φράζεσθαι δ᾽, εὖτ᾽ ἂν γεράνου φωνὴν ἐπακούσῃς
ὑψόθεν ἐκ νεφέων ἐνιαύσια κεκληγυίης:
ἥτ᾽ ἀρότοιό τε σῆμα φέρει καὶ χείματος ὥρην
δεικνύει ὀμβρηροῦ: κραδίην δ᾽ ἔδακ᾽ ἀνδρὸς ἀβούτεω:
δὴ τότε χορτάζειν ἕλικας βόας ἔνδον ἐόντας:
ῥηίδιον γὰρ ἔπος εἰπεῖν: βόε δὸς καὶ ἄμαξαν:
ῥηίδιον δ᾽ ἀπανήνασθαι: πάρα ἔργα βόεσσιν.
φησὶ δ᾽ ἀνὴρ φρένας ἀφνειὸς πήξασθαι ἄμαξαν,
νήπιος, οὐδὲ τὸ οἶδ᾽: ἑκατὸν δέ τε δούρατ᾽ ἀμάξης,
τῶν πρόσθεν μελέτην ἐχέμεν οἰκήια θέσθαι.
(448-457) Mark, when you hear the voice of the crane who cries year by year from the clouds above, for she give the signal for ploughing and shows the season of rainy winter; but she vexes the heart of the man who has no oxen. Then is the time to feed up your horned oxen in the byre; for it is easy to say: ‘Give me a yoke of oxen and a waggon,’ and it is easy to refuse: ‘I have work for my oxen.’ The man who is rich in fancy thinks his waggon as good as built already--the fool! He does not know that there are a hundred timbers to a waggon. Take care to lay these up beforehand at home.
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Prooemium
