The Works of Virgil

Vatican Apostolic Library

THE GEORGICS

BOOK IV

And perhaps, were I not already furling my sails at the very end of my labors and hastening to turn my prow toward the land, I might sing of what careful cultivation original: "cura colendi" makes rich gardens bloom, and of the rose-beds of Paestum Paestum was a Greek colony in southern Italy famous for its roses that reportedly bloomed twice a year, in spring and autumn. that flower twice a year; and in what way the endive original: "intiba"; likely referring to chicory or endive, which Greeks and Romans valued for its bitter flavor. rejoices in the streams it drinks, and how the banks grow green with parsley original: "apii"; this term could refer to either celery or parsley., and how the cucumber original: "cucumis" winding through the grass swells into its belly; nor would I have passed over in silence the late-blooming narcissus or the stalks of the bending acanthus The acanthus is a Mediterranean plant with distinctive jagged leaves that served as the inspiration for the ornate "Corinthian" style of Greek and Roman architecture., the pale ivy, and the myrtles that love the shores.

A rectangular miniature painting is framed by a prominent red border with a thin black inner line. The illustration depicts a garden scene illustrating the text above. In the center background is a small, rectangular building with a brown tiled roof and visible rafters, possibly representing a farmhouse or garden shed. In the foreground, four male figures dressed in short, light-colored tunics are shown tending to a lush garden. The garden is filled with blooming flowers—likely the "rose-beds of Paestum" mentioned in the text—and low-growing green plants. To the left, a figure appears to be seated or kneeling near a tree, while the other three figures are standing and actively gardening. Two slender, stylized trees flank the scene. The background sky is a dark, atmospheric blue-grey.