Farming Techniques and the Origin of Human Labor — Virgil, Georgics 1.74–1.147, Latin & English

unde¹ prius laetum siliqua quassante legumen

from where you have previously removed the bean, joyous with rustling pod,

aut tenuis fetus viciae tristisque lupini

or the slender crop of vetch, and the fragile stalks

sustuleris fragilis calamos silvamque sonantem.

and rustling forest of the bitter lupine.

Urit enim lini campum seges, urit avenae,

For a crop of flax burns the field, a crop of oats burns it,

urunt Lethaeo perfusa papavera somno:

and poppies steeped in Lethean sleep burn it:

sed tamen alternis² facilis labor, arida tantum

but yet the labor is easy in alternate years, if only you are not ashamed

ne saturare fimo pingui pudeat sola neve

to saturate the dry soils with rich dung, nor

effetos cinerem inmundum iactare per agros.

to scatter dirty ash over the exhausted fields.

Sic quoque mutatis requiescunt fetibus arva;

In this way too, by changing the crops, the fields rest;

nec nulla³ interea est inaratae gratia terrae.

nor is there meanwhile no benefit from the unplowed land.

Saepe etiam sterilis incendere profuit agros

Often also it has been useful to set fire to barren fields

atque levem stipulam crepitantibus urere flammis:

and to burn the light stubble with crackling flames:

sive inde occultas viris et pabula terrae

whether they derive from this hidden strengths and rich nourishment,

pinguia concipiunt, sive illis omne per ignem

or whether every defect is baked out of them

excoquitur vitium atque exsudat inutilis humor,

by the fire and the useless moisture sweats out,

seu pluris calor ille vias et caeca relaxat

or whether that heat opens more channels and blind

spiramenta, novas veniat qua sucus in herbas,

pores, through which the sap may come to the new plants,

seu durat magis et venas adstringit hiantis,

or whether it hardens them more and binds the gaping veins,

ne tenues pluviae rapidive potentia solis

lest light rains or the sharper power of the swift

acrior aut Boreae penetrabile frigus adurat.

sun or the penetrating cold of the North Wind parch them.

Multum adeo, rastris glaebas qui frangit inertis

Much indeed does he help the fields, who breaks the sluggish clods with rakes

vimineasque trahit cratis, iuvat arva, neque illum

and drags wicker harrows, nor does

flava Ceres alto nequiquam spectat Olympo;

golden Ceres look down upon him in vain from high Olympus;

et qui, proscisso quae suscitat aequore terga,

and he too who, turning his plow, breaks through again crosswise

rursus in obliquum verso perrumpit aratro,

the ridges which he raises in the first plowing of the plain,

exercetque frequens tellurem atque imperat arvis.

and constantly exercises the earth and rules over the fields.

100

Humida solstitia atque hiemes orate serenas,

Pray for wet summers and clear winters, farmers;

agricolae; hiberno laetissima pulvere farra,

with winter dust the spelt is most joyous,

laetus ager: nullo tantum se Mysia cultu

and the field is joyous. Under no other cultivation does Mysia boast

iactat et ipsa suas mirantur Gargara messis.

so much, and Gargara itself wonders at its own harvests.

Quid dicam, iacto qui semine comminus arva

What shall I say of him who, having cast the seed, immediately pursues the fields

105

insequitur cumulosque ruit male pinguis harenae

and levels the heaps of barren sand,

deinde satis fluvium inducit rivosque sequentis

then leads the river and following streams onto the sown crops,

et, cum exustus ager morientibus aestuat herbis,

and when the parched field burns with dying grass,

ecce supercilio clivosi tramitis undam

behold, from the brow of a sloping path he coaxes the water,

elicit. illa cadens raucum per levia murmur

which, falling, rouses a hoarse murmur among the smooth

110

saxa ciet, scatebrisque arentia temperat arva.

stones and cools the parched fields with its gushing streams?

Quid qui, ne gravidis procumbat culmus aristis,

What of him who, lest the stalk fall under the weight of the heavy ears,

luxuriem segetum tenera depascit in herba,

grazes down the luxuriance of the crops while they are still tender grass,

cum primum sulcos aequant sata. quique paludis

as soon as the young plants reach the level of the furrows? And of him who

collectum humorem bibula deducit harena.

drains the gathered moisture of the swamp with thirsty sand?

115

Praesertim incertis si mensibus amnis abundans

Especially if in the changeable months the overflowing river goes out of its course

exit et obducto late tenet omnia limo,

and holds everything far and wide with a covering of mud,

unde cavae tepido sudant humore lacunae.

whence the hollow pools steam with warm moisture.

Nec tamen, haec cum sint hominumque boumque labores

And yet, though the labors of men and oxen

versando terram experti, nihil⁴ inprobus anser

have experienced these things in turning the earth, the greedy goose

120

Strymoniaeque grues et amaris intiba fibris

and Strymonian cranes and chicory with bitter roots do no small harm,

officiunt aut umbra nocet. Pater ipse colendi⁵

nor does the shade fail to injure. The Father himself willed that the way of cultivation

haud facilem esse viam voluit, primusque per artem

should not be easy, and first stirred the fields through art,

movit agros curis acuens mortalia corda

sharpening mortal minds with cares, nor did he

nec torpere gravi passus sua regna veterno.

suffer his realms to grow torpid with heavy lethargy.

125

Ante Iovem nulli subigebant arva coloni;

Before Jupiter, no husbandmen subdued the fields;

ne signare quidem aut partiri limite campum

indeed, it was not lawful even to mark out or divide the plain

fas erat: in medium quaerebant ipsaque tellus

with a boundary: they gathered for a common store, and the earth itself

omnia liberius nullo poscente ferebat.

bore all things more freely, when no one demanded them.

Ille malum virus serpentibus addidit atris

He added deadly venom to black serpents,

130

praedarique lupos iussit pontumque moveri,

and commanded wolves to prey and the sea to be stirred;

mellaque decussit foliis ignemque removit

and he shook honey from the leaves, hid fire away,

et passim rivis currentia vina repressit,

and curbed the wine that ran everywhere in streams,

ut varias usus meditando extunderet artis

so that practice by taking thought might forge various arts

paulatim et sulcis frumenti quaereret herbam.

little by little, and seek the blade of corn in the furrows.

Tunc alnos primum fluvii sensere cavatas;

Then the rivers first felt the hollowed alders;

navita tum stellis numeros et nomina fecit,

then the sailor gave numbers and names to the stars—

Pleiadas, Hyadas, claramque Lycaonis Arcton;

the Pleiades, the Hyades, and the bright Bear of Lycaon;

tum laqueis captare feras et fallere visco

then was found out how to catch wild beasts with snares, to deceive with birdlime,

140

inventum et magnos canibus circumdare saltus;

and to encircle great glades with dogs;

atque alius latum funda iam verberat amnem

and now one lashes the wide river with a casting-net, seeking the deeps,

alta petens, pelagoque alius trahit humida lina;

and another drags wet nets from the sea;

tum ferri rigor atque argutae lamina serrae,—

then came the rigidity of iron and the blade of the shrill saw—

nam primi cuneis scindebant fissile lignum

for the first men split cleavable wood with wedges—

145

tum variae venere artes. Labor omnia vicit

then various arts came. Unrelenting labor conquered all things,

inprobus et duris urgens in rebus egestas.

and poverty pressing hard in difficult times.

Prima Ceres⁶ ferro mortalis vertere terram

Ceres first [taught] mortals to turn the earth with iron.

Syntax notes6 items

1.74unde
Relative adverb referring back to the place where spelt is to be sown, mentioned in §1.73.
1.79alternis
Ablative of manner or time, meaning "in alternate years" or "by turns" (with vicibus understood).
1.83nec nulla
Double negation expressing a strong positive statement ("and indeed there is some...").
1.119nihil
Adverbial accusative modifying officiunt, forming with nec at the beginning of the sentence a double negation ("do not fail to harm" or "do no small harm").
1.121colendi
Genitive of the gerund, modifying viam ("the way of cultivation").
1.147Prima Ceres
The main verb (docuit, which appears in the next line) is omitted in this line and must be supplied from the context.

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-22)urn:cts:latinLit:phi0690.phi002.humanitext-lat2:1.74-1.147