Obrázky na stránke
PDF
ePub

Ne prior officio quisquam respondeat, urge.
Sive Aquilo radit terras, seu bruma nivalem
Interiore diem gyro trahit, ire necesse est.'
Postmodo, quod mi obsit, clare certumque locuto
Luctandum in turba et facienda injuria tardis.

[ocr errors]

Quid vis, insane, et quas res agis improbus?' urget
Iratis precibus, 'tu pulses omne, quod obstat,
Ad Maecenatem memori si mente recurras !'
Hoc juvat et melli est, non mentiar; at simul atras
Ventum est Esquilias, aliena negotia centum
Per caput et circa saliunt latus. Ante secundam
Roscius orabat sibi adesses ad Puteal cras.
De re communi scribae magna atque nova te
Orabant hodie meminisses, Quinte, reverti.
Imprimat his cura Maecenas signa tabellis.

Dixeris: "Experiar;" "Si vis, potes," addit et instat.'
Septimus octavo propior jam fugerit annus,

Ex quo Maecenas me coepit habere suorum

25

30

35

40

In numero, duntaxat ad hoc, quem tollere rheda

Vellet iter faciens, et cui concredere nugas

Hoc genus: 'Hora quota est? Threx est Gallina Syro par? Matutina parum cautos jam frigora mordent,'

45

Et quae rimosa bene deponuntur in aure.

[ocr errors]

Per totum hoc tempus subjectior in diem et horam
Invidiae: Noster ludos spectaverat una,
Luserat in Campo: 'Fortunae filius,' omnes.
Frigidus a rostris manat per compita rumor;
Quicunque obvius est, me consulit: 'O bone (nam te

=

50

urge, scil. te, = propera, ne quisquam, etc. He urges him to go out early in the morning, to visit his patrons. See i. 6, 101.-26. Inte riore gyro trahit contrahit in angustiorem gyrum; hence in the depth of winter, when the days are at the shortest.-31. Memori mente. The notion is, that at first Horace had intended to remain at home, but suddenly remembering that he must pay Maecenas a visit, he goes out and pushes his way through the crowd.-32. Juvat et melli est delectat et jucundum est; namely, the visiting of Maecenas. The Esquiliae or Mons Esquilinus, on which the house of Maecenas stood, was formerly a burying-ground; hence atrae.— 35. Puteal is, properly, a place round a well (puteus), enclosed by a grating; then, generally, a sacred place. 42. Ad hoc, for this object, for this.' Tollere rheda; that is, to have me as his travelling companion. -44. Hoc genus hujus generis. Gram. 260. Threx is the name of a kind of gladiator armed with a round shield and a crooked sword. · 46. Et quae; supply alia, and other things of that kind, which.'-47. Subjectior, scil. fui.-48. Spectaverat, conditional : si spectaverat. He calls himself noster jocularly, 'our friend Quintus.'-49. Omnes, scil. inquiunt.—50. Frigidus,

=

[ocr errors]

=

[ocr errors]

Scire, deos quoniam propius contingis, oportet)

Num quid de Dacis audisti?' 'Nil equidem.' 'Ut tu
Semper eris derisor. At omnes di exagitent me,

Si quidquam.' 'Quid? Militibus promissa Triquetra 55
Praedia Caesar, an est Itala tellure daturus?'
Jurantem me scire nihil miratur, ut unum
Scilicet egregii mortalem altique silenti.

Perditur haec inter misero lux non sine votis:

'O rus, quando ego te adspiciam, quandoque licebit
Nunc veterum libris, nunc somno et inertibus horis
Ducere solicitae jucunda oblivia vitae?

O quando faba Pythagorae cognata simulque
Uncta satis pingui ponentur oluscula lardo?
O noctes coenaeque deum, quibus ipse meique
Ante larem proprium vescor vernasque procaces
Pasco libatis dapibus. Prout cuique libido est,
Siccat inaequales calices conviva solutus

60

65

Legibus insanis, seu quis capit acria fortis

Pocula, seu modicis uvescit laetius. Ergo

70

Sermo oritur, non de villis domibusve alienis,

Nec male necne Lepos saltet; sed, quod magis ad nos

Pertinet et nescire malum est, agitamus, utrumne
Divitiis homines an sint virtute beati;

Quidve ad amicitias, usus rectumne, trahat nos;

