Valles et Usticae cubantis Di me tuentur, dis pietas mea Hic in reducta valle caniculae Hic innocentis pocula Lesbii flute, on which shepherds used to play.-11. Usticae cubantis. The name does not occur elsewhere: it appears, however, to have been that of a valley in the neighbourhood of Horace's villa, since it is called cubans, low-lying.- 12. Levia saxa, the smooth chalkrocks which surrounded it. Personuere must be taken intransitively, 'the rocks ring with the sweet flute.'14. Construe thus: copia opulenta honorum ruris (that is, of those things which honour or adorn the country; namely, flowers and fruits of all kinds) tibi hic manabit (ex) cornu benigno ad plenum (out of the horn of plenty, which is richly filled even to the brim.') Cornu is the cornu Fortunae, generally known under the name of Cornu Copiae.-18. Fide Teia, with the Teian lyre.' Teos was a city of Ionia, and the birthplace of Anacreon. To sing with the Teian lyre' means, therefore, to sing songs such as once Anacreon sang.'-19. Laborantes in uno unum amantes, loving one;' namely, Ulysses. He was beloved both by his wife Penelope, and by the goddess Circe, who wished to keep him on her island. Circe is called vitrea from the colour of the sea, which is like glass; for she was a sea-goddess. -21. Lesbii, scil. vini.-22. Nec Semeleius, &c. The sense is this: it will not happen, as often occurs at drinking bouts, that quarrels will break out. This sentiment is thus expressed: Bacchus, in conjunction with Mars (cum una cum), will not stir up battles.' The proper originator of the fights is Mars, who associated himself with Bacchus. The mother of Bacchus was Semele, who was deified under the name of Thyone: here the two names are connected.-25. Male dispari; namely, tibi, on thee, who art lamentably unable to cope with him.' Cyrus is the name of one whose love Tyndaris had despised.. 28. Immeritam vestem, the innocent garment,' the garment which has committed no offence on account of which it deserves to be torn. CARMEN XVIII. AD QUINTILIUM VARUM. THE praises of the vine, and an exhortation to moderate drinking. Quintilius Varus, to whom the poem is addressed, is otherwise unknown: he is probably the same friend of Virgil and Horace whose death is bewailed in the 24th Ode. NULLAM, Vare, sacra vite prius severis arborem Quis post vina gravem militiam aut pauperiem crepat? 5 Centaurea monet cum Lapithis rixa super mero Cum fas atque nefas exiguo fine libidinum = 10 1. Vite prius; that is, prius quam vitem, sooner, rather, more willingly than the vine.'-2. Moenia Catili. Catilus, or properly Catillus, who was a son of Amphiaraus, one of the seven heroes who made war against Thebes, was, according to tradition, the founder of Tibur.-3. Siccis sobriis, 'sober men, abstainers;' opposed to madidi vino. — 4. Aliter, otherwise than by wine-drinking.' -5. Crepat seems simply to mean 'talks about,' for the te in line 6 is dependent on the same verb. 6. Decens pulchra.—7. Ne quis.... Liberi, 'that no one may overleap the gifts of Bacchus;' that is, may transgress the bounds of moderation. -8. Centaurearixa. The fight between the two fabulous Greek tribes, the Centaurs and the Lapithae, is often described by the poets. It was fought out or decided (debellata) over the wine (super mero); that is, at a drinking-bout, at the wedding of Pirithous and Hippodamia. -9. Sithoniis. The Sithonians were a Thracian tribe, here used for the Thracians generally, who were notorious in antiquity for their drunkenness, and, as a natural result, their tendency to quarrel. Evius, an epithet of Bacchus, from evoe, the cry which the Bacchantes uttered. 10. Cum .... avidi, when, greedily anxious for the gratification of their passions (libidinum avidi being connected) they see right and wrong as separated by but a narrow boundary.' This is a very beautiful description of men who, inflamed and blinded by wine, are led on to crime.-11. At the festivals of Bacchus, the Bacchantes, clad in fox-skins (bassareus, hence given here as a name of Bacchus himself), and swinging thyrsus-staves in their hands, used to carry about in procession chests, in which lay the - Sub divum rapiam. Saeva tene cum Berecyntio Cornu tympana, quae subsequitur caecus amor sui, Et tollens vacuum plus nimio gloria verticem, Arcanique fides prodiga perlucidior vitro. 15 sacred furniture, covered with leaves, particularly with ivy. The sense is, I will worship thee, beautiful Bacchus, just as thou hast decreed, and will not profane thy holy service;' that is, will keep within the bounds of inoderation, as thou commandest. - 13. An exhortation to Bacchus himself not to excite the soul overmuch: 'curb, restrain thy dreadful drums and the Berecynthian horn'-so called from Berecyntus, a mountain in Phrygia, where particular festivals used to be celebrated in honour of Bacchus. The horn and the kettle-drum were the instruments of the Bacchantes. - 15. Gloria, boastfulness, vaingloriousness,' which exalts itself too high.