The amoebaean singing match of Corydon and Thyrsis — Virgil, Eclogues 7.1–7.70, Latin & English

Forte sub arguta consederat ilice Daphnis,

By chance Daphnis had sat down under a whispering holm-oak,

compulerantque greges Corydon et Thyrsis in unum,

and Corydon and Thyrsis had driven their herds together,

Thyrsis ovis, Corydon distentas lacte capellas,

Thyrsis his sheep, Corydon his she-goats distended with milk,

ambo florentes aetatibus, Arcades ambo,

both in the flower of their youth, both Arcadians,

et cantare pares, et respondere parati.

and equal in singing, and ready to respond.

Huc mihi,¹ dum teneras defendo a frigore myrtos,

Hither for me, while I was defending my tender myrtles from the cold,

vir gregis ipse caper deerraverat; atque ego Daphnim

the husband of the herd, the goat himself, had strayed; and I

aspicio. Ille ubi me contra videt: “Ocius” inquit

catch sight of Daphnis. When he saw me in turn, he said: “Come hither

“huc ades, O Meliboee, caper tibi salvus et haedi;

quickly, O Meliboeus; your goat is safe, and your kids;

et, si quid cessare potes, requiesce sub umbra.

and, if you can idle at all, rest under the shade.

huc ipsi potum venient per prata iuvenci,

Hither the young bulls themselves will come through the meadows to drink,

hic viridis tenera praetexit arundine ripas

here the green Mincius fringes the banks with tender reeds,

Mincius, eque sacra resonant examina quercu.”

and swarms of bees hum from the sacred oak.”

Quid facerem?² Neque ego Alcippen, nec Phyllida habebam,

What was I to do? I had neither Alcippe nor Phyllis

depulsos a lacte domi quae clauderet³ agnos,

to shut in the house the lambs weaned from milk,

et certamen erat, Corydon cum Thyrside, magnum.

and there was a great contest, Corydon with Thyrsis.

posthabui tamen illorum mea seria ludo:

Yet I postponed my serious business for their play:

alternis igitur contendere versibus ambo

so both began to contend in alternate verses;

coepere; alternos⁴ Musae meminisse volebant.

the Muses wished to remember alternate verses.

hos Corydon, illos referebat in ordine Thyrsis.

These Corydon, those Thyrsis recited in order.

Nymphae, noster amor, Libethrides, aut mihi carmen,

Nymphs of Libethra, our love, either grant me a song,

quale meo Codro, concedite: proxima Phoebi

such as you did to my Codrus: he makes verses next to

versibus ille facit; aut, si non possumus omnes,

those of Phoebus; or, if we cannot all do so,

hic arguta sacra pendebit fistula pinu.

here my shrill pipe shall hang on the sacred pine.

Pastores, hedera crescentem ornate poetam,

Shepherds, crown the rising poet with ivy,

Arcades, invidia rumpantur ut ilia Codro;

Arcadians, so that Codrus’ sides may burst with envy;

aut si ultra placitum⁵ laudarit, baccare frontem

or if he praises beyond what is pleasing, bind his forehead with wild nard,

cingite, ne vati noceat mala lingua futuro.

lest an evil tongue should harm the future poet.

Saetosi caput hoc apri tibi, Delia, parvus

This head of a bristly boar, Delia, young Micon offers to you,

et ramosa Micon vivacis cornua cervi.

and the branching horns of a long-lived stag.

Si proprium hoc fuerit, levi de marmore tota

If this shall be permanent, you shall stand complete in smooth marble,

puniceo stabis suras evincta coturno.

your calves bound with scarlet buskins.

Sinum lactis et haec te liba, Priape, quotannis

A bowl of milk and these cakes, Priapus, are enough for you to expect

exspectare sat est: custos es pauperis horti.

each year: you are the guardian of a poor garden.

Nunc te marmoreum pro tempore fecimus; at tu,

Now we have made you of marble for the time being; but you,

si fetura gregem suppleverit, aureus esto.

if breeding replenishes the herd, shall be of gold.

Nerine Galatea, thymo mihi dulcior Hyblae,

Galatea, daughter of Nereus, sweeter to me than Hybla’s thyme,

candidior cycnis, hedera formosior alba,

whiter than swans, more beautiful than white ivy,

cum primum pasti repetent praesepia tauri,

as soon as the well-fed bulls seek their stalls again,

si qua tui Corydonis habet te cura, venito.

if any care for your Corydon possesses you, come.

