Georgics Quotes

“About Justice departing from the shepherds: Justice illustrates a passage from Virgil's Georgics, in which he describes how Astraea, the goddess of Justice, who used to live among mortals during the Golden Age, took refuge among country people, as times degenerated, and at length fled even from them. Rosa shows the cloud-borne goddess departing from a tumbledown farmstead as she hands her sword and scales to a bemused group of peasants, one of whom awkwardly pulls of his hat in respect.”
― Jonathan Scott, Salvator Rosa: His Life and Times

“Planting these cover-crop seeds is my first step to save my Sun Crests. I begin by planting hope - hope that the seeds will germinate, hope that they will add life to the farm and even help save the wonderful taste of my fruits. I had no training to be a father, I could only hope I'd learn quickly, on the job, As I grew my first cover crop, I had a similar feeling. I hoped an enriching harvest would follow. Babies and planting seeds: they demand that you believe in the magic and mystery of life.”
― David Mas Masumoto, Epitaph for a Peach: Four Seasons on My Family Farm

“I've lost my raisin crops, peach harvests, whole trees and vines. I've lost money, time, and my labor. I've lost my temper, my patience, and at times, hope. Most of the time, it's due to things beyond my control, like the weather, market prices, or insects or disease. Even in situation where I believe I am in charge - cover-crop seeding, management of workers, the timing of harvest - I now know I can never really have complete control.”
― David Mas Masumoto, Epitaph for a Peach: Four Seasons on My Family Farm

“The greatest challenge of my summer remains: to keep my confidence I had when I turned back the bulldozer from my peach trees. If I lack vision of the coming harvest and lose my trust in nature, the year will be a constant struggle and perhaps futile. I'd best arm myself early in the season with righteous optimism.”
― David Mas Masumoto, Epitaph for a Peach: Four Seasons on My Family Farm