The Eclogues of Virgil (eBook)

Publius Vergilius Maro (70-19 BCE), known as Virgil, was a preeminent Roman poet of the Augustan period, celebrated for his significant contribution to Latin literature. Born in the village of Andes, near Mantua, in Cisalpine Gaul, Virgil received his formal education in rhetoric, medicine, and astronomy, before devoting himself to the art of poetry. His pastoral collection, 'The Eclogues of Virgil,' is a masterful series of ten short pastoral poems that heralded a new era in Roman literature. Written between 42 and 37 BCE, 'The Eclogues' (also known as 'Bucolics') exhibit the influence of earlier Greek bucolic poets, such as Theocritus, adapting the idyllic as well as moral themes for a Roman audience (Virgil, 'The Eclogues'). The work is recognized for its innovative use of hexameter verse and the pastoral mode to convey not only the beauty of rural life but also the socio-political anxieties of his time, particularly those arising from the aftermath of Julius Caesar's death. Virgil's poetic prowess is imbued with deep empathy for the human condition, and his influence on Western literature has been vast and enduring, with 'The Eclogues' forming an integral part of his legacy, one which shaped the pastoral genre for subsequent generations of writers.