and the sea-born race, the cattle and painted birds, rush into madness and fire.
Amor omnibus idem.
Love is the same for all.
§3.245Tempore non alio catulorum oblita leaena §3.246saevior erravit campis, nec funera volgo §3.247tam multa informes ursi stragemque dedere §3.248per silvas; tum saevus aper, tum pessima tigris; §3.249heu male tum Libyae solis erratur in agris.
At no other time does the lioness, forgetting her cubs, wander more fierce over the plains, nor do the shapeless bears deal so many deaths and such slaughter throughout the forests; then the wild boar is savage, then the tiger is at her worst; alas, it is ill then to wander in the lonely fields of Libya.
§3.250Nonne vides, ut tota tremor pertemptet equorum §3.251corpora, si tantum notas odor attulit auras?
Do you not see how a trembling seizes the whole bodies of the horses, if only the scent has brought the familiar breezes?
§3.252Ac neque eos iam frena virum neque verbera saeva §3.253non scopuli rupesque cavae atque obiecta retardant §3.254flumina correptosque unda torquentia montis.
And now neither the reins of men nor savage whips, nor rocks and hollow cliffs, nor opposing rivers, nor those that whirl away mountains snatched by their flood, can hold them back.
§3.255Ipse ruit dentesque Sabellicus exacuit sus §3.256et pede prosubigit terram, fricat arbore costas §3.257atque hinc atque illinc umeros ad volnera durat.
The Sabellian boar himself rushes on, and whets his tusks, and tears up the ground with his foot, rubs his ribs against a tree, and on this side and that hardens his shoulders against wounds.
§3.258Quid iuvenis, magnum cui versat in ossibus ignem §3.259durus amor? Nempe abruptis turbata procellis
What of the youth, in whose bones harsh love fans a mighty fire?
§3.260nocte natat caeca serus freta; quem super ingens §3.261porta tonat caeli et scopulis inlisa reclamant §3.262aequora; nec miseri possunt revocare parentes §3.263nec moritura super crudeli funere virgo.
For sure, late in the blind night, he swims the straits troubled by sudden tempests; above him the great portal of heaven thunders, and the waters dashed against the rocks cry out; neither can his wretched parents call him back, nor the maiden who is herself to die over his cruel death.
§3.264Quid lynces Bacchi variae et genus acre luporum
What of Bacchus' spotted lynxes, and the fierce race of wolves and dogs?
§3.265atque canum? Quid, quae imbelles dant proelia cervi?
What of the battles which the peaceful stags wage?
§3.266Scilicet ante omnis furor est insignis equarum; §3.267et mentem Venus ipsa dedit, quo tempore Glauci §3.268Potniades malis membra absumpsere quadrigae.
To be sure, above all, the madness of mares is outstanding; and Venus herself gave them this mind, at the time when the Potnian four-horse chariot of Glaucus devoured his limbs with their jaws.
§3.269Illas ducit amor trans Gargara transque sonantem §3.270Ascanium; superant montis et flumina tranant.
Love leads them across Gargara and across the sounding Ascanius; they scale mountains and swim across rivers.
§3.271Continuoque avidis ubi subdita flamma medullis, §3.272vere magis, quia vere calor redit ossibus: illae §3.273ore omnes versae in Zephyrum stant rupibus altis, §3.274exceptantque levis auras et saepe sine ullis §3.275coniugiis vento gravidae, mirabile dictu, §3.276saxa per et scopulos et depressas convallis §3.277diffugiunt, non, Eure, tuos, neque solis ad ortus, §3.278in Borean caurumque, aut unde nigerrimus auster §3.279nascitur et pluvio contristat frigore caelum.
And immediately, when the flame is applied to their eager marrow, more in spring, because in spring warmth returns to the bones: they all stand on high rocks, turned with their mouths toward the West Wind, and catch the light breezes, and often, without any mating, pregnant by the wind, wondrous to relate, they flee away over rocks and cliffs and deep valleys, not toward your path, East Wind, nor to the rising of the sun, but toward the North Wind and the Northwest Wind, or whence the darkest South Wind is born and saddens the sky with rainy cold.
§3.280Hic demum, hippomanes vero quod nomine dicunt §3.281pastores, lentum destillat ab inguine virus, §3.282hippomanes, quod saepe malae legere novercae §3.283miscueruntque herbas et non innoxia verba.
