeed, can give so many barbarous names of the people?

[20] Insuetae numeret? Non si foret ipse Menalcas.

[20] Would he reckon unfamiliar things? Not even if Menalcas himself were present.

[21] Namque Arabas, Tharsosque, et patria flumina Gangem,

[21] For the Arabs, and the Tharsos, and the fatherland’s river Ganges,

[22] Nescio quem Gangem, ni mens mihi falsa, ferebant

[22] They were bearing some Ganges, I know not which, unless my mind be false to me,

[23] Aurea Pastores tondent ubi vellera, et ipse

[23] Where golden shepherds shear the fleeces, and he himself

[24] Inter flaventes undam rapit amnis arenas.

[24] Between the golden waves the river carries off the sands.

[25] Hinc aderant; tantumque viae, tantumque laboris

[25] From here they were present; so much of the road, so much of the labor

[26] Dulce fuit subiisse, sacrum dum Numinis antrum

[26] It was sweet to have descended, while into the sacred cave of the Divinity

[27] Visere, dum teneris possent dare munera plantis.

[27] To visit, while they were able to give gifts to the tender plants.

[28] [Ly.] Mira refers; nam quis per tot discrimina rerum

[28] [Ly.] You tell wondrous things; for who, through so many perils of affairs

[29] Errantes duxisse gradus, et Numinis antrum

[29] That wandering steps had guided them to the cavern of the Numen

[30] Monstrare, et Puerum potuit docuisse recentem,

[30] To show, and that he could have instructed the Boy, newly born,

[31] Quem neque vicinas populi didicere per urbes,

[31] Whom neither neighboring peoples learned about through the cities,

[32] nec nisi jam nostrae norint resonare myricae?

[32] nor would they learn—unless now the tamarisks of our land were known to resound?

[33] [Ty.] Index sidus erat, quo non formosior alto

[33] [Ty.] There was a guiding star, by which no star in the lofty heaven was more beautiful,

[34] Prima nocte faces inducit Vesper olympo,

[34] On the first night Vesper brings torches down from Olympus,

[35] nec revocat clausos ad pascua Lucifer agnos.

[35] nor does Lucifer call back the lambs shut up to the pastures.

[36] O Lycida, quam pulchra dies, quum celsa praeiret

[36] O Lycidas, what a fair day, when the lofty sky led the way,

[37] Stella gradus, quum tergemini longo agmine Reges

[37] The star of the journey, when with a long column it led the threefold kings

[38] Servorumque chori lumen sequerentur amicum!

[38] Would that the choruses of servants might follow the friendly light!

[39] Illa, ubi ventum est ad stabulum, tremebunda per auras

[39] She, when they had come to the stable, tremulous through the breezes

[40] Constitit, et rutilas visa est demittere flammas.

[40] She stood still, and seemed to let fall ruddy flames.

[41] Agnovere locum, nec pastoralia tecti

[41] They recognized the place, nor the pastoral dwellings

[42] Culmina, nec visum cultu sub paupere Numen

[42] The summits, nor was the Divinity seen diminished in cult beneath a humble garb

[43] Detinuit; sternuntur humi, Puerique Parentem,

[43] It detained; they are strewn upon the ground, and the boys and the father,

[44] Et tenerum alterno venerantur murmure natum.

[44] And with alternating murmurs they venerate the tender-born child.

[45] Tum clausae promuntur opes: redolentia thura,

[45] Then sealed riches are produced: incense redolent with fragrance,

[46] Et myrrhae pingues, et copia divitis auri,

[46] And rich myrrh, and an abundance of rich gold,

[47] Fundunturque sacris inter cupida oscula plantis?

[47] And are desirous kisses poured forth upon the sacred feet?

[48] [Ly.] Quid Genitrix tali adspectu, quid Pupulus ipse?

[48] [Ly.] What is the Mother at such a sight, what is Pupulus himself?

[49] [Ty.] Pupulus ambrosiis subridens lene labellis

[49] [Ty.] Pupulus, with ambrosial lips smiling gently,

[50] Tendebat teneros ad regia colla lacertos.

[50] She was stretching her tender arms toward the royal necks.

[51] Illa verecundo vultum suffusa rubore,

[51] She, her countenance suffused with a bashful blush,

[52] Atque oculos defixa solo pudibunda modestos,

[52] And with her eyes fixed upon the ground, shamefaced and modest,

[53] Cautes, crede mihi, ipsas, et corda ipsa ferarum

[53] The rocks themselves, believe me, and the very hearts of the wild beasts,

[54] Mollisset, quercusque sacros rapuisset in ignes.

[54] She would have softened even the very rocks, and would have snatched the sacred oaks into the fires.

[55] Ut demum saturatus amor, vestigia retro

[55] When at last love, sated, retraced its footsteps backward,

[56] Versa premunt, patriasque iterum referuntur ad oras.

[56] Turned, they press on, and are again borne back to their native shores.

[57] [Ly.] O miserum Lycidam! en quae mihi gaudia, qualem

[57] [Ly.] O wretched Lycidas! behold what joys for me, what

[58] Praeripuit fortuna diem. Nempe hoc erat illud,

[58] Fortune snatched away the day. Truly this was that,

[59] Quod tantum quercu cornix clamaret ab alta,

[59] That the crow should cry out so loudly from the lofty oak,

[60] Quod toties offensa pedum vestigia, et ipsa

[60] Which so often, the footprints of his feet trampled, and even they themselves

[61] nescio quo moesto streperet mihi fistula cantu.

[61] I know not by what mournful song the pipe would resound to me.

[62] At nunc nec misero jam visere sacra licebit

[62] But now it will no longer be permitted that the wretched behold the sacra

[63] Antra mihi, nec vimineis velut ante canistris

[63] Caves for me, not, as before, the baskets of wicker.

[64] Munera divinae ad cunas sacrare Parenti.

[64] To consecrate divine gifts at the cradles to the Parent.

[65] Illa aurum, myrrhamque, et grandia munera Regum

[65] She bore gold, and myrrh, and the great gifts of kings.

[66] Tytire, habet; campos, et pastoralia dona

[66] Tityrus has them: fields and pastoral gifts

[67] Contemnit, nostros et jam fastidit amores.

[67] She scorns our gifts and already loathes our loves.

[68] [Ty.] Non equidem, o Lycida, non est quam munera regum

[68] [Ty.] I, for my part, O Lycidas, do not indeed think there is anything superior to the gifts of kings

[69] Praevertant; fulvo capitur nec Parthenis auro.

[69] Let them prefer; he is won by neither tawny gold nor Parthian gold.

[70] Illa mihi de more, sacro dum carmina nato

[70] She to me, as is her custom, while chanting sacred songs to the newborn

[71] Concinerem, vultu facilis velut ante benigno

[71] I would sing along, my countenance easy, as before benign

[72] Adnuit; et cantu nihil est jucundus(!) isto,

[72] She nodded; and in that chant nothing is more delightful(!),

[73] Tytire, ait, pretium minimum est in munere munus.(!)

