Grattius: FALISCUS GRATTIUS CYNEGETICON LIBER

Dona cano divum, laetas venantibus artis,
auspicio, Diana, tuo; prius omnis in armis
spes fuit et nuda silvas virtute movebant
inconsulti homines vitaque erat error in omni.
post alia, propiore, via meliusque profecti 5
te sociam, Ratio, rebus sumpsere gerendis;
hinc omne auxilium vitae rectusque reluxit
ordo et contiguas didicere ex artibus artis
proserere, hinc demens cecidit violentia retro.
sed primum auspicium deus artibus altaque circa 10
firmamenta dedit; tum partis quisque secutus
exegere suas tetigitque industria finem.

I sing the gifts of the gods, the joyous arts for those who hunt,
under your auspice, Diana; before, all hope lay in arms
and untrained men, with naked virtue, moved the woods,
and life was error in everything. Afterward, by another, nearer, and better way 5
they took you as companion, Reason, for the managing of affairs;
hence every aid of life and right order shone forth again
and they learned to spread arts from adjoining arts,
hence madness fell back, violence driven away. But first the god gave auspices to the arts and the high firmaments around 10
then each, having followed his portion, strove to complete his own task and industry touched the limit.

tu trepidam bello, vitam, Diana, ferino
qua primam quaerebat opem, dignata repertis
protegere auxiliis orbemque hac solvere noxa. 15

you, Diana, deigned to protect trembling life from savage war,
which first sought aid, having found assistance to hand,
and to free the world from this stain by those helps 15

adscivere tuo comites sub nomine divae
centum: omnes nemorum, umentes de fontibus omnes
Naides, et Latii satyri Faunusque subibant
Maenaliusque puer, domitrixque Idaea leonum
mater, et inculto Silvanus termite gaudens.               20
his ego praesidibus nostram defendere sortem
contra mille feras et non sine carmine iussus
carmine et arma dabo et venandi persequar artis.
armorum casses, plagiique exordia, restes,
prima iubent tenui nascentem iungere filo               25
limbum et quadruplicis tormento adstringere limbos:
illa operum patiens, illa usus linea longi
tunc ipsum e medio cassem quo nascitur ore
per senos circum usque sinus laqueabis, ut omni
concipiat tergo, si quisquam est plurimus, hostem.               30

they enrolled under your name a hundred companions, O goddess:
all of the groves’ folk, all the Naiads, wet from the springs, and Latian satyrs and Faunus drew near,
and Maenalus the boy, and the Idaean mother, tamer of lions,
and Silvanus, rejoicing in the uncultivated track. 20
with these as guardians I was ordered to defend our fate
against a thousand beasts, and not without a charm;
by a charm I will give both spells and arms and pursue the art of hunting.
the shafts of weapons, the beginnings of snares and of nets, the cords,
they bid first to join the nascent rim with a slender thread 25
and to bind the borders with a fourfold twist of the winding: she patient of tasks, she practised with a long line;
then you shall lace up the very web from the middle whence it is born at the mouth,
around through six folds up to the bays, so that it may take upon every back, if ever there be many, an enemy.

at bis vicenos spatium praetendere passus
rete velim plenisque decem consurgere nodis;
ingrati maiora sinus impendia sument.
optuma Cinyphiae, ne quid cunctere, paludes
lina dabunt; bonus Aeolia de valle Sibyllae 35
fetus et aprico Tuscorum stuppea campo
messis contiguum sorbens de flumine rorem,
qua cultor Latii per opaca silentia Thybris
labitur inque sinus magno venit ore marinos.
at contra nostris imbellia lina Faliscis 40
Hispanique alio spectantur Saetabis usu.

but let a net of twice twenty meshes be stretched out, and I would have it rise with ten full knots;
the ungrateful will take on the greater charges in its folds. The best reeds of Cinyphia, delay not, will give cords to the marshes;
good Aeolian produce from the valley of the Sibyl, and Tuscan tow in the sunlit field,
the harvest drawing neighboring dew from the river,
by which the tiller of Latium glides through the shadowed silences of the Tiber
and comes into the sea‑bays with a wide mouth. But by contrast slack nets are fit for our Faliscans,
and the Spaniards are viewed for another, Saetaban, use. 40

vix operata suo sacra ad Bubastia lino
velatur sonipes aestivi turba Canopi:
ipse in materia damnosus candor inerti
ostendit longe fraudem atque exterruit hostis. 45

Scarcely, her sacred thing wrought with its own linen, is veiled at Bubastis, when the sonipes of Canopus—a throng of the summer—
that very baleful whiteness in inert matter itself reveals fraud from afar and terrifies the enemy. 45

at pauper rigui custos Alabandius horti
cannabinas nutrit silvas, quam commoda nostro
armamenta operi. gravis est tutela, sed illis
tu licet Haemonios includas retibus ursos.
tantum ne subeat vitiorum pessimus umor 50
ante cave: non est umentibus usus in armis,
nulla fides.

but the poor keeper of the watery Alabandus garden
feeds hempen woods, which are convenient armaments for our work. heavy is the guarding, but for them you may enclose Haemonian bears with nets.
only that the worst moisture of vices may not creep in 50
beware beforehand: there is no use for wet things in arms, no trust.

ergo seu pressa flumina valle
inter opus clausaeque malum fecere paludes,
sive improvisus caelo perfuderit imber,
illa vel ad flatus Helices oppande serenae 55
vel caligineo laxanda reponite fumo.
idcirco et primas linorum tangere messes
ante vetant quam maturis accenderit annum
ignibus et claro Plias se prompserit ortu.
imbiberit: tanto respondet longior usus. 60

therefore whether rivers pressed in the valley
made marshes among the work and the closed-off harm,
or whether an unexpected shower has poured from the sky,
spread those things out either to the breaths of calm Helices 55
or lay them aside to be loosened by misty smoke.
for this reason they likewise forbid touching the first harvests of flax
before the year has been ripened by mature fires
and before the clear Plias has shown itself in its rising.
it will have soaked up moisture: the longer use answers to that extent. 60

magnum opus et tangi, nisi cura vincitur, impar.
nonne vides veterum, quos prodit fabula rerum,
semideos Dilli aggeribus temptare superbis
caeli iter et matres ausi attrectare deorum,
quam magna mercede meo sine munere silvas               65
impulerint? flet adhuc et porro flebit Adonin
victa Venus, ceciditque suis Ancaeus in arvis
(et praedexter erat, geminisque securibus ingens)
ipse deus cultorque feri Tirynthius orbis,
quem mare, quem tellus, quem praeceps ianua Ditis               70
omnia temptantem, qua laus erat obvia, passa
hinc decus et famae primum impetravit honorem.
exige si qua meis respondet ab artibus ergo
gratia quae vires fallat collata ferinas:
sunt quibus immundo decerptae vulture plumae               75