-16. Arcani fides prodiga, the faith which squanders (that is, tells to every one) secrets." A man intoxicated tells what has been given to him as a secret without restraint: in vino veritus. Hence the faith of a drunkard is truly more transparent than glass.' CARMEN XX. AD MAECENATEM. THE poet invites Maecenas to a modest and simple entertainment. Cantharis, Graeca quod ego ipse testa 1. Vile-Sabinum, 'common Sabine wine,' which Horace him self has. Maecenas, at his own house, drinks noble kinds of Italian wine, which are mentioned in the ninth and following lines; namely, Caecuban, so called from the ager Caecubus, near Fundi, on the Appian Road; the Calenian, named from the town of Cales; the Falernian, grown in Campania, at the foot of Mount Massicus; and the Formian, so called from the town of Formiae.-2. Cantharis. The cantharus is a somewhat large kind of goblet, with a handle; so called from Cantharus, its inventor. Graeca - testa, &c. The ancients usually did not draw their wine into casks, but kept it in two-handled jars of earthenware, which stood round the chamber beside the walls. Such a jar is here called testa; and the epithet Graeca is applied to it, because it had formerly contained Greek, noble wine. Horace had chosen such a vessel, in order to dignify his country wine.-3. Levi, perfect of lino, I close up with wax, &c. seal up.' The wine-jars were closed with wax, and then sealed. Datus, scil. est; that is, eo anno, quo tibi plausus datus est in theatro, when you were greeted with applause (clap Clare Maecenas eques, ut paterni Caecubum et prelo domitam Caleno Pocula colles. 5 10 ping of hands) as you entered the theatre.'-5. Maecenas eques. Maecenas rested his pride on this-that, though of a very ancient family (Carm. i. 1, 1), rich, and, as the trusted favourite of Augustus, influential, he yet took no state office, but remained a simple Ro man eques. Paterni fluminis; namely, Tiberis, which is called 'paternal,' because it flowed past Etruria, from whose kings Maecenas claimed descent. It was in the theatrum Pompeii, not far from the bank of the Tiber, that Maecenas had been received with enthusiasm. The mons Vaticanus is on the north side of the river. -6. Jocosa-imago, 'echo.' See i. 12, 3. 10. Uvam-prelo domitam Caleno; that is, Colenian wine.' Construe thus: nec Falernae vites nec Formiani colles (for Falernian and Formian wine') temperant mea pocula, mix my goblets;' that is, are mixed in the goblets which I have. The Romans never drank their wine unmixed, but always weakened with water. 6 CARMEN XXI. IN DIANAM ET APOLLINEM. PRAYER to Diana and Apollo. Horace calls upon the maidens and youths of Rome to celebrate the praises of these deities, and to beseech them to avert all danger. Written about the year 28 B. C. DIANAM tenerae dicite virgines, Dilectam penitus Jovi. Vos laetam fluviis et nemorum coma, 5 2. Intorsum Cynthium, Apollo, called Cynthius from Cynthus, a hill in Delos. He is said to be intonsus, because he is represented as a youthful or beardless god, and consequently unshaven.-3. Latona was the mother of Diana and Apollo, whom she bore in Delos to Jupiter. Her praises were sung by the two choirs, the youths and maidens, united.-5. Vos; namely, puellae. Laetam fluviis, Diana, the goddess of hunting and of the woods, and who conse. quently delighted in streams, without which her woods could not exist. Coma nemorum is, by a common poetical figure, the leaves Quaecunque aut gelido prominet Algido, Silvis aut viridis Cragi. Vos Tempe totidem tollite laudibus Fraternaque humerum lyra. Hic bellum lacrimosum, hic miseram famem Persas atque Britannos Vestra motus aget prece. 10 15 of the forest.-6. Algidus was a hill in Latium, between Tusculum and the Alban range, now Monte Compatri. It is celebrated for the numerous battles which the Romans fought near it in the early periods of their history. Erymanthus, a mountain in Arcadia; Cragus, in Lycia.-9. Vos. To this word belongs mares=pueri. Tempe is the celebrated valley between the Olympus and Ossa, in which Apollo was said to have been purified after slaying the Py. thian dragon.-12. Humerum insignem pharetra, &c. Apollo was the god of archery and music. He received the lyre from Mercury, who was likewise a son of Jupiter, and therefore Apollo's brother. See Carm. i. 10, 6.-13. Hic; namely, Apollo, who was believed to be the deus averruncus, the god who averted from men all evils, particularly war, famine, and pestilence.-15. Persas, that is, Parthos atque Britannos. Augustus had at this time the intention of making war against both of these nations. The poet wishes that all the evil which would otherwise befall the Romans may be turned upon the poor Parthians and Britons. CARMEN XXII. AD ARISTIUM FUSCUM. DESCRIPTION of the external independence and safety which man gains by uprightness and moral purity. The poet sees even the wild beasts fleeing before the good man. INTEGER Vitae scelerisque purus Fusce, pharetra, Sive per Syrtes iter aestuosas 5 1. Integer vitae. The genitive vitae means 'in, in regard to,' properly expressed by the ablative. Gram. § 277, 6, note 2.-2. Mauris jaculis, javelins such as the Mauri (Moors, inhabitants of Mauritania) have." 4. Pharetra gravida sagittis venenatis, a quiver heavy (that is, filled) with poisoned arrows.'-5. Construe thus: sive iter |