Page:An Account of Corsica (1769).djvu/94

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84
AN ACCOUNT

I shall conclude this chapter with Homer's description of Ithaca, which, in general, may be well applied to Corsica:

Eἰ δὴ τήνδε τε γαῖαν ἀνείρεαι. οὐδέ τι λίην
Oὕτω νώνυμός ἐστιν: ἴσασι δέ μιν μάλα πολλοί,
Hμὲν ὅσοι ναίουσι πρὸς ἠῶ τ᾽ ἠέλιόν τε,
Hδ᾽ ὅσσοι μετόπισθε ποτὶ ζόφον ἠερόεντα.
H τοι μὲν τρηχεῖα καὶ οὐχ ἱππήλατός ἐστιν,
Oὐδὲ λίην λυπρή, ἀτὰρ οὐδ᾽ εὐρεῖα τέτυκται.
Eν μὲν γάρ οἱ σῖτος ἀθέσφατος, ἐν δέ τε οἶνος
Γίγνεται: αἰεὶ δ᾽ ὄμβρος ἔχει τεθαλυῖά τ᾽ ἐέρση:
Aἰγίβοτος δ᾽ ἀγαθὴ καὶ βούβοτος: ἔστι μὲν ὕλη
Ππαντοίη, ἐν δ᾽ ἀρδμοὶ ἐπηετανοὶ παρέασι.
Tῷ τοι, ξεῖν᾽, Ἰθάκης γε καὶ ἐς Τροίην ὄνομ᾽ ἵκει,
Tήν περ τηλοῦ φασὶν Ἀχαιΐδος ἔμμεναι αἴης.

Odyss. lib. xiii. 1. 238.


Thou seest: an island, not to those unknown,
Whose hills are brighten'd by the riling sun.
Nor those that plac'd beneath his utmost reign.
Behold him finking in the western main.
The rugged foil allows no level space,
For flying chariots, or the rapid race;
Yet, not ungrateful to the peasant's pain,
Suffices fulness to the levelling grain.
The loaded trees their various fruits produce.
And clustring grapes afford a generous juice: