Signs of Rain and Fair Weather from Animals and the Moon — Virgil, Georgics 1.368–1.439, Latin & English

368

saepe levem paleam et frondes volitare caducas¹

Often you will see light chaff and fallen leaves flutter,

aut summa nantis in aqua colludere plumas.

or feathers floating on the surface of the water play together.

370

At Boreae de parte trucis cum fulminat et cum

But when it lightens from the quarter of fierce Boreas, and when

Eurique Zephyrique tonat domus: omnia plenis

the home of Eurus and Zephyrus thunders: all

rura natant fossis atque omnis navita ponto

the fields swim with filled ditches, and every sailor on the sea

humida vela legit. Numquam inprudentibus imber

gathers in his damp sails. Never has rain harmed the unwarned:

obfuit: aut illum surgentem vallibus imis

either as it rose from the deepest valleys

375

aëriae fugere grues, aut bucula caelum

the cranes flying high fled before it, or the heifer looking up

suspiciens patulis captavit naribus auras,

to heaven sniffed the air with wide nostrils,

aut arguta lacus circumvolitavit hirundo

or the shrill swallow flew around the lakes,

et veterem in limo ranae cecinere querelam.

and the frogs in the mud sang their ancient complaint.

Saepius et tectis penetralibus extulit ova

And more often the ant carrying out its eggs from its innermost chambers

380

angustum formica terens iter et bibit ingens

wearing a narrow path, and the huge rainbow drinks,

arcus et e pastu decedens agmine magno

and departing from their pasture in a great army,

corvorum increpuit densis exercitus alis.

the host of crows makes a clang with dense wings.

Iam variae pelagi volucres et quae Asia circum

Now various birds of the sea, and those which explore the Asian meadows

dulcibus in stagnis rimantur prata Caystri,

around the sweet pools of Cayster,

385

certatim largos umeris infundere² rores:

emulously pour copious spray over their shoulders;

nunc caput obiectare fretis, nunc currere in undas

now you may see them toss their heads into the waves, now run into the water,

et studio incassum videas gestire lavandi.

and in vain delight in their eagerness to wash.

Tum cornix plena pluviam vocat inproba voce

Then the croaking raven with full voice calls for rain,

et sola in sicca secum spatiatur harena.

and stalks alone by itself on the dry sand.

390

Ne nocturna quidem carpentes pensa puellae

Not even the maidens spinning their nightly tasks

nescivere hiemem, testa cum ardente viderent

are ignorant of the storm, when they see in the burning lamp

scintillare oleum et putris concrescere fungos.

the oil sputter and crumbly mold form on the wick.

Nec minus ex imbri soles et aperta serena

Nor less after rain will you be able to foresee sunshine and open clearness,

prospicere et certis poteris cognoscere signis:

and to know them by certain signs:

395

nam neque tum stellis acies obtunsa videtur,

for then neither does the brightness of the stars seem dulled,

nec fratris radiis obnoxia³ surgere Luna,

nor does the Moon rise beholden to her brother’s rays,

tenuia nec lanae per caelum vellera ferri;

nor are thin fleeces of wool carried through the sky;

non tepidum ad solem pinnas in litore pandunt

the halcyons, beloved of Thetis, do not spread their wings on the shore

dilectae Thetidi alcyones, non ore solutos

to the warm sun, nor do the filthy swine remember to toss

400

inmundi meminere sues iactare maniplos.

unloosed bundles of straw with their snout.

At nebulae magis ima petunt campoque recumbunt,

But the mists seek the lower ground and rest on the plain,

solis et occasum servans de culmine summo

and the owl, watching the setting of the sun from the highest roof,

nequiquam seros exercet noctua cantus.

in vain practices her late night-songs.

Adparet liquido sublimis in aëre Nisus

Nisus appears high in the clear air,

405

et pro purpureo poenas dat Scylla capillo:

and Scylla pays the penalty for the purple hair:

quacumque illa levem fugiens secat aethera pinnis,

wherever she, fleeing, cuts the light ether with her wings,

ecce inimicus, atrox, magno stridore per auras

lo! the hostile, fierce Nisus pursues her through the air with a great whir;

insequitur Nisus; qua se fert Nisus ad auras,

where Nisus rises to the air,

illa levem fugiens raptim secat aethera pinnis

she, fleeing, swiftly cuts the light ether with her wings.

410

Tum liquidas corvi presso ter gutture voces

Then the crows with compressed throats redouble their liquid notes

aut quater ingeminant, et saepe cubilibus altis

thrice or four times, and often in their high nests,

nescio qua praeter solitum dulcedine laeti

glad with some unusual sweetness,

inter se in foliis strepitant; iuvat imbribus actis

they rustle together among the leaves; it delights them, now the rain is over,

progeniem parvam dulcisque revisere nidos;

to revisit their little offspring and sweet nests;

415

haud equidem credo, quia sit⁴ divinitus illis

not indeed that I believe they have a divine intelligence

ingenium aut rerum fato prudentia maior;

or a greater foresight of things by fate;

verum ubi tempestas et caeli mobilis humor

but when the weather and the shifting moisture of the sky

mutavere vias et Iuppiter uvidus austris

have changed their course, and Jupiter, wet with the south winds,

denset, erant quae rara modo, et, quae densa, relaxat,

condenses what was just now rare, and relaxes what was dense,

420

vertuntur species animorum et pectora motus

the phases of their minds are turned, and their breasts conceive

nunc alios, alios, dum nubila ventus agebat,

now other motions, other than while the wind was driving the clouds:

concipiunt: hinc ille avium concentus in agris

hence comes that chorus of birds in the fields,

et laetae pecudes et ovantes gutture corvi.

and the glad cattle, and the crows exulting in their throats.

Si vero solem ad rapidum lunasque sequentis

But if you will look to the rapid sun and the moons

425

ordine respicies, numquam te crastina fallet

following in order, tomorrow’s hour will never deceive you,

hora neque insidiis noctis capiere serenae.

nor will you be caught by the snares of a calm night.

Luna, revertentis cum primum colligit ignis,

The Moon, when first she gathers her returning fires,

si nigrum obscuro conprenderit aera cornu,

if she encloses dark air within her dim horn,

maxumus agricolis pelagoque parabitur imber;

a mighty rain will be prepared for farmers and the sea;

430

at si virgineum suffuderit ore ruborem,

but if she suffuses a maidenly blush over her face,

ventus erit; vento semper rubet aurea Phoebe.

there will be wind; golden Phoebe always reddens with wind.

Sin ortu quarto, namque is certissimus auctor,

But if at her fourth rising—for that is the most certain authority—

pura neque obtunsis per caelum cornibus ibit,

she goes through the sky pure and with horns not dulled,

totus et ille dies et qui nascentur ab illo

both all that day and those which shall be born from it

435

exactum ad mensem pluvia ventisque carebunt,

until the month is complete will be free from rain and winds,

votaque servati solvent in litore nautae

and the saved sailors will pay their vows on the shore

Glauco et Panopeae et Inoo Melicertae.

to Glaucus, and Panopea, and Melicertes, son of Ino.

Sol quoque et exoriens et cum se condet in undas

The Sun also, both rising and when he hides himself in the waves,

signa dabit; solem certissima signa sequuntur,

will give signs; the most certain signs follow the Sun,

Syntax notes4 items

1.368saepe levem paleam et frondes volitare caducas
Accusative with infinitive construction governed by the verb videbis in line 365. levem paleam et frondes caducas function as the subject accusative of the infinitive volitare.
1.385infundere
Historical infinitive. It functions as the main verb for the subject volucres, along with obiectare, currere, and gestire (lines 386–387), replacing the third-person plural imperfect (or perfect) indicative to create a vivid narrative effect.
1.396fratris radiis obnoxia
The adjective obnoxia takes the dative radiis and means "beholden to" or "dependent on the rays [of her brother, the Sun]." It refers to the astronomical fact that the Moon reflects the Sun's light. Here, nec... obnoxia surgere describes how, as a sign of fair weather, the Moon rises so brightly that she does not seem to depend on her brother's borrowed light.
1.415quia sit
The subjunctive mood sit is used with the causal conjunction quia because it expresses a rejected reason (the view of others that birds possess divine intelligence), rather than an objective fact believed by the speaker.

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-22) · Revision history (1, latest 2026-09-21)

2026-09-21 AI review — translation 1

urn:cts:latinLit:phi0690.phi002.humanitext-lat2:1.368-1.439