§4.1εἰπέ μοι ὦ Κορύδων, τίνος αἱ βόες;
Battus: "Tell me, Corydon, whose are the cows?
ἦ ῥα Φιλώνδα; §4.2οὔκ, ἀλλʼ Αἴγωνος· βόσκειν δέ μοι αὐτὰς ἔδωκεν. §4.3ἦ πᾴ ψε κρύβδαν τὰ ποθέσπερα πάσας ἀμέλγεις; §4.4ἀλλʼ ὁ γέρων ὑφίητι τὰ μοσχία κἠμὲ φυλάσσει. §4.5αὐτὸς δʼ ἐς τίνʼ ἄφαντος ὁ βουκόλος ᾤχετο χώραν;
Are they indeed Philondas's?" Corydon: "No, they are Aegon's; and he gave them to me to pasture." Battus: "And do you somehow milk them all secretly toward evening?" Corydon: "No, the old man puts the calves under them and keeps watch over me." Battus: "But where has the herdsman himself gone out of sight?" Corydon: "Haven't you heard?
§4.6οὐκ ἄκουσας; ἄγων νιν ἐπʼ Ἀλφεὸν ᾤχετο Μίλων. §4.7καὶ πόκα τῆνος ἔλαιον ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖσιν ὀπώπει; §4.8φαντί νιν Ἡρακλῆι βίην καὶ κάρτος ἐρίσδειν. §4.9κἤμʼ ἔφαθʼ ἁ μάτηρ Πολυδεύκεος εἶμεν ἀμείνω. §4.10κᾤχετʼ ἔχων σκαπάναν τε καὶ εἴκατι τουτόθε μᾶλα. §4.11πείσαι τοι Μίλων καὶ τὼς λύκος αὐτίκα λυσσῆν. §4.12ταὶ δαμάλαι δʼ αὐτὸν μυκώμεναι αἵδε ποθεῦντι.
Milon took him and went away to the Alpheus." Battus: "And when did that fellow ever set eyes on olive oil?" Corydon: "They say he rivals Heracles in strength and might." Battus: "And my mother used to say that I was better than Polydeuces." Corydon: "And he went off with a spade and twenty sheep from here." Battus: "Milon would persuade even the wolves to go mad at once." Corydon: "And these heifers here, by lowing, long for him." Battus: "Poor beasts indeed!
§4.13δειλαῖαί γʼ αὗται· τὸν βουκόλον ὡς κακὸν εὗρον. §4.14ἦ μὰν δειλαῖαί γε, καὶ οὐκέτι λῶντι νέμεσθαι. §4.15τήνας μὲν δή τοι τᾶς πόρτιος αὐτὰ λέλειπται
What a bad herdsman they found." Corydon: "Poor indeed, and they no longer wish to feed." Battus: "Truly, of that heifer there, only the very bones are left.
§4.16τὠστία. μὴ πρῶκας σιτίζεται ὥσπερ ὁ τέττιξ;
Does she feed on dewdrops like the cicada?" Corydon: "No, by Earth!
§4.17οὐ Δᾶν, ἀλλʼ ὁκὰ μέν νιν ἐπʼ Αἰσάροιο νομεύω §4.18καὶ μαλακῶ χόρτοιο καλὰν κώμυθα δίδωμι, §4.19ἄλλοκα δὲ σκαίρει τὸ βαθύσκιον ἀμφὶ Λάτυμνον.
But sometimes I pasture her by the Aesarus and give her a fine handful of soft grass, and at other times she frisks about shaded Latymnus." Battus: "Lean too is that red bull.
§4.20λεπτὸς μὰν χὡ ταῦρος ὁ πυρρίχος. εἴθε λάχοιεν §4.21τοὶ τῶ Λαμπριάδα, τοὶ δαμόται, ὅκκα θύωντι §4.22τᾷ Ἡρᾳ, τοιόνδε· κακοχράσμων γὰρ ὁ δᾶμος. §4.23καὶ μὰν ἐς Στομάλιμνον ἐλαύνεται ἔς τε τὰ Φύσκω, §4.24καὶ ποτὶ τὸν Νήαιθον, ὅπᾳ καλὰ πάντα φύοντι, §4.25αἰγίπυρος καὶ κνύζα καὶ εὐώδης μελίτεια. §4.26φεῦ φεῦ βασεῦνται καὶ ταὶ βόες ὦ τάλαν Αἴγων §4.27εἰς Ἀίδαν, ὅκα καὶ τὺ κακᾶς ἠράσσαο νίκας, §4.28χἁ σῦριγξ εὐρῶτι παλύνεται, ἅν ποκʼ ἐπάξα.
I wish the sons of Lampriadas, the townsmen, when they sacrifice to Hera, may get such a one; for they are a scurvy lot." Corydon: "And yet he is driven to Stomalimnos and to the pastures of Physcus, and to Neaethus, where all fair things grow, goat-pepper, fleabane, and fragrant balm." Battus: "Alas, unhappy Aegon, your cows too will go to Hades, since you also fell in love with an evil victory; and the panpipe is covered with mold, which you once made." Corydon: "Not that one, no, by the Nymphs!
