The Georgics, the second major poem which Virgil composed, took seven years to write. He finished it in 29 B.C.E.; it was read to Augustus on his return from the east. This work consists of two thousand lines of poetry on the subject of agriculture, with patriotic overtones and rich mythological allusions. Although some consider this Virgils' best work, the poet was never completely satisfied with it, as he immediately started work on the Aeneid and never returned to it. Virgil requested on his deathbed that the Georgics be supressed; Augustus, however, intervened.
This translation has been cross-linked at the chapter level to the original Latin text, which was not included in the MacKail version.