Form Eclogue Pastoral Greek Poet Rural Eck Log Noun

A pastoral poem, often in the form of a dialogue between shepherds.

[From Middle English eclog, from Latin ecloga, from Greek ekloge (selection), from eklegein (to select), from ek- (ex-) + legein (to gather). Other words derived from the same root are eclectic, lexicon, and catalog. The eclogue as a specifically pastoral form first appeared in the idylls of Greek poet Theocritus.]

"The eclogue is traditionally the form of city folk who dress up in smocks to praise the simple pains and pleasures of country life, so it's surprising that a poet so well versed in rural actuality should be willing to countenance it." - Jamie McKendrick; The Erotics of the Future; Independent on Sunday (London, UK); Apr 8, 2001.

"Because the eclogues are such a highly stylized form of poetry, they constitute a formidable challenge to any translator. The odd-numbered poems are dialogues, the even-numbered have a single speaker. Virgil's fragrant, bee-loud rural setting is placid, and at first not much seems to be happening ..." - Robert Taylor; Virgil Puts Bite Into the Bucolic; The Boston Globe; Aug 3, 1999.