incurrant amnes passim rimantibus undis nec nostros servire sinant erronibus agros." Dulcius hoc, memini, revocasti, Battare, carmen: "Emanent subito sicca tellure paludes et metat hic iuncos, spicas ubi legimus olim ; cogulet arguti grylli cava garrula rana.” Tristius hoc rursum dicit mea fistula carmen: 66 Praecipitent altis fumantes montibus imbres, et late teneant diffuso gurgite campos, qui dominis infesta minantes stagna relinquant. cum delapsa meos agros pervenerit unda, piscetur nostris in finibus advena arator, advena, civili qui semper crimine crevit.” O male devoti praetorum crimine agelli, tuque inimica pii semper Discordia civis : exsul ego indemnatus egens mea rura reliqui, miles ut accipiat funesti praemia belli. hinc ego de tumulo mea rura novissima visam, hinc ibo in silvas; obstabunt iam mihi colles, obstabunt montes, campos audire licebit : “Dulcia rura valete, et Lydia dulcior illis, et casti fontes et felix nomen agelli." Tardius a miserae descendite monte capellae : mollia non iterum carpetis pabula nota : tuque resiste pater. en prima novissima nobis, intueor campos: longum manet esse sine illis. 70 servire B1: exire ML. 73 iungos spicos S. 74 cogulet L: occultet S: occupet It. 78 qui It. quid dominus S. relinquunt. 79 70 75 80 85 90 cum delapsa meos Reitzenstein: unde (undae) ZMS: lapsa (elapsa) meos LM. 81 crimina S. opposing fields: let brooks from all sides rush in with deep-cleaving waters, nor let them suffer our lands to be enslaved to vagabonds!" 71 This sweeter strain, O Battarus, I remember thou didst recall: "Let marshes from parched ground suddenly spring forth, and, where once we gathered corn-ears, let this man reap rushes; let the croaking frog sour the chirping cricket's hollow lairs!" 75 This sadder strain my pipe gives forth in turn : "From high mountains let rains rush streaming down, and with outspread flood widely possess the plains; then with menace of evil to their lords let them leave stagnant pools! When the wave, gliding down, reaches my fields, then let the stranger ploughman fish within my bounds-the stranger, who has ever waxed rich through citizens condemned!” 82 O ye fields accursed, ye that the praetors have condemned! and thou, O Discord, ever the foe of righteous citizens! I, a needy exile, though uncondemned, have left my fields, that a soldier may receive the wages of deadly war. From this mound will I look my last upon my lands; from this will I pass to the woods; soon will the hills, soon will the mountains impede my view, but the plains will be able to hear: "Sweet lands, farewell! and thou, Lydia, farewell, sweeter than they, and ye, pure fountains, and ye fields of happy name!" 91 Ah! more slowly come down from the hill, ye poor she-goats: never again shall ye browse on the soft pastures that ye know so well; and do thou, sire of the flock, stay behind! Lo, upon the plains, my first and last possession, I gaze: long must I be reft of them! "Rura valete iterum, tuque optima Lydia salve, 95 sive eris et si non, mecum morieris utrumque." Extremum carmen revocemus, Battare, avena: “Dulcia amara prius fient et mollia dura, candida nigra oculi cernent et dextera laeva, migrabunt casus aliena in corpora rerum, quam tua de nostris emigret cura medullis. quamvis ignis eris, quamvis aqua, semper amabo: gaudia semper enim tua me meminisse licebit." 100 "Once more, ye fields, farewell, and fare thee well, good Lydia; whether thou wilt live, or not, in either case thou wilt die with me!" 97 Our last strain, O Battarus, let us recall on the reed! "Sweet shall become bitter, and soft hard; eyes shall see white as black, and right as left; atoms of things shall pass into bodies of other kinds, ere regard for thee pass from my heart.1 Though fire, though water thou shalt be, ever will I love thee, for ever will it be permitted to think upon thy joys!" 1 By casus rerum he means the dissolution of things; hence the atoms of a body, which, when reunited, form objects of a different kind. This is therefore a reference to the atomic theory of the Epicureans. LYDIA* INVIDEO Vobis, agri formosaque prata, O fortunati nimium multumque beati, 3 est vobis] in vobis Heinsius: ex vobis Ellis. 12 dulci H: dulcia. 5 10 15 13 veneris H: venerem . stipendia SL: spumantia M: dispendia or stipantia It. 14 declinarit. 15 narrabis. 18 sistite ub: currite commonly read: lapsantes gurgite Ellis. * The MSS. give the Lydia in sequence to the Dirae without separate title. Jacobs first separated the two. |