Monday, September 23, 2013

Flora in Eclogue 9



Flora in Eclogue 9, as compared to Eclogue 1 and Theocritus Idyll 7

line 9: veteres fagos (iam fracta cacumina)
    These old and broken beech trees reflect the mood of the poem. 
    cf "patulae fagi" in Eclogue 1.1

line 15: cava ilice
    Hollow oak tree
    cf "quercus" (oak tree) in Eclogue 1.17 and "ilice" in Eclogue 1.18 (some versions)

line 19: florentibus herbis
    Flowering herbs (general)
    Does not appear in Eclogue 1

line 30: Cyrneas taxos 
    Corsican honey from these yew trees was notoriously bad
    Does not appear in Eclogue 1
    Compare to Theocritus Idyll 7.80, where the bees make honey from sweet cedar trees and the mood is happy
 
line 31: cytiso
    Clover
    cf "florentum cytisum" in Eclogue 1.78-79
    (also compare parallels in Theocritus Idylls 5.128 and 10.30)

lines 40-41: varios flores
    General flowers
    I don't recognize a specific parallel in Eclogue 1

line 41: candida populus
    (Bright) white poplar
    Does not appear in Eclogue 1

line 42: lentae vites
     Twining grapevines
     cf "vitis" in Eclogue 1.74, which is similar, and "lentus" in Eclogue 1.4 which has a very different sense 

line 42: umbracula
     Shade-bearing trees (near the tomb of Brasilas)
     This word is found only here in the Eclogues
     Compare to Theocritus Idyll 7.7-8, where similar shady branches cover the tomb of Brasilas
     (also compare Idyll 11.19, 42-49, where we see a similar set of imagery)

line 49: uva
    Grape
    Does not appear specifically in Eclogue1

line 50: piros
    Pear
    cf "piros" Eclogue 1.74
    Compare to Theocritus Idyll 7.145 where pears roll abundantly on the ground, rather than being harvested

line 50: poma
    Fruit (of the fleshy kind with a center)
    cf "poma" in Eclogue 1.38 and Eclogue 1.81
   Compare to Theocritus Idyll 7.145 where apples roll abundantly on the ground rather than being harvested

lines 60-61: densas frondas
    Dense leafy branches (general)
    cf. "fronde" in Eclogue 1.81
    Compare to Theocritus Idyll 7.10-11, the scene at the tomb of Brasilas
   
 

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