The Language of Hardness and Softness in Virgil's Ecl. 10: A Legacy of Gallus?

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.