a great work is unequal to be handled, unless care prevails.
Do you not see the ancients, whom the tale of things hands down,
the semidivine Dilli daring to essay proud ramps,
the path of heaven and to lay hands upon the mothers of the gods,
what great reward have they driven into my woods without a gift? 65
Venus, vanquished, still weeps and will weep further for Adonis;
and Ancaeus fell in his own fields (and he was right‑handed, and huge with twin axes)
the god himself and husbandman of the wild Tirynthian realm,
whom sea, whom land, whom the headlong gate of Dis all assayed, where praise was due, having suffered,
thence first attained the honor of renown and fame.
Ask, then, if any grace answers from my arts which, bestowed, deceives the brute strength of beasts:
there are some from whom plumes plucked by a filthy vulture 75

instrumentum operis fuit et non parva facultas.
tantum inter nivei iungantur vellera cygni,
et satis armorum est. haec clara luce coruscant
terribiles species, at vulture dirus ab atro
turbat odor silvas meliusque alterna valet res. 80
sed quam clara tuis et pinguis pluma sub armis,
tam mollis tactu et non sit creberruma nexu,
ne reprensa suis properantem linea pennis
implicet atque ipso mendosa coarguat usu.

it was an instrument of the work and not a small resource.
only let the fleeces of the snow-white swan be joined among them, and that is enough of arms.
these flash with clear light, terrible apparitions, but a dire vulture’s foul scent from the dark
disturbs the woods, and the alternate matter avails better. 80
but however bright and plump your plume beneath your arms,
let it be soft to the touch and not too crowded in its binding,
lest, having been seized by its own feathers, the line entangle one hurrying,
and convict him faulty by the very use.

hic magis in cervos valuit metus; ast ubi lentae 85
interdum Libyco fucantur sandyce pennae
linteaque expositis lucent anconibus arma,
rarum si qua metus eludet belua falsos.
nam fuit et laqueis aliquis curracibus usus:
cervino iussere magis contexere nervo; 90

here fear was more potent against stags; but where pliant 85
sometimes Libyan-dyed sandy-coloured feathers are employed,
and linen and, with elbows exposed, arms gleam,
rarely does any beast elude those false terrors. For there was also someone who used snares with cords:
they bade that one weave more with a stag’s sinew as the thread; 90

fraus teget insidias habitu mentita ferino.
quid qui dentatas iligno robore clausit
venator pedicas, quam dissimulantibus armis
saepe habet imprudens alieni lucra laboris!
o felix, tantis quem primum industria rebus 95
prodidit auctorem!

Fraud, having feigned a ferine habit, conceals its ambushes.
What of the hunter who closed tooth-edged snares with wooden strength,
which, by disguising arms, the unwary often takes as gains of another's labor!
O fortunate one, whom industry first revealed as the author of such great things 95
prodidit auctorem!

deus ille an proxuma divos
mens fuit, in caecas aciem quae magna tenebras
egit et ignarum perfudit lumine vulgus?
dic age Pierio (fas est) Diana, ministro.
Arcadium stat fama senem, quem Maenalus auctor 100
et Lacedaemoniae primum vidistis Amyclae
per non adsuetas metantem retia valles
Dercylon.

Was that a god, or a mind nearest the gods, which drove great darkness into the blind sight and drenched the unknowing crowd with light? Speak then, Pierian Diana (it is permitted), with your attendant.
Rumor sets an old Arcadian, whom Maenalus is the author and whom you first saw at Amyclae of Lacedaemon, Dercylon, 100
casting nets through valleys not accustomed to them.

haut illo quisquam se iustior egit,
hau fuit in terris divum observantior alter:
ergo illum primis nemorum dea finxit in arvis 105

No one acted himself more just than he,
there was not another on the lands more observant of the gods:
therefore the goddess fashioned him in the earliest fields of the groves 105

auctoremque operi dignata inscribere magno
iussit adire suas et pandere gentibus artes.
ille etiam valido primus venabula dente
induit et proni moderatus vulneris iram
omne moris excepit onus; tum stricta verutis 110
dentibus et gemina subiere hastilia furca
et quidam totis clauserunt ensibus hastas,
ne cessaret iners in vulnere massa ferino.
blandimenta vagae fugies novitatis: ibidem
exiguo nimiove nocent.

and deeming the author worthy to inscribe his name on the great work
he ordered that he go forth and unfold his arts to the peoples.
he moreover first fitted spears with a sturdy tooth
and, tempering the wrath of the impending wound, bore every burden of custom;
then under the fixed teeth of the javelin both the fork and twin shafts entered 110
and some enclosed the spears with whole swords,
lest the inert mass fail at the beastly wound.
you will flee the blandishments of wandering novelty: there
they harm by being too little or by being too much.

sed lubricus errat 115
mos et ab expertis festinant usibus omnes.
quid, Macetum immensos libeat si dicere contos?
quam longa exigui spicant hastilia dentes!

but treacherous custom wanders 115
and from experienced usages all hasten to new uses.
What now, Macetus — would it please you to tell enormous tales?
how long do the long spear‑shafts prick the teeth of the small!

aut contra ut tenero destrictas cortice virgas
praegravat ingenti pernix Lucania cultro! 120

or, on the other hand, as the nimble Lucanian with a huge knife presses down rods stripped of their tender bark! 120

omnia tela modi melius finxere salubres,
quocirca et iaculis habilem perpendimus usum:
neu leve vulnus eat neu sit brevis impetus illi.
ipsa arcu Lyciaque suos Diana pharetra
armavit comites: ne tela relinquite divae: 125
magnum opus et volucres quondam fecere sagittae.
disce agedum et validis dilectum hastilibus omnem.

All weapons, fashioned in a better manner, proved salutary,
wherefore we also judge the javelins to have a fit use:
that the wound be not slight nor its impulse brief.
Diana herself armed her companions with bow and Lycian quiver:
do not abandon the weapons of the goddess: 125
a great work, and once the arrows made them winged.
Learn now, and choose every shaft fitted with strong spear-shafts.

plurima Threiciis nutritur vallibus Hebri
cornus et umbrosae Veneris per litora myrtus
taxique pinusque Altinatesque genestae 130
et magis incomptos opera iuturus agrestis
termes. ab Eois descendit virga Sabaeis
mater odorati multum pulcherruma turis:
illa suos usus intractatumque decorem
(sic nemorum iussere deae) natalibus hausit 135

