Landscape Features in Eclogue III

The following is a list of the landscape features in Eclogue III. I list the Latin word, the line, the English meaning, and the character who mentions the word. There is no immediately obvious conclusion to be drawn between the features mentioned by Damoetas as opposed to those mentioned by Menalcas (although I have an impression that Damoetas’ features of a more concrete and physical nature than Menalcas’, but that may simply be due to bias from their respective characterization). It is notable, however, that Palaemon names a significant number of landscape features for his relatively small presence in the poem (in terms of numbers of lines, at least), and his features – grass, field, woods, streams, meadows – are far more easily classed as landscape features which one would expect in a pastoral poem than most of those used by Damoetas and Menalcas. It is further interesting that this excellent descriptor of the pastoral landscape is a sea deity – perhaps making his particular presence in the poem even a little more puzzling.

Strictly landscape and lands:

sacello (9), little sanctuary, Damoetas

arbustum (10), orchard, Menalcas

triviis (26), crossroads, Menalcas

totum orbem (61), whole world (not just a landscape feature, but the entire landscape), Menalcas

herba (55), grass, Palaemon

ager (56), field, Palaemon

silvae (57), woods, Palaemon

terras (61), lands (again, the landscape itself), Damoetas

locum, aeriae quo congessere palumbes (69) place where airy doves build their nests (a landscape feature by merit of the term locum, though the description of the place is a little more specific than a general “feature”), Damoetas

stabulis (80), enclosures or sheepfolds, Damoetas

arenam (87), sand, Menalcas

humi (92), ground, Damoetas

ripae (94), banks (implying a river, but not actually mentioning it), Menalcas

flumine (96), river, Damoetas

fonte (97), spring, Damoetas

quibus terris… / tris pateat caeli spatium non amplius ulnas (104-105), in what lands the space of the heavens lies not more than three “elbows” (whether this is an actual landscape – and what sort of landscape it is, for that matter -- or a description of something else in terms of a landscape is not clear), Damoetas

quibus in terris inscripti nomina regum / nascantur flores (106-107), in what lands flowers grow inscribed with the names of kings (although it is a description of a land, the flowers are not precisely landscape features, as the description of the expanse of sky acts in Damoetas’ riddle), Menalcas

rivos (111), streams, Palaemon

prata (111), meadows, Palaemon

The following are climate and weather words, which in some respect embody the nature of a landscape:

venti (73), winds, Damoetas

imbres (80), rains, Damoetas

venti (81), winds, Damoetas

aestus (98), heat, Menalcas