Sacra mentito, male feriatos Troas et laetam Priami choreis Falleret aulam, Sed palam captis gravis (heu nefas! heu!) Ureret flammis, etiam latentem Ni, tuis victus Venerisque gratae Doctor argutae, fidicen, Thaliae, Levis Agyieu. Spiritum Phoebus mihi, Phoebus artem Virginum primae puerique claris Patribus orti, Deliae tutela deae, fugaces Lyncas et cervos cohibentis arcu, = existence. Minervae sacra mentito. The wooden horse professed to be an offering to Minerva, to appease her wrath on account of the theft of the Palladium.-15. Laetam choreis, 'joyful with the dances' which were engaged in on the holidays that were proclaimed in honour of Minerva.-16. Falleret; properly, fefellisset; and, in line 19, ureret ; properly, ussisset.-17. Connect palam captis.-18. Nescios fari pueros, commonly called infantes.-22. Annuisset, concessisset, had granted." 23. Rebus Aeneae, here Aeneae. Potiore alite, with better omens, auspices.' Compare iii. 3, 61; and i. 15, 5. Jupiter granted to Apollo and Venus walls, which were to be drawn out (that is, built, for this is muros ducere), with auspices, a fate, better than that of Troy, which was now destroyed.-25. Argutae: canorae. Apollo was the leader and teacher of the Muses.-26. Xantho, a river in Lycia, on which the town of Patara was situated, where Apollo had a celebrated temple. Compare iii. 4, 64.-28. Agyieu, a surname of Apollo, because he was the superintending divinity of the ayal, the streets of the city. He is called levis, smooth,' because he is always represented without a beard.-29. The poet now changes his subject to an exhortation of the boys and girls who were to sing his carmen saeculare; and to give him greater influence, he says that Phoebus has not merely granted him his spirit, inspiration (spiritum), but has also taught him the form of the ode.-31. Primae, most distinguished.'-33. Tutela, the abstract noun for the concrete; who are defended by' Diana, the goddess of the chase. In English also the abstract noun may be thus used: 35 Lesbium servate pedem meique Rite Latonae puerum canentes, Nupta jam dices: Ego dis amicum, Reddidi carmen, docilis modorum Vatis Horati.' 40 here, for instance, who are a care to' Diana.-35. The poet fancies himself standing in the midst of the boys and girls, as they are singing, and beating time with his thumb (hence pollicis ictum.) His poem is in the Lesbian or Sapphic measure (for Sappho was a native of Lesbos), and the singers must consequently keep the Lesbian time.-37. Rite, according to old custom.'- 38. Crescentem face Noctilucam. Diana was the goddess of the moon, and as such was called 'the nightshining,' and had a temple on the Palatine: Phoebe waxing in her light.' 39. Prosperam frugum, ripening the fruits, granting them increase.' Celerem volvere, a Greek construction, celerem in volvendo, quae celeriter volvit.-41. The sense is: at some time, perhaps when you are married and rising in years, you will remember with pleasure this festival and your share in it.-42. Festas luces; for the festival celebrating the completion of a century lasted for three days.-43. Reddidi, scil. voce, hence cecini. Docilis, learning easily and willingly,' is here construed with the genitive, on the analogy of such adjectives as peritus. = CARMEN VII. AD TORQUATUM. A LIGHT and pleasing ode, in which the fugitive and perishable nature of all human things is illustrated by the change of the seasons. The poem is addressed to Torquatus, to whom also the fifth epistle of the first book is addressed. DIFFUGERE nives, redeunt jam gramina campis Arboribusque comae; Mutat terra vices, et decrescentia ripas Flumina praetereunt; = 2. Comae; that is, frondes.-3. Mutat vices, pleonastic, subit vices, undergoes a change. Decrescentia, there being now no more snow, the melting of which, in the first part of the spring, had swelled the Gratia cum Nymphis geminisque sororibus audet Immortalia ne speres, monet annus et almum Frigora mitescunt zephyris; ver proterit aestas Pomifer auctumnus fruges effuderit, et mox 5 10 Damna tamen celeres reparant coelestia lunae; Nos ubi decidimus, Quo pater Aeneas, quo dives Tullus et Ancus, 15 Pulvis et umbra sumus. Quis scit an adjiciant hodiernae crastina summae Tempora di superi ? Cuncta manus avidas fugient heredis, amico Quae dederis animo. Cum semel occideris, et de te splendida Minos Non, Torquate, genus, non te facundia, non te Infernis neque enim tenebris Diana pudicum Nec Lethaea valet Theseus abrumpere caro · rivers. They now keep within, flow along, past' (praetereunt) their proper banks.