The Bvcoliks of Pvblivs Virgilivs Maro Prince of all Latine Poets; otherwise called his Pastoralls, or shepeherds meetings. Together with his Georgiks or Ruralls, otherwise called his husbandrie, conteyning foure books. All newly translated into English verse by A. F. [i.e. Abraham Fleming] |
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The fyrst Eclog of Virgill, intituled: Tityrus.
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 | The Bvcoliks of Pvblivs Virgilivs Maro |  |
1
The fyrst Eclog of Virgill, intituled: Tityrus.
The Argument.
Melibey a Shepherd, and familiar freend of Tityrus, (in the person of all the Mantuans) being forced to forsake his lands and possessions in Mantua, tooke his flight through a peece of ground, where he found Tityrus, and heard him vnder a beech tree pleasantly piping a song of his sweete hart Amaryll, and therevpon spake vnto him, saying. O Tityrus, &c. Nowe you must suppose that Melibey had on a Shepherds cote, which he had priuilie gotten away to disguise himselfe in flight, draging after him a sillye Gote, with his one hand, and holding his shepherds staffe in the other, hauing also vpon his necke and shoulders, a little fardle or trusse, and so droue his flocke of Gotes before him.
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Speakers' names have been abbreviated in this text. Major characters' names have been abbreviated as follows:
- For Me. read Melibey;
- For Ti. read Tityrus.
O Tityrus thou lieng vnder shade of spreading beech,
Doost play a countrie song vpon a slender oten pipe,
We do forsake our countrie bounds, & medowes sweet [which be]
We doo forsake our natiue soile, thou Tityr slug in shade
Doost teach the woods to sound so shrill, thy loue faire Amaryll.
Ti.
O Melibey [our] god hath wrought this quietnesse for vs,
For he shall euer be my god, his altars oftentimes
A tender lambe out of my folds shall colour and imbrue,
He suffered my sheepe to stray [and feed] as thou doost see,
And eeke my selfe on countrie pipe to play what songs I would.
Me.
I doo not grudge at this thy good, but rather woonder I,
That troubles so exceeding great, feelds ouer euery where
Yet see my selfe a sickly man, doo driue my gotes aloofe,
O Tityrus this gote also scarse doo I leade or guide:
For but a while ago euen heere, among the hazels thicke,
Foorth hauing brought with mickle paine, hir twins [a he and shee]
My hope of flocke, vpon a flint bare shee [alacke] them left,
2
Foretold vs [many a time] and oft, of this foule euill lucke,
If that our mind vntoward [stand starke foolish] had not beene,
Oftimes the crow from hollow holme foretold vnhappy newes,
But yet what god this is giue vs O Tityr t'vnderstand.
Tit.
O Melibey I foolish man, thought that the citie, which
They do call Rome, was like to this of ours, whereto full oft
We shepheards vse to driue the ten-der weanlings of our sheepe,
I know also that puppies yoong are like their bitch [or dam]
And kids to gotes, so great with small I vsed to compare.
But this did lift hir head so high among all other townes,
As cipres trees are woont among the oziers apt to bend.
Mel.
And what so great occasion was, to thee of seeing Rome?
Tit.
Euen libertie which late did looke vpon me slouenlike,
But fairer now my beard is falne, with pouling it away.
Yet libertie hath lookt on me, and after long is come,
Euen after Amaryllis hath and Galath left vs quite,
For (I will now confesse the truth) whiles Galath did possesse me,
Ne hope was there of liberty, ne care of cattell mine,
Though many a sacrifice did go out of my sheepcotes then,
And good fat cheeses prest and made for that vnthankfull towne,
Yet neuer full of mony came my right hand backward home.
Mel.
O Amaryll I woondred why thou sad on gods wouldst call,
For whom thou suffer wouldst thy frute vpon their tree to hang,
From hence was Tityrus away, O Tityrus the pines,
The water-springs and these same groues did call thee by thy name.
Tit.
What should I do? bicause I may not out of seruice go,
Nor any where [but here in Rome] such present gods to know?
O Melibey here I haue seene [Cæsar] that proper youth,
For whom our altars yerely smoke twise six daies euery month,
He first gaue answer here to me then humbly making sute,
O youths your oxen feed as erst, your buls put vnder yoke.
Mel.
O luckie old man therfore thy lands shal whole remain to thee,
And large enough, albeit that bare stones and fennie flouds
Do ouerlay the pastures all with muddy rush and sedge,
Unwoonted feeding shall not taint thy cattell great with yoong,
Nor ill disease of neighbours beasts, shall do hurt vnto thine,
O luckie old man thou oft shalt take the fresh and shadie cold,
Euen here among the riuers knowne and holy water springs,
On this side shall thy sense or hedge next by thy neighbours bounds,
Thy hedge of willow trees whose floure are eat of Hybla bees,
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On th' other side the treelopper from vnder mountaine high
Shall chaunt and sing with voice alowd [persing the aiery skie]
Yet in the meane time ringdoues hoarse, thy care [and great delight]
Ne turtle doue shall ceasse to moorne from loftie tree of elme.
Tit.
Therfore the stags so light [of foot like birds] shal feed in th' aire,
The seas shall faile, and fishes leaue all bare vpon the shore,
The Parthian pilgrime first shall drinke of Arax riuer cleere,
Or one of Germanie shall drinke of Tigris flowing streames,
(The bounds of both gone round about) [and passed far and neere]
Before his face and countenance shall slip out of my brest.
Mel.
But we will hense depart some to the thirstie Africans,
Part of vs into Scithia [by trauelling] will come,
And to Oaxis rough of Creet [a riuer passing swift]
And to the Brittans parted from the vniuersall world.
Lo on a day I beholding of my natiue countrie bounds,
Long time hereafter seeing too some summers ouerpast,
The couering of my cottage poore all made and thatcht with turfe,
[Which cottage was] my kingdome, shall I woonder at the same?
Shall wicked soldiors haue and hold these fallow fields so trimd?
And strangers reape this crop of mine; alacke behold whereto
Discord hath brought [and drawne by force] our wofull citizens;
See now for whome our fields we haue [with seed in seedtime] sowne,
O Melibey now pearetress graft, and vines in order set,
And go my gotes, erst happie beasts, to places go vnknowne,
I being laid along vpon a vallie fresh and greene
Hereafter shall not see you hang vpon the bushie banks,
I will not sing songs any more, nor you my little gotes,
Shall neuer crop the blooming shrub, and bitter willow trees
I feeding you [or all the while that I prouide you food.]
Tit.
Howbeit here thou maist thee rest with me this [present] night,
Upon greene leaues [in grassie ground] ripe apples [some] we haue,
Soft chestnuts, and of creame and curds [for cheese] we haue good store,
And now the highest tops of farms far off do cast a smoke,
And greater shadowes [than before] from mountains high do fall.
| The Bvcoliks of Pvblivs Virgilivs Maro | |