75

Et quae sit natura boni summumque quid ejus.
Cervius haec inter vicinus garrit aniles
Ex re fabellas. Si quis nam laudat Arelli
Sollicitas ignarus opes, sic incipit: 'Olim
Rusticus urbanum murem mus paupere fertur
Accepisse cavo, veterem vetus hospes amicum;
Asper et attentus quaesitis, ut tamen artum

[ocr errors]

80

'uncomfortable.' Compare ii. 1, 62.-52. Deos. This name is here jocularly given to the great men who rule the state.-53. As to the Daci, see Carm. i. 35, 9.—54. Derisor = dissimulator.-55. Quidquam scil. audivi.-60. Horace's thoughts, longing for the country. -62. Ducere haurire, to drink in.'-64. Ponentur. See ii. 4. 14.-67. Libatis dapibus. He gives his favourite slaves portions of the food which he himself is eating, to taste.-69. Leges insanae are the stiff rules of etiquette observed at banquets in Rome. 72. Lepos, a dancer, of whom Octavianus was fond.-75. Usus rectumne = utrum utilitas an virtus. Rectum is a philosophical expression of the Stoic school, for absolute good.' -76. Summumque quid ejus; that is, et quid summum bonum sit. Cicero has written a treatise De finibus bonorum et malorum.-78. Ex re, as they are suggested to him by the subject of conversation.' Arelli sollicitas ignarus opes, the wealth of Arellius, wealth which (a fact that the person praising it does not know) causes him much anxiety and trouble.'-82. Asper, 'rough' in outward appearance; attentus quaesitis, 'thrifty, frugal;'

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

Solveret hospitiis animum. Quid multa? Neque ille
Sepositi ciceris nec longae invidit avenae,

Aridum et ore ferens acinum semesaque lardi

Frusta dedit, cupiens varia fastidia coena
Vincere tangentis male singula dente superbo;
Quum pater ipse domus palea porrectus in horna
Esset ador loliumque, dapis meliora relinquens.
Tandem urbanus ad hunc: “Quid te juvat,” inquit,
"amice,

Praerupti nemoris patientem vivere dorso?

Vis tu homines urbemque feris praeponere silvis?
Carpe viam, mihi crede, comes; terrestria quando
Mortales animas vivunt sortita, neque ulla est
Aut magno aut parvo leti fuga: quo, bone, circa,
Dum licet, in rebus jucundis vive beatus,

Vive memor, quam sis aevi brevis." Haec ubi dicta
Agrestem pepulere, domo levis exsilit; inde
Ambo propositum peragunt iter, urbis aventes
Moenia nocturni subrepere. Jamque tenebat
Nox medium coeli spatium, quum ponit uterque
In locuplete domo vestigia, rubro ubi cocco
Tincta super lectos canderet vestis eburnos,
Multaque de magna superessent fercula coena,
Quae procul extructis inerant hesterna canistris.
Ergo ubi purpurea porrectum in veste locavit
Agrestem, veluti succinctus cursitat hospes
Continuatque dapes, nec non verniliter ipsis
Fungitur officiis, praelambens omne quod affert.
Ille cubans gaudet mutata sorte, bonisque
Rebus agit laetum convivam, quum subito ingens
Valvarum strepitus lectis excussit utrumque.
Currere per totum pavidi conclave, magisque

=

[blocks in formation]

literally, careful to keep what it had acquired.' Artum animum: it was commonly of a frugal mind.'-84. Invidere alicujus rei, according to a Greek usage = parcere. See Zumpt, § 413.-87. Tangentis. The city mouse is fastidious, and merely nibbles. -89. Esset ederet.-91. Patientem. See Carm. i. 7, 10.-93. Carpe viam -comes, a highly-poetical expression = comitare me, is intentionally chosen, for the sake of producing a laugh. Terrestria quando-sortita; that is, quoniam terrestria (homines vel omnia quae in terra sunt) vivunt ita ut mortales animas sortita sint, since everything earthly must die.'-95. Quo, bone, circa is a tmesis for quocirca, bone. See line 51.-103. Vestis. See ii. 4, 84, note.-105. Procul exstructis in altum exstructis: they were piled one above the other.108. Continuat dapes = continuo affert novas dapes. Verniliter, 'like a slave who waits at table.'-111. Agit laetum convivam, plays the merry guest.'-113. Currere and trepidare, historical infinitives. 114. Simul simul atque.

