Ecl. 7.1Forte sub argūtā cōnsēderat īlice Daphnis,
compulerantque gregēs Corydōn et Thyrsis in ūnum, Thyrsis ovīs, Corydōn distentās lacte capellās,
ambō flōrentēs aetātibus, Arcadēs ambō,
5et cantāre parēs, et respondēre parātī.By chance Daphnis had sat down beneath a whispering holm-oak, and Corydon and Thyrsis had driven their flocks together, Thyrsis his sheep, Corydon his she-goats swollen with milk, both in the flower of their youth, Arcadians both, equal in singing and ready to respond. Ecl. 7.6Hūc mihi, dum tenerās dēfendō ā frīgore myrtōs,
vir gregis ipse caper dēerrāverat;Here, while I was protecting my tender myrtles from the cold, the husband of the flock himself, my he-goat, had strayed; Ecl. 7.7atque ego Daphnim
aspiciō.and I catch sight of Daphnis. Ecl. 7.8Ille ubi mē contrā videt: "Ōcius" inquit
"hūc ades, Ō Meliboee, caper tibi salvus et haedī;When he sees me opposite, he says, 'Quick, come here, O Meliboeus; your goat and kids are safe; Ecl. 7.10et, sī quid cessāre potes, requiēsce sub umbrā.and if you can idle a while, rest beneath the shade. Ecl. 7.11hūc ipsī pōtum venient per prāta iuvencī,
hīc viridīs tenerā praetexit arundine rīpās
Mincius, ēque sacrā resonant exāmina quercū."here the bullocks will come of their own accord through the meadows to drink, here the Mincius fringes its green banks with tender reed, and swarms hum from the sacred oak.' Ecl. 7.14Quid facerem?What was I to do?
Ecl. 7.14Neque ego Alcippēn, nec Phyllida habēbam,
15dēpulsōs ā lacte domī quae clauderet agnōs,
et certāmen erat, Corydōn cum Thyrside, magnum.I had neither Alcippe nor Phyllis to shut up at home my lambs weaned from milk, and there was a contest, Corydon against Thyrsis, a great one. Ecl. 7.17posthabuī tamen illōrum mea sēria lūdō:
alternīs igitur contendere versibus ambō
coepēre;still, I set my serious business behind their game: so both began to contend in alternate verses; Ecl. 7.19alternōs Mūsae meminisse volēbant.the Muses wished to recall alternate verses. Ecl. 7.20hōs Corydōn, illōs referēbat in ōrdine Thyrsis.Corydon gave these in order, Thyrsis those. Ecl. 7.21Nymphae, noster amor, Libēthridēs, aut mihi carmen,
quāle meō Codrō, concēdite: proxima Phoebī
versibus ille facit;Libethrian Nymphs, my love, either grant me such a song as you grant my Codrus: he makes verses next to Phoebus' own; Ecl. 7.23aut, sī nōn possumus omnēs,
hīc argūta sacrā pendēbit fistula pīnū.or, if we cannot all do so, my tuneful pipe will hang here on the sacred pine. Ecl. 7.25Pāstōrēs, hederā crēscentem ōrnāte poētam,
Arcadēs, invidiā rumpantur ut īlia Codrō;Shepherds, adorn your rising poet with ivy, Arcadians, so that Codrus may burst his sides with envy; Ecl. 7.27aut sī ultrā placitum laudārit, baccare frontem
cingite, nē vātī noceat mala lingua futūrō.or if he praises me beyond what is pleasing, bind my brow with baccar, so that no evil tongue may harm the bard to be.
Ecl. 7.29Saetōsī caput hoc aprī tibi, Dēlia, parvus
30et rāmōsa Micōn vīvācis cornua cervī.This head of a bristly boar, Delia, little Micon offers you, and the branching antlers of a long-lived stag. Ecl. 7.31Sī proprium hoc fuerit, levī dē marmore tōta
pūniceō stābis sūrās ēvīncta coturnō.If this luck holds, you will stand full length in smooth marble, your calves bound with purple buskins. Ecl. 7.33Sinum lactis et haec tē lība, Priāpe, quotannīs
exspectāre sat est: custōs es pauperis hortī.A bowl of milk and these cakes, Priapus, are enough for you to expect each year: you are the guardian of a poor garden. Ecl. 7.35Nunc tē marmoreum prō tempore fēcimus;For now we have made you of marble, as times allow; Ecl. 7.35at tū,
sī fētūra gregem supplēverit, aureus estō.but if the breeding fills up the flock, be made of gold. Ecl. 7.37Nērīnē Galatēa, thymō mihi dulcior Hyblae,
candidior cycnīs, hederā fōrmōsior albā,
cum prīmum pāstī repetent praesēpia taurī,
40sī qua tuī Corydōnis habet tē cūra, venītō.Galatea, daughter of Nereus, sweeter to me than the thyme of Hybla, whiter than swans, lovelier than pale ivy, as soon as the bulls come back fed to their stalls, if you have any care for your Corydon, come.
