Book II: Elegy the Third: My Lady Rusticates

Tibullus (55 BC–19 BC), translated by Theodore Chickering Williams · 1905

iambic tetrameter · ABAB · 84 lines · from The Elegies

To pleasures of the country-sideMy lady-love is lightly flown;And now in cities to abideBetrays a heart of stone.

Venus herself henceforth will chooseOnly in field and farm to walk,And Cupid but the language useWhich plough-boy lovers talk.

O what a ploughman I could be!How deep the furrows I would trace,If while I toiled, I might but seeMy mistress' smiling face!

A farmer true, I'd guide my teamOf barren steers o'er fruitful lands,Nor murmur at the noon-day beam,Or my soft, blistered hands.

Once fair Apollo fed the flocksOf King Admetus, like a swain;Little availed his flowing locks,His lyre was little gain.

No virtuous herb to reach that illHis heavenly arts of healing knew;For love made vain his famous skill,And all his art o'er-threw.

Himself his herds afield he drove,Or where the cooling waters stray;Himself the willow baskets wove,And strained out curds and whey.

Oft would his heavenly shoulders bearA calf adown some pathless place;And oft Diana met him there,And blushed at his disgrace.

O often, if his voice divineEchoed the mountain glens along,Out-burst the loud, audacious kine,And bellowing drowned his song.

His tripods prince and people foundAll silent to their troubled cry,His locks dishevelled and unboundWoke fond Latona's sigh.

To see his pale, neglected brow,And unkempt tresses, once so fair,--They cried, "O where is Phoebus now?"His glorious tresses, where?"

"In place of Delos' golden fane,"Love gives thee but a lowly shed!"O, where are Delphi and its train?"The Sibyl, whither fled?"

Happy the days, forever flown,When even immortal gods could dareProudly to serve at Venus' throne,Nor blushed her chain to wear!

"Irreverent fables!" I am told.But lovers true these tales receive:Rather a thousand such they hold,Than loveless gods believe.

O Ceres, who didst charm awayMy Nemesis from life in Rome,May barren glebe thy pains repayAnd scanty harvest come!

A curse upon thy merry trade!Young Bacchus, giver of the vine!Thy vine-yards have ensnared a maidFar sweeter than thy wine.

Let herbs and acorns be our meat!Drink good old water! Better soThan that my fickle beauty's feetTo those far hills should go!

Did not our sires on acorns feed,And love-sick rove o'er hill and dale?Our furrowed fields they did not need,Nor did love's harvest fail.

When passion did their hearts employ,And o'er them breathed the blissful hour,Mild Venus freely found them joyIn every leafy bower.

No chaperone was there, no doorAgainst a lover's sighs to stand.Delicious age! May Heaven restoreIts customs to our land!

Nay, take me! In my lady's trainSome stubborn field I fain would ploughLay on the lash and clamp the chain!I bear them meekly now.

Words in this poem 26

flown a.: Flushed, inflated.
henceforth adv.: From this time forward; henceforward.
cupid: The god of love, son of Venus; usually represented as a naked, winged boy with bow and arrow. [L.Cupido, fr. cupido desire, desire of love, fr. cupidus. See Cupidity.]
ploughman n.: One who plows, or who holds and guides a plow; hence, a husbandman. Chaucer.
virtuous a.: Possessing or exhibiting virtue. Specifically: -- (a) Exhibiting manly courage and strength; valorous; valiant; brave. [OE. vertuous, OF. vertuos, vertuous, F. vertueux, fr. L. Virtuous. See Virtue, and cf. Virtuoso.]
afield adv.: To, in, or on the field. [Pref. a- + field.]
drove n.: A collection of cattle driven, or cattle collected for driving; a number of animals, as oxen, sheep, or swine, driven in a body. [AS. draf, fr. drifan to drive. See Drive.]
cooling a.: Adapted to cool and refresh; allaying heat.
wove: p. pr. & rare vb. n. of Weave.
adown adv.: From a higher to a lower situation; downward; down, to or on the ground. [OE. adun, adoun, adune. AS. of dune off the hill. See Down.]
pathless a.: Having no beaten path or way; untrodden; impenetrable; as, pathless woods.
diana n.: The daughter of Jupiter and Latona; a virgin goddess who presided over hunting, chastity, and marriage; -- identified with the Greek goddess Artemis. [L. Diana.]
unkempt a.: Not combed; disheveled; as, an urchin with unkempt hair. [Pref. un- not + kempt, p. p. of kemb.]
phoebus n.: Apollo; the sun god.
glorious a.: Exhibiting attributes, qualities, or acts that are worthy of or receive glory; noble; praiseworthy; excellent; splendid; illustrious; inspiring admiration; as, glorious deeds. [OF. glorios, glorious, F. glorieux, fr. L. gloriosus. See Glory, n.]
fane n.: A temple; a place consecrated to religion; a church. [L. fanum a place dedicated to some deity, a sanctuary, fr. fari to speak. See Fame.]
sibyl n.: A woman supposed to be endowed with a spirit of prophecy.
whither adv.: To what place; -- used interrogatively; as, whither goest thou [OE. whider. AS. hwider; akin to E. where, who; cf. Goth. hvadre whither. See Who, and cf. Hither, Thither.]
loveless a.: Void of love; void of tenderness or kindness. Milton. Shelton.
ceres n.: The daughter of Saturn and Ops or Rhea, the goddess of corn and tillage. [L., Ceres, also corn, grain, akin to E. create.]
didst: , the 2d pers. sing. imp. of Do.
nemesis n.: The goddess of retribution or vengeance; hence, retributive justice personified; divine vengeance. [L., fr. gr. Nomad.]
giver n.: One who gives; a donor; a bestower; a grantor; one who imparts or distributes.
blissful a.: Full of, characterized by, or causing, joy and felicity; happy in the highest degree.
fain v. t.: To be glad ; to wish or desire.
meekly adv.: In a meek manner.

Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.

About this text

Book II: Elegy the Third: My Lady Rusticates is in the public domain. This text is taken from The Elegies, Project Gutenberg ebook #9610, the Theodore Chickering Williams translation; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.

Cite as: Tibullus, Book II: Elegy the Third: My Lady Rusticates, in The Elegies (1905), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #9610, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/tibullus-elegies/book-ii-elegy-the-third-my-lady-rusticates.html, id L14426.

Form and metre

Book II: Elegy the Third: My Lady Rusticates is 84 lines in 21 stanzas of 4 lines each. Every stanza rhymes ABAB. The metre is iambic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 92%). 90% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 7.8 syllables. 2 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 27% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.

See other poems in iambic tetrameter.

Measured by Laurel's pipeline, not copied from a handbook: how stress and metre are counted, how rhyme is lettered, how a drifted rhyme is found. Where the dictionary cannot confirm a rhyme the letter is withheld, not guessed.

Rhyme words, stanza by stanza

The word that ends each line, lettered by the rhyme it makes; a dash is a line whose rhyme the dictionary could not confirm.

1 ABAB side^A · flown^B · abide^A · stone^B
2 ABAB choose^A · walk^B · use^A · talk^B
3 ABAB be^A · trace^B · see^A · face^B
4 ABAB team^A · lands^B · beam^A · hands^B
5 ABAB flocks^A · swain^B · locks^A · gain^B
6 ABAB ill^A · knew^B · skill^A · threw^B
7 ABAB drove^A · stray^B · wove^A · whey^B
8 ABAB bear^A · place^B · there^A · disgrace^B
9 ABAB divine^A · along^B · kine^A · song^B
10 ABAB found^A · cry^B · unbound^A · sigh^B
11 ABAB brow^A · fair^B · now^A · where^B
12 ABAB fane^A · shed^B · train^A · fled^B
13 ABAB flown^A · dare^B · throne^A · wear^B
14 ABAB told^A · receive^B · hold^A · believe^B
15 ABAB away^A · rome^B · repay^A · come^B
16 ABAB trade^A · vine^B · maid^A · wine^B
17 ABAB meat^A · so^B · feet^A · go^B
18 ABAB feed^A · dale^B · need^A · fail^B
19 ABAB employ^A · hour^B · joy^A · bower^B
20 ABAB door^A · stand^B · restore^A · land^B
21 ABAB train^A · plough^B · chain^A · now^B

Scansion, line by line

Each line with its syllable count and the stresses the words themselves fix: / stressed, ˘ unstressed, · a syllable the word leaves free and the metre decides. Read against iambic tetrameter. How this is done.