[73] Tytire, he says, the price is the least thing in a gift given.(!)

[74] Simplicitas, et amor fulvo est pretiosior auro.

[74] Simplicity, and love is more precious than tawny gold.

[75] [Ly.] Ergo age, quandoquidem sic est, properemus ad antrum

[75] [Ly.] Then come, since it is so, let us hasten to the cave

[76] Et quae littorea Mopsus piscator in acta

[76] And which the littoral fisherman Mopsus records in his acta

[77] Dona dedit nobis, Puero servata feramus.

[77] She gave gifts to us; let us carry them, preserved, to the Boy.

ECLOGA II.

ECLOGUE 2.

Xaverius

Thelgon Dorilas.

[1] [Thel.] Mirabar, Dorila, vicinae in margine ripae

[1] [Thel.] I wondered, Dorila, at the neighbors on the river’s margin

[2] Retia dum relego, et vacuas sine pondere nassas,

[2] While I re-gather the nets, and the creels empty and without weight,

[3] Quid tantum ingratos iterarent undique luctus

[3] Why should so many great, ungrateful griefs be reiterated on every side?

[4] Halcyones, quid sola novis per saxa querelis

[4] Halcyons, why alone with new complaints through the rocks do you lament

[5] Aequorei gemerent carmen miserabile mergi.

[5] Would the sea-birds bewail the miserable song of the diver.

[6] Xaveris heu! nostri raptum decus aequoris, illos

[6] O Xaveris, alas! the ravished glory of our sea, those

[7] Xaveris ad lacrimas, et fata extrema ciebat.

[7] He moved Xaveris to tears, and summoned up the final fates.

[8] [Dor.] Sic est: hoc fuerat Thelgon, quod littore Goo

[8] [Dor.] So it is: this was Thelgon, who dwelt upon the shore of Goo

[9] Dum vehimur, conchasque imis piscamur arenis,

[9] While we are borne along, and we fish up shells from the lowest sands,

[10] Scrutamurque alto rubicunda corallia fundo,

[10] And we search out the ruddy corals from the deep bottom,

[11] Non quas ante suis choreas Delphines in undis

[11] Not those dolphins which before in their own waves led their dances

[12] Ductare, aut medium auderent resilire per aequor,

[12] To be led, or to dare to spring back into the mid-sea across the waters,

[13] Sed moesti patulo vicinum ad littus hiatu

[13] But sad, with mouths wide in a spreading gape, they drew close to the neighboring shore

[14] Nescio quo patrios complerent murmure fluctus.

[14] I know not by what the waves filled the fatherland with a murmuring.

[15] Me miserum adspexique omen, totoque notavi

[15] Wretched me! I saw an omen, and I wholly noted it,

[16] Littore, nec tantos potui mihi fingere casus.

[16] On the shore, nor could I fashion for myself so great a turn of fortunes.

[17] Hos illi, o Thelgon, luctus, haec funera flebant.

[17] Those griefs, O Thelgon, they bewailed; these funerals they lamented.

[18] [Thel.] At mihi nunc spes quandoquidem jam nulla relicta est,

[18] [Thel.] But for me now, since indeed no hope has been left,

[19] Heu! dulces audire sonos, et visere lumen,

[19] Alas! to hear sweet sounds, and to behold the light,

[20] Cujus ab adspectu rapidos mitescere ventos

[20] At whose aspect the rapid winds grow mild,

[21] Vidimus, horrentesque Tethin mulcere procellas,

[21] We saw Tethys calm the dreadful storms,

[22] Jam nec cimba placet, nec littora. Lenta jacebunt

[22] Now neither the skiff pleases, nor the shores. The slack things will lie idle

[23] Retia per scopulos, et viminei labyrinthi,

[23] Nets across the rocks, and of the wicker labyrinth,

[24] Et levis invisa calamus cessabit arena.

[24] And the light reed, hateful to the sand, will give way.

[25] Hic locus, haec nostros tantum surda aequora luctus,

[25] This place, these waters, deaf to our sorrows alone,

[26] Concavaque immites resonabunt saxa querelas.

[26] And the concave hollows and savage rocks will resound with plaints.

[27] [Dor.] Quin potius, qua celsa sinu tegit urna beato

[27] [Dor.] Nay rather, where a lofty urn wraps you in a blessed fold

[28] Dilectae exuvias animae, corpusque sepulcro

[28] The beloved relics of the soul, and the body to the sepulchre

[29] Ridet adhuc (verum nam si mihi rettulit Egon,

[29] She still smiles (but truly—for if Egon has related to me,

[30] Ridet, et adsueto piscantibus annuit ore)

[30] He smiles, and with his accustomed mouth nods to the fishermen)

[31] Pergamus, vultuque oculos pascamus amato.

[31] Let us proceed, and with our gaze feed our eyes on the beloved face.

[32] [Thel.] Ah Dorila, haec forsan qui spes heu! pascit inanes

[32] [Thel.] Ah Dorila, perhaps he nourishes vain hopes with these things, alas!

[33] Finxit amor; solet ille oculis inludere nostris.

[33] Love contrived it; that one is wont to mock our eyes.

[34] [Dor.] Hoc Lycidas, hoc ipse Mycon, hoc et Polybotus,

[34] [Dor.] This Lycidas, this very Mycon, and this Polybotus,

[35] Et senior nostra narravit Mopsus in acta.

[35] And the elder Mopsus narrated it in our acts.

[36] Illi oculos, atque ipsa etiam sub morte serenas

[36] Their eyes serene, and she herself even serene under death

[37] Conspexere genas, illi ridentia membra,

[37] They beheld her cheeks, those laughing limbs,

[38] Atque artus manibus contrectavere recentes,

[38] And with their hands they handled the limbs still recent,

[39] Et devota sacris librarunt oscula plantis.

[39] And devoutly they offered kisses to the sacred things with their soles.

[40] [Thel.] Ergo age, si mihi vera refers, age, littore puppim

[40] [Thel.] Therefore come now, if you relate true things to me, come, beach the ship upon the shore

[41] Solve celer, placidi quando maris aequore toto

[41] Unfurl swiftly, now that the whole surface of the calm sea is placid

[42] Unda silet, luduntque hilares Zephyritidos aurae.

[42] The wave is silent, and the cheerful Zephyrian breezes play.

[43] Nulla mihi jucunda magis, quam quae sibi tellus

[43] Nothing more pleasing to me than that which the earth keeps to herself

[44] Fortunata sacros gremio complectitur artus.

[44] Fortunata embraces the sacred limbs in her bosom.

