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Vergil · Georgics

Georgics 2.298–314

Warnings for the vine-grower

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Georg. 2.298Nēve tibi ad sōlem vergant vīnēta cadentem,
Nēve inter vītīs corylum sere, nēve flagella
300summa pete aut summā dēfringe ex arbore plantās
tantus amor terrae—neu ferrō laede retūnsō
sēmina, nēve oleae silvestris īnsere truncōs:
nam saepe incautīs pāstōribus excīdit ignis,
quī fūrtim pinguī prīmum sub cortice tēctus
305rōbora conprendit frondēsque ēlāpsus in altās
ingentem caelō sonitum dedit;
Let your vineyards not slope towards the setting sun, do not plant hazel among the vines, and do not seek the topmost shoots or break off cuttings from the top of the tree — so great is their love of the earth — and do not wound the plants with a blunted blade, nor graft in trunks of wild olive: for fire often falls from careless shepherds, which, hidden at first stealthily beneath the rich bark, seizes the wood, and slipping into the high leaves sends a huge roar to the sky;
Georg. 2.306inde secūtus
per rāmōs victor perque alta cacūmina regnat
et tōtum involvit flammīs nemus et ruit ātram
ad caelum piceā crassus cālīgine nūbem,
310praesertim sī tempestās ā vertice silvīs
incubuit glomeratque ferēns incendia ventus.
then following through the branches it reigns victorious over the high treetops, and wraps the whole grove in flames, and thick with pitchy murk hurls a black cloud to the sky, especially if a storm has swooped down on the woods from above, and a driving wind rolls the blaze along.

Georg. 2.312Hoc ubi, nōn ā stirpe valent caesaeque revertī
possunt atque īmā similēs revīrēscere terrā;
When this happens, they have no strength from the stock, and cannot, when cut, come back and grow green again from the soil below as they were;
Georg. 2.314īnfēlīx superat foliīs oleaster amārīs.the barren oleaster with its bitter leaves survives.

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Latin vocabulary for this passage (99 words)
nēve or neu, conj.and that not, and not, nor
tū, tuī, pers. pron.thou, you
ad, prep. with acc.to, toward; at, near; for
sōl, sōlis, m.sun
vergō, -ereslope, lie (toward)
vīnētum, -ī n.vineyard
cadō, cadere, cecidī, cāsūrusfall
inter, prep, with acc.among, between
vītis, -is f.vine
corylus, -ī f.hazel tree, hazel
serō, serere, sēvī, satussow, plant
flagellum, -ī n.whip, scourge
summus, -a, -umuppermost, highest, greatest
petō, -ere, -īvī or -iī, -ītusseek, ask; attack
aut, conj.or; aut ... aut, either ... or
dēfringō, -ere, -frēgī, -frāctusbreak off
ex, ē (prep. + abl.)out of, from; of (ē only before consonants)
arbor, -oris, f.tree
planta, -ae f.sole of the foot; a young shoot, plant
tantus, -a, -umso great or much
amor, -ōris, m.love
terra, -ae, f.land, earth
ferrum, -ī n.iron; iron point, sword
laedō, -ere, laesī, laesushurt, injure; break (an oath)
retundō, -ere, rettudī, retūsusbeat back, blunt
sēmen, sēminis n.seed
olea, -ae f.olive tree; olive
silvestris, -ewooded
īnserō, -ere, -seruī, -sertumput in, insert
truncus, -ī m.tree trunk
nam, conj.for
saepe, adv.often, frequently
incautus, -a, -umoff one's guard, careless
pāstor, -tōris, m.shepherd
excīdō, -cīdere, -cīdī, -cīsuscut out, cut down, hew through
ignis, -is, m.fire
quī, quae, quod, rel. pron.who, which
fūrtim (adv.)stealthily, secretly
pinguis, -efat
prīmum, adv.first, in the first place
sub, prep. with acc. and abl.under; sub vesperum, towards evening
cortex, -icis m.bark
tegō, tegere, tēxī, tēctuscover
rōbur, rōboris, n.oak
comprehendō, -prehendere, -prehendī, -prehēnsusseize, catch
frōns, frondis f.leafy branch, foliage
que, enclitic conj.and
ēlābor, -lābī, -lāpsus sumslip away, escape
in, prep. with acc. and abl.with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on
altus, -a, -umhigh, deep; altum, -ī, n., the deep
ingēns, -gentis, adj.huge, vast
caelum, -ī, n.heaven, sky
sonitus, -ūs, m.sound, noise
dō, dare, dedī, datusgive
inde (adv.)from there; then
sequor, sequī, secūtusfollow
per, prep, with ace.through, by means of
rāmus, -ī, m.branch, bough
victor, -ōris m.conqueror, victor
cacūmen, -minis n.top, tip, point
regnō, -āre, -āvī, -ātusreign, rule
et, conj.and; et ... et, both ... and
tōtus, -a, -umall the, the whole or entire
involvō, -ere, -volvī, -volūtusroll up, wrap, envelop
flamma, -ae, f.flame
nemus, -oris n.grove, wood
ruō, -ere, -ī, -itūrusrush
āter, ātra, ātrumblack, dark; gloomy
piceus, -a, -umpitch-black
cālīgō, -inis f.mist, fog; darkness, gloom
nūbēs, -is, f.cloud
praesertim (adv.)especially
sī, conj.if
tempestās, -tātis, f.weather; storm, tempest
ā, ab (prep. + abl.)away from, from; by (ā only before consonants)
vertex, -icis m.top of the head, crown; summit
silva, -ae, f.wood, forest
incumbō, -ere, -cubuī, -cubitumlean on; throw oneself into, devote oneself to
glomerō, -āre, -āvī, -ātusgather into a ball, mass together
ferō, ferre, tulī, lātusbear, bring
incendium, -ī n.fire, burning
ventus, -ī, m.wind
hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron.this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter
ubi, adv.where; conj., when
nōn, adv.not
stirps, stirpis f.stock, root; family, race
valeō, -ēre, -uī, -itūrusbe strong or effectual, have effect, prevail
caedō, -ere, cecīdī, caesumcut, cut down; kill
revertor, -vertī, -versus, perf. act. -vertīturn back, return
possum, posse, potuībe able, have power, can
atque, ac (conj.)and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants)
īmus, -a, -umlowest (ab īmō: from the bottom)
similis, -elike, similar (vērī similis: likely)
revīrēscō, -ere, -vīruīgrow green again, revive
īnfēlīx, -fēlīcis, adj.unhappy, unfortunate
superō, -āre, -āvī, -ātusovercome, defeat, conquer
folium, -ī n.leaf
oleaster, -trī m.wild olive tree
amārus, -a, -umbitter
Vergil, Georgics. Latin text: J. B. Greenough, The Bucolics, Aeneid, and Georgics of Virgil (Boston, 1881), public domain; digital text from the Perseus Digital Library, CC BY-SA. Word analysis: drafted by our own tagger (trained on the hand-checked texts on this site), with every doubtful word checked by hand. English translation and section titles: written for this app, each checked against the Latin by a second reader.