Plants in Eclogues 1 and 2

 In Eclogues 1 and 2, plants are utilized throughout the poem to establish a setting and give the reader a sense of the pastoral atmosphere. Some of these plants also hold more symbolic or intertextual meanings, and of the plants that do, the beech trees and mention of cypress trees in Eclogue 1 are the most significant ones, while the mention of the narcissus flower is the most significant one in Eclogue 2. 

In Eclogue 1, Virgil opens the poem with an idyllic, rural setting, and describes Tityrus as “recubans sub tegmine fagi,” (1.1) which roughly translates into ‘lying under the cover of a (wide spreading) beech tree.” Interestingly enough, fagi in Greek translates to oak tree, rather than beech tree, and further Greek influence is seen in the names of the characters, such as Meliboeus (meaning cattle-minder). In addition to displaying subtle Greek influences, plants in Eclogue 1 also hold symbolic meaning, such as the mention of cypress trees: ‘verum haec tantum alias inter caput extulit urbes/quantum lenta solent inter viburna cupressi’ (1.24-1.25), which roughly translates to, ‘Certainly this city raised her head among other cities, as much as cypresses are accustomed to amongst the pliant, wayfaring trees.’ Cypresses are evergreen trees that are associated with death and rebirth. Some other instances of cypresses being associated with death include Book 6 of Virgil’s Aeneid, where they are used in a funeral procession for Misenus (6.216). However, the usage of cypresses in Eclogue 1 as a simile for Rome could hold a deeper and possibly more political meaning. Virgil could have used a cypress to portray Rome as a city that would permanently stand in time and surpass all other cities, respectively parallel to how a cypress tree is evergreen and also taller (and thus in this simile, greater) that other trees. However, the cypress’ attributes related to death and rebirth could also signal some sort of parallel to the current political climate of Rome. Around the time Virgil started working on the Eclogues, Octavian and Mark Antony were at odds with each other, and this conflict was significant during the transition of Rome from a republic to an empire. Though it is unclear if Virgil was aware of this being significant, it can definitely be assumed that he was, at least, aware of the political turmoil associated with it. 

In Eclogue 2, Virgil introduces the character Corydon, who is obsessed with another character, Alexis, through a monologue. In this monologue, he mentions the narcissus (2.48), a flower that is linked to the character Narcissus in Greek mythology, who is obsessed with his reflection. Though it’s a seemingly insignificant detail, other small details point towards the possibility that Virgil may have intended to parallel the characters of Corydon and Alexis to Echo and Narcissus. Virgil utilizes the verb resonat in the poem (2.13), which can be translated as Echo, and also has Corydon talk about his appearance, which he “nupe me in litore vidi” (2.25), a parallel to Narcissus staring at himself in the water. It is interesting to note that it is said that the earliest written record of Echo and Narcissus is in Ovid’s Metamorphoses, which was released after the Eclogues, and thus, this could point towards the possibility of the myth of Echo and Narcissus being passed down through speech, rather than text.