At simul hērōum laudēs et facta parentis
iam legere et quae sit poteris cognōscere virtūs,
mollī paulātim flāvēscet campus aristā
incultīsque rubēns pendēbit sentibus ūva
et dūrae quercūs sūdābunt rōscida mella. 30
notes
26–30 With the Child's boyhood will come an intensification of the Golden Age signs (Coleman).
26 At: see line 18.
26 simul: = simul ac, “as soon as.”
26–27 At simul hērōum laudēs et facta parentis / iam legere et quae sit poteris cognōscere virtūs = at simul iam poteris legere laudes heroum et facta parentis et (poteris) cognoscere quae virtus sit. Poteris governs the infinitives legere et … cognōscere; laudēs and facta are direct objects of legere.
27 quae sit … virtūs: indirect question introduced by the infinitive cognōscere; virtūs is the predicate nominative after sit.
28 paulatim flāvēscet campus: grain will now spring up on any flat land, not just in arvīs; so the arts of agriculture will be redundant (Coleman).
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These words suggest the gradual transition to the Golden Age. The motif of color introduced with aurea in verse 9 expands as the Golden Age, and the youth, grow into maturity: the grain becomes golden, the grapes blush with color, and the motif of color climaxes in verses 42–45 where sheep can change the color of their wool at will.
29 incultīsque … sentibus: ablative of source used with pendet (AG 402.2.a); the preposition is frequently omitted in poetry in this construction.
30 dūrae quercūs sūdābunt rōscida mella: the linear word order replicates the content of the line: the dūrae quercūs are maturing with rōscida mella.
30 roscida: refers to the surface texture, also perhaps to the belief that honey fell as dew and was merely collected by the bees (Coleman).
30 mella: poetic plural for singular.
vocabulary
hērōs –ōis m.: demigod; hero
paulātim: gradually
flāvescō –ere: to turn yellow or golden
arista –ae f.: beard or head of wheat
incultus –a –um: uncultivated; uncared for
rubeō rubēre rubuī: to be red
pendeō pendēre pependī: to hang, hang down
sentis –is m. and f.: a thorn, bramble
ūva –ae f.: grape
quercus –ūs f.: oak tree
sūdō sūdāre sūdāvī sūdātus: to sweat
roscidus –a –um: dew-covered; dewy
mel mellis n.: honey