Poetry
Arcadia and Piscatorial Eclogues
Arcadia
Jacopo Sannazaro · 1502
Opening lines
Giace nella sommità di Partenio, non umile monte della pastorale Arcadia, un dilettevole piano, di ampiezza non molto spazioso, perocchè il sito del luogo noi consente, ma di minuta e verdissima erbetta sì ripieno, che, se le lascive pecorelle con gli avidi morsi non vi pascessero, vi si potrebbe d’ogni tempo ritrovare verdura.
On the summit of Parthenius, no lowly mountain of pastoral Arcadia, lies a pleasant plain, not very wide in extent, since the lie of the land does not allow it, but so full of fine, deep-green grass that, if the wanton sheep did not crop it with their greedy bites, greenery might be found there in every season.
Translation by Erostrate
Text quoted from it.wikisource.org
Synopsis
Sincero, in whom the author imagines himself, has left his city for Arcadia and lives among the shepherds. The book proceeds by alternating prose and poems: at each halt, the shepherds sing, remember, speak of their loves and their friends, and the narrative lingers over the landscapes and over ancient culture. More than a plot, the text follows an inner journey.
Context
The author completed the book in the 1480s; it circulated at first in manuscript, then appeared in Venice around 1502 in unauthorised editions, before the edition prepared by Pietro Summonte in Naples in 1504. It was the first Renaissance pastoral to enjoy international success. Gérard Marino gave the French translation at Les Belles Lettres in 2004; Ralph Nash, the English translation in 1966.
Who it is for
A short, contemplative book, between prose and poetry, for those interested in the pastoral and the Renaissance.
Prizes and reception
According to Les Belles Lettres, Gérard Marino's French translation received the Flaiano Prize in 2005.