[45] [Dor.] En tibi laxatos collegi rite rudentes,

[45] [Dor.] Lo, for you I have duly gathered up the loosened ropes,

[46] Spirantesque ferunt volitantia carbasa venti.

[46] And the winds bear the fluttering, breathing sails.

[47] Interea tu si quid habes, quod taedia longae

[47] Meanwhile, if you have anything that eases the taedium of a long journey

[48] Soletur taciturna viae, modulare; silenti

[48] The silent road is wont to chant in measured strains; in silence

[49] Suspensum fluctu cernis mare, lentaque nullo

[49] You see the sea suspended by a swell, and the slow waters with no motion

[50] Murmure spirantis circumvolat aura Favoni.

[50] With a murmuring breath the breeze of Favonius circles about.

[51] [Thel.] Immo haec, quae vacuo nuper resupinus in antro

[51] [Thel.] Nay rather these things, which but lately, reclining supine in the empty cave

[52] Cum primum heu! luctus Celadon retulisset amaros,

[52] As soon as—ah!—Celadon had related the bitter griefs,

[53] Deflevi, duraque amens in rupe notavi,

[53] I wept, and, frantic, I inscribed it on the hard cliff,

[54] Expediam. Tu paupereas de murice conchas

[54] I will set forth. You, poor in murex-shells,

[55] Dona para, et plenis, Dorila, gravia ostrea gemmis.

[55] Provide gifts, and, Dorila, fill them full — oysters heavy with gems.

[56] Fluctus, heu! noti fluctus, et littora remis

[56] Waves, alas! familiar waves, and shores for oars

[57] Pulsa meis, scopulique maris, lustrataque saxa,

[57] Beaten by my waves, and the sea’s sea-cliffs, and the rocks washed clean,

[58] Retiaque, et nassae, et toto quaesita profundo

[58] And nets, and fish-baskets, and things sought through the whole deep

[59] Muta armenta mihi, et tenui mea cymba carina;

[59] Change the herds for me, and my skiff with its slender keel;

[60] Xaveris occubuit, jacuitque exsanguis arena,

[60] Xaveris fell dead, and the bloodless sand lay prostrate,

[61] Flete, licet, nostris et respondete querelis.

[61] Weep, if you will, for our sufferings, and answer our complaints.

[62] Quod si surda silent maris aequora, vos, age, saltem

[62] But if the sea’s deaf, silent waters are mute, you—come now, at least—

[63] Spargite moerentes, mea lumina, spargite fletus.

[63] Scatter, mourning, my lights, scatter tears.

[64] Heu pietas, quid jam misero mihi dulce relictum est

[64] Alas, piety, what now is left sweet to wretched me

[65] Denique, quid misero jam dulce? Ipsa aequora sordent,

[65] Finally, what now is sweet to the wretched? The very seas are sullied,

[66] Cymbaque, cumque suis vilescunt ostrea gemmis.

[66] And little boats too, and with their pearls the oysters become cheap,

[67] Te, genitor, moriente, omnis mihi rapta voluptas.

[67] You, father, dying, all my delight was snatched away from me.

[68] Spargite moerentes, mea lumina, spargite fletus.

[68] Scatter, mourning, my lights — my eyes — scatter tears.

[69] Tu mihi namque parens, tu caligantia coecis

[69] For you, for indeed my parent, you the gloom to the blind

[70] Lumina dempsisti tenebris; me sidera primum

[70] You deprived me of my lights with darkness; first the stars

[71] Sperare, et tuto docuisti insistere cursu

[71] You taught me to hope, and to stand securely upon my course

[72] Aetheris; et Thelgon, dixisti, sidera, Thelgon,

[72] of the ether; and Thelgon, you said, "the stars, Thelgon,"

[73] Te poscunt, certumque patet tibi limen olympi.

[73] They beseech you, and the certain threshold of olympus lies open to you.

[74] Spargite moerentes, mea lumina, spargite fletus.

[74] Scatter, mourners, my lights, scatter my tears.

[75] At nunc quis vel thura piis imponere flammis

[75] But now who would even place incense upon the pious flames?

[76] Edoceat, vel littoreas quaesita per undas

[76] Let it instruct, or the littoral things sought through the waves

[77] Munera sacrare offenso placitura Tonanti?

[77] Will consecrating gifts be pleasing to the offended Thunderer?

[78] Qualis quae viduata suo vaga cymba magistro

[78] Such as she who, widowed of her master, a wandering skiff

[79] Fertur in oppositas nullo prohibente charybdes,

[79] It is told that Charybdis, no one forbidding, is borne into opposing waters,

[80] Talis, te rapto, talis te, Xaveri, Thelgon.

[80] Such — you, having been snatched away — such are you, Xaverius Thelgon.

[81] Spargite moerentes, mea lumina, spargite fletus.

[81] Scatter, mourning ones, my eyes; scatter tears.

[82] At saltem ipse tibi extrema conjunctus in hora

[82] But at least I myself, joined to you in the final hour

[83] Vidissem morientem, et sola in rupe jacentem!

[83] If only I had seen her dying, and lying alone upon the rock!

[84] Frigentes refovissem artus, atque ultima verba

[84] I would have re-warmed your frigent limbs, and the last words

[85] Inscripsissem animo, et tecum quoque forte perissem.

[85] I would have inscribed it upon my mind, and perhaps I too would have perished with you.

[86] At nunc deserto jacuisti in littore, nec te

[86] But now you lie on a deserted shore, nor you,

[87] Adspicere extremum potui, nec membra sepulcro

[87] I could behold the last (extremity), nor to sepulchre the limbs in a tomb

[88] Condere, eodemque heu! lacrimas tumulare sepulcro.

[88] To bury, and, alas! to entomb tears in the same sepulchre.

[89] Spargite moerentes, mea lumina, spargite fletus.

[89] Mourners, scatter my tears; my eyes, pour forth weeping.

[90] Hic certe vacuo statuam tibi littore saltem

[90] Here, at least, on the vacant littoral I will set up a statue for you

[91] Aequoreis aram conchis, algaque virenti

[91] An altar of sea-shells, and of green seaweed

[92] Surgentem; celso nam tu sublimis olympo

[92] Rising; for you, sublime, uplifted from high Olympus

[93] Regna tenes, coelumque, et lucida sidera calcas.

[93] You hold realms, and heaven likewise, and tread upon the shining stars.

[94] Hic tibi dona feram lacrimis conspersa, tuumque

[94] Here I will bear gifts to you, bedewed with tears, and your

[95] Littoreas nomen resonare docebimus undas.

[95] We will teach the littoral waves to resound your name.

[96] Claudite moerentes, mea lumina, claudite fletus.

[96] Close, mourning ones—my lights, close your tears.

ECLOGA III.

ECLOGUE 3.

