Editing Georgics (section)

===Book Two===
[[File:Virgil_translated_by_Dryden_(1709)-volume_1-sheet_272.png|thumb|''Georgics'' Book II, line 1: "Thus far of tillage, and of heav'nly signs", from ''The Works of Virgil'' translated by [[John Dryden]] (1709)|upright=1]]
Prominent themes of the second book include agriculture as man's struggle against a hostile natural world, often described in violent terms, and the ages of [[Saturn (mythology)|Saturn]] and [[Jupiter (mythology)|Jupiter]]. Like the first book, it begins with a poem addressing the divinities associated with the matters about to be discussed: [[viticulture]], trees, and the olive. In the next hundred lines, Virgil treats forest and fruit trees. Their propagation and growth are described in detail, with a contrast drawn between methods that are natural and those that require human intervention. Three sections on [[grafting]] are of particular interest: presented as marvels of man's alteration of nature. Also included is a catalogue of the world's trees, set forth in rapid succession, and other products of various lands. Perhaps the most famous passage{{to whom?|date=August 2020}} of the poem, the ''Laudes Italiae'', or Praises of Italy, is introduced by way of a comparison with foreign marvels: despite all of those, no land is as praiseworthy as Italy. A point of cultural interest is a reference to [[Ascra]] in line 176, which an ancient reader would have known as the hometown of [[Hesiod]]. Next comes the care of vines, culminating in a vivid scene of their destruction by fire; then advice on when to plant vines, and therein the other famous passage of the second book, the Praises of Spring. These depict the growth and beauty that accompany spring's arrival. The poet then returns to [[Didactic poem|didactic narrative]] with yet more on vines, emphasizing their fragility and laboriousness. A warning about animal damage provides occasion for an explanation of why goats are sacrificed to [[Dionysus|Bacchus]]. The olive tree is then presented in contrast to the vine: it requires little effort on the part of the farmer. The next subject, at last turning away from the vine, is other kinds of trees: those that produce fruit and those that have useful wood. Then Virgil again returns to grapevines, recalling the myth of the battle of the [[Lapiths]] and [[Centaurs]] in a passage known as the Vituperation of Vines. The remainder of the book is devoted to extolling the simple country life over the corruptness of the city.