Very many cornels are nourished in the Thracian valleys of the Hebrus,
the cornel and the myrtle of shady Venus along the shores,
and yew and pine and Altinate broom 130
and more the wild, unadorned shoots that rustic labor fashions.
From the eastern Sabaean lands a branch descended—she poured forth her uses and untamed grace upon her offspring
(thus commanded the goddess of the groves) at their births 135

arbitriis; at enim multo sunt ficta labore
cetera quae silvis errant hastilia nostris:
nunquam sponte sua procerus ad aethera termes
exiit inque ipsa curvantur stirpe genestae.
ergo age luxuriam primo fetusque nocentis 140
detrahe: frondosas gravat indulgentia silvas.
post ubi proceris generosa stirpibus arbor
se dederit teretisque ferent ad sidera virgae,
stringe notas circum et gemmantis exige versus.

by judgments; but indeed many other shafts that wander in our woods are fashioned by much labour: never of its own accord did a tall stem spring up to the heavens, and in the very stock the broom is bent. Therefore come, cut away luxuriance first and the harmful fruits: 140
indulgence burdens the leafy woods. Afterwards, when a noble tree of lofty stock has yielded itself and smooth rods will bear up to the stars,
bind knots about it and prune the budding shoots.

his, si quis vitium nociturus sufficit, umor 145
ulceribus fluet et venas durabit inertis.
in quinos sublata pedes hastilia plena
caede manu, dum pomiferis advertitur annus
frondibus et tepidos autumnus continet imbres.
sed cur exiguis tantos in partibus orbes 150

for these, if any moisture about to be harmful is arrested, it will flow into ulcers and harden the veins with inertia; 145
with spear‑shafts raised to five feet, their hands full of gore, while the year is turned to fruit‑bearing foliage
and autumn holds the tepid rains. But why are such great circles made in so small parts? 150

lustramus? prima illa canum, non ulla per artis
cura prior, sive indomitos vehementior hostis
nudo marte premas seu bellum ex arte ministres.
mille canum patriae ductique ab origine mores
quoique sua.

shall we lustrate? that first band of hounds, not by any prior care of art, whether a more violent enemy you press the untamed in open battle or minister war by skill.
a thousand hounds of the fatherland, and led from the very origin their ways
yet their own.

magna indocilis dat proelia Medus 155
magnaque diversos extollit gloria Celtas.
arma negant contra martemque odere Geloni,
sed natura sagax: Perses in utroque paratus.
sunt qui Seras alant, genus intractabilis irae;
at contra faciles magnique Lycaones armis. 160
sed non Hyrcano satis est vehementia gentis
tanta suae: petiere ultro fera semina silvis;
dat venus accessus et blando foedere iungit.

the unteachable Medes give great battles 155
and great glory raises up the diverse Celts.
the Geloni refuse arms and hate Mars,
but by a shrewd nature: a Persian ready on either side.
there are those who rear the Seres, a people untractable in wrath;
but on the other hand the Lycaonians are tractable and great in arms 160
yet the vehemence of the Hyrcanian race is not sufficient of itself:
they themselves sought wild seedings in the woods;
Venus grants approaches and joins by a gentle treaty.

tunc et mansuetis tuto ferus errat adulter
in stabulis ultroque gravem succedere tigrin 165

then even among the tame the fierce stranger wanders safely in the stalls, and a tiger presses upon him from both sides, heavy to assail 165

ausa canis maiore tulit de sanguine fetum.
sed praeceps virtus: ipsa venabitur aula
ille tibi et pecudum multo cum sanguine crescet.
pasce tamen: quaecumque domi sibi crimina fecit,
excutiet silva magnus pugnator adepta. 170
at fugit adversos idem quos repperit hostis
Vmber: quanta fides, utinam, et sollertia naris,
tanta foret virtus et tantum vellet in armis!

the daring dog bore off an offspring of higher blood.
but headlong courage: it itself will be hunted in the hall
that one for you, and of the flocks, will grow with much blood.
feed him yet: whatever crimes at home he has made for himself,
a great fighter, having been acquired, will shake off in the wood. 170
but he flees from the same adversaries whom he encountered as enemy
Umber: what great faith, would that, and the skill of the nose,

quid, freta si Morinum dubio refluentia ponto
veneris atque ipsos libeat penetrare Britannos? 175
o quanta est merces et quantum impendia supra,
si non ad speciem mentiturosque decores
(parvis haec una est catulis iactura Britannis),
at magnum cum venit opus promendaque virtus
et vocat extremo praeceps discrimine mavors: 180

what if, the straits of the Morini ebbing back into the dubious sea,
you should come and be allowed to penetrate the Britons themselves? 175
O how great is the reward and how great the outlay besides,
if they will not be for show and to counterfeit ornaments
(this one loss is thrown to the small whelps of the Britons),
but when a great need comes and virtue must be displayed
and Mavors summons with headlong, extreme peril: 180

non tunc egregios tantum admirere Molossos,
comparat his versuta suas Athamania ...
AÇorusque Pheraeque et clandestinus Acarnan:
sicut Acarnanes subierunt proelia furto,
sic canis illa suos taciturna supervenit hostis.               185
at clangore citat quos nondum conspicit apros
Aetola quaecumque canis de stirpe: malignum
officium, sive illa metus convicia rupit
seu frustra nimius properat favor. et tamen illud
ne vanum totas genus aspernere per artis:               190
mirum quam celeres et quantum nare merentur,
tum non est victi quoi concessere labori.
idcirco variis miscebo gentibus usum:
quondam inconsultis mater dabit Vmbrica Gallis
sensum agilem, traxere animos de patre Gelonae               195

not then did the Molossians alone admire greatly,
Athamania compared its cunning to these ...
Açorus and Pherae and the secret Acarnan:
just as the Acarnanians undertook battles by stealth,
so that dog, a silent enemy, came upon its own men.               185
but with a clang it summons the boars which it has not yet seen,
whatever from the stock the Aetolian dog: a wicked
duty, whether that fear burst forth with insults
or in vain excessive favor hurries. and yet do not scorn that
whole kind as useless through mere arts:               190
wonder how swift they are and how much they deserve to swim,
then there is no conquered one to whom toil conceded rest.
therefore I will mingle a use from varied peoples:
once an unadvised mother will give the Umbrian Gauls
a nimble sense, they drew spirits from the father Gelonus               195

Hyrcano et vanae tantum Calydonia linguae
exibit vitium patre emendata Molosso.
scilicet ex omni florem virtute capessunt
et sequitur natura favens. at te leve si qua
tangit opus pavidosque iuvat compellere dorcas 200
aut versuta sequi leporis vestigia parvi,
Petroniost haec fama cani, volucresque Sycambros
et pictam macula Vertraham delige flava:
ocior adfectu mentis pennaque cucurrit,
sed premit inventas, non inventura latentis 205
illa feras, quae Petroniis bene gloria constat.