Parthenis

Corydon Pastor, quaesita frustra per campos Parthenide, dum ejus ab antro discessum lacrimis prosequitur, lustralem ad Templum profectionem ex Lycida cognoscit: tum ambo in Pueri, Virginisque laudes alternis erumpunt.
Coridon Lycidas.

Parthenis

Corydon the shepherd, having sought Parthenis through the fields in vain, while with tears he accompanies her departure from the cave, learns from Lycidas of the lustral departure to the Temple: then both break forth in alternating praises of the Boy and the Virgin.
Coridon Lycidas.

[1] [Cor.] Quos aditus, quae jam refugis nemora avia claustris

[1] [Cor.] What approaches, what groves now pathless and shut with enclosures

[2] Lustrabis, Corydon, aut quos errare per agros

[2] Will you lustrate, Corydon, or for whom to wander through the fields

[3] Institues? Vitrei per prata virentia fontes,

[3] Will you set them up? the glassy springs gleaming through the verdant meadows,

[4] Silvarumque umbrae, convexaque cautibus antra

[4] And the shadows of the woods, and caverns vaulted with rock

[5] Dicite, quandoquidem campos fastidit, et arva,

[5] Tell us, since indeed he scorns the plains and the fields,

[6] Dicite quas servet pulcherrima Parthenis urbes?

[6] Tell which cities the most beautiful Parthenis preserves?

[7] Illam ego per silvas, et per spelaea sequutus

[7] Her I, having followed through woods and through caverns,

[8] Nusquam terrarum invenio. Vacua antra queruntur,

[8] I find her nowhere on the lands. Empty caverns bewail,

[9] Et deserta silent teneri praesepia nati.

[9] And deserted cradles of the tender-born lie silent.

[10] [Ly.] Fallor, an arborea Coridon flet solus in umbra!

[10] [Ly.] Am I mistaken, or does Coridon, arboreal, weep alone in the shade!

[11] O Coridon, quae caussa graves inopina querelas

[11] O Coridon, what cause, unforeseen, occasions these grave complaints,

[12] Excitat, et misero jubet indulgere dolori?

[12] Does it excite, and command the wretched to indulge in grief?

[13] Nonne vides procul ire greges, et vindice nullo

[13] Do you not see the flocks going off afar, and with no avenger

[14] Incustoditas per prata errare capellas?

[14] Does neglect of custody allow the she-goats to wander through the meadows?

[15] [Cor.] O Lycida, nec cura gregis, nec cura salutis

[15] [Chorus.] O Lycida, neither care for the flock, nor care for safety

[16] Ulla mihi superest; quid enim jam caetera prosint,

[16] Is anything left to me; for what indeed now do the other things avail,

[17] Parthenide amissa! Miseros pertaesa colonos

[17] Parthenis lost! the wretched, thoroughly wearied colonists

[18] Illa abiit, nec quos demum diversa penates

[18] She went away, nor did she at last abandon the household Penates made separate,

[19] Incolat inveni, nec queis in saltibus erret.

[19] I found him dwelling there, nor does he wander in the groves.

[20] [Ly.] Nescis ergo, sacris Infantem ut sisteret aris,

[20] [Ly.] Do you not know then how he placed the Infant upon the sacred altars,

[21] Ad delubra gradu Matrem properasse pudico?

[21] Did the Mother hasten to the shrines with a modest step?

[22] [Cor.] Non equidem audieram, meliora ad pascua namque

[22] [Cor.] I had not, indeed, heard this; for to better pastures, truly,

[23] Ivimus, et teneros procul hinc abduximus agnos.

[23] We went, and led away from here far off the tender lambs.

[24] Nunc demum heu serus redeo. Sed prata virentes

[24] Now at last, alas, I return too late. But the green meadows

[25] Si tibi sufficiant haedis pascentibus herbas,

[25] If the grasses feeding the kids suffice for you,

[26] Pergentem licuit sacras deducere ad aras?

[26] Was it permitted to lead the sacred things down to the altars as he proceeded?

[27] [Ly.] Et licuit; Lycidam nec dedignata sodalem

[27] [Ly.] And it was allowed; nor did she disdain Lycidas as a comrade

[28] Virgo Parens; aequo tulimus vestigia gressu.

[28] Virgin Mother; with an even gait we kept our footsteps.

[29] O Coridon, o qualis erat! Non pulchrior ullo

[29] O Coridon, O what a figure he was! Not more beautiful than any

[30] Tempore divinos vultu adspirabat amores.

[30] In due season she breathed upon the loves with a divine countenance.

[31] Ipsa, mihi credas, avulsa a sedibus imi

[31] She herself, believe me, torn away from her lowest abodes

[32] In Dominae occursum Solimeia currere templa

[32] To the Lady's encounter the Solimeian temples ran

[33] Visa mihi, ipsa novo sacra exultare susurro.

[33] Seen by me, she herself exulting the sacred rites with a new whisper.

[34] Tum pius haud tanto inflammatus ab aestu

[34] Then the pious man, not so inflamed by heat

[35] Numinis, o senior quae fata arcana Sacerdos

[35] O elder priest of the divinity, who as priest presides over what secret fates

[36] Praecinuit, quales effudit pectore sortes!

[36] He chanted beforehand what kinds of fates he poured forth from his breast!

[37] Nazareos Genitrix, Galileia regna, penates

[37] Nazarean Mother, Galilean realms, household-penates

[38] Nunc colit, et patrias servat pulcherrima sedes.

[38] Now she dwells, and keeps safe the most beautiful native seat.

[39] [Cor.] Fortunate puer dulcem adspexisse parentem

[39] [Cor.] Fortunate boy to have beheld the sweet parent

[40] Cui licuit, misero decedentemque mapali

[40] To whom it was permitted to behold the wretched one departing, the mapali

[41] Adfari extremum, atque extrema adjungere dona!

[41] To address him for the last time, and to append final gifts!

[42] Ipse etiam, ah Lycida, nisi sors inimica fuisset,

[42] He himself also, ah Lycida, if not for hostile fate,

[43] Ipse comes venissem, et nostro forsitan agnus

[43] I myself would have come as a companion, and perhaps the lamb of our flock

[44] De grege lustrales isset sacrandus ad aras;

[44] From the flock he would have gone to the lustral rites, to be consecrated at the altars;

[45] Aut nostra gemeret deductus ab arbore turtur.

[45] Or our turtledove, brought down from the tree, would have moaned.

[46] At modo dum luctus quo consolemur amaros

[46] But now, while by what means we console our bitter griefs

[47] Nil superest; vacuo saltem resupinus in antro

[47] Nothing remains; at least supine in the empty cave

[48] Virginei partus cautes, et conscia saxa

[48] The crags that bore a virginal birth, and the very stones conscious as witnesses

[49] Servabo, et gracili carmen modulatus avena

[49] I will preserve it, and, having modulated a song on a slender reed,

[50] Illius ad notas nomen jactabimus auras.

