Institute of Classical, Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies of the Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University
Doi
Abstract
The analysis of three adjectives (mollis, tener, and durus) in Virgilʹs Ecl. 10 reveals a particular usage which differs from that in the other eclogues. In Ecl. 10, Virgil conforms to an elegiac usage where these adjectives acquire a literary connotation, and when attributed to a person, reflect the elegiac sensibility; such usage is unique in the whole bucolic liber. It gives the poem an elegiac atmosphere which may well reflect imitation of Gallus’ poetry. A comparison with passages of Propertius seems to confirm that the specific occurrences and connotations of these adjectives in Virgilʹs Ecl. 10 originated in Gallus