§4.29οὐ τήνα γʼ, οὐ Νύμφας, ἐπεὶ ποτὶ Πῖσαν ἀφέρπων §4.30δῶρον ἐμοί νιν ἔλειπεν· ἐγὼ δέ τις εἰμὶ μελικτάς, §4.31κεὖ μὲν τὰ Γλαύκας ἀγκρούομαι, εὖ δὲ τὰ Πύρρω. §4.32αἰνέω τάν τε Κρότωνα—καλὰ πόλις, ἅ τε Ζάκυνθος— §4.33καὶ τὸ ποταῷον, τὸ Λακίνιον ᾇπερ ὁ πύκτας §4.34Αἴγων ὀγδώκοντα μόνος κατεδαίσατο μάζας. §4.35τηνεῖ καὶ τὸν ταῦρον ἀπʼ ὤρεος ἆγε πιάξας §4.36τᾶς ὁπλᾶς κἤδωκʼ Ἀμαρυλλίδι, ταὶ δὲ γυναῖκες §4.37μακρὸν ἀνάυσαν, χὡ βουκόλος ἐξεγέλασσεν. §4.38ὦ χαρίεσσʼ Ἀμαρυλλί, μόνας σέθεν οὐδὲ θανοίσας §4.39λασεύμεσθʼ· ὅσον αἶγες ἐμὶν φίλαι, ὅσσον ἀπέσβης.
For when he departed for Pisa, he left it to me as a gift; and I am some singer, and I strike up well the songs of Glauce, and well those of Pyrrhus." Corydon: "I praise Croton—a fair city—and Zacynthus, and the Lacinian shrine facing the sea, where the boxer Aegon, all by himself, devoured eighty barley cakes." Corydon: "There too he caught the bull by the hoof and dragged it from the mountain, and gave it to Amaryllis; and the women shrieked aloud, and the herdsman laughed out." Battus: "O beautiful Amaryllis, you alone shall we not forget even though you are dead; as dear as my goats are to me, so dear was your passing.
Alas, what a cruel fate has fallen to my lot!" Corydon: "One must take heart, dear Battus; perhaps tomorrow will be better.
τάχʼ αὔριον ἔσσετʼ ἄμεινον. §4.42ἐλπίδες ἐν ζωοῖσιν, ἀνέλπιστοι δὲ θανόντες.
Hope is in the living, but the dead are without hope.
And Zeus is sometimes clear, and sometimes he rains." Battus: "I do take heart.
βάλλε κάτωθε τὰ μοσχία· τᾶς γὰρ ἐλαίας §4.45τὸν θαλλὸν τρώγοντι τὰ δύσσοα.
Drive the calves down; for those wretched things are gnawing the young shoot of the olive.
σίτθʼ ὁ λέπαργος.
Shoo, you white-skin!
§4.46σίτθʼ ἁ Κυμαίθα ποτὶ τὸν λόφον. οὐκ ἐσακούεις;
Shoo, Cymaetha, to the hill!
Do you not hear?" Battus: "By Pan, I will soon give you a bad end if you do not get away from there!
ἴδʼ αὖ πάλιν ἅδε ποθέρπει.
Look, she is creeping up again.
Would that I had my crooked staff, so that I might strike you!" Battus: "Look at me, Corydon, by Zeus!
ἁ γὰρ ἄκανθα §4.51ἀρμοῖ μʼ ὧδʼ ἐπάταξʼ ὑπὸ τὸ σφυρόν.
For a thorn has just pricked me here under the ankle.
ὡς δὲ βαθεῖαι §4.52τἀτρακτυλλίδες ἐντί.
How deep the distaff-thistles are!
κακῶς ἁ πόρτις ὄλοιτο· §4.53ἐς ταύταν ἐτύπην χασμεύμενος.
May that heifer perish miserably; I was pricked while gaping after her.
ἦ ῥά γε λεύσσεις; §4.54ναὶ ναί, τοῖς ὀνύχεσσιν ἔχω τέ νιν· ἅδε καὶ αὐτά. §4.55ὁσσίχον ἐστὶ τὸ τύμμα καὶ ἁλίκον ἄνδρα δαμάζει. §4.56εἰς ὄρος ὅκχʼ ἕρπῃς, μὴ νήλιπος ἔρχεο Βάττε. §4.57ἐν γὰρ ὄρει ῥάμνοί τε καὶ ἀσπάλαθοι κομέονται.
Do you see it?" Corydon: "Yes, yes, I have it in my nails; and here it is itself." Battus: "How small the wound is, and what a big man it subdues!" Corydon: "When you go to the mountain, do not go unshod, Battus; for on the mountain brambles and wild pears flourish." Battus: "Come, tell me, Corydon, does the little old man still pursue that dark-browed sweetheart, with whom he was once smitten?" Corydon: "Still indeed, unhappy man!
§4.58εἴπʼ ἄγε μʼ ὦ Κορύδων, τὸ γερόντιον ἦ ῥα διώκει, §4.59τήναν τὰν κυάνοφρυν ἐρωτίδα, τᾶς ποκʼ ἐκνίσθη; §4.60ἀκμάν γʼ ὦ δειλαῖε· πρόαν γε μὲν αὐτὸς ἐπενθὼν §4.61καὶ ποτὶ τᾷ μάνδρᾳ κατελάμβανον ἆμος ἐνήργει.
Only the other day I came upon him myself and caught him right by the fold, while he was at it." Battus: "Well done, lustful old man!