Refertque tenta grex amicus ubera; Nulla nocent pecori contagia, nullius astri Jupiter illa piae secrevit litora genti, 52. Alta, the ground seeming to rise, as the reptiles creep forth.-56. Utrumque; that is, both the overabundance of rain and the drought. -57. The ship Argo has never come to these happy islands, nor has Medea with her accursed arts been here to blast the bounties of nature. -59. Torquere cornua, 'to turn the sail-yards.'-61. Astri; as Sirius in our Italian clime.-62. Impotentia, violence,' as frequently.-64. Utaureum, after he had alloyed the golden age with the brazen.'-65. Quorum secunda fuga, a prosperous flight from which (iron times.)' 6 SATIRARUM LIBER PRIMUS. SATIRA I. OBSERVATIONS, full of wit and good practical morality, on the universally-prevalent vice of dissatisfaction with one's own position in life -on the eager desire of possessing more than others and the avarice which would ever accumulate and never begin to enjoy what has been acquired. This constant bustle is represented as the most dangerous enemy of a quiet, reflective, happy life; and no doubt the warning, not unnecessarily to distract their minds, was very seasonable to the Romans at this period (some years before the battle of Actium), when property was in a most unsettled state, and peace had been long unknown to the republic. But the moral precepts are perfectly applicable to the men of the present age also. QUI fit, Maecenas, ut nemo, quam sibi sortem Miles ait multo jam fractus membra labore. 5 'Militia est potior. Quid enim? Concurritur: horae Momento aut cita mors venit aut victoria laeta.' Agricolam laudat juris legumque peritus, Sub galli cantum consultor ubi ostia pulsat. 10 Ille datis vadibus qui rure extractus in urbem est, 1. The prose construction would be, Qui fit ut nemo ea sorte, quam, &c. contentus vivat. As to qui, 'how,' see Gram. § 118, note.-2. Fors, not Fortuna, but 'accident, chance, the opposite of ratio, a choice made for reasons.'-7. Concurritur, 'the shock of battle takes place.'10. Consultor, the client seeking advice.-11. Datis radibus, having (in the previous term of court) given bail' that he would appear when Cetera de genere hoc (adeo sunt multa) loquacem Percurram :-quamquam ridentem dicere verum required. An action for debt is alluded to.-13. De genere hoc = hujusmodi, hujus generis.-15. Quo rem deducam; that is, how far I go in my assertion regarding discontent.-17. Hinc vos, vos hinc; properly, hinc vos, illinc vos; but the lively mode of representation requires us to imagine a kind of gesticulation. Those to whom the god calls are to change not only the parts (partes) which they play, but also, with them, their positions in the scale of society.-19. Nolint, the apodosis: si quis deus vitae optionem det, nolint aliam eligere. The present subjunctive indicates that the supposition is possible. As to the construction of licet, see Gram. § 376, 3.-20. Ambas buccas inflet, puff up both his cheeks;' illis, against them,' a sign of contempt. Horace has intentionally chosen a vulgar figure, probably from comedy. -23. Jocularia, comic speeches,' such as were delivered in the theatres. In enouncing serious truths in jocular language, Horace would be acting as the teachers of young children do, who sometimes' (olim) give them cakes and sweetmeats to induce them to learn the letters, the A B C (elementa.) To the relative clause, ut qui jocularia supply the indicative percurrit, out of percurram.-28. The sound echoes to the sense, indicating hard labour.-33. Magni formica laboris could in prose mean only an ant of great industry.' Here, however, this genitivus qualitatis means, which can endure great labour; and hence, properly, animal or bestia should be supplied. 6 Quae, simul inversum contristat Aquarius annum, Quaesitis sapiens, quum te neque fervidus aestus 40 At ni id fit, quid habet pulchri constructus acervus? 45 Non tuus hoc capiet venter plus ac meus: ut si Forte vehas humero, nihilo plus accipias quam Qui nil portarit. Vel dic, quid referat intra 50 Mille aret? At suave est ex magno tollere acervo.' Dum ex parvo nobis tantundem haurire relinquas, Cur tua plus laudes cumeris granaria nostris ? Ut tibi si sit opus liquidi non amplius urna Vel cyatho, et dicas: Magno de flumine malim, 55 Quam ex hoc fonticulo tantumdem sumere. Eo fit, = 6 36. Quae. The poet's reply begins. In the relative is involved an emphatic conjunction, it being verumtamen haec, very true, but.' The avaricious man toils on, and never stops to enjoy his acquisitions, but the ant does. When the sun enters the sign of Aquarius (January 16), the closing (inversus) year assumes its most miserable aspect.42. Furtim defossa go together.-43. The avaricious man's defence.44. Horace replies.- 45. Milia - centum,thy barn-floor may have thrashed a hundred thousand of grain;' supply the ordinary corn measure, modius or medimnus.-46. Plus ac. Horace frequently uses ac after comparatives, instead of quam. See Zumpt, § 340, note.-47. In a troop of slaves taken to the market to be sold, one carries the bread-bag, but he does not for that reason receive more of the bread than the others who have had different burdens, or none at all.50. Viventi, a somewhat free use of the dativus commodi, refert having commonly a different construction. Gram. § 284.-51. At. The avaricious man raises a new plea, which Horace goes on to answer. former having compared money to a heap (acervus) of corn, the poet, in his reply, takes up the same figure, and speaks of granaries (granaria) and a small corn-chest (cumera.)—54. Liquidi = humoris, aquae. -56. Eo fit, hence it happens' that a person who wishes more than he needs, falls into danger. This truth is illustrated by the fate of the person just mentioned, who would fill his vessel from a river rather than a brook. The stream carries him away, along with the bank on The Cum ripa simul avulsos ferat Aufidus acer. At qui tantuli eget, quanto est opus, is neque limo 'Nil satis est,' inquit, ‘quia tanti, quantum habeas, sis.' Flumina . . . . Quid rides? Mutato nomine de te 65 70 70 75 $75 80 = which he was standing. As to the Aufidus, compare Carm. iv. 14, 25. -59. Eget, in a rare sense, = cupit.-62. The third plea of the avaricious man man is valued according to his wealth.-64. Quatenus quoniam. The poet now gives an instance of a man who valued himself according to his wealth. Why the case of Tantalus is brought up is not so obvious: the avaricious man, to whom Horace supposes himself speaking, does not see its applicability, and laughs. Hereupon Horace breaks off from his sentence (an instance of aposiopesis), and shews him the bearing of the case.-71. Tamquam sacris, as if they belonged to a god, and there was a curse upon him who should handle them.-72. The idea is this: it is the same thing whether you have real money, or merely a picture before your eyes, on which are painted pieces of gold. You have as much pleasure in the one as the other, since you only look, never use.-73. Quo valeat; that is, ad quam rem utilis sit.-74. Sextarius, the sixth part of a congius, about half a pint, the quantity which a moderate drinker will take at a banquet.75. Quis negatis doleat natura; literally, things which, being denied to it, human nature grieves; that is, which human nature grieves to be without.' In the preceding passage the poet has mentioned the necessaries of life; here he adds some of those things which make life comfortable and joyous, such as a respectable dwelling, decent clothing, society, and the like.-80. Tentatum frigore, assailed by, shivering from cold.' |