Only the Hyrcanian and the vain Calydonian tongue will show a fault, corrected by a Molossian father. Surely they seize the flower from every virtue, and favoring nature follows them. But if any light thing touches you, and the task delights to drive off timid does 200
or craftily to follow the little hare’s tracks, this is the fame of Petronius’ dog, and the swift Sycambrian birds; and choose the painted Vertraham with its yellow spot: swifter in desire of mind and it runs with a feather, but it represses what is found, not about to find what lies hidden 205
those wild things, which the glory of the Petronii well confirms.

quod si maturo pressantes gaudia lusu
dissimulare feras tacitique accedere possent,
illis omne decus, quod nunc, metagontes, habetis,
constaret: silva sed virtus irrita damnost. 210

but if, by a ripened play pressing upon them, joys could disguise the beasts and approach them silently,
to them all honour, which now, metagontes, you possess, would remain; but the forest and virtue would be rendered vain. 210

at vestrum non vile genus, non patria, vulgo
Sparte quos et Creta suos promittit alumnos:
sed primum celsa lorum cervice ferentem,
Glympice, te silvis egit Boeotius Hagnon,
Hagnon Astylides, Hagnon, quem plurima semper               215
gratia per nostros unum testabitur usus.
hic trepidas artis et vix novitate sedentes
vidit qua propior peteret via nec sibi turbam
contraxit comitem nec vasa tenentia longe:
unus praesidium atque operi spes magna petito               220
adsumptus metagon lustrat per nota ferarum
pascua, per fontes, per quas trivere latebras.
primae lucis opus: tum signa vapore ferino
intemerata legens si quast qua fallitur eius
turba loci, maiore secat spatia extera gyro;               225

but not a base stock is yours, not a common fatherland, whom Sparta and Crete alike promise as their pupils:
but first Glympice, bearing the lofty cuirass upon his neck, Boeotian Hagnon drove you into the woods,
Hagnon Astylides, Hagnon, whom very many services will always attest as one through our usages.               215
he saw the anxious arts and those sitting scarcely with novelty where the nearer path sought, nor did he draw to himself a crowd as companion nor vessels holding far off:
one as garrison and a great hope for the sought work having been taken on, the metagon ranges through familiar beasts’ pastures               220
through springs, through which they had trampled hiding-places far and wide.
the work of first light: then bearing forth untouched standards in the wild steam,
if his troop of the place is deceived by any where he is sought, he cuts larger foreign spaces with a greater circle;               225

atque hic egressu iam tum sine fraude reperto
incubuit, spatiis qualis permissa Lechaeis
Thessalium quadriga decus, quam gloria patrum
excitat et primae spes ambitiosa coronae.
sed ne qua ex nimio redeat iactura favore,               230
lex dicta officiis: neu voce lacesseret hostem
neve levem praedam aut propioris pignora lucri
amplexus primos nequiquam effunderet actus;
iam vero impensum melior fortuna laborem
cum sequitur iuxtaque domus quaesita ferarum,               235
et sciat occultos et signis arguat hostes:
(aut effecta levi testatur gaudia cauda
aut ipsa infodiens uncis vestigia plantis
mandit humum celsisve adprensat naribus auras);
et tamen, ut ne prima faventem pignora fallant,               240

and here, on his coming forth already then found without guile, he settled down, such as the Thessalian quadriga, entrusted to the Lechaeic courses, the pride of the Thessalians, which the glory of the fathers excites and the ambitious hope of the first crown.
but lest any loss return from excessive favour, a law was spoken for duties: nor should he provoke the enemy with his voice
nor, embracing light spoil or the pledges of nearer gain, pour away his first acts to no purpose; now indeed better fortune follows the toil spent
and the lair of the sought beasts lies near, and he may know the hidden and convict enemies by signs: 235
(or his achieved pleasures announce themselves by a light tail, or he himself, digging in with hooked feet, stamps the tracks into the ground
and with lofty nostrils seizes the airs);
and yet, lest the first pledges deceive the one in favour, 240

circum omnem aspretis medius qua clauditur orbis
ferre pedem accessusque abitusque notare ferarum
admonet et, si forte loco spes prima fefellit,
rusum opus incubuit spatiis; at, prospera si res,
intacto repetet prima ad vestigia gyro. 245
ergo ubi plena suo rediit victoria fine,
in partem praedae veniat comes et sua norit
praemia: sic operi iuvet inseruisse benigne.
hoc ingens meritumst, haec ultima palma tropaei,
Hagnon magne, tibi divum concessa favore: 250
ergo semper eris, dum carmina dumque manebunt
silvarum dotes atque arma Diania terris.
hic et semiferam thoum de sanguine prolem
finxit.

around the whole circle in which the middle is closed by harsh groves
he urges to bear foot and to note the approaches and departures of the beasts
and, if by chance the first hope failed in that place,
again the work fell upon the ranges; but, if the matter prospers,
he will retrace the first untouched footprints in a circular sweep. 245
therefore when full victory has returned to its own close,
let him come as companion to the share of the spoil and know his rewards:
thus it pleases the work to have kindly inserted him.
this is a vast merit, this final palm of the trophy,
great Hagnon, granted to you by the favor of the gods: 250
therefore you shall always be, while songs and while the dower of the woods
and Diana’s arms endure upon the lands.
here also he fashioned a half‑beast offspring Thoum from blood.

non alio maior sub pectore virtus,
sive in lora voces seu nudi ad pignera martis. 255

no greater virtue lay under another's breast, whether voices in the reins or stripped for the pledges of Mars. 255

thoes commissos (clarissima fama) leones
et subiere astu et parvis domuere lacertis;
nam genus exiguum et pudeat, quam informe, fateri,
vulpina species: tamen huic exacta voluntas.
at non est alius quem tanta ad munia fetus 260
exercere velis, aut te tua culpa refellet
inter opus, quom sera cadit prudentia damno.
iunge pares ergo et maiorum pignore signa
feturam prodantque tibi metagonta parentes,
qui genuere sua pecus hoc inmane iuventa. 265
et primum expertos animi, quae gratia primast,
in venerem iungam.