[50] We will fling that one's name to the familiar airs.

[51] [Ly.] Ipse etiam, tenerae tondent dum prata capellae,

[51] [Ly.] He himself also, while the tender she‑goats crop the meadows,

[52] Tecum adero, et si forte placent alterna canemus

[52] I will be with you, and if by chance alternating verses please, we will sing in alternation

[53] Carmina, Parthenidi, memini, nam alterna placebant.

[53] Songs, Parthenid, I remember, for the alternating ones pleased.

[54] Incipe tu, Coridon, te fistula nostra sequetur.

[54] Begin you, Coridon, our pipe will follow you.

[55] [Cor.] Muscosae cautes, et conscia Virginis antra,

[55] [Cor.] Mossy crags, and caverns privy to the Virgin,

[56] Quamvis neglecto jaceatis squallida saxo;

[56] Though you lie upon a neglected, squalid rock;

[57] Vos mihi cara domus, vestro spirare recessu

[57] You, dear house to me, to breathe in your recess,

[58] Dum liceat, patrii vilescunt tecta mapalis.

[58] While it is permitted, the ancestral, peasant huts grow cheap.

[59] [Ly.] Felices umbrae, et manibus reptata tenellis

[59] [Ly.] Happy shades, and things crawled over by tender hands

[60] Antra Deo, quamvis silvestri horrentia cultu,

[60] Caves for God, though bristling with sylvan growth,

[61] Non mihi dulce magis campos Jordanis amicos,

[61] The friendly fields of Jordan are not more sweet to me,

[62] Moeniaque, et sedes Solymae incoluisse superbas.

[62] And that the walls and the proud seats of Solyma (Jerusalem) were inhabited.

[63] [Cor.] Hic ego divinos meditatus Virginis ignes

[63] [Cor.] Here I, having pondered the divine fires of the Virgin,

[64] Inflabo ad numerum tenues ex ordine cannas;

[64] I will blow, to the counted number, the slender reeds set out in order;

[65] Haec loca Parthenidem, percussaque vocibus antra,

[65] These places belong to Parthenide, and the caverns struck by voices,

[66] Parthenidem dulci resonabunt saxa susurro.

[66] The rocks will echo "Parthenide" with a sweet whisper.

[67] [Ly.] Hic ego divini nomen mihi dulce Puelli

[67] [Ly.] Here I find the girl's divine name sweet to me

[68] Inscribam scopulis, et cuspide falcis acuta

[68] I will inscribe upon the rocks, and with the point of a sharp sickle

[69] Mandabo saxis teneros in imagine vultus;

[69] I will entrust to the rocks the tender visage in an image;

[70] Haec spelunca meos testabitur omnis amores.

[70] This cave will bear witness to all my loves.

[71] [Cor.] Vere novo roseum campo Zephyritis honorem

[71] [Cor.] In spring, the new rosy field bears the honor of Zephyrian breezes

[72] Quum referet, varioque ornabit prata colore;

[72] When it returns, and with variegated colour will adorn the meadows;

[73] Hic ego purpureis populatus floribus hortos

[73] Here I, having adorned the gardens with purple flowers

[74] Suspendam circum nexas de more corollas.

[74] I will suspend about corollas woven, as is the custom.

[75] [Ly.] Quum gravis optata pendebit in arbore fructus,

[75] [Ly.] When the desired fruit, heavy, shall hang upon the tree,

[76] Curvabuntque suos poma autumnalia ramos;

[76] And the autumnal fruits will bend their own branches;

[77] Hic ego lecta feram plenis pia dona canistris,

[77] Here I will bear the gathered, pious gifts in full baskets,

[78] Et sacrata omni pendebunt munera saxo,

[78] And sacred offerings will hang from every rock,

[79] [Cor.] Dulce apibus flores, viridantia prata capellis,

[79] [Cor.] Sweet to the apes are the flowers, the green meadows to the capellae,

[80] Hesperus agricolis, fontes sitientibus arvis;

[80] Hesperus for the farmers, springs for the fields thirsting;

[81] Sic mihi dulce fuit cupidos in Virgine vultus

[81] Thus sweet to me was the Virgin's desirous countenance;

[82] Figere, dum nostrum non dedignata mapale est.

[82] To fix my eager gaze upon the maiden’s face, while she did not disdain my longing look.

[83] [Ly.] Triste apibus taxi, maturis grando racemis,

[83] [Ly.] Sad for the bees of the lime-tree (taxus), hail upon the ripe clusters,

[84] Syrius et campis, et flavis messibus imbres;

[84] Syrius both to the fields and to the yellow harvests brings rains;

[85] Sic mihi triste, aliis dum, Pupule, vivis in oris,

[85] So mournful to me, while to others, Pupule, you live on the shores,

[86] Non posse ad teneras deponere munera plantas.

[86] That one cannot lay gifts upon tender shoots.

[87] [Cor.] Sed jam lassato Titan subit aequora curru,

[87] [Cor.] But now Titan, grown weary, mounts the sea with his chariot,

[88] Vesper et aethereo flammas accendit olympo;

[88] Evening also kindles flames from the ethereal Olympus;

[89] Occidit et Titan, et nox cadet ipsa; sed unus,

[89] The Titan too sets, and night itself will descend; but one,

[90] Alma parens, nostri non occidet ignis amoris.

[90] Nourishing parent, the fire of our love will not perish.

[91] [Ly.] Jam tacet omne nemus, volucris tacet omnis, et omnis

[91] [Ly.] Now every grove is silent, every bird is silent, and all

[92] Fluminis unda silet, sileant et carmina; sed te,

[92] Let the wave of the river be silent, let songs be silent also; but you,

[93] Si taceant versus, taceant si carmina, Pupe,

[93] If verses be silent, if songs be silent, Pupa,

[94] Hic locus, hi montes, haec ipsa arbusta loquentur.

[94] This place, these mountains, these very arbours will speak.

ECLOGA IV.

ECLOGUE 4.

Alexis.

Argumentum.
Nocturna fuga e paternis aedibus elapso D. Alexio discessum ejus matrisque ac sponsae lacrimas Damon pastor miserabili cantu prosequitur.

Alexis.

Argumentum.
Damon, a shepherd, in a pitiable song follows the nocturnal flight—having slipped away from his paternal house—of D. Alexius, and the departure and tears of his mother and his betrothed.

[1] Forte sub antiquae contraxerat ilicis umbra

[1] By chance beneath the shade of an ancient ilex he had withdrawn

[2] Omne pecus Damon, cum sol altissimus agros

[2] All the flock — Damon, when the sun most high shone upon the fields

[3] Ureret et raucis resonarent arva cicadis.

[3] and (the sun) would burn, and the fields would resound with hoarse cicadas.

