The Eclogues

The speaker opens the poem with a brief introduction (Lines 1-13). He dedicates his work to an unknown addressee, wondering if he’ll ever be able to appropriately praise his deeds (Lines 6-13). This eclogue covers another singing exchange, one between two sad lovers, Damon and Alphesiboeus.

At daybreak, when “Night’s chill had scarcely left the sky, when dew / on delicate grass most pleases the flock” (Lines 14-15), the lovelorn shepherd Damon begins his song. His betrothed, Nysa, left him for his rival Mopsus. Occasionally returning to his refrain of “Begin with me, my flute, the verses of Maenalus,” Damon describes how Nysa will take up traditional Roman marriage ceremonies with Mopsus (Lines 30-31). Damon first saw Nysa as a child in a local orchard and was instantly smitten; he says he saw her and “died, and a wicked madness swept me away” (Lines 38-42). Damon blames the god Love (often depicted in the form of Cupid) and expounds on his cruelty (Lines 43-51). Nature takes a turn at Nysa’s betrayal: “Now let the wolf flee the sheep [...] Sturdy oaks / bear apples of gold” (Lines 53-54). Damon invites the ocean to cover all the woodlands and offers his imminent death as a last gift to Nysa (Lines 59-62).