The Georgics: Book III

You too, great Pales The Roman goddess of shepherds, flocks, and livestock., and you, shepherd ever-to-be-remembered who came from Amphrysus Refers to the god Apollo, who, according to myth, served as a shepherd for King Admetus by the banks of the river Amphrysus., we shall sing of; you too, woods and rivers of Lycaeus A mountain in Arcadia, Greece, sacred to Pan, the god of the wild..

All other themes that might have occupied idle minds with song are now common knowledge. Who does not know of the harsh Eurystheus The king who commanded the twelve labors of Hercules., or the altars of the unpraised Busiris An Egyptian king known for his cruelty to foreigners; he is "unpraised" because his deeds were infamous.? By whom has the boy Hylas A young companion of Hercules who was abducted by water nymphs. not been spoken of, or Delos, the island of Leto Original: "Latonia Delos." The island that became the birthplace of the gods Apollo and Diana., and Hippodame, and Pelops A legendary hero whose shoulder, lost in a divine banquet, was replaced with ivory by the gods. distinguished by his ivory shoulder and his prowess with horses?

A path must be tried by which I too may rise from the earth and fly as victor through the mouths of men. I shall be the first—if only life remains to me—to return to my homeland bringing the Muses with me from the Aonian peak Mount Helicon, the home of the Greek Muses. Virgil is declaring his intent to bring the prestige of Greek poetry to his native Italy.. I shall be the first to bring the palms of Idumaea A region in the Levant famous for its palm trees, which were symbols of victory. to you, Mantua Virgil’s own birthplace in Northern Italy., and in the green field I will build a temple of marble beside the water, where the great Mincius The river that flows through Mantua. wanders with slow windings and fringes the banks with tender reeds.

In the center shall be Caesar A reference to Octavian, the future Emperor Augustus. Virgil uses the metaphor of a temple to describe the grand poem he intends to write in Caesar's honor., and he shall possess the temple. For him, I, as victor and conspicuous in Tyrian purple Original: "Tyrio... ostro." A prestigious and expensive dye used for the robes of triumphant generals., will drive a hundred four-horse chariots by the river. For me, all Greece, leaving the river Alpheus The river associated with the site of the Olympic Games. and the groves of Molorchus A reference to the Nemean Games, named after the shepherd who hosted Hercules during his first labor., shall contend in races and with the raw-hide boxing-glove.