Literature of the world : an introductory study . estion of theGeorgics. The idea must havebeen an attractive one, for Vir-gil had been brought up amongrural scenes, he loved the soil,and his soul rejoiced in thebeauty of the most beautifulof all lands. The Georgicsare agricultural poems, withthe Greek poems of Hesiod astheir model. They comprise, inall, twenty-two hundred lines,in four books dealing respec-tively with agriculture, withthe cultivation of trees, withanimals, and with bees. Virgildisplays love and enthusiasmfor his subject and writes in an almost faultless poetic Georg
Literature of the world : an introductory study . estion of theGeorgics. The idea must havebeen an attractive one, for Vir-gil had been brought up amongrural scenes, he loved the soil,and his soul rejoiced in thebeauty of the most beautifulof all lands. The Georgicsare agricultural poems, withthe Greek poems of Hesiod astheir model. They comprise, inall, twenty-two hundred lines,in four books dealing respec-tively with agriculture, withthe cultivation of trees, withanimals, and with bees. Virgildisplays love and enthusiasmfor his subject and writes in an almost faultless poetic Georgics, said Dryden, are more perfect in their kindthan even the divine ^neids. A few lines in which Virgil praisesthe life of the farmer are here given, as translated by Dryden: Easy quiet, a secure retreat,A harmless life that knows not how to cheat,With home-bred plenty, the rich owner bless;And rural pleasures crown his with quarrels, undisturbd with noise,The country king his peaceful realm enjoys— 1 Translation by VIKGIL LATIN LITERATURE 121 Cool grots, and living lakes, the flowry pride Of meads, and streams that through the valley glide, And shady groves that easy sleep invite. And, after toilsome days, a sweet repose at night. However, it is with the ^^neid that we naturally associate thename of Virgil. This national epic was undertaken at the instanceof Augustus. Virgils theme was a noble one, for it traced the for-tunes of .^neas, the reputed ancestor of the Latins, from his homein Troy to his final establishment in Italy. Virgil fashioned hispoem slowly, a few lines at a time, licking them into shape, hesaid, as a she-bear does her cubs. It was, indeed, deliberate andnot spontaneous poetry, and hence the work is termed a literaryepic. In this respect it is similar to the epics of Dante and Miltonand unlike those of Homer. A comparison of the .^neid with theIliad and the Odyssey is of course, inevitable; and Virgil suffers bycomparison. But
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