Virgil's The Georgics

My work in 2017 was based on Virgil's poem The Georgics.  I have been spending a lot of time in rural Northern France that has brought me a closer understanding of the rhythms in agricultural land than I would ever get from day trips out of London.  The poem has been translated several times over the centuries but it is Dryden's version that appeals to me with its rhyming couplets. The images below show my interpretation of parts of the poem and clicking on each image will give you the relevant text which inspired each piece.

Virgil gives a vivid description of an impending storm and the behaviour of creatures, from ants to cows, taking evasive action to avoid certain death.  

​I was particularly taken by the rooks and their panic in this couplet, which inspired my piece:

"Huge flocks of rising rooks forsake their food
​And, crying, seek the shelter of the wood"

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