§470quae supplet ac restituit exhaustum genus: §471orbis iacebit squalido turpis situ, §472vacuum sine ullis piscibus stabit mare, §473alesque caelo derit et silvis fera §474solis et aer pervius ventis erit.
she who replenishes and restores the exhausted race: the world will lie in ugly, squalid neglect, the sea will stand empty without any fish, and bird will be lacking to the sky, and wild beast to the woods, and the air will be passable only to the winds.
Therefore, follow nature as the guide of life: frequent the city, cultivate the assembly of citizens.
§483Non alia magis est libera et vitio carens §484ritusque melius vita quae priscos colat, §485quam quae relictis moenibus silvas amat.
There is no other life more free and lacking in vice, and which better preserves ancient rites, than that which, having left behind the city walls, loves the woods.
§486non illum avarae mentis inflammat furor §487qui se dicavit montium insontem iugis, §488non aura populi et vulgus infidum bonis, §489non pestilens invidia, non fragilis favor; §490. non ille regno servit aut regno imminens §491vanos honores sequitur aut fluxas opes, §492spei metusque liber, haud illum niger §493edaxque livor dente degeneri petit; §494nec scelera populos inter atque urbes sata §495novit nec omnes conscius strepitus pavet §496aut verba fingit; mille non quaerit tegi §497dives columnis nec trabes multo insolens §498suffigit auro; non cruor largus pias §499inundat aras, fruge nec sparsi sacra §500centena nivei colla summittunt boves: §501sed rure vacuo potitur et aperto aethere §502innocuus errat, callidas tantum feris §503struxisse fraudes novit et fessus gravi §504labore niveo corpus Iliso fovet: §505nunc ille ripam celeris Alphei legit, §506nunc nemoris alti densa metatur loca, §507ubi Lerna puro gelida perlucet vado, §508sedesque mutas: hinc aves querulae fremunt §509ornique ventis lene percussae tremunt §510veteresque fagi.
The madness of a greedy mind does not inflame him who has dedicated himself, guiltless, to the ridges of the mountains; not the favor of the people and the crowd unfaithful to the good, nor pestilential envy, nor fragile favor; He does not serve a kingdom, nor, grasping for power, does he pursue vain honors or fleeting wealth, free from hope and fear; him no black and consuming envy does not attack with base tooth; Neither does he know the crimes sown among peoples and cities, nor, conscious of guilt, does he tremble at every noise or feign words; wealthy, he does not seek to be sheltered by a thousand columns, nor insolently does he fasten beams with much gold; no copious blood floods pious altars, nor do hundreds of snowy bulls, sprinkled with sacred meal, bow their necks: But he enjoys the empty countryside and, under the open sky, wanders harmlessly; he knows only how to set crafty snares for wild beasts, and, weary with heavy labor, refreshes his body in the snowy Ilissus: now he traces the bank of swift Alpheus, now he traverses the dense places of the high grove, where cold Lerna shines through with its pure ford, and the silent abodes: hence plaintive birds murmur, and mountain-ashes, gently struck by the winds, tremble, and ancient beeches.
iuvit aut amnis vagi §511pressisse ripas, caespite aut nudo leves §512duxisse somnos, sive fons largus citas §513defundit undas sive per flores novos §514fugiente dulcis murmurat rivo sonus.
Or it pleases him to have pressed the banks of a wandering stream, or on the bare turf to have drawn light sleep, whether a generous spring pours down swift waters, or through fresh flowers a sweet sound murmurs with the fleeing stream.
§515excussa silvis poma compescunt famem §516et fraga parvis vulsa dumetis cibos §517faciles ministrant, regios luxus procul §518est impetus fugisse: sollicito bibunt §519auro superbi; quam iuvat nuda manu
Apples shaken from the woods satisfy hunger, and strawberries plucked from low bushes provide easy food; far off from royal luxury is the impulse to flee: with anxiety they drink from proud gold; how pleasing it is with bare hand to have scooped the spring!
More secure sleep oppresses him who turns secure limbs on a hard bed.
§522non in recessu furta et obscuro improbus §523quaerit cubili seque multiplici timens §524domo recondit: aethera ac lucem petit §525et teste caelo vivit, hoc equidem reor
The wicked man does not seek secret thefts in a retreat and obscure bedchamber, and, fearing, hide himself in a complex house: he seeks the air and the light, and lives with heaven as his witness.
Indeed I believe that they lived in this manner whom the first age, mingled with gods, brought forth.
§528caecus cupido, nullus in campo sacer §529divisit agros arbiter populis lapis; §530nondum secabant credulae pontum rates: §531sua quisque norat maria; non vasto aggere §532crebraque turre duxerant urbes latus; §533non arma saeva miles aptabat manu §534nec torta clausas fregerat saxo gravi §535ballista portas, iussa nec dominum pati §536iuncto ferebat terra servitium bove: §537sed arva per se feta poscentes nihil §538pavere gentes, silva nativas opes §539et opaca dederant antra nativas domos.
They had no blind desire for gold, no sacred boundary stone dividing fields in the plain acted as a judge for peoples; not yet did trusting rafts cut the sea: each man knew only his own seas; not with a vast rampart and frequent towers had cities surrounded their flanks; the soldier did not fit savage weapons with his hand, nor had the twisted ballista broken closed gates with a heavy stone, nor did the earth, ordered to endure a master, bear servitude with the yoked ox: but the fields, fertile of themselves, preserved the nations who asked for nothing; the wood gave its native wealth, and shady caves gave native homes.
§540rupere foedus impius lucri furor §541et ira praeceps quaeque succensas agit §542libido mentes; venit imperii sitis §543cruenta, factus praeda maiori minor: §544pro iure vires esse.
An impious madness for gain broke this treaty, and headlong anger, and the lust which drives minds inflamed; there came a bloody thirst for empire, and the lesser became a prey to the greater: might was in place of right.
tum primum manu §545bellare nuda saxaque et ramos rudes §546vertere in arma: non erat gracili levis §547armata ferro cornus aut longo latus §548mucrone cingens ensis aut crista procul §549galeae comantes: tela faciebat dolor.
Then first with bare hand did they fight, and they turned rocks and rough branches into weapons: there was no light cornel-wood spear armed with slender iron, nor a sword girding the side with its long blade, nor plumed helmets waving from afar: anger made weapons.
§550invenit artes bellicus Mavors novas §551et mille formas mortis, hinc terras cruor §552infecit omnis fusus et rubuit mare.
Warlike Mars invented new arts and a thousand forms of death; hence poured-out blood stained all lands and the sea grew red.
§553tum scelera dempto fine per cunctas domos §554iere, nullum caruit exemplo nefas: §555a fratre frater, dextera gnati parens §556cecidit, maritus coniugis ferro iacet §557perimuntque fetus impiae matres suos; §559sed dux malorum femina: haec scelerum artifex §560obsedit animos, huius incestis stupris §561fumant tot urbes, bella tot gentes gerunt
Then crimes without limit went through all homes, no impiety lacked an example: brother fell by brother, parent by the right hand of a son, husband lies low by the iron of his wife, and impious mothers destroy their own offspring; but the leader of evils is woman: she, the artificer of crimes, besieged minds; by her unchaste adulteries so many cities smoke, so many nations wage wars