Thoes’ entrusted lions (of most bright renown)
assailed and by craft and with small sinews subdued;
for the stock is scant, and it is shameful — how misshapen — to confess,
a vulpine semblance: yet to this one a strict will is allotted.
nam genus exiguum et pudeat, quam informe, fateri,
tamen huic exacta voluntas. 260
but there is no other whom you would wish to train for duties so great,
nor shall your own fault recoil upon you amid the work, when late prudence falls to harm.
iunge pares ergo et maiorum pignore signa
feturam prodantque tibi metagonta parentes,
who begot this monstrous flock in their youthful prime. 265
and first I will join the tested spirits, whose grace was foremost, to Venus.

tum sortis cura secunda,
ne renuat species aut quem detractet honorem.
sint celsi vultus, sint hirtae frontibus aures,
os magnum, et patulis agitatos naribus ignes 270

then a second care of fate,
lest the appearance refuse or draw away any honor.
let the visage be lofty, let the ears be bristling on the brow,
a large mouth, and fires stirred in the spreading nostrils 270

spirent, adstricti succingant ilia ventres,
cauda brevis longumque latus discretaque collo
caesaries neu pexa nimis neu frigoris illa
impatiens; validis tum surgat pectus ab armis,
quod magnos capiat motus magnisque supersit. 275
effuge qui lata pandit vestigia planta:
mollis in officio. siccis ego dura lacertis
crura velim et solidos haec in certamina calces.
sed frustra longus properat labor, abdita si non
altas in latebras unique inclusa marito 280
femina: nec patres veneris sub tempore magnos
illa neque emeritae servat fastigia laudis.

let them breathe, tightly bound let them gird the loins,
a short tail, a long flank, and hair kept apart from the neck,
neither too combed nor unyielding to the cold; let then the chest rise strong from firm arms,
to take great motions and to endure great things 275
shun him whose broad sole spreads wide his footprints:
soft in service. I would have harsh arms and dry shanks
and solid heels for these contests. But long toil hurries in vain, if a woman not hidden away
and shut up alone in high recesses is not placed with a husband 280
nor does she keep great ancestral rank under the season of marriage,
nor the heights of well‑earned praise.

primi complexus, dulcissuma prima voluptas
(hunc veneri dedit impatiens natura furorem),
si tenuit custos et mater adultera non est. 285

first embraces, the sweetest first delight
(impatient nature gave this frenzy to Venus),
if a guardian kept watch and the mother is not adulterous. 285

da requiem gravidae solitosque remitte labores:
vix oneri super illa suo. tum deinde monebo,
ne matrem indocilis natorum turba fatiget,
percensere notis iamque inde excernere pravos.
signa dabunt ipsi.

give rest to the pregnant woman and send back her accustomed labors:
scarcely can she bear any burden besides her own. Then thereafter I will warn,
lest an unlearned throng of offspring wear out the mother, to count them by marks and thenceforth to sift out the depraved.
the signs themselves will give.

teneris vix artibus haeret               290
ille tuos olim non defecturus honores,
iamque illum impatiens aequae vehementia sortis
extulit: adfectat materna regna sub alvo,
ubera tota tenet, a tergo liber aperto,
dum tepida indulget terris clementia mundi;               295
verum ubi Caurino perstrinxit frigore vesper,
irreptat turbaque potens operitur inerti.
illius et manibus vires sit cura futuras
perpensare: levis deducet pondere fratres:
nec me pignoribus, nec te mea carmina fallent.               300

cling scarcely by tender limbs               290
that one, who will not fail your honors one day,
and now impatient of the even severity of his lot
has lifted him up: he seeks the maternal realms beneath the belly,
he holds all the breasts, his back free and uncovered,
while the world's clemency indulges him with warm things;               295
but when evening has brushed him with the north wind's cold,
the mighty throng creeps in and covers him in inertness.
Let care also consider that strength will be future in his hands:
lightly weight will lead his brothers down:
neither my pledges, nor my poems will deceive you.               300

protinus et cultus alios et debita fetae
blandimenta feres curaque sequere merentem:
illa perinde suos, ut erit, de lacte minores
ad longam praestabit opem. tum denique, fetae
cum desunt operi, fregitque industria matres, 305
transeat in catulos omnis tutela relictos.
lacte novam pubem facilique tuebere maza,
nec luxus alios avidaeque impendia vitae
noscant: haec magno redit indulgentia damno.

straightaway you will bring other nurture and the due blandishments of the pregnant one, and follow with care the deserving: she likewise, as it will be, from her milk will grant aid to her own little ones for a long while. Then finally, when labors fail the pregnant one, and industry has wearied the mothers, 305
let every guardianship pass to the pups left behind. With milk you will tend the new-grown youth and with an easy feeding-bowl protect them,
nor let luxury and other expenditures of eager life become known to them: such indulgence returns with great harm.

nec mirum: humanos non est magis altera sensus, 310
tollit ni ratio et vitiis adeuntibus obstat.
haec illast Pharios quae fregit noxia reges,
dum servata cavis potant Mareotica gemmis
nardiferumque metunt Gangen vitiisque ministrant.
sic et Achaemenio cecidisti, Lydia, Cyro: 315

nor is it strange: no other faculty more wholly strips away human sense, 310
unless reason opposes when vices approach. this is that baneful thing which broke the Pharian kings,
while they, drinking Mareotic wine from hollowed gems kept safe,
and gathering nard-bearing Ganges-products, minister to their vices.
thus too you fell, Lydia, to Achaemenian Cyrus: 315

atqui dives eras ac fluminis aurea venis.
scilicet ad summam ne quid restaret habendi,
tu quoque luxuriae fictas dum colligis artes
et sequeris demens alienam, Graecia, culpam,
o quantum et quotiens decoris frustrata paterni! 320
at qualis nostris, quam simplex mensa Camillis!
qui tibi cultus erat post tot, Serrane, triumphos!

Yet you were rich, and with the river's golden veins.
No doubt to the utmost, so that nothing of possession might remain,
you too, while gathering the contrived arts of luxury,
and, mad, follow another's guilt, O Greece,
O how great and how often robbed of paternal honor! 320
But what a one for us, how simple the table of Camillus!
Who was to you a luxury after so many, Serrane, triumphs!

ergo illi ex habitu virtutisque indole priscae
imposuere orbi Romam caput, actaque ab illis
ad caelum virtus summosque tetendit honores. 325
scilicet exiguis magna sub imagine rebus
prospicies, quae sit ratio, et quo fine regendae.
idcirco imperium catulis unusque magister
additur: ille dapes poenamque operamque moramque
temperet, hunc spectet silvas domitura iuventus. 330

therefore they, from their habit and from the innate bent of ancient virtue,
set Rome as the head of the world, and virtue, driven on by them,
stretched to the heavens and to the highest honors. 325
surely under a great semblance for small affairs
you will discern what the principle is, and to what limit they are to be governed.
therefore authority is added to the pups and a single master
is appointed: let him temper feast and punishment and toil and delay;
let the youth, about to tame the woods, gaze upon this one. 330

nec vile arbitrium est: quoicumque haec regna dicantur,
ille tibi egregia iuvenis de pube legendus,
utrumque et prudens et sumptis impiger armis.
quod nisi et accessus et agendi tempora belli
noverit et socios tutabitur hoste minores, 335
aut cedent aut illa tamen victoria damnost.
ergo in opus vigila factusque ades omnibus armis:
(arma acuere virum); tegat imas fascia suras;
<sit pell>is vitulina, suis et tergore fulvo
i<re decet, niteant> canaque e maele galeri, 340
ima Toletano praecingant ilia cultro
terribilemque manu vibrata falarica dextra
det sonitum et curvae rumpant non pervia falces.

