"Theocritos' Idyller" by Theocritus is a collection of bucolic poems written in the 3rd century BC. These pastoral works feature rustic shepherds and goatherds who meet in idyllic settings to exchange songs and stories. The most famous idyll tells of Daphnis, a legendary cowherd who vowed eternal faithfulness to his first love. When the god Love sought revenge by inflicting him with desire for another, Daphnis chose death over breaking his vow, mourned by animals, nymphs, and gods alike in this founding work of pastoral poetry. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
These books are free to read. Each is in the public domain in the United States; check your own country's rules before you copy or share one.
