The Georgics

Written by Virgil

Narrated by Cecil Day Lewis

The Georgics was published in 29 BCE, and is the second major work by the Latin poet Virgil. It's a fascinating insight into rural life and farming of the time.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Saland Publishing
• Release date: Jan 2, 2009
• ISBN: 9781908338839

Virgil

Virgil (70 BC-19 BC) was a Roman poet. He was born near Mantua in northern Italy. Educated in rhetoric, medicine, astronomy, and philosophy, Virgil moved to Rome where he was known as a particularly shy member of Catullus’ literary circle. Suffering from poor health for most of his life, Virgil began his career as a poet while studying Epicureanism in Naples. Around 38 BC, he published the Eclogues, a series of pastoral poems in the style of Hellenistic poet Theocritus. In 29 BC, Virgil published his next work, the Georgics, a long didactic poem on farming in the tradition of Hesiod’s Works and Days. In the last decade of his life, Virgil worked on his masterpiece the Aeneid, an epic poem commissioned by Emperor Augustus. Expanding upon the story of the Trojan War as explored in Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey, the Aeneid follows the hero Aeneas from the destruction of Troy to the discovery of the region that would later become Rome. Posthumously considered Rome’s national poet, Virgil’s reputation has grown through the centuries—in large part for his formative influence on Dante’s Divine Comedy—to secure his position as a foundational figure for all of Western literature.

Reviews for The Georgics

[Paul Lyons · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is wonderful. I never expected the Georgics to be so rich in imagery and meditation. Virgil's knowledge of farming makes it more than mere romanticism, and you can see why his similes in the Aeneid are so vivid. C Day Lewis, who I think translated this poem, has the most beautiful reading voice.

[Laura Bjarnastein · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Interesting description of the most advantageous agricultural conduct in days past. I wasn't exactly aware of what this writing was about, but I was pleasantly surprised.
Good narration also, although the sound quality seems a bit low.