nor is it a mean choice: in whatsoever region these kingdoms are spoken of,
that youth must be chosen for you from the prime of manhood,
both prudent and brisk in taken-up arms.
but if he knows not approaches nor the times for waging war
and will not defend allies lesser than the foe, 335
either they will yield or that victory will yet be ruinous. therefore be wakeful for the task and be present made with all arms:
(arma acuere virum); let bandages cover the low calves;
<sit pell>is of veal, and with their tawny backs
i<re decet, niteant> and let bright helmets gleam from the brow, 340
let those low parts be girded with a Toletan knife
and let the spear-right hand, brandished by the hand, give a fearsome sound and break the curved falces that are not passable.

haec tua militia est. quin et Mavortia bello
vulnera et errantis per tot divertia morbos 345

causasque adfectusque canum tua cura tuerist.
stat Fatum supra totumque avidissimus Orcus
pascitur et nigris orbem circumsonat alis.
scilicet ad magnum maior ducenda laborem
cura, nec expertos fallet deus: huic quoque nostrae 350
est aliud, quod praestet opus, placabile numen.

and you would have kept the causes and affections of the dogs with your care.
Fate stands above, and Orcus, most avid, feeds upon the whole
and is fed and with black wings circles/resounds the orb around.
surely care must be led to a greater toil to be borne,
and no untried god will deceive: to this also of ours 350
there is another thing, which may furnish the work, a placable numen.

nec longe auxilium, licet alti vulneris orae
abstiterint atroque cadant cum sanguine fibrae:
inde rape ex ipso qui vulnus fecerit hoste
virosam eluviem lacerique per ulceris ora 355
sparge manu, venas dum sucus comprimat acer:
mortis enim patuere viae. tum pura monebo
circum labra sequi tenuique includere filo.
At si pernicies angusto pascitur ore,
contra pande viam fallentisque argue causas 360

nor is help far, although the deep rims of the wound may have stopped and the fibers fall black with blood:
then snatch from the very foe who made the wound a virulent wash, and, tearing, spread it over the mouths of the ulcer with your hand 355
while the sharp sap compresses the veins: for the paths of death have been opened. Then I will warn to follow around the pure lips and to enclose them with a slender thread. But if destruction feeds through a narrow mouth,
open the way opposite and expose the deceiving causes 360

morborum: in vitio facilis med<icina recenti>;
sed tacta impositis mulcent p<ecuaria palmis>
(id satis) aut nigrae circum picis unguine signant;
quodsi destricto levis est in vulnere noxa,
ipse habet auxilium validae natale salivae.               365
illa gravis labes et curis altior illis,
cum vitium causae totis egere latentes
corporibus seraque aperitur noxia summa.
inde emissa lues et per contagia morbi
venere in vulgum fusaque exercitus ingens               370
aequali sub labe ruit, nec viribus ullis
aut merito veniast aut spes exire precanti.
quod sive a Stygia letum Proserpina nocte
extulit et Furiis commissam ulciscitur iram,
seu vitium ex alto spiratque vaporibus aether               375

of maladies: in the fault an easy med<icine recenti>;
but when touched the applied p<astoral palms> soothe (that is enough) or they mark with black pitch and tarred unguent;
but if the noxious agent is slight in the drawn wound,
itself has help in the strong native saliva.               365
that one is a heavy blot and higher than those cares,
when the hidden faults of the cause have worked through whole
bodies and the highest harmful thing is opened late.
thence the emitted pest and through the contagions of disease
they came into the common folk and the great army poured forth               370
and fell under an equal plague, nor did it come by any strength
or by merit, nor was there hope to get out by pleading.
whether Proserpina took death away in the Stygian night
and avenged the thing committed to the Furies with wrath,
or whether the fault breathes forth from on high and the ether with vapors               375

pestiferis, seu terra suos populatur honores:
fontem averte mali. trans altas ducere calles
admoneo latumque fuga superabitis amnem.
hoc primum effugium leti: tunc ficta valebunt
auxilia et nostra quidam redit usus ab arte. 380
sed varii motus nec in omnibus una potestas:
disce vices et quae tutelast proxima tempta.

pestiferous, whether the land bestows its own honors: avert the spring of evil. I advise you to lead across high paths, and by flight you will overmaster the wide river. This is the first escape from death: then feigned aids will have force, and a certain use returns from our art. 380
but movements are diverse and one power is not for all things: learn the vicissitudes and try which guardianship is nearest.

pluruma per catulos rabies invictaque tardis
praecipitat letale malum: sit tutius ergo
antire auxiliis et primas vincere causas. 385
namque subit, nodis qua lingua tenacibus haeret,
(vermiculum dixere) mala atque incondita pestis.
ille ubi salsa siti praecepit viscera longe,
aestivos vibrans accensis febribus ignes,
moliturque fugas et sedem spernit amaram. 390

Rabies, most often through pups, invincible and too late to be checked, hurls down a lethal evil: therefore it is safer to anticipate with aids and to overcome the primary causes. 385
for it comes on, clinging with a tongue tenacious in knots, (they called it a little worm) an evil and shapeless pest. When that thing, driven on by a salt thirst, has laid hold upon the entrails far within, brandishing summer fires kindled by fevers,
it contrives flights and spurns the bitter seat. 390

scilicet hoc motu stimulisque potentibus acti
in furias vertere canes. ergo insita ferro
iam teneris elementa mali causasque recidunt.
nec longa in facto medicinast ulcere: purum
sparge salem et tenui permulce vulnus olivo: 395
ante relata suas quam nox bene compleat umbras,
ecce aderit factique oblitus vulneris ultro
blanditur mensis cereremque efflagitat ore.

scilicet hoc motu stimulisque potentibus acti
in furias vertere canes. ergo insita ferro
iam teneris elementa mali causasque recidunt.
nec longa in facto medicina sit ulcere: purum
sparge salem et tenui permulce vulnus olivo: 395
ante relata suas quam nox bene compleat umbras,
ecce aderit factique oblitus vulneris ultro
blanditur mensis cereremque efflagitat ore.

quid, priscas artes inventaque simplicis aevi,
si referam? non illa metus solacia falsi 400
tam longam traxere fidem. collaribus ergo
sunt qui lucifugae cristas inducere maelis
iussere aut sacris conserta monilia conchis
et vivum lapidem et circa Melitensia nectunt
curalia et magicis adiutas cantibus herbas. 405

what, shall I recount the ancient arts and the inventions of a simple age?
did not those consolations of false fear draw faith so long? 400
therefore there are those who order that collars be made to receive the crests of the light‑fleeing (creatures) to be put in, or who fasten sacred necklaces joined to shells,
and bind a living stone and weave about Melitensian charms, and herbs aided by magical chants. 405

ac sic offectus oculique venena maligni
vicit tutela pax impetrata deorum.
at si deformis lacerum dulcedine corpus
persequitur scabies, longi via pessima leti:
in primo accessu tristis medicina, sed una 410
pernicies redimenda anima, quae prima sequaci
sparsa malost, ne dira trahant contagia vulgus.
quodsi dat spatium clemens et promonet ortu
morbus, disce vias et qua sinit artibus exi.