Line	Syl.	Stress
To pleasures of the country-side	8	·/˘··/˘·
My lady-love is lightly flown;	8	·/˘··/˘·
And now in cities to abide	8	···/˘·˘/
Betrays a heart of stone.	6	˘/····
Venus herself henceforth will choose	8	/˘˘///··
Only in field and farm to walk,	8	/˘······
And Cupid but the language use	8	·/˘··/˘·
Which plough-boy lovers talk.	6	···/˘·
O what a ploughman I could be!	8	········
How deep the furrows I would trace,	8	···/˘···
If while I toiled, I might but see	8	········
My mistress' smiling face!	6	·/˘/˘·
A farmer true, I'd guide my team	8	·/˘·····
Of barren steers o'er fruitful lands,	8	·/˘··/˘·
Nor murmur at the noon-day beam,	8	·/˘·····
Or my soft, blistered hands.	7	···/˘˘·
Once fair Apollo fed the flocks	8	··˘/˘···
Of King Admetus, like a swain;	8	········
Little availed his flowing locks,	8	/˘˘/·/˘·
His lyre was little gain.	6	···/˘·
No virtuous herb to reach that ill	8	·/˘·····
His heavenly arts of healing knew;	8	·/˘··/˘·
For love made vain his famous skill,	8	·····/˘·
And all his art o'er-threw.	6	······
Himself his herds afield he drove,	8	˘/··˘/··
Or where the cooling waters stray;	8	···/˘/˘·
Himself the willow baskets wove,	8	˘/·/·/˘·
And strained out curds and whey.	7	··˘····
Oft would his heavenly shoulders bear	8	···/˘/˘·
A calf adown some pathless place;	8	··˘/·/˘·
And oft Diana met him there,	8	··˘/˘···
And blushed at his disgrace.	7	··˘··˘/
O often, if his voice divine	8	·/˘···˘/
Echoed the mountain glens along,	8	/˘·/˘·˘/
Out-burst the loud, audacious kine,	8	····˘/˘·
And bellowing drowned his song.	8	·/˘˘·˘··
His tripods prince and people found	8	·/···/˘·
All silent to their troubled cry,	8	·/˘··/˘·
His locks dishevelled and unbound	8	··˘/˘·˘/
Woke fond Latona's sigh.	6	··˘/˘·
To see his pale, neglected brow,	8	····˘/˘·
And unkempt tresses, once so fair,--	8	·˘//˘···
They cried, "O where is Phoebus now?	8	·····/˘·
"His glorious tresses, where?"	7	·/˘˘/˘·
"In place of Delos' golden fane,	8	·····/˘·
"Love gives thee but a lowly shed!	8	·····/˘·
"O, where are Delphi and its train?	8	···/˘···
"The Sibyl, whither fled?"	6	·/˘/˘·
Happy the days, forever flown,	8	/˘··˘/˘·
When even immortal gods could dare	8	·/˘/˘···
Proudly to serve at Venus' throne,	8	/˘···/˘·
Nor blushed her chain to wear!	7	··˘····
"Irreverent fables!" I am told.	8	˘/˘/˘···
But lovers true these tales receive:	8	·/˘···˘/
Rather a thousand such they hold,	8	/˘·/˘···
Than loveless gods believe.	6	·/˘·˘/
O Ceres, who didst charm away	8	·/˘···˘/
My Nemesis from life in Rome,	8	·/˘˘····
May barren glebe thy pains repay	8	·/˘···˘/
And scanty harvest come!	6	·/˘/˘·
A curse upon thy merry trade!	8	·····/˘·
Young Bacchus, giver of the vine!	8	·/˘/˘···
Thy vine-yards have ensnared a maid	8	····˘/··
Far sweeter than thy wine.	6	·/˘···
Let herbs and acorns be our meat!	8	···/˘·/·
Drink good old water! Better so	8	···/˘/˘·
Than that my fickle beauty's feet	8	···/˘/˘·
To those far hills should go!	6	······
Did not our sires on acorns feed,	8	··/··/˘·
And love-sick rove o'er hill and dale?	8	········
Our furrowed fields they did not need,	8	//˘·····
Nor did love's harvest fail.	6	···/˘·
When passion did their hearts employ,	8	·/˘···˘/
And o'er them breathed the blissful hour,	9	·····/˘/˘
Mild Venus freely found them joy	8	·/˘/˘···
In every leafy bower.	8	·/˘˘/˘/˘
No chaperone was there, no door	8	·/˘·····
Against a lover's sighs to stand.	8	···/˘···
Delicious age! May Heaven restore	8	˘/˘··/˘/
Its customs to our land!	7	·/˘·/˘·
Nay, take me! In my lady's train	8	·····/˘·
Some stubborn field I fain would plough	8	·/˘·····
Lay on the lash and clamp the chain!	8	········
I bear them meekly now.	6	···/˘·

The reader shows the same poem with its rhymes coloured and a stress row above each line, the notes beside their stanzas, and any word's definition on a tap; the analysis page takes the whole book apart. How every part of this site was made.

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