Ecl. 7.41Immō ego Sardoniīs videar tibi amārior herbīs,
horridior ruscō, prōiectā vīlior algā,
sī mihi nōn haec lūx tōtō iam longior annō est.Nay, may I seem to you more bitter than Sardinian herbs, rougher than butcher's broom, more worthless than cast-up seaweed, if this day is not now longer to me than a whole year. Ecl. 7.44Īte domum pāstī, sī quis pudor, īte iuvencī.Go home, my bullocks, you have fed; if you have any shame, go home. Ecl. 7.45Muscōsī fontēs et somnō mollior herba,
et quae vōs rārā viridis tegit arbutus umbrā,
sōlstitium pecorī dēfendite;Mossy springs, and grass softer than sleep, and the green arbutus that covers you with its scant shade, ward off the summer heat from the flock; Ecl. 7.47iam vēnit aestās
torrida, iam lentō turgent in palmite gemmae.now the scorching summer comes, now the buds swell on the pliant shoot. Ecl. 7.49Hīc focus et taedae pinguēs, hīc plūrimus ignis
50semper, et adsiduā postēs fūlīgine nigrī;Here is a hearth and resinous pine-torches, here a great fire always, and doorposts black with constant soot; Ecl. 7.51hīc tantum Boreae cūrāmus frīgora, quantum
aut numerum lupus, aut torrentia flūmina rīpās.here we care as much for the cold of the North Wind as the wolf cares for the number of the sheep, or torrents for their banks.
Ecl. 7.53Stant et iūniperī, et castaneae hirsūtae;The junipers stand, and the shaggy chestnuts; Ecl. 7.54strāta iacent passim sua quāque sub arbore pōma;the fruits lie strewn everywhere, each under its own tree; Ecl. 7.55omnia nunc rīdent: at sī fōrmōsus Alexis
montibus hīs abeat, videās et flūmina sicca.everything smiles now: but if lovely Alexis were to leave these hills, you would see even the rivers dry. Ecl. 7.57Āret ager;The field is parched; Ecl. 7.57vitiō moriēns sitit āeris herba;the grass, dying from the sickly air, thirsts; Ecl. 7.58Līber pampineās invīdit collibus umbrās:
Phyllidis adventū nostrae nemus omne virēbit,
60Iuppiter et laetō dēscendet plūrimus imbrī.Liber has grudged the hills the shade of vine leaves: at the coming of my Phyllis every grove will be green, and Jupiter will descend in abundance in joyful rain. Ecl. 7.61Pōpulus Alcīdae grātissima, vītis Iacchō,
fōrmōsae myrtus Venerī, sua laurea Phoebō;The poplar is dearest to Alcides, the vine to Iacchus, the myrtle to lovely Venus, his own laurel to Phoebus; Ecl. 7.63Phyllis amat corylōs: illās dum Phyllis amābit,
nec myrtus vincet corylōs, nec laurea Phoebī.Phyllis loves the hazels: as long as Phyllis loves them, neither myrtle nor Phoebus' laurel will surpass the hazels.
Ecl. 7.65Fraxinus in silvīs pulcherrima, pīnus in hortīs,
pōpulus in fluviīs, abiēs in montibus altīs:
saepius at sī mē, Lycida fōrmōse, revīsās,
fraxinus in silvīs cēdat tibi, pīnus in hortīs.The ash is loveliest in the woods, the pine in gardens, the poplar by the rivers, the fir on the high mountains: but if you visit me more often, lovely Lycidas, the ash in the woods would yield to you, and the pine in the gardens. Ecl. 7.69Haec meminī, et victum frūstrā contendere Thyrsim:
70ex illō Corydōn Corydōn est tempore nōbīs.These things I remember, and how Thyrsis, beaten, contended in vain: from that time Corydon has been Corydon for us.