and so struck down, and the poisons of the evil eye conquered, the protection of peace obtained from the gods prevails.
but if an ill‑favored scab, with a gnawing sweetness, pursues the lacerated body — the most wretched road of long death:
at the first attack the medicine is sorrowful, but one thing
410
the soul must be redeemed from ruin, which, once first sprinkled with clinging balm, lest dire contagions draw the multitude.
but if merciful time grants a space and the disease gives warning at its rising,
learn the ways and by what arts it permits a way out.

tunc et odorato medicata bitumina vino 415
Hipponiasque pices neglectaeque unguen amurcae
miscuit et summam complectitur ignis in unam.
inde lavant aegros: atque ira coercita morbi
laxatusque rigor. quae te ne cura timentem
differat, et pluvias et Cauri frigora vitent; 420

Then also the bitumens, medicated with scented wine, and the Hipponian pitches and the neglected ointment of amurca he mixed, and fire embraces the whole sum into one.
Thence they wash the sick: and the disease's rage is restrained and the stiffness relaxed. Let not care, fearing, delay you, and may they shun rains and the cold of the Caurus; 415

duc magis, ut nudis incumbunt vallibus aestus,
a vento clarique faces ad solis, ut omne
exsudent vitium subeatque latentibus ultro
quae facta est medicina vadis. nec non tamen illum
spumosi catulos mergentem litoris aestu 425
respicit et facilis Paean adivvit in artes.
o rerum prudens quantam experientia vulgo
materiem largita boni, si vincere curent
desidiam et gratos agitando prendere finis!

lead more, as heats press upon the naked valleys,
from the wind and the bright torches toward the sun, so that every
vice may exude and may enter the lurking places moreover
which has become a medicine for the shallows. nor yet, however, does he not
look back upon him plunging the foaming pup in the shore’s tide 425
and the ready Paean assists him in arts.
O thou prudent in things, what great material of good experience
has lavishly given to the common folk, if they would take care to conquer
idleness and, by stirring, grasp pleasant ends!

est in Trinacria specus ingens rupe cavique 430
introsum reditus, circum atrae moenia silvae
alta premunt ruptique ambustis faucibus amnes;
Vulcano condicta domus. quam subter eunti
stagna sedent venis oleoque madentia vivo.
huc defecta mala vidi pecuaria tabe 435

there is in Trinacria a vast cave hollowed in rock and hollow, with entrances and returns, 430
around it the dark bulwarks of a wood press high, and rivers rent and scorched at their throats;
a house founded for Vulcan. Beneath it, as one goes,
pools sit soaking with living veins and oil. To this place I saw herds fallen, stricken by a cattle pestilent decay 435

saepe trahi victosque malo graviore magistros.
"te primum, Vulcane, loci, pacemque precamur,
incola sancte, tuam: da fessis ultima rebus
auxilia et, meriti si nulla est noxia tanti,
tot miserare animas liceatque attingere fontis,               440
sancte, tuos" ter quisque vocant, ter pinguia libant
tura foco, struitur ramis felicibus ara.
hic (dictu mirum atque alias ignobile monstrum)
adversis specibus ruptoque e pectore montis
venit ovans Austris et multo flumine flammae               445
emicat ipse: manu ramum pallente sacerdos
termiteum quatiens "procul hinc extorribus ire
edico praesente deo, praesentibus aris,
quis scelus aut manibus sumptum aut in pectore motum est"
inclamat: cecidere animi et trepidantia membra.               450

often the conquered and their masters are dragged off by a worse evil.
"you first, Vulcan, of the place, and of peace we beseech, holy inhabitant: grant to the weary a last aid in their affairs, and, if there is no guilt of so great a crime, have pity on so many souls and allow them to touch the spring,               440
holy, yours," each cries three times, three times they pour rich incense on the hearth, an altar is built of auspicious branches.
here (wonderful to tell and at the same time another ignoble marvel)
from opposing faces and from the riven heart of the mountain
it comes forth exulting with southern winds, and a great river of flame               445
itself bursts forth: the pale priest, shaking a thorn-branch in his hand,
crying out, "I forbid any one to go hence to alien altars; in the presence of the god, with the altars present, who is there whose crime either taken in his hands or stirred in his breast
is," he proclaims: spirits failed and trembling limbs gave way.               450

o quisquis misero fas umquam in supplice fregit,
quis pretio fratrum meliorisque ausus amici
sollicitare caput patriosve lacessere divos,
illum agat infandae comes huc audacia culpae:
discet commissa quantum deus ultor in ira 455
pone sequens valeat. sed cui bona pectore mens est
obsequitur<que> deo, deus illam molliter aram
lambit et ipse, suos ubi contigit ignis honores,
defugit a sacris rursumque reconditur antro:
huic fas auxilium et Vulcania tangere dona. 460
nec mora, si medias exedit noxia fibras,
his lave praesidiis adfectaque corpora mulce:
regnantem excuties morbum. deus auctor, et ipsa
artem aluit natura suam.

O whoever ever broke divine law in a wretched supplicant,
who by the price of brothers and daring of a better friend
dared to trouble a head or to provoke the ancestral gods,
may that companion of unspeakable guilt drive him hither in audacity of crime:
he will learn how great a thing a god avenger in wrath 455
is able to abase the one set after. But he whose mind is sound in heart
obeys the god, and the god himself gently laps the altar,
and where the fire has touched his honours, his own, the fire flees from the sacred rites and is again hidden in the cave:
to him it is lawful help and to touch Vulcanian gifts 460
nor delay, if it consumes the noxious fibres in their midst;
wash these with such safeguards and soothe the afflicted bodies:
you will cast off the reigning disease. God is the author, and Nature herself
has nourished her own art.

quae robore pestis
acrior aut leto propior via? sed tamen illi 465

which by strength is the pest fiercer or the way nearer to death? but nevertheless to them 465

hinc venit auxilium valida vehementius ira.
quod primam si fallet opem dimissa facultas,
at tu praecipitem qua spes est proxima labem
adgredere: in subito subita et medicina tumultu.
stringendae nares et <bi>na ligamina ferro 470
armorum, geminaque cruor ducendus ab aure:
hinc vitium, hinc illa est avidae vehementia pesti.