[4] Ergo dum teneri recubant sub matribus haedi

[4] Therefore, while the tender haeds recline resting beneath their mothers

[5] Graminaque, et pastas grex undique ruminat herbas,

[5] And the flock likewise ruminates grasses and the pastured herbs on every side,

[6] Ille domo profugum patria deflebat Alexin

[6] The fatherland bewailed Alexin, that exile from his home.

[7] Multa dolens matrisque vicem sponsaeque relictae,

[7] Suffering many things, and grieving the loss of his mother and of the bride left behind,

[8] Solus et hoc vacuas jactabat carmen ad auras.

[8] Alone, and with this he cast his song to the empty airs.

[9] Hic locus, hi montes, et amica silentia ruris,

[9] This place, these mountains, and the friendly silences of the countryside,

[10] Et tacita quercus, et lenti fluminis undae

[10] And the tacit oak, and the waves of the slow-flowing river

[11] Apta satis lacrimis; lacrimas referamus amaras.

[11] Sufficiently apt for tears; let us bring back bitter tears.

[12] Dic age dic miseros nimium mea fistula luctus.

[12] Speak then, speak, my pipe, of sorrows excessively wretched.

[13] Nymphae, Romulides nymphae, quae Tibridis, et quae

[13] Nymphs, Romulean nymphs, who are of the Tiber, and who

[14] Propter aquam sacri vitreas Anienis ad oras

[14] For the sake of the water of the sacred Anienus, to the glassy shores

[15] Muscosas legitis commixtis floribus herbas,

[15] You gather mossy herbs mingled with flowers,

[16] Heu qui vos tenuere loci, quae devia ripis

[16] Alas, what locales held you, what channels winding away from the banks

[17] Gramina, cum dubios Lunae fulgentis ad ignes

[17] Grasses, when they gleam toward the doubtful fires of the shining Moon,

[18] Praecipiti ferus ah gressu properaret Alexis,

[18] With headlong, fierce step Alexis was hastening, ah,

[19] Cum genitrix laniata genas, discissa capillos

[19] When the mother, her cheeks rent and her hair torn away,

[20] Canitiem sparsa miseram foedaret arena,

[20] May the sand, scattered, defile her wretched hoariness,

[21] Impleretque suis resonantia saxa querelis?

[21] And would she fill with her own lamentations the rocks that resound?

[22] Illam incendentem gemitus, caelumque profusis

[22] Those groans, inflaming her, and the sky, with sounds poured forth,

[23] Urgentem lacrimis motis flevere cupressus

[23] The cypresses, pressed by tears set in motion, wept

[24] Verticibus steriles illam flevere myricae,

[24] The barren myricae wept for her at their tops,

[25] Atque armenta suis comploravere sub antris.

[25] And the herds bewailed her with their own voices beneath their caves.

[26] Heu quot sola vagis luces erravit in agris!

[26] Alas, how many lights wandered alone in the wandering fields!

[27] Heu quot desertas flevit miserabile noctes

[27] Alas, how many deserted nights he pitiably bewailed

[28] Anxia, dum profugum delamentatur Alexin!

[28] Anxious, while she laments the fugitive Alexin!

[29] Ille fugit, tacitisque celer se condit in umbris.

[29] He flees, and swiftly conceals himself in the silent shadows.

[30] Ah puer, ah fugitive puer, quas tendis in oras?

[30] Ah boy, ah fugitive boy, to which shores do you hasten?

[31] Quae deserta petis? quae te spelaea ferarum

[31] Which deserted places do you seek? which caves of wild beasts

[32] Accipient profugum? Questus ah conjugis audi,

[32] Will they receive the fugitive? Hear the lament, ah, of the wife,

[33] Conjugis ah questus miserae; jacet illa paternis

[33] Ah, the lament of the wretched wife; she lies upon her father's...

[34] Sola gemens tectis, et saevis pectora palmis

[34] Alone, groaning within the house, and beating her breasts with savage palms,

[35] Percutit, et miseris ululatibus aera complet.

[35] She strikes, and with miserable ululations fills the air.

[36] Non illam pueri flentem, innuptaeque puellae,

[36] Not her—the boy's weeping, and that of the unwed maiden,

[37] Non illam dulces possunt deflectere matres.

[37] Not those sweet mothers are able to deflect her.

[38] Seu roseis invecta rotis Aurora rubentes

[38] Or whether Aurora, borne on rosy wheels, reddening

[39] Extollat vultus, et candida lilia pandat,

[39] she lifts her countenance, and unfolds her white lilies,

[40] Seu sese Hesperias velox demergat in undas,

[40] Whether swift he plunge himself into the Hesperian waves,

[41] Te vocat et teneros fletu corrumpit ocellos.

[41] She calls you, and with weeping spoils your tender little eyes.

[42] Populea qualis maerens cum turtur in umbra

[42] As when, grief-stricken, a turtledove on a poplar in the shade

[43] Amissum queritur socium, quem saevus in alto

[43] He laments his lost companion, whom the savage deep ...

[44] Nugantem vidit ramo venator, et alte

[44] The hunter saw it trifling on a branch, and aloft

[45] Contorquens jaculum vita spoliavit; at illa

[45] Twisting his javelin, he deprived her of life; but she

[46] Nocte dieque leves tremulis diverberat alis

[46] By night and by day he lashed the light creatures with his trembling wings

[47] Auras, ingentique sonant virgulta querela.

[47] The breezes, and the thickets resound with a mighty complaint.

[48] Tu tamen, o fugitive, ruis, nec matris imago,

[48] Yet you, O fugitive, hasten on, nor are you like your mother's image,

[49] Tristia nec miserae tangunt suspiria sponsae.

[49] Nor do sad sighs touch the wretched bride.

[50] Et nunc desertis recubas seu lassus arenis,

[50] And now on deserted sands you lie down, whether weary,

[51] Sithoniasque nives Alpinaque frigora lustras,

[51] And you traverse the Sithonian snows and the Alpine cold,

[52] Et dubias sequeris per devia flumina ripas;

[52] And you pursue doubtful banks along the devious river courses;

[53] Sive per incertas Euris spirantibus undas

[53] Or whether through uncertain waves, the East Wind breathing,

[54] Saxa inter scopulosque maris metuendaque cete

[54] Rocks and sea-cliffs, and whales to be feared

[55] Curris, et audaci sulcas vada salsa carina.

[55] You run, and the daring keel ploughs the briny depths.

[56] Forsitan aequoreis morieris spretus in undis.

[56] Perhaps you will die, spurned upon the sea’s waves.

[57] Ah tibi ne tumidae rumpant maria alta procellae!

[57] Ah, may the swollen, lofty seas not burst upon you with a raging storm!

[58] Ah tua ne mediis puppis solvatur in undis!

[58] Ah may your ship not be undone in the midst of the waves!

[59] Aut te Scylla ferox, aut te Zanclaea Charybdis

[59] Either fierce Scylla, or Zanclaean Charybdis

[60] Inter spumantes scopulis allidat arenas.