Then at last, a sticky fluid drips from their groin, which shepherds call by its true name, hippomanes— hippomanes, which cruel stepmothers often gather, mixing herbs with noxious spells.
But meanwhile time flies, irretrievable time flies, while we, captivated by love, wander around every detail.
§3.286Hoc satis armentis: superat pars altera curae, §3.287lanigeros agitare greges hirtasque capellas.
This is enough for the herds: there remains the other part of our care, to tend the wool-bearing flocks and the shaggy goats.
§3.288Hic labor, hinc laudem fortes sperate coloni.
Here is toil; hence, brave husbandmen, hope for praise.
§3.289Nec sum animi dubius, verbis ea vincere magnum §3.290quam sit, et angustis hunc addere rebus honorem; §3.291sed me Parnasi deserta per ardua dulcis §3.292raptat amor; iuvat ire iugis, qua nulla priorum §3.293Castaliam molli devertitur orbita clivo.
Nor am I doubtful in mind how great a task it is to master these things in words, and to add this honor to humble themes; but a sweet love ravishes me through the lonely heights of Parnassus; it is a joy to go along the ridges where no track of predecessors turns down by a gentle slope to Castalia.
§3.294Nunc, veneranda Pales, magno nunc ore sonandum
Now, venerable Pales, now must I sing with a mighty voice.
§3.295Incipiens stabulis edico in mollibus herbam §3.296carpere ovis, dum mox frondosa reducitur aestas, §3.297et multa duram stipula filicumque maniplis §3.298sternere subter humum, glacies ne frigida laedat §3.299molle pecus scabiemque ferat turpisque podagras.
To begin, I decree that sheep crop the grass in soft stables until leafy summer soon returns, and that you strew the ground beneath them with abundant straw and bundles of fern, lest the cold ice harm the tender flock and bring ugly scabies and foul foot-rot.
§3.300Post hinc digressus iubeo frondentia capris §3.301arbuta sufficere et fluvios praebere recentis §3.302et stabula a ventis hiberno opponere soli §3.303ad medium conversa diem, cum frigidus olim §3.304iam cadit extremoque inrorat Aquarius anno.
Departing from here next, I bid you supply the goats with leafy arbutus and offer them fresh river water, and to place their stables away from the winds, facing the winter sun, turned toward midday, when cold Aquarius at length now sets and sprinkles the dying year.
§3.305Haec quoque non cura nobis leviore tuendae, §3.306nec minor usus erit, quamvis Milesia magno §3.307vellera mutentur Tyrios incocta rubores:
These also must be protected by us with no lighter care, nor will their usefulness be less, though Milesian fleeces, steeped in Tyrian purples, are bartered for a great price.
§3.308densior hinc suboles, hinc largi copia lactis; §3.309quam magis exhausto spumaverit ubere mulctra, §3.310laeta magis pressis manabunt flumina mammis.
From these is a denser offspring, from these a generous abundance of milk; the more the milk-pail has foamed from the exhausted udder, the more glad streams will flow from the pressed teats.
§3.311Nec minus interea barbas incanaque menta §3.312Cinyphii tondent hirci saetasque comantis §3.313usum in castrorum et miseris velamina nautis.
No less, meanwhile, do they shear the beards and hoary chins of the Cinyphian goat, and his shaggy hair, for the use of camps and as coverings for wretched mariners.
§3.314Pascuntur vero silvas et summa Lycaei §3.315horrentisque rubos et amantis ardua dumos: §3.316atque ipsae memores redeunt in tecta suosque §3.317ducunt et gravido superant vix ubere limen.
Indeed, they feed in the woods and on the summits of Lycaeus, on thorny brambles and bushes that love steep places; and of themselves, mindful, they return to their shelters and lead their young, and with heavy udders scarcely cross the threshold.
§3.318Ergo omni studio glaciem ventosque nivalis §3.319quo minor est illis curae mortalis egestas, §3.320avertes victumque feres et virgea laetus §3.321pabula, nec tota claudes faenilia bruma.
Therefore, with all zeal, since their need of mortal care is so much less, you shall ward off the ice and snowy winds, and gladly bring them food and leafy fodder, nor shut up your hay-lofts during the whole winter.
§3.322At vero Zephyris cum laeta vocantibus aestas
But indeed, when glad summer, at the call of the West Winds,...