The Dispute of Menalcas and Damoetas and the Singing Match — Virgil, Eclogues 3.1–3.56, Latin & English

Dic mihi, Damoeta, cuium pecus, an Meliboei?

”Tell me, Damoetas, whose flock is this? Meliboeus’s?”

Non, verum Aegonis; nuper mihi tradidit Aegon.

”No, but Aegon’s; Aegon recently entrusted it to me.”

Infelix o semper, ovis, pecus, ipse Neaeram

”O ever unhappy sheep, a luckless flock! While he himself fondles

dum fovet, ac ne me sibi praeferat illa veretur,

Neaera, and fears lest she prefer me to himself,

hic alienus ovis custos bis mulget in hora,

this hireling shepherd milks the sheep twice an hour,

et sucus pecori et lac subducitur agnis.

and vigor is stolen from the flock, and milk from the lambs.”

Parcius ista viris tamen obicienda memento:

”Yet remember that such reproaches should be cast at men more sparingly;

novimus et qui te, transversa tuentibus hircis,¹

we know both who did it to you, while the he-goats looked askance,

et quo—sed faciles Nymphae risere—sacello.

and in what shrine—though the gentle Nymphs smiled.”

Tum, credo, cum me arbustum videre Miconis

”It was then, I suppose, when they saw me hack Micon’s grove

atque mala vitis incidere falce novellas.

and his young vines with a mischievous sickle.”

Aut hic ad veteres fagos cum Daphnidis arcum

”Or here by the old beeches, when you broke Daphnis’s bow

fregisti et calamos quae tu, perverse Menalca,

and shafts, which you, perverse Menalcas,

et cum vidisti puero donata, dolebas,

grieved to see given to the boy,

et si non aliqua nocuisses, mortuus esses.

and if you had not harmed him in some way, you would have died.”

Quid domini faciant, audent cum talia fures!²

”What can masters do, when thieves dare such things!

non ego te vidi Damonis, pessime, caprum

Did I not see you, worst of men, catching Damon’s goat

excipere insidiis, multum latrante Lycisca?

by stealth, while Lycisca barked loudly?

et cum clamarem: “Quo nunc se proripit ille?

And when I cried out: ‘Where is that fellow rushing off to now?

Tityre, coge pecus,” tu post carecta latebas.

Tityrus, gather the flock,’ you hid behind the sedge.”

An mihi cantando victus non redderet ille³

”Should he not, when beaten in singing, return to me

quem mea carminibus meruisset fistula caprum?

the goat which my pipe had won by its songs?

Si nescis, meus ille caper fuit; et mihi Damon

If you do not know, that goat was mine; and Damon himself

ipse fatebatur, sed reddere posse negabat.

confessed it to me, but said he was unable to deliver it.”

Cantando tu illum, aut umquam tibi fistula cera

”You beat him in singing? Or did you ever have a pipe joined

iuncta fuit? Non tu in triviis, indocte, solebas

with wax? Did you not, you unlearned wretch, use to murder

stridenti miserum stipula disperdere carmen?

a wretched tune on a screeching straw in the crossroads?”

Vis ergo inter nos quid possit uterque vicissim

”Do you wish, then, that we try between us in turn what each can do?

experiamur? Ego hanc vitulam—ne forte recuses,

I stake this young heifer—lest you perchance refuse,

bis venit ad mulctram, binos alit ubere fetus—

she comes twice to the milking pail, and feeds two calves from her udder—

depono: tu dic, mecum quo pignore certes.

speak up, with what pledge you will contend with me.”

De grege non ausim quicquam deponere tecum.

”From the flock I would not dare to stake anything with you,

Est mihi namque domi pater, est iniusta noverca;

for I have a father at home, and a harsh stepmother;

bisque die numerant ambo pecus, alter et haedos.

and twice a day both count the flock, and one of them the kids too.

Verum, id quod multo tute ipse fatebere maius,⁴

But—what you yourself will confess to be of far greater value,

insanire libet quoniam tibi, pocula ponam

since you choose to be mad—I will stake beechen cups,

fagina, caelatum divini opus Alcimedontis;

the carved work of divine Alcimedon;

lenta quibus torno facili superaddita vitis

upon which a flexible vine, superimposed by the easy lathe,

diffusos hedera vestit pallente corymbos:

clothes the clusters scattered with pale ivy:

in medio duo signa, Conon, et—quis fuit alter,

in the middle are two figures, Conon, and—who was the other,

descripsit radio totum qui gentibus orbem,

who with his rod mapped out the whole heavens for the nations,

tempora quae messor, quae curvus arator haberet?

what seasons the reaper, and what the curved plowman should observe?

Necdum illis labra admovi, sed condita servo.

I have not yet applied my lips to them, but keep them laid up.”

Et nobis idem Alcimedon duo pocula fecit,

”And for me the same Alcimedon made two cups,

et molli circum est ansas amplexus acantho,

and clasped the handles round with soft acanthus,

Orpheaque in medio posuit silvasque sequentis.

and in the middle placed Orpheus and the woods following him.

Necdum illis labra admovi, sed condita servo:

I too have not yet applied my lips to them, but keep them laid up;

si ad vitulam spectas, nihil est quod pocula laudes.

if you look to the heifer, there is no reason why you should praise the cups.”

Nunquam hodie effugies; veniam, quocumque vocari

”You shall never escape today; I will come wherever I am called.

audiat haec tantum—vel qui venit ecce Palaemon

Only let whoever hears this—look, even Palaemon who is coming—

efficiam posthac ne quemquam voce lacessas.

I will make sure that hereafter you do not challenge anyone with your voice.”

Quin age, si quid habes, in me mora non erit ulla,

”Come on then, if you have anything, there shall be no delay on my part,

nec quemquam fugio: tantum, vicine Palaemon,

nor do I flee from anyone; only, neighbor Palaemon,

sensibus haec imis, res est non parva, reponas.⁵

lay this up in your deepest thoughts, for it is no small matter.”

Dicite, quandoquidem in molli consedimus herba:

”Speak, since we have sat down on the soft grass;

et nunc omnis ager, nunc omnis parturit arbos,

and now every field, now every tree is bringing forth,”

Syntax notes5 items

3.8transversa tuentibus hircis
An ablative absolute construction consisting of the noun hircis and the participle tuentibus. It describes an accompanying circumstance: "while the he-goats looked askance."
3.16Quid domini faciant, audent cum talia fures!
The main verb faciant is in the present subjunctive, expressing deliberation or potential in a rhetorical question ("What can/would masters do"). The conjunction cum in the subordinate clause introduces a causal or circumstantial clause.
3.21An mihi cantando victus non redderet ille
The imperfect subjunctive redderet expresses past obligation or propriety in a rhetorical question, conveying indignation: "Ought he not to have returned...?" or "Should he not have yielded...?"
3.35Verum, id quod multo tute ipse fatebere maius
The relative clause id quod... acts in apposition to anticipate and emphasize the following stake, pocula fagina (beechen cups). fatebere is an alternative form of the second-person singular future passive/deponent fateberis.
3.54sensibus haec imis... reponas
Led by the restrictive adverb tantum ("only") in the preceding line, the present subjunctive reponas expresses a polite command or entreaty: "may you lay this up."

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-22)urn:cts:latinLit:phi0690.phi001.humanitext-lat2:3.1-3.56