Eclogue VIII

Vergil’s Eclogue VIII is depicted on various levels by scholars and is often debated over. There is a great controversy surrounding the idea of the addressee of this eclogue. The traditional thought behind this idea is that Vergil was referring to Asinius Pollio as Vergil wrote this eclogue in 39BC, the same year as Pollio’s victory over Parthini.

‘But you (Virgil’s patron Pollio), whether you are already sailing past the rocks of great Timavus or coasting the shore of the Illyrian sea- say, will that day ever dawn when I may tell you deeds?’

Vergil seems to be praising the conquests on his addressee,‘From you is my beginning; in your honour shall I end.'

However, G.W. Bowersock argues that it was rather Octavian Caeser who Vergil was referring to in this eclogue. W.V. Clausen and Van Sickle later supported this claim. However, it is still the traditional view that seems to be widely accepted amongst most the scholars.

The narrative then shifts to a singing match between the two shepherds Damon and Alphesiboeus. Both the shepherds seem to be pining over lost love. The nature of Damon’s song seems to be rather absurd as it lacks any lyrical and literary quality. Damon simply goes on to lament over a woman called Nysa who he fell in with at the tender age of eleven. But Nysa is later married to Mopsus. Hence, Damon wishes to die. The song depicts a very pastoral picture as Damon claims that it was actually within a very natural sorrounding where he first saw Nysa and fell in love with her, ‘Within our graden hedge I saw you- I was guide for both – a little child with your mother, gathering dewy apples.’

It is also worth noting that the apples that Damon talks about appear to be rather magical as they are not simply any apples but are rather ‘dewy’ apples. Here, Vergil seems to be bringing together the genre of pastoral and magic.

Continuing this notion, Vergil further incorporates the theme of witchcraft or magic in the song of Alphesibeous. Alphesiboeus narrates the tale of a woman who loses her lover Daphnis due to a possible betrayal from him but still wishes to have him back. In order to achieve this, she resorts to methods of witchcraft, ‘And burn rich herbs and male frankincense, that I may try with magic rites to turn to fire my lover’s coldness of mood.’

The woman seems to be quite desperate for Daphnis’s attention. However, unlike Damon’s song, Alphesibeous’s song does not lack either lyrical or literary quality. His song focuses on metaphors to describe the intensity of the lover’s desperation, ‘As this clay hardens and as this wax melts in one and the same flame, so may Daphnis melt with love for me!’

The contrast of hardness of softness proves to be rather intriguing here and has proven to be an issue of great debate between various critics. It is commonly argued that it is Daphnis who is supposed to grow both hard and soft for his lover. C. A. Faraone argues that the purpose of this magic is for Daphnis to grow ‘soft’ with desire so that he may not stray and for his lover to grow ‘hard’. This is because if Daphnis took on the latter role, he may indeed end up being unfaithful and may fall for the charms of other women.
The eclogue ends with the lover creating her magical and devious potion while she believes that Daphnis would return to her very soon. The contrast between Damon and Alphesiboeus’s song proves be highly interesting and seems to contradict one another. Damon’s song ends in utter hoplessness as he plans to commit suicide in order to mourn lost love while the lover in Alphebiboeus’s song seems to be hopeful and leaves no possible means to gain her love back.

Rumaisa