eclogue

noun

Etymology: From Middle English eclog, from Latin ecloga, from Ancient Greek ἐκλογή (eklogḗ, “selection”).

1. A pastoral poem, often in the form of a shepherd's monologue or a dialogue between shepherds.

   “The voice of congratulation and flattery was not, however, silent; and we may still peruse, with pleasure and contempt, an eclogue, which was composed on the accession of the emperor Carus. Two shepherds, avoiding the noontide heat, retire into the cave of Faunus.”

   “Only one laborer in this temple of Minerva, however, was known to get so far as to attempt a translation of Virgil. He[…] repeated the whole of the first eclogue from memory, observing the intonations of the dialogue with much judgment and effect.”