The Eclogues

Like Eclogue 1 (and Eclogue 9), Eclogue 3 is a dialogue between two shepherds, Menalcas and Damoetas. Unlike some of their fellow shepherds, these men are less than amicable. Soon after they meet, Menalcas accuses Damoetas of stealing milk from the flocks he is shepherding for his master, Aegon (Lines 3-6). Menalcas is not innocent; he slashed fellow shepherd Micon’s plants with a knife and broke Daphnis’s flute and bow (Lines 9-14). Menalcas is certain that Damoetas stole Damon’s goat, but Damoetas counters that he won the goat in a singing contest (Lines 15-23).

This accusation shifts the conversation to singing contests. Both men are eager to compete, but are uncertain what to wager. Damoetas offers his cow, but Menalcas is worried to bet any of his family’s animals (Lines 31-33); he proceeds to offer two finely made beech wood cups decorated in ivy (Lines 33-41). Damoetas also has two cups made by the same craftsmen; his are decorated with the mythological singer Orpheus (Lines 42-47). The men recruit passerby Palaemon to judge the contest.

Each man offers a couplet (a set of two lines). Menalcas and Damoetas sing about topics typical of pastoral singing competitions: piety for the gods (Lines 59-61), country love (Lines 69-70), and the overall health of their farms and flocks (Lines 93-94).