Eclogues. Georgics. Aeneid, Books 1–6

by Virgil, G.P. Goold (Primary Contributor), H. Rushton Fairclough (Translator)

Virgil (Publius Vergilius Maro) was born in 70 BCE near Mantua and was educated at Cremona, Milan and Rome. Slow in speech, shy in manner, thoughtful in mind, weak in health, he went back north for a quiet life. Influenced by the group of poets there, he may have written some of the doubtful poems included in our Virgilian manuscripts. All his undoubted extant work is written in his perfect hexameters. Earliest comes the collection of ten pleasingly artificial bucolic poems, the "Eclogues," which imitated freely Theocritus's idylls. They deal with pastoral life and love. Before 29 BCE came one of the best of all didactic works, the four hooks of Georgics on tillage, trees, cattle, and bees. Virgil's remaining years were spent in composing his great, not wholly finished, epic the "Aeneid," on the traditional theme of Rome's origins through Aeneas of Troy. Inspired by the Emperor Augustus's rule, the poem is Homeric in metre and method but influenced also by later Greek and Roman literature, philosophy, and learning, and deeply Roman in spirit. Virgil died in 19 BCE at Brundisium on his way home from Greece, where he had intended to round off the "Aeneid." He had left in Rome a request that all its twelve books should be destroyed if he were to die then, but they were published by the executors of his will.

The Loeb Classical Library edition of Virgil is in two volumes.

Genres: Poetry, Classics, Fiction, Mythology, Literature, Reference, Philosophy

607 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 20

About the author

born 15 October 70 BC
died 21 September 19 BC

Roman poet Virgil, also Vergil, originally Publius Vergilius Maro, composed the Aeneid , an epic telling after the sack of Troy of the wanderings of Aeneas.

Work of Virgil greatly influenced on western literature; in most notably Divine Comedy of Dante Alighieri.

Reviews

[Caleb Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Though this is my second time through books 1-5 (and my first time through book 6), this truly felt like my first time reading this book--and, oh, what an experience it was! To anyone questioning the value of learning a "dead" language like Latin, I would hold this book up as a prime example of the kind of timeless poetry which can only be captured in all its glory in the original; a translation, while perhaps achieving many things, could never approach Virgil's literary genius as he intended it to be enjoyed.

A book I would gladly reread with anyone interested in enjoying it with company!

~~~~~~~~~

Read through Georgics and Eclogues, marking the completion of my first read through the complete works of Virgil! The Eclogues were honestly pretty strange and difficult to access (and get into some undesirable areas of Greco-Roman life, such as pederasty), quite unlike the Aeneid. The Georgics is obviously very specialized at certain points in its diction, but was still much more accessible and engaging overall than the Eclogues; it boasts what I think are some of the most beautiful, startling, and moving episodes in the entire Virgilian corpus.

[Monica · Rating 5 out of 5]

There’s something beautiful about Virgil, in which he portrayed his poems with the sympathy of a poet. I really enjoyed his Eclogues and Georgics, and have come to the realization that his words are like a friend to me. I highly recommend this edition of his work.

[Ian Caveny · Rating 5 out of 5]

What to write of the words written here before us? Better, instead, to stay silent, and let the Master speak.

[soph]

read books 1, 2, 4, and 6 for AP

[Joshua W.D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

As with all the Loeb series, this fulfills the important need to have the original text at hand when one is reading a translation.

However, the division of the two volumes is a bit irritating: the Aeneid is divided between the two volumes, which doesn't just double the cost, but makes turning back and forth in the Aeneid to consult an earlier or later passage rather unwieldy. It would be nice to have the Aeneid in one volume, with the Eclogues and Georgics in the other, along with the Appendix Vergiliana if that is desired. I suspect, however, that the latter volume would sell very few copies, and I can't fault Harvard Press as a business if they divided the volumes as they did for exactly that reason!

The translation itself is fine, as far as translations go and considering that it is prose, trying to give the meaning of the text without pretensions to being English literature as well, and the brief and occasional notes are minimal but helpful.

For now, a necessary pair of volumes if one wants to compare the English to the original.

[Roisin]

Wow! Read a different translation many years ago. Forgot how good this is. Do read it! Virgil's writing is so fantastic, so beautiful. Can't wait to read the second volume of this.

[Astrid · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aeneid books I, II, and IV for a class on Marlowe and Nashe’s Dido

[Eleanor! · Rating 5 out of 5]

Italiam non sponte sequitur :(

[blythe]

why is this lowkey just inferno; i'm suspicious of you monsieur Alighieri

[Trounin · Rating 3 out of 5]

В первых работах поэта читатель отмечает обилие пасторальных эпизодов. Вергилий скорее отражает ему известное, нежели стремится поэтизировать быт обитателей сельской местности. Перед взором возникают пахари, животноводы, пасечники, садоводы. Все тонкости их профессионального ремесла становятся известными читателю, вплоть до правил пересадки. разведения, борьбы с болезнями и точного указания на момент сбора. В плане понимания дальнейшего падения Древнего Рима и тёмных веков Европы, подобного рода информацию было больше негде найти, поэтому старания Вергилия стали для них благом. Иначе кто бы объяснил людям хитрости разведения овец и выращивания винограда, опираясь не на сам факт получения результата, а с оглядкой на свойства почвы и фазы Луны?

(c) Trounin

[Jordan]

I just read the Eclogues out of this. The translation kind of put me off, so I decided not to read the rest as there are other translations of Virgil I recall liking better. It just seemed so awkwardly worded and stilted in a few parts and it really put me off. As always with the Loeb Classical Library though, I appreciated having the Latin and the English side by side.

[Lucy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This edition is great to read--it has the English on one side, the Latin on the other. I recall quite clearly how excruciating it was to translate the Aeneid, but now I can more happily appreciate the dual-language approach. The Georgics were also surprisingly engaging.

[Prisoner 071053 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Got it for the Eclogues. Not horrible. Verse translation would be better, of course.

[Alice Handley]

Christ. The fricking Aeneid.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good.

[Jonathan]

None

[Csimplot Simplot · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book!!!

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Eclogues were good but I really like the Georgics. Guess I should have been a farmer.