“ Roman Virgil, thou that singest
Ilion’s lofty temples robed in fire,1
Ilion’s lofty temples robed in fire,1
Ilion falling, Rome arising,
wars, and filial faith, and Dido’s pyre ;2
wars, and filial faith, and Dido’s pyre ;2
Landscape-lover, lord of language—
more than he thatsang the Works and Days,3
more than he thatsang the Works and Days,3
All the chosen coin of fancy
flashing out from many a golden phrase ;4
flashing out from many a golden phrase ;4
Thou that singest wheat and woodland,
tilth and vineyard, hive and horse and heard ;5
tilth and vineyard, hive and horse and heard ;5
All of the charms of all the Muses
often flowering in a lonely word ;6
often flowering in a lonely word ;6
Poet of the happy Tityrus
piping underneath his beechen bowers ;7
piping underneath his beechen bowers ;7
Poet of the poet-satyr
whom the laughing shepherd bound with flowers ;8
whom the laughing shepherd bound with flowers ;8
Chanter of the Pollio, glorying
in the blissful years again to be,9
in the blissful years again to be,9
Summers of the snakeless meadow,
unlaborious earch and oarless sea ;10
unlaborious earch and oarless sea ;10
Thou that seest Universal
Nature moved by Universal Mind ;11
Nature moved by Universal Mind ;11
Thou Majestic in thy sadness
at the doubtful doom of human kind ;12
at the doubtful doom of human kind ;12
Light among the vanish’d ages ;
star that gildest yet this phantom shore ;13
star that gildest yet this phantom shore ;13
Golden branch amid the shadows,
kings and realms that pass to rise no more ;14
kings and realms that pass to rise no more ;14
Now thy Forum roars no longer,
fallen every purple Cæsar’s dome—15
fallen every purple Cæsar’s dome—15
Though thine ocean-roll of rhythm
sound for ever of Imperial Rome—16
sound for ever of Imperial Rome—16
Now the Rome of slaves hath perish’d,
and the Rome of freemen holds her place :17
and the Rome of freemen holds her place :17
I, from out the Northern Island
sunder’d once from all the human race,18
sunder’d once from all the human race,18
I salute thee, mighty Mantuan,
I that loved thee since my day began,19
I that loved thee since my day began,19
Wielder of the stateliest measure
ever moulded by the lips of man.”20
ever moulded by the lips of man.”20