MENALCAS
You are a heavenly poet* Your sweet song is to our
ears as sleep on grassy turf to weary men, as bright
spring water in the summer heat to quench the parch-
ing thirst* You not only play the pipe like your master,
but you equal him m poetry* Happy, happy lad, now
you stand next after him* But we will say in our turn
these lines of ours, such as they are, and we will praise
your Daphnis to the skies* We will sing Daphnis to
the starry skies, Daphnis loved us too*
MOPSUS
What more could we wish for than such boon of
song} The shepherd well deserved memorial song,
and Stimichon elsewhile has praised it to us*
MENALCAS
Bright and beautiful he stands at the threshold of
Olympus, gazing in wonder; and far below his feet,
Daphms sees the clouds and stars* Therefore Pan and
the shepherds and the dryad maidens fill the wood-
land with frolic delight, and all the country round*
No wolf prov/ls about the flock, nor any toils spread
treachery for the stags* Kindly Daphms loves peace*
The unkempt hills fling glad cries to the heavens*The
very rocks and thickets are full of sounding song, Fie is
a god, a god, Menalcas! Be kind and favour your own
people! See, here are four altars* These two shall bear
sacrifice, Daphnis, in your honour, these other two
to Phoebus* I will set thereon two cups of foaming
new milk every year, and two great jars of rich olive
oil* And above all, I will gladden your feast after the
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