-5. Cum sororibus; there being three Graces.-8. Diem, here Solem.-9. Frigora here indicates winter, zephyri spring. Proterit, 'presses forward, drives away.' Compare ii. 18, 15.-12. Iners, on account of the cold which winter brings, and the inactivity of nature during that season.-13. Nature dies, but renews itself; man dies, but returns not to life. The former statement is illustrated by the case of the moon, which wanes indeed, but soon waxes again.14. Decidimus; namely, into Tartarus.-15. Dives. This epithet seems to refer to the kings generally, not to any particular treasures which Tullus Hostilius possessed.-17. Hodiernae summae, to the sum (number) of days which this day completes.'-19. Amico quae dederis animo, quae Genio dederis, indulseris, which thou mayst have devoted to thine own gratification.'-21. Splendida here seems to be equivalent to sollemnia rather than to honorifica.-25. The sense is this: not even gods or heroes can bring back the dead, much less ordinary mortals. The particular story here alluded to in regard to Hippolytus, who is called pudicus, because he resisted the passion of his stepmother Phaedra, is unknown.-27. As to Pirithous and Theseus, see note on iii. 4, 79. Lethaca vincula, so called from Lethe, a river in the lower world. CARMEN VIII. AD CENSORINUM. ODE to C. Marcius Censorinus, consul in 8 B. C., in which Horace promises him a eulogistic poem, and shews the value of such a present. DONAREM pateras grataque commodus, 5 Quas aut Parrhasius protulit aut Scopas, Sollers nunc hominem ponere, nunc deum. Non incisa notis marmora publicis, 10 15 1. Commodus, in a friendly manner.'-2. Aera; that is, vasa aenea, especially vessels of Corinthian brass, which were highly valued. 3. Tripodas. These formed the most honourable presents among the ancient Greek heroes. Ulysses received tripods from the Phaeacians. -6. Protulit, produced.' Parrhasius of Ephesus, who lived about 400 B. C., was one of the most distinguished painters of antiquity; Scopas of Paros was the most celebrated statuary, and particularly well known to the Romans, on account of his statue of Apollo, which stood on the Palatine Hill.-7. Liquidis, shining, clear; similarly used of the voice in i. 24, 3.-8. Ponere, to put up, exhibit;' that is, 'to form, represent.-9. Vis = potestas.-10. Res, fortune.' Deliciae, luxuries.'11. Possumus-pretium dicere muneris, which he goes on to do.13. Marmora incisa notis publicis, marble monuments inscribed with words expressive of the public gratitude.' The proper expression is incidere notas marmoribus, not incidere marmora notis, but the construction may be inverted in the same way as with inscribere. Notae, nearly = litterae.-14. Spiritus, breath, life.-16. Retrorsum; namely, to · 6 Ejus, qui domita nomen ab Africa Clarum Tyndaridae sidus ab infimis Liber vota bonos ducit ad exitus. Africa.-17. This line is for two strong reasons supposed to be spurious: first, because the caesura, which should fall within the word Carthaginis, is neglected; and secondly, because, as line 22 shews, the poet is speaking of the elder P. Scipio Africanus, who did not destroy, but only conquered Carthage. Moreover, it is highly probable that after line 17 two lines are wanting, which are required to complete the fourline stanza, preserved by Horace most accurately in all his odes. Consequently, if line 17 be spurious, we may suppose a gap of three lines here.-21. Lucratus. He gained for himself from his conquests nothing but the name of Africanus, not, as many generals of later times did, great wealth.-22. Calabrae Pierides, the muse of the poet Ennius, who was a native of Rudiae in Calabria.-23. Chartae; that is, litterae, the poets and their writings.-25. Puer, Romulus, the son of Mars and Ilia or Rea Silvia.-27. Ereptum Stygiis fluctibus, a poetical expression for 'rescued from oblivion.-28. Virtus, genius, excellence.' The poets are called potentes, simply because they can do what no one else can do; namely, confer immortality.-29. Divitibus insulis. These are usually called beatorum insulae; but beatus and dives are synonymous.31. Sic, thus it has been brought about that,' &c.-33. Clarum sidus, in apposition to Tyndaridae (nominative plural), the two Dioscuri, Castor and Pollux. See i. 3, 2.-35. Pampino. Compare iii. 25, 20. |