From this comes aid, more vehement through mighty anger.
But if abandoned means should fail the first succor,
yet you, where hope is nearest, assail the headlong ruin:
in sudden tumult a sudden remedy.
Compress the nostrils and <bi>na ligatures of iron 470
of arms, and twin blood must be led from the ear:
whence the fault, whence that eager violence of ravenous pestilence.

ilicet auxiliis fessum solabere corpus
subsiduasque fraces defusaque Massica prisco
sparge cado: Liber tenuis e pectore curas 475
exigit, et morbo Liber medicina furenti.
quid dicam tussis, quid inertis damna veterni
aut incurvatae siquast tutela podagrae?
mille tenent pestes curaque potentia maior.

Of course you will soothe the body, wearied by remedies,
and with successive draughts and Massic poured from an ancient cask sprinkle it:475
the slight Liber draws cares from the breast, and Liber is a medicine for the raging sickness.
what shall I say of cough, what of the harms of inert old age,
or of any safeguard against crooked gout? a thousand plagues seize, and the power of care is greater.

mitte age (non opibus tanta est fiducia nostris), 480

Come now, let it go (there is not so great a confidence in our resources), 480

mitte, anime: ex alto ducendum numen Olympo,
supplicibus<que> vocanda sacris tutela deorum.
idcirco aeriis molimur compita lucis
spicatasque faces sacrum ad nemorale Dianae
sistimus et solito catuli velantur honore,               485
ipsaque per flores medio in discrimine luci
stravere arma sacris et pace vacantia festa.
tum cadus et viridi fumantia liba feretro
praeveniunt teneraque extrudens cornua fronte
haedus et ad ramos etiamnum haerentia poma,               490
lustralis de more sacri, quo tota iuventus
lustraturque deae proque anno reddit honorem.
ergo impetrato respondet multa favore
ad partis, qua poscis opem; seu vincere silvas
seu tibi fatorum labes exire minasque               495

cura prior, tua magna fides tutelaque virgo.
restat equos finire notis, quos arma Dianae
admittant: non omne meas genus audet in artis.
est vitium ex animo, sunt quos imbellia fallant
corpora, praeveniens quondam est incommoda virtus. 500
consule, Penei qualis perfunditur amne
Thessalus aut patriae quem conspexere Mycenae
glaucum: nempe ingens, nempe ardua fundet in auras
crura.

Let care come first, your great faith and maidenly guardianship.
it remains to bridle the horses with reins, which Diana’s arms may receive: not every sort of my kind dares in the arts.
The fault is of the spirit; there are some whom unwarlike bodies betray, virtue, when preceding, is at times a hindrance. 500
Consider, Peneus-like, what sort a Thessalian is soaked by the stream, or him whom Mycenae of his fatherland have seen glaucous: surely he will fling huge, towering legs into the airs.

quis Eleas potior lustravit harenas?
ne tamen hoc attingat opus: iactantior illi 505
virtus quam silvas durumque lacessere martem.
nec saevos miratur equos terrena Syene
scilicet, et Parthis inter sua mollia rura
mansit honor; veniat Caudini saxa Taburni
Garganumve trucem aut Ligurinas desuper Alpes; 510

who more worthy has purified the Elean sands?
yet let this task not touch him: to him more vaunting is the virtue of assailing the woods and stern Mars; 505
nor does he marvel at the savage horses of earthly Syene, of course, and among the Parthians his honour remained amid their soft countrysides; let the stones of Caudine or Taburnus come, or fierce Garganus, or the Ligurian Alps from above; 510

ante opus excussis cadet unguibus. et tamen illi
est animus fingetque meas se iussus in artes:
sed iuxta vitium posuit deus. at tibi contra
Callaecis lustratur <e>quis scruposa Pyr<ene>,
non tamen Hispano martem temptare m<inistro> 515
ausim: <in> muricibus vix ora tenacia ferr<o>
concedunt.

before the task, shaken off, he will fall by his claws. and yet he has spirit and, when ordered, will shape himself into my arts: but God placed it beside the defect. but for you, on the other hand, is traversed by the Callaecan horse, the pebble‑strewn Pyrenean, 515
yet I would not dare to assay Martian war with a Spanish attendant: in rocky shells their tenacious mouths scarcely yield to iron.

at tota levi Nasam<onia virga>
fingit equos: ipsis Numidae solver<e capistris>
audax et patiens operum g<enus. Ille vigebit>
centum actus spatiis atque eluctabitur iram. 520
nec magni cultus: sterilis quodcumque remisit
terra sui tenuesque satis producere rivi.
sic et Strymonio facilis tutela Bisaltae:
possent Aetnaeas utinam se ferre per arces,
qui ludus Siculis.

but with a wholly light Nasamonian rod he fashions horses: bold to loose the bridles for the Numidae themselves and patient of the race's works. He will thrive for a hundred courses and will wrestle out his anger. 520
nor much cultivated: whatever the sterile land has sent back of its own and the slender streams produce sufficiently. Thus also the Bisaltian is an easy guardian for the Strymonian: would that they could carry themselves to Aetnean citadels, which is a game to the Sicilians.

quid tum, si turpia colla 525

what then, if shameful necks 525

aut tenuis dorso curvatur spina? per illos
cantatus Graiis Acragas victaeque fragosum
Nebroden liquere ferae: (o quantus in armis
ille meis quoius dociles pecuaria fetus
sufficient) quis Chaonios contendere contra 530
ausit, vix merita quos signat Achaia palma?
spadices vix Pellaei valuere Cerauni;
at tibi devotae magnum pecuaria Cyrrhae,
Phoebe, decus meruere, levis seu iungere currus
usus, seu nostras agere in sacraria tensas. 535
venanti melius pugnat color: optima nigr<a>
<cru>ra illi badiosque leg<a>nt et a * * *
<et quo>rum fessas imitantur terga favillas.

or is a slender spine bent on the back? through those chanted in Greek, the beasts of Acragas and the rugged Nebrodes, conquered, flowed away: (O how great that one in my arms, whose docile pastoral offspring suffice) who dared to contend against the Chaonians, whom scarce the prize that Achaia’s palm marks deserved? the bays scarce availed the Ceraunian slopes of Pellaeus; but for you, O Phoebe, the great pastoral herds devoted to Cyrrha earned a glory, whether the light use be to yoke chariots, or to draw our stretched sacrificial couches. for the hunter color fights better: the best are black ra and bays they would choose leg nt and a * * * whose flanks imitate tired ashes.

<o quan>tum Italiae (sic di voluere) parentes
<praestant> et terras omni praecepimus usu 540

<o quan>tum the ancestors of Italy (thus the gods willed) <praestant>, and we have apportioned lands for every use 540

<nostraque quam pernix> collustrat prata <iuventus>!

<nostraque quam pernix> brightens the meadows <iuventus>!

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