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 sixt Eclog conteineth a sonnet or song
of Silenus, by whom is meant the poet Virgill himselfe.
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 | The Bvcoliks of Pvblivs Virgilivs Maro |  |
The sixt Eclog conteineth a sonnet or song of Silenus, by whom is meant the poet Virgill himselfe.
The Argument.
As elsewhere before, so here also the poet confesseth that hee swarueth from the simplicitie and plainenesse of Theocritus, whome in very many things he followeth, adding a certaine excuse of his owne dooings and times, wherein the plainenesse of Theocritus could not euery wher be shewed, no though he did neuer so temper his stile and frame his phrase, as of high matters, as much as might be possible, not to speake otherwise than in certaine rurall and pastorall allegories. Touching the argument it selfe, you must note, that as in the fourth eclog the poet aduanced Pollio and his sonne: so in this eclog writing to Varus he promiseth to declare his praises: and because he was an Epicure (as Seruius saith) therefore it is thought that in this eclog the sect of Epicures is expressed. For as they placed the souereigne or cheefest good in voluptuousnesse and pleasure, which is principally occupied in tasting and feeling: so the poet bringeth in Silenus drunke and drowzie, the Satyrs lecherous and wanton, vnto whome he ioyneth a faire nymph, ladie of this eclog. So that in Silenus we haue the portraiture of drunkennesse & drowzinesse, and in the others the representation of Venerie and fleshlie pleasures. The remnant concerning the originals of all things, as also of the beginning of the world are borrowed & fetcht from the opinion of Epicure which he receiued and tooke of Democritus.
Our muse Thalia first of all vouchsafed hath to play
In verse of Siracuse and hath not blusht to dwell in woods:
When as I sang of kings and wars, Apollo pluckt mine eare,
And warned me, O Tityrus a shepheard it behooues
To feed his fattie sheepe, and sing a base and homely song.
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Upon a slender [pipe of] reed, for thou shalt haue enow
To tell thy praises, and to make [bookes of] thy battels [fought]
I do not sing vnbidden things: but yet if any bee,
If any be taken with loue, these base songs let him read,
O Vare our shrubs shall sing of thee, and so shall euery wood,
Ne shall there any booke more pleasing be to mighty Phebe,
Than is the same which written hath it selfe the name of Vare.
O muses you of hier mount proceed; Chrome and Mnasil
The boies saw Silen lie asleepe in caue, his veins puft vp
With [swilling] wine but yesterday, as alwaies he is woont,
His garlands only fallen from his head did lie far off,
And neere him hoong a mightie kan with eare [or handle] worne,
These boies setting on Silen cast vpon him binding bands,
Made of the very garlands, for old Silen oftentimes
Had both these boies beguiled with [vaine] hope of [promis'd] song,
Ægle the fair'st of waternymphs hir selfe companion ioind,
And commeth in the nicke [to helpe and succour] them afraid.
Ægle she paints old Silens browes, and temples of his head,
With bloudie [colour] mulberries, he being now awake,
And laughing at the subtill iest said [to them] To what end
Knit you these knots and bands; O boies loose me, it is ynough
That I could haue beene seene of you [being seene but when I list:]
Know songs of me now what you will, songs to you [I will sing]
[But] to this Ægle shalbe [giuen] another [due] reward:
And herewithall old Silen doth begin himselfe to sing.
Now truly then thou mightst behold the Fauns and beasts so wild,
To play and skip, to leape and danse in number and in time,
Stiffe okes also full oft to moue [and shake] their tops aloft,
Parnassus hill doth not so much delight and ioy in Phebe,
Nor Rhodope and Ismarus [two hils which be in Thrace]
Do not so greatly muse and mar-uell at the [songs] of Orph,
As all the world reioiseth [whiles old] Silen is a singing.
For he did sing how seeds [and first beginnings] of the earth,
Of aire and sea and fire so cleere, were made and wrought together,
All in a great and emptie space; and how that euery thing
[Tooke their] beginnings from these first [foure elements also,]
And how the weake and tender globe of all the world [so round]
Grew fast and strong in euery part; then how the earth began
To harden, and to separat god Nereus from the sea,
Also to take the shapes of things, by little and by little,
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And shewrs of raine fall downe from clouds remou'd [or drawne aloft]
When as the woods began to rise, and cattell but a few
Went straieng ouer hils vnknowne: [then Silen] after this
Doth shew of stones by Pyrrha cast, and Saturns kingdome too,
And herevpon [he shews] of men the generation, and
The first beginnings of all things; the birds of Caucas hill,
The theft of Prometh, vnto these he ioins [the tale of Hyle,]
As in what sea the mariners cald Hyla left behind,
That all the shore [with eccho lowd] did Hyla Hyla sound.
And Silen also with the loue of heifer white as snow
Doth comfort Pasiph, happie she if buls had neuer beene,
Alacke [Pasiph] vnhappy wench, what madnesse thee hath caught?
King Pretus daughter fild the fields with mowings like to kine,
And yet none of them followed such filthy lusts of beasts,
Although [some one of them] had feard the plow vpon hir necke,
And often sought in forhed smooth for horns [and yet had none.]
Alacke Pasiph vnhappy wench thou wandrest now on hils,
That bull [whose] side is vndershord with lillies red doth chew
Pale hearbs vnder a blackish holme [blacke in respect of shade:]
Or else some cow he followeth in some great flocke or heard.
O you the nymphs of Dicte mount, and you the nymphs of woods,
Close in the vplands of your woods, if any where perhaps
The straieng steps of this same bull vpon the way should beare
Themselues vnto your eyes [if them it be your chanse to see.]
Some kine will peraduenture bring him vnto Gortyn stals,
Delighted with the grasse so greene, or following of the heard.
Then Silen sings how Atalant that wench did woonder at
The apples of Hesperides, and compasseth about
The sisters of [fond] Phaeton with mosse of bitter barke,
And lifts them vp out of the ground turnd into alntrees tall.
Then sings he how one of the si-sters brought to Æon hils,
[The poet] Gallus wandering to Permessus running streames,
And how all Phebus company rose vp vnto the man,
How Line the shepheard hauing [then] his hairs bedeckt with flours,
And bitter smalage said to him these words in heauenly song:
The muses giue thee these same pipes (lo take them) which said pipes
They gaue a good while since vnto th' old man of Ascra towne,
Wherewith he was accustomed by singing to bring downe
Stiffe ashtrees from the mounteins: let the first beginning too
Of Griney wood be told of thee, that there may be no woods
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What should I speake rather of Scil-la the king Nisus daughter,
Or [of that Scilla] whom report hath followed [saieng that]
She hauing hir white priuie parts beset with barking monsters,
Tormented Dulichs ships, and rent with cur-dogs of the sea
The fearfull seamen [out alas] in gulfe profound and deepe,
Or how he told vs of the lims of Terey, which were turnd
[Into a bird] what deinty meats, what gifts [faire] Philomel
Made redy for him, and what course he tooke to wildernesse,
And with what wings [vnlucky man] he fled ouer his house.
Silen doth sing of euery thing, which blessed Eurot heard
Apollo sometime exercise, and bade the baytrees by
To learne [those songs] the vallies low being beaten with the sound
Do beare it vp vnto the stars, vntill he had [the boies]
Put vp the sheepe into the folds, and tell their number too;
And [then] the euening star came foorth against the will of heauen.
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