Immo ego Sardoniis videar tibi amarior herbis,

Nay, let me seem to you bitterer than Sardinian herbs,

horridior rusco, proiecta vilior alga,

rougher than gorse, viler than cast-up seaweed,

si mihi non haec lux toto iam longior anno est.

if this day is not already longer to me than a whole year.

Ite domum pasti, si quis pudor, ite iuvenci.

Go home well-fed, if you have any shame, go, young bulls.

Muscosi fontes et somno mollior herba,

Mossy springs and grass softer than sleep,

et quae vos rara viridis tegit arbutus umbra,

and the green arbutus that covers you with its thin shade,

solstitium pecori defendite; iam venit aestas

ward off the summer heat from the flock; now comes the scorching

torrida, iam lento turgent in palmite gemmae.

summer, now the buds swell on the supple vine-shoot.

Hic focus et taedae pingues, hic plurimus ignis

Here is a hearth and rich torches, here plenty of fire

semper, et adsidua postes fuligine nigri;

always, and doorposts black with constant soot;

hic tantum Boreae curamus frigora, quantum

here we care as much for the cold of Boreas, as

aut numerum lupus, aut torrentia flumina ripas.

the wolf does for the number of sheep, or rushing rivers for their banks.

Stant et iuniperi, et castaneae hirsutae;

Both junipers and shaggy chestnuts stand;

strata iacent passim sua quaque sub arbore poma;

fallen fruits lie scattered everywhere, each under its own tree;

omnia nunc rident: at si formosus Alexis

now all things smile: but if beautiful Alexis should depart

montibus his abeat, videas et flumina sicca.

from these mountains, you would see even the rivers dry.

Aret ager; vitio moriens sitit aeris herba;

The field is parched; the grass thirsts, dying from the air’s blight;

Liber pampineas invidit collibus umbras:

Bacchus has begrudged his vine-shadows to the hills:

Phyllidis adventu nostrae nemus omne virebit,

at the arrival of our Phyllis every grove will grow green,

Iuppiter et laeto descendet plurimus imbri.

and Juppiter will descend abundant in joyful rain.

Populus Alcidae gratissima, vitis Iaccho,

The poplar is most pleasing to Alcides, the vine to Iacchus,

formosae myrtus Veneri, sua laurea Phoebo;

the myrtle to beautiful Venus, his own laurel to Phoebus;

Phyllis amat corylos: illas dum Phyllis amabit,

Phyllis loves hazels: as long as Phyllis loves them,

nec myrtus vincet corylos, nec laurea Phoebi.

neither the myrtle shall surpass the hazels, nor Phoebus’ laurel.

Fraxinus in silvis pulcherrima, pinus in hortis,

The ash is most beautiful in the woods, the pine in the gardens,

populus in fluviis, abies in montibus altis:

the poplar by the rivers, the fir on the high mountains:

saepius at si me, Lycida formose, revisas,

but if you, beautiful Lycidas, would visit me more often,

fraxinus in silvis cedat tibi, pinus in hortis.

the ash in the woods would yield to you, and the pine in the gardens.

Haec memini, et victum frustra contendere Thyrsim:

These things I remember, and that the defeated Thyrsis contended in vain:

ex illo Corydon Corydon est tempore nobis.

from that time Corydon is indeed Corydon to us.

Syntax notes5 items

7.6mihi
An ethical dative (dativus ethicus), expressing personal interest or "to my cost/as I found."
7.14Quid facerem?
Deliberative subjunctive in the past, expressing a dilemma or helplessness ("What was I to do?").
7.15quae clauderet
The imperfect subjunctive clauderet in a relative clause of purpose or characteristic after the missing persons (Alcippe or Phyllis).
7.19alternos
Accusative plural masculine of alternus with versus implied, referring to the rules of amoebaean (alternate) singing.
7.27ultra placitum
"Beyond what is pleasing," meaning excessively or immoderately. It reflects the ancient belief that excessive praise might invite evil eye or jealousy of the gods.

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-22) · Revision history (1, latest 2026-09-22)

2026-09-22 AI review — source 1

urn:cts:latinLit:phi0690.phi001.humanitext-lat2:7.1-7.70