fair bloom fades away!'

Come, no more let us mount guard by these gates, Aratus, nor wear our
feet away with knocking there. Nay, let the crowing of the morning
cock give others over to the bitter cold of dawn. Let Molon alone,
my friend, bear the torment at that school of passion! For us, let
us secure a quiet life, and some old crone to spit on us for luck,
and so keep all unlovely things away.

Thus I sang, and sweetly smiling, as before, he gave me the staff, a
pledge of brotherhood in the Muses. Then he bent his way to the
left, and took the road to Pyxa, while I and Eucritus, with beautiful
Amyntas, turned to the farm of Phrasidemus. There we reclined on
deep beds of fragrant lentisk, lowly strown, and rejoicing we lay in
new stript leaves of the vine. And high above our heads waved many a
poplar, many an elm tree, while close at hand the sacred water from
the nymphs' own cave welled forth with murmurs musical. On shadowy
boughs the burnt cicalas kept their chattering toil, far off the
little owl cried in the thick thorn brake, the larks and finches were
singing, the ring-dove moaned, the yellow bees were flitting about
the springs. All breathed the scent of the opulent summer, of the
season of fruits; pears at our feet and apples by our sides were
rolling plentiful, the tender branches, with wild plums laden, were
earthward bowed, and the four-year-old pitch seal was loosened from
the mouth of the wine-jars.

Ye nymphs of Castaly that hold the steep of Parnassus, say, was it
ever a bowl like this that old Chiron set before Heracles in the
rocky cave of Pholus? Was it nectar like this that beguiled the
shepherd to dance and foot it about his folds, the shepherd that