BOOK I.

ANTITHESIS.

Who boasts to me with a swelling mouth about the two-formed forest dwellers,
Monychus and Pholus? original: "Monychon atque Pholum." These were centaurs, mythical creatures with the body of a horse and the torso of a human.
Granted they were hunters, those of mixed bodies
Whom Mount Pindus and Mount Ossa brought forth.
From this, will honor come to those who follow the camps of Diana,
Or some exceptional glory?
A wise man will more usefully do without empty praise,
Which possesses no true skill.
You bring up the grandson of Aeacus. But among the common crowd of beasts
The grandson of Aeacus did not linger. The "grandson of Aeacus" refers to the Greek hero Achilles, who was famous for his speed and strength.
One whom Meleager would not have dared to challenge; he laid low his opponent
As easily as a young fawn. Meleager was a legendary hero who led the hunt for the Calydonian Boar.
Achilles alone threw the ranks of bears into confusion,
He alone rushed into their caves.
It is said that he snatched away the fierce cubs,
While the mother lioness looked on.
If the lion moved against him, he broke the maned
Father into scattered bones.

Hail, offspring of LATONA, triform Queen,
Bearing three faces: Latona is the mother of Diana. The "three faces" refer to Diana's roles as the Moon in heaven, the huntress on earth, and Hecate in the underworld.
But to me, one face is dearer:
The one by which you care for the groves, the mountains, and our friendly business:
When, wearing your quiver,
You leave your brother in the heavens. Her brother is Apollo, the god of the sun.
With you guiding the hand, we aim our bows with certainty:
And the lead bullets carry
The sure commands of gunpowder. original: "sulphureæ... glandes." The poet combines the classical imagery of Diana's bow with the modern 17th-century technology of firearms.
Under your leadership, I laid low three white bears and four black ones
In the Sarmatian snow
With swift lead. "Sarmatia" was a historical region often associated with Poland or Russia, known to the Romans as a cold, northern territory.
One of these, after he plugged his wound with turf,
Impatient of the blow,
Had risen against me on two feet.