Complete Poetical Works, Volume 2: Forest Poems

We hear Elpenor grunting far and wide in every street,
And the companions of Ulysses. original: "Elpenora... ſocios Ulyſſis." In Homer's Odyssey, Circe turned Ulysses's companions, including Elpenor, into swine. Balde uses this classical allusion to mock hunters or perhaps those who overindulge in the spoils of the hunt.

VII.

Boar Hunting: Warlike and Full of Robust Pleasure.

But those who press the boar are not permitted to be idle.
Prepare serious weapons
For the vast bellies of the forest. The "bellies of the forest" refers to the deep, thick undergrowth where the boar hides.
Here let the present image of CARPOPHORUS occur to you,
Blood-stained among the grim
Beasts as he fights. Carpophorus was a famous beast-fighter in the Roman Colosseum, celebrated for his bravery and strength against wild animals.
A certain kind of Hunting is scarcely different from the Getic wars,
Fierce with sword and hand;
It provokes a true spirit of Mars. The Getic wars refer to brutal conflicts with tribes near the Danube. Mars is the Roman god of war.
For the wild beasts remember their own strength. Look! Snatched up
By a whirlwind, it cuts through
The muddy path and rages through the standing group.
Just as lightning bolts, sparing no one,
Rush down from a thundering cloud
In the dark mist of a rainy sky.
Spartan Lachne springs forth, and Arcadian Oribasus,
And Nape seizes the bristly
Ears with a firm bite. These names refer to classical hunting hounds. Lachne means "Shaggy," Oribasus means "Mountain-climber," and Nape means "Woodland-dell."
Fear soothes the heart; trembling joys grow pale,
And the hair stands on end:
But the dangers are welcome.
The massive, fat weight of the opposing boar clashes:
It burns to mingle its tusks
With the dogs.
Until, beset by countless Keen-scented hounds,
It is unable to dodge the blow,
With Pamphagus blocking the way in front: Pamphagus, meaning "All-devourer," is another name for a hunting dog.
Even so, he is terrifying: he trembles and threatens death.
His eyes blaze with fire:
He summons all his strength for a strike.
He runs, oh! gnashing his teeth, he runs onto the waiting spear;
He would rush even further,
If the strong blade did not stand in his way.

Vocabulary: Hunting, Boars, Carpophorus, Ulysses, Elpenor, Lachne, Oribasus, Nape, Pamphagus, Keen-scented hounds.