Virgil's Eclogue 9

The opening of this eclogue highlights the tension amongst the townsmen regarding recent changes within their community. Lycidas and Moeris coincidentally come across each other and the current affairs of their town are discussed, which draws the reader’s attention towards how unsatisfied the public is. Moeris states how the new owner of the land claims ‘”This is mine; begone, old tenants!”’ [3] suggestive of the unsettling atmosphere this unknown stranger is creating for the people. To further accentuate this disconcerting situation, Moeris implies how ‘neither your Moeris here nor Menalcas himself would be alive’ [14] had the ravens not warned him to stop his disagreement with the stranger. However, the identity of this ‘stranger’ [2] remains undisclosed which invites different interpretations from the readers regarding who it may be.


A very significant aspect of this eclogue is that it revolves around the idea of how much poetry/ songs mean to Lycidas and Moeris, which also indicates the importance it holds in pastoral traditions. Lycidas passionately questions ‘Who would sing the nymphs?’ [18] wondering out loud how different their lives will be considering the changes and lack of music in their lives. In an attempt to embrace poetry and its magic, Lycidas and Moeris start to reminisce and sing out loud their verses and poems from their childhood and past. Lycidas remembers hearing Moeris sing ‘Daphnis, why are you gazing at the old constellations rising?’ [46].


Critics such as Fiona Cox discuss the loss, guilt and cultural amnesia present in the ninth eclogue. Moeris and Lycidas seem to have a consistent fear of losing their memory of songs, as Moeris distinctly claims how ‘time robs us of all, even of memory’ [51]. He acknowledges the consequences of time, yet feels a sense of loss for what it does to his memory. In his essay titled 'Shadows are falling: Virgil, Radnóti and Dylan, and the aesthetics of pastoral melancholy', Richard F. Thomas explores how the concept of time, memory and place can be constructed as key melancholic elements in Virgil’s Eclogues. This similar line of argument reiterates Cox’s discussion regarding how both shepherds are living in fear of losing what is dearest to them – poetry.


A very befitting ending is given to this particular eclogue as Lycidas suggests ‘Moeris, let us sing’ [59] as ‘it makes the road less irksome’ [61] which conveniently portrays the sweet effect music brings, thus once again highlighting its power.