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 fift Eclog intituled: Daphnis.
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 | The Bvcoliks of Pvblivs Virgilivs Maro |  |
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The fift Eclog intituled: Daphnis.
The Argument.
Two shepheards, both freends, and the one elder, the other yonger, are presented vnto vs in this eclog singing avy, or in course and turnes, wherevpon the poet taketh occasion to write an epitaph or funerall verse, which doth wholy comprise an allegoricall meaning, and is to be vnderstood either of Iulius Cæsar a little before the making hereof slaine in the parliament house, or of his cousine Quintilius (as Seruius supposeth) whose death he lamēted vnmesurably: of which matter ther is a gallāt verse in the first book of Horace his Odes. Some imagine that these things are meant of his brother Flaccus, whose vntimely death he bemoneth vnder the name of Daphnis. Notwithstanding all this, be as be may, the whole argument and drift of the epitaph dooth sufficient shew that all these thinges are to be vnderstood of Cæsar.
Menalcas.
O Mops because together we are met, both being good,
Thou for to whistle on thy pipe, and I light songs to sing,
Why do we not sit downe toge-ther here among the elms,
Mingled with hazels; [by their shade to saue vs from the sun.]
Mo.
O Menalc thou mine elder art, and therefore meet it is
That I obey thee, whether we do go into the shades
Uncerteine, when the westerne winds do moue [and blow]
Or rather go into a caue, behold the vinetree wild
How it hath ouerspread the caue with branches [growing] thin.
Me.
Let Amynt all alone striue with thee in [these] hils of ours,
Mo.
What if the same [Amynt] should striue to conquer Phebe in singing?
Me.
Begin thou first ô Mops to sing if thou haue any loue
Of Phyllis, or haue Alcons praise, or Codrus [angrie] bralles,
Begin, for Tityr he will keepe [and tend] thy feeding kids.
Mo.
Nay rather I will trie to sing the songs, which lately I
Wrote on the greene barke of a beech, and singing tunably,
Hauing noted them by course; bid Amynt striue [sing] after me.
Me.
As much as limber willow tree giues place to oliue pale,
As much as spike low [by the ground] giues place to rosiers red:
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But sirra ceasse [more words to say] she are come to the caue.
Mop.
The nymphs did mourne and moue Daphnis by cruell death y'slaine,
O hazell trees and riuers too, the nymphs you witnesse bee,
When as his mother did imbrace his sonnes most wofull corps,
She cald the gods [most cruell] and the stars she cruell cald;
O Daphnis shepheards none did driue their bullocks [grazd and] fed
Unto the riuers coole in those daies, no fourefooted beast
Did tast the watersprings, ne toucht one blade or leafe of grasse;
O Daphnis all the mounteins wild and woods report and say
That euen the Lions of Africa lamented at thy death.
Daphnis deuised first to ioine together in a coch,
The tigres of Armenia, and Daphnis [first deuisd]
To wind and bind the limber speares about with softish leaues.
As to the trees the vine is [all] the honour and the praise,
As to the vine the grapes, as to the flocke the [sturdie] buls,
As to the fat [and rankest] fields the [ripened] standing corne;
So thou to thine the honor art now after thou art dead.
Pales hir selfe hath left the field, Apollo too hath left them,
Unluckie tares and barren otes beare sway in plowed lands,
Wherein we oftentimes cast bar-lie [seed corne] great and large,
In steed of violets soft and lil-lies red rise vp [and grow]
Thistle and shrub [beset about] with sharpe and pricking thorns.
O shepherds scatter you the ground with leaues, and shadowes bring
To and vpon the water springs [make groues about the same]
Daphnis commands such things be done for him [vnto his praise;]
And make a toome, and on the toome this verse [of memory] set:
Daphnis I am, knowne in the woods from hence vnto the stars,
Of cattell faire a keeper, yet fairer [than they] my selfe.
Me.
O heauenly poet this thy song is euen such to vs,
As to the weary quiet sleepe, vpon the grasse [so greene]
As in a heat and drought to quench ones thirst with springing streames
Of water sweet, thou doost not on-ly match thy maister iumpe
In piping, but in singing too. O Mops thou luckie youth,
Thou shalt be now the next to him [the second man I meane]
Howbeit we will sing our songs in some sort [as we may]
By course againe to thee, and will lift vp vnto the stars
Daphnis thy deere, Daphnis we will lift vp vnto the stars:
Daphnis [made very much of vs, and] likewise loued vs.
Mop.
Can any thing more deerer be to vs than such a gift?
The youth himselfe [euen Dapnis sweet] was woorthy to be soong,
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Me.
White Daphnis woondreth at the light vnwoonted of Olympus,
And vnderfoot doth see the clouds and stars that shine beneath,
And therefore pleasure doth possesse the glad and ioyfull woods,
And other countrie grounds beside, and Pan and shepheards too,
And those same gyrles the Dryades [which keepe among the okes.]
The woolfe deuiseth not ne thinks on snares for sillie beasts,
Ne trains and nets deuise deceit for [stags and running] harts,
Good Daphnis loueth quietnesse [he loueth rest and peace:]
The hils vnshorne lift vp for ioy their voices to the stars,
The rocks themselues, the very groues [for ioy] sound out their songs,
A god is Daphnis [doubtlesse] he O Menalc is a god.
O Daphnis O be good and kind and gratious vnto thine;
Behold foure altars, two for thee O Daphnis, and for Phebe
Two other altars. I will dresse and readie make for thee
Yerely two pots both foming [full] of new milke [to the brim,]
And two kans full of good fat oile; and being merry I
Will make thee bankets first of all, with much wine [thervnto,]
Before the fire if it be cold, if hot then in the shade,
And I will poure out quaffing cups of malmsey wines [which are]
New [strange and passing pleasant drinks] like ippocrasse in tast.
Damet and Ægon he of Creet shall sing songs vnto me,
Alphesibey shall counterfeit the dansing satyrs too;
These [duties] euer shalbe done to thee [for honors sake:]
And when we shall restore and pay the nymphs our woonted vowes,
And when we shall deuoutly view and go about the feelds,
Whiles bore shall loue the tops of hils, or fish the riuers [streames]
Whiles bees shall feed of thyme and grashoppers of [heauenly] deaw,
Thy honor, name, and praises shall for euermore remaine:
To thee shall husbandmen [and all that dwell in countrie soile]
Make vowes, as vnto Bacchus and to Ceres [they do vse]
And thou shalt charge them with their vowes [in binding them to pay.]
Mop.
What gifts, what gifts for such a song shall I bestow on thee?
For neither doth the blast of sow-therne wind when as it coms,
Nor watershores and banks [bedasht] and beaten with the flouds,
Nor streames which downward run among the vallies full of stones,
So much delight and please me [as the song which thou hast soong.]
Me.
We will bestow vpon thee first this brittle pipe; this pipe
Taught vs, the shepheard Corydon did loue Alexis faire,
The same taught vs, whose beasts be these, are they Melibs or no?
Mo.
But Menalc take thou here my shep-heards staffe, which Antigen
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(And yet at that time Antigen was worthie to be loued)
My trim faire staffe with euen knots and [shepheards] hooke of brasse.
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