Appalachian Arcadia

Hi, all! 
Magister Benji again. I'd like to you to play the song below while you read the texts that follow:

Woodie Guthrie: "Pastures of Plenty"
It's a mighty hard row that my poor hands have hoed
My poor feet have traveled a hot dusty road
Out of your Dust Bowl and Westward we rolled
And your deserts were hot and your mountains were cold

I worked in your orchards of peaches and prunes
I slept on the ground in the light of the moon
On the edge of the city you'll see us and then
We come with the dust and we go with the wind

California, Arizona, I harvest your crops
Well its North up to Oregon to gather your hops
Dig the beets from your ground, cut the grapes from your vine
To set on your table your light sparkling wine

Green pastures of plenty from dry desert ground
From the Grand Coulee Dam where the waters run down
Every state in the Union us migrants have been
We'll work in this fight and we'll fight till we win

It's always we rambled, that river and I
All along your green valley, I will work till I die
My land I'll defend with my life if it be
Cause my pastures of plenty must always be free
//

Nemesianus: Eclogues 1.1ll
While, Tityrus, you are weaving a basket with river rushes, and while the country-side is free from the harsh-toned grasshoppers,⁠ strike up, if you've got any song set to the slender reed-pipe. Pan has taught your lips to blow the reeds and a kind Apollo has given you the grace of verse. Strike up, while the kids crop the willows and the cows the grass, while the dew and the mildness of the morning sun urge you to let your flocks into the green meadow-land.
//

Vergil: Georgics 1.1ll
What makes the crops joyous, beneath what star, Maecenas, it is well to turn the soil, and wed vines to elms, what tending the cattle need, what care the herd in breeding, what skill the thrifty bees – hence shall I begin my song.
//

A large percentage of you come from NoVA. I'm no Virginian (a proud product of the Pittsburgh suburbs), but all my memories in your state instead lie in the Blue Ridge. These mountains cradled me during my university time, likewise their surrounding countryside. If in any way I can pay back the peace and perspective which this corner of the world has brought me, I will; I figured three weeks with you, exploring folk traditions, pastoral poetry, and shepherd songs, is at the least a step in the right direction. I find this a chance to honor your heritage as Virginians, pay homage to the agricultural communities we rely on, and explore some of the best Greek and Latin poetry extant (seldom read by students your age, but now is a better time than ever). From a farming manual of ca. 8th. c. BCE to contemporary ecopoetry, we will examine works from pastoral lyric traditions and the elements therein intertwined: loneliness, masculinity, animal rights, pride, humor, violence, and many more. 

And along with each text, I'll introduce a song from the American folk tradition. We can compare and contrast ancient and contemporary perspectives, becoming better shepherds our own land and cultural heritage while doing so. Above you have a song from Woodie Guthrie and excerpts from two famous Roman pastoralists. See how they invoke their natural world, see how they cherish it—how they're frustrated by it, how they command it. Just a brief taste of what we will explore together in the classroom: a safe space where every voice is cherished, particularly those with backgrounds unlike ours, and where lived experience and self reflection—not Latin ability or literature knowledge base—will bring us together and push us forward to really exciting places. You will soon be masters of this canon, and I cannot wait to learn alongside of you. 

I wish you all the best from Austria, and I'll see you soon! Mag. Benji. 

And, if anyone from last year is reading (I miss you!!!), we will be translating all of Tibullus 1.1 this year. You inspired me last year! Current students, this is my favorite poem of all time (maybe behind Vergil's tenth Eclogue--which we will also be reading!!!) :) 

And and, I invite you to enjoy one of my favorite songs of all time. You are all leaving for the country in coming to GLA: a land without phones, without pressure to perform. This. is. a. blessing. Make the most of it.