[60] He dashes the foaming sands against the rocks.

[61] Hei mihi namque ferunt medio latrare profundo

[61] Alas for me, for they report that in the midst of the profound deep it barks.

[62] Nescio quam Scyllam, et fluctus sorbere Charybdim,

[62] I know not which Scylla, and Charybdis that swallows the waves,

[63] Et Libyco geminas consurgere litore Syrtes.

[63] And that the twin Syrtes rise upon the Libyan shore.

[64] Non tibi dulce magis patrio considere tecto

[64] Is it not more sweet for you to settle beneath your patrial roof?

[65] Maternosque fovere sinus, non dulcia rura

[65] And to cherish maternal bosoms, not the sweet countryside

[66] Incolere, et latos dominari, dure per agros?

[66] To inhabit, and to dominate broad fields, to fare harshly across the plains?

[67] Cernis ut incultis revocet te frondibus arbos,

[67] See how the tree, with uncultivated foliage, calls you back,

[68] Et vitrei fontes, et rauco murmure flumen

[68] And the glassy fountains, and the river with a hoarse murmur

[69] Te repetant, dominumque sibi querantur ademptum?

[69] May they call for you again, and bewail that their lord has been taken from them?

[70] Sed jam praecipitem impellunt vada caerula puppim

[70] But now the cerulean shallows drive the ship headlong

[71] Et vocat exoriens tauros ad flumina vesper,

[71] And the evening, rising, calls the bulls to the rivers,

[72] Ite meae procul hinc, jam flevimus, ite capellae.

[72] Go far hence from me, my goats; we have already wept—go, my she-goats.

ECLOGA V.

ECLOGA 5.

Elisus.

Meliboeus, Thyrsis, Daphnis.

[1] Occiduas nondum sol vespertinus ad undas

[1] The westering, vespertine sun had not yet come down to the waves

[2] Urget equos, o Thyrsi; viden', rura omnia circum

[2] He urges on the horses, O Thyrsis; do you see all the fields around

[3] Incustoditum tondet pecus, et juga bobus

[3] The unattended flock grazes, and the yokes for the oxen

[4] Nondum lassati vasta sub rupe coloni

[4] Not yet weary, the colonists beneath the vast cliff

[5] Dempserunt. Hac fessi ambo sedeamus in herba;

[5] They laid them down. Worn out, let us both sit on this grass;

[6] Mox coeptum repetemus iter, leve gramen, et ipse

[6] Soon we shall resume the journey begun, gentle grass, and I myself

[7] Garrulus offensis invitat rivulus undis.

[7] The talkative rivulet invites the offended waves.

[8] [Thyr.] Te sequar, o Meliboee, libens; nam me quoque longum

[8] [Thyr.] I will follow you, O Meliboeus, gladly; for I too have long...

[9] Fregit iter; brevis et superat labor, aspice saxum,

[9] He broke off the journey; the toil is brief and is overcome, behold the rock,

[10] Quod mihi, dum teneros olim depelleret haedos,

[10] Which, to me, while once he was driving off tender kids,

[11] Monstrabat pater, et gressum accelerare jubebat.

[11] The father was pointing out, and was ordering him to quicken his step.

[12] [Mel.] Urge, o Thyrsi, gradus, brevis en via restat ad urbem.

[12] [Mel.] Press on, O Thyrsi, steps; behold, a short way remains to the city.

[13] Interea tu si quid habes, seu Caesaris arma,

[13] Meanwhile you, if you have anything, whether Caesar’s arms,

[14] Seu conjuratos metuenda in foedera Reges

[14] Or kings, conjurated into treaties to be dreaded,

[15] Quod referat, modulare; agiles in frondibus aurae,

[15] To modulate what it repeats; nimble upon the fronds of the breeze,

[16] Et circum argutae responsant undique silvae.

[16] And all around the clear-voiced woods answer on every side.

[17] [Thyr.] Quin potius nos, quandoquidem portamus Eliso

[17] [Thyr.] Nay rather we, since we carry Eliso

[18] Donum castaneasque nuces, et roscida mala,

[18] A gift — chestnuts and nuts, and dewy apples,

[19] Illius in laudes calamos inflemus, et illum

[19] We will blow the reed-pipes in his praises, and him

[20] Carminis celebremus; habent et carmina munus.

[20] Let us celebrate the famed song; poems too possess a gift.

[21] [Mel.] Quis tamen hic circum gemitus sonat. O bone Daphni,

[21] [Mel.] Who, then, is this whose groans sound here around? O good Daphnis,

[22] Dic age quid viridi recubans sub tegmine carmen

[22] Say then what song, reclining beneath a green covering,

[23] Intonsas resonare doces miserabile quercus?

[23] Do you teach the unshorn oak to resound, O miserable oak?

[24] [Daph.] Quid faciam, o Meliboee, aut quae solatia restant,

[24] [Daph.] What shall I do, O Meliboeus, or what consolations remain,

[25] Cum neque per silvas, cum nec per inhospita lustra

[25] Since neither through the woods, nor through inhospitable wastes

[26] Heu nostri quondam decus ingens ruris Elisum

[26] Alas for Elisum, once the great glory of our countryside

[27] Reppererim, licet et silvas, et inhospita saxa

[27] I might have found, even woods and inhospitable rocks

[28] Lustrarim, jaceamque ingrata solus in umbra?

[28] Shall I traverse, and lie alone in an inhospitable shade?

[29] [Mel.] Fortunate puer tibi si tam pulchra querelas

[29] [Mel.] Fortunate boy, if to you such beautiful complaints belong

[30] Causa movet, moestos fletu corrumpere vultus

[30] The cause stirs; it wills to mar mournful faces with weeping

[31] Desine. Quem dudum per devia rura secutus

[31] Cease. Him whom but a little while ago, having followed through devious rura

[32] Quaeris adhuc, nostras, si nescis, ille per oras

[32] Do you still ask who that one is along our shores, if you do not know him?

[33] Regnat, et hos montes, nemus hoc, et flumina servat.

[33] He reigns, and guards these mountains, this grove, and the rivers.

[34] Aspicis ut levior ventus sonet, ut nemus ipsum

[34] Do you see how a lighter wind sounds, how the grove itself

[35] Vernet, et insuetis se floribus induat arbos?

[35] Will spring arrive, and will the tree clothe itself with unaccustomed flowers?

[36] Et nemus, et domino plaudit locus ipse recenti.

[36] And the grove, and the place itself applauds the fresh lord.

[37] [Thyr.] Quin haec vimineis fragrantia dona canistris

[37] [Thyr.] Nay, these fragrant gifts in wicker canistris baskets

[38] Inspice, balantemque agnum; illi haec rustica dona

[38] Behold, and the bleating lamb; to him these rustic gifts

[39] Urbem ad vicinam, non est via longa, feremus.

[39] To the neighbouring city we will carry them; the road is not long.

[40] [Daph.] Felices nimium tanto Pastore coloni!

[40] [Daph.] Too fortunate, coloni, with so great a pastor!

[41] Silvae felices! Vobis Saturnia regna

[41] Happy woods! The Saturnian realms are yours

[42] Iam redeunt! priscumque aetas mutatur in aurum.

[42] Now they return! and the ancient age is changed into gold.

[43] Nunc tamen o, si qua est pietas, me ducite ad urbem

[43] Now, however—O, if there be any piety—lead me to the city

[44] Ducite me, pueri; sic vobis herbida tellus

[44] Lead me, boys; thus for you the grassy land

[45] Florentem pecori cytisum ferat, et vagus amnis

[45] May the flowering cytisus bring fodder to the flock, and the wandering river

[46] Limpida sufficiat pastis sua flumina tauris.

[46] May its clear rivers suffice for the pastured bulls.

[47] Ah liceat vidisse semel te dulcis Elise,

[47] Ah, may it be permitted to have seen you once, sweet Elise,

[48] Et jam fatales mea lumina claudite Parcae.

[48] And now, O fatal Parcae, close my eyes.

[49] [Thyr.] Ibimus, interea coeptos abrumpere versus.

[49] [Thyr.] We will go; meanwhile let us break off the verses we have begun.

[50] Ah scelus est, mutamque humero pendere cicutam;

[50] Ah, it is a crime, and that mute hemlock should hang upon the shoulder;

[51] Incipe Daphni prior, carmen nos deinde sequemur.

[51] Begin, Daphne, first; we will then follow with the song.

[52] [Daph.] Muscosi fontes, sacrum nemus, altaque rupes,

[52] [Daph.] Mossy springs, the sacred grove, and the high cliffs,

[53] Et densi frutices, et densior ilicis umbra,

[53] And thick shrubs, and the denser shade of the holm‑oak,

[54] Auraque, quae tenues umbras quatis, aut mihi Elisum

[54] And the breezes, which stir the slender shadows, or Elisus to me,

[55] Reddite, vel lentas hic propter fluminis undas

[55] Give back, or keep them sluggish here because of the river's waves

[56] Cernetis morientem, et corpus inane tegetis.

[56] You will see him dying, and you will cover his inanimate (empty) body.

[57] [Thyr.] Solvite jam fessis, pueri, juga solvite tauris,

[57] [Thyr.] Unyoke now the weary, boys, unyoke the yokes from the bulls.

[58] Tityre linque solum; magnus tenet haec loca pastor.

[58] Tityre, leave the soil; a great shepherd holds these places.

[59] Haec loca dum magnus pastor tenet, ipsa virebunt

[59] While the great shepherd holds these places, they themselves will be green.

[60] Litora, turgentes scopulus feret ipse racemos.

[60] The shores; the very cliff itself will bear swelling racemes.

[61] [Mel.] Ite meae jam nunc, laetum pecus, ite capellae;

[61] [Mel.] Go now, mine own, go, joyful flock, go, she-goats;

[62] Ludite felices per gramina; regnat Elisus.

[62] Play, happy ones, through the grasses; Elisus reigns.

[63] Iam tristes fugere lupi, jam montibus istis

[63] Now the sullen wolves have fled, now from these very mountains

[64] Nullus terrificis trepidabit Pastor ab ursa.

[64] No shepherd will tremble before the terrifying she-bear.

[65] [Daph.] Ducite pascentes miseri ad praesepia tauros,

[65] [Daph.] Lead the wretched grazing bulls to the mangers,

[66] Ducite, jam nostris discessit Elisus ab oris.

[66] Lead on; now Elisus has departed from our shores.

[67] Undique desertos lupus incursabit in agnos.

[67] From everywhere the wolf will rush upon the lambs abandoned.

[68] Ipse canis miseras rapiet canis ipse capellas.

[68] The very dog himself will seize the miserable she-goats.

[69] [Thyr.] O Musae Aonides, o Pastoralis Apollo,

[69] [Thyr.] O Aonidian Muses, O Pastoral Apollo,

[70] Culta nimis quondam mihi numina, venit Elisus,

[70] Elisus came, the divinities once too greatly worshipped by me,

[71] Venit in has silvas; jam nullum numen habetis

[71] He has come into these woods; now you have no divine power

[72] Et Musae Aonides, et pastoralis Apollo.

[72] And the Aonian Muses, and pastoral Apollo.

[73] [Mel.] Venimus en tandem, depromite munera, ad urbem

[73] [Mel.] Behold, at last we have come, bring forth the munera to the city

[74] Venimus. O salve terra mihi gratior omni

[74] We have come. O hail, land more pleasing to me than all others

[75] Urbs vetus in gremio si felicissima servas

[75] Old city, if you keep me most happy in your bosom

[76] Pastorem egregium, si tu servaris ab illo.

[76] A most excellent shepherd, if you are preserved by him.

(finis eclogarum Bartholomaei Boscovichii)

(the end of the eclogues of Bartholomaeus Boscovich)

De fontibus huius editionis

Concerning the sources of this edition

E. 1-3 ex editione: Carmina recentiorum poetarum VII a Societate Jesu id est Julii Caesaris Cordarae, Raymundi Cunichii, Bernardi Zamagnae, Alphonsi Nicolai, Rogeri Boscovichii, Bartholomaei Boscovichii et Joannis Baptistae Roberti. Cremonae: ex Typographia Ricchiniana, 1772, p. 163-172

E. 1-3 from the edition: Poems of more recent poets VII by the Society of Jesus, that is Julius Caesar Cordara, Raymond Cunichi, Bernard of Zamagna, Alphonsus Nicolai, Roger Boscovich, Bartholomew Boscovich and Giovanni Battista Roberti. Cremona: from the Ricchiniana Press, 1772, p. 163-172

E. 4-5 e MSto: Dubrovnik, Knjiznica Male brace (Bibliotheca Ordinis Fratrum Minorum), MS 1351, p. 73-79.

E. 4-5 from the MS: Dubrovnik, Knjiznica Male brace (Bibliotheca Ordinis Fratrum Minorum), MS 1351, pp. 73-79.

De eclogarum auctore

On the author of the eclogues

Bartolomej (Baro) Boskovic, S.I., Dubrovnik, Croatia 1699 Recanati, Italia, 1770.

Bartolomej (Baro) Boskovic, S.I., Dubrovnik, Croatia 1699 Recanati, Italy, 1770.

De hac editione

On this edition

Hanc editionem anno 1999. Neven Jovanovic (neven.jovanovic@zg.tel.hr) curavit.

This edition was edited in the year 1999 by Neven Jovanovic (neven.jovanovic@zg.tel.hr).