Georg. 4.191Nec vērō ā stabulīs pluviā impendente recēdunt
longius aut crēdunt caelō adventantibus Eurīs,
sed circum tūtae sub moenibus urbis aquantur,
excursūsque brevēs temptant et saepe lapillōs,
195ut cumbae īnstabilēs flūctū iactante saburram,
tollunt, hīs sēsē per inānia nūbila lībrant.Nor indeed, when rain threatens, do they go far from their stalls, or trust the sky when East Winds are approaching, but in safety they fetch water around them beneath the walls of their city, and try short sallies, and often, as unsteady skiffs take on ballast in the tossing waves, they lift little stones, and with these balance themselves through the empty clouds. Georg. 4.197Illum adeō placuisse apibus mīrābere mōrem,
quod neque concubitū indulgent nec corpora segnēs
in Venerem solvunt aut fētūs nīxibus ēdunt:
200vērum ipsae ē foliīs nātōs, ē suāvibus herbīs
ōre legunt, ipsae rēgem parvōsque Quirītēs
sufficiunt aulāsque et cērea regna refīgunt.You will marvel that this custom above all has pleased the bees, that they do not indulge in mating, nor idly relax their bodies in love, or bring forth young in birth-pangs: but they themselves gather their children with their mouths from leaves and sweet herbs, they themselves supply a king and little citizens, and rebuild their courts and waxen realms.
Georg. 4.203saepe etiam dūrīs errandō in cōtibus alās
attrīvēre ultrōque animam sub fasce dedēre:
205tantus amor flōrum et generandī glōria mellis.often too, wandering on hard rocks, they have worn out their wings and freely given up their life under their burden: so great is their love of flowers and their glory in producing honey. Georg. 4.206Ergō ipsās quamvīs angustī terminus aevī
excipiat, neque enim plūs septima dūcitur aestās,
at genus immortāle manet multōsque per annōs
stat fortūna domus et avī numerantur avōrum.So, though the limit of a narrow lifespan awaits the bees themselves (for it extends no further than a seventh summer), yet the race remains immortal, and for many years the fortune of the house stands firm, and grandfathers' grandfathers are counted. Georg. 4.210Praetereā rēgem nōn sīc Aegyptus et ingēns
Lȳdia nec populī Parthōrum aut Mēdus Hydaspēs
observant.Moreover, not Egypt and mighty Lydia, nor the peoples of the Parthians, nor the Median Hydaspes so revere their king. Georg. 4.212Rēge incolumī mēns omnibus ūna est;While the king is safe, all have one mind; Georg. 4.213āmissō rūpēre fidem cōnstrūctaque mella
dīripuēre ipsae et crātēs solvere favōrum.when he is lost, they break faith, and themselves tear apart the honey they have built and break up the lattices of the combs.
Georg. 4.215Ille operum custōs, illum admīrantur et omnēs
circumstant fremitū dēnsō stīpantque frequentēs
et saepe attollunt umerīs et corpora bellō
obiectant pulchramque petunt per vulnera mortem.He is the guardian of their works; him they revere, and all stand around him with a dense humming and throng him in crowds, and often lift him on their shoulders, and expose their bodies to war, and seek a glorious death through wounds.