Eclogues

Vergil. The Bucolics, Aeneid, and Georgics Of Virgil. Greenough, J.B., editor. Boston: Ginn and Company, 1881.

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Cloned and adapted by Humanitext, with ongoing edits.

This collection of ten pastoral poems, or eclogues, depicts the lives and songs of shepherds set against an idealized rustic landscape. The work opens with a poignant dialogue reflecting the harsh reality of land confiscations during the civil wars, contrasting with the gratitude for newfound peace. Throughout the collection, shepherds lament unrequited love, engage in passionate singing contests, mourn and deify the mythical Daphnis, and prophesy the birth of a miraculous child who will usher in a new golden age. The songs also delve into cosmological myths sung by Silenus and the tragic love of the contemporary poet Gallus in Arcadia. Interweaving the political turmoil of the real world with the serene beauty of the pastoral world, the poems beautifully capture the range of human emotions.