=

6

Exanimes trepidare, simul domus alta Molossis
Personuit canibus. Tum rusticus: "Haud mihi vita
Est opus hac," ait, "et valeas; me silva cavusque
Tutus ab insidiis tenui solabitur ervo."""

115

SATIRA VIII.

HORACE makes his friend and brother poet Fundanius (see i. 10, 42) describe a feast which Nasidienus Rufus, a man who with debauchery combined a certain degree of avarice, had given to Maecenas and his train. The couches, as we see from line 20 and following, were thus arranged :

:

[blocks in formation]

(1) Fundanius; (2) Viscus; (3) Varius; (4) Servilius; (5) Maecenas; (6) Vibidius; (7) Nomentanus; (8) Nasidienus; (9) Porcius. It is worthy of remark, that the arrangements of the table correspond with the rules which Horace lays down in the 4th satire of this book. Perhaps, therefore, in that satire Nasidienus is to be looked upon as the inventor of the precepts.

'UT Nasidieni juvit te coena beati?

Nam mihi, convivam quaerenti, dictus here illic
De medio potare die.' 'Sic, ut mihi nunquam
In vita fuerit melius.' 'Dic, si grave non est,
Quae prima iratum ventrem placaverit esca.'
'In primis Lucanus aper; leni fuit Austro
Captus, ut aiebat coenae pater; acria circum

5

1. Juvit delectavit. Beati divitis.-2. Dictus, scil. es, 'I was told yesterday, when I was going to invite thee to a feast, that thou hadst been there drinking since mid-day. The dinner usually did not begin till about four o'clock; only gluttons commenced earlier. -5. That is, what the gustatio was.-6. As to Lucanus aper, see ii. 4, 40. It had been caught leni Austro, the host told the guests, that they might know it was fresh. See ii. 2, 41.-7. Coenae pater. Compare ii. 6, 88. Acria, etc. As to the precept here observed.

Rapula, lactucae, radices, qualia lassum
Pervellunt stomachum, siser, allec, faecula Coa.
His ubi sublatis puer alte cinctus acernam
Gausape purpureo mensam pertersit, et alter
Sublegit, quodcunque jaceret inutile quodque
Posset coenantes offendere: ut Attica virgo
Cum sacris Cereris, procedit fuscus Hydaspes
Caecuba vina ferens, Alcon Chium maris expers.
Hic herus: "Albanum, Maecenas, sive Falernum
Te magis appositis delectat, habemus utrumque."'
'Divitias miseras! Sed quis coenantibus una,
Fundani, pulchre fuerit tibi, nosse laboro.'

10

15

'Summus ego, et prope me Viscus Thurinus, et infra, 20
Si memini, Varius, cum Servilio Balatrone
Vibidius, quos Maecenas adduxerat umbras.
Nomentanus erat super ipsum, Porcius infra,
Ridiculus totas simul absorbere placentas.
Nomentanus ad hoc, qui, si quid forte lateret,
Indice monstraret digito: nam cetera turba,
Nos, inquam, coenamus aves, conchylia, pisces,
Longe dissimilem noto celantia succum;
Ut vel continuo patuit, quum passeris atque

[ocr errors]

25

compare ii. 4, 73.-13. Attica virgo, the singular collectively, since the kavnoópo are meant, the Attic maidens who in procession carried on their heads baskets with offerings.-14. The slave Hydaspes, as his name indicates, was an Indian: hence his colour, fuscus, 'tawny.-15. Chium. Compare ii. 4, 29. This wine, however, was maris expers, free from sea-water.' - - 17. Appositis; that is, quam ea quae apposita sunt. 18. Horace interrupts the speaker. The fact of Nasidienus telling the company that he had other wines, instead of quietly putting before the guests specimens of all, strikes the poet as a mark of wretched avarice: hence the exclamation Divitias miseras! Then he asks about the guests. 19. Pulchre fuerit. Compare line 4, fuerit melius. -20. The summus on the couches is he who has no one on his left, the imus who has no one on his right. Maecenas occupies the place of highest honour, the so-called locus consularis. The arrangement of the company is unusual, in so far as Nasidienus himself does not lie next the most distinguished guest. Nomentanus occupies his place, for the reason mentioned in line 25; namely, that he might point out to Maecenas all the excellences of the feast. The persons themselves are unknown; it is not even certain whether this Varius is the poet often mentioned by Horace.-22. Umbrae are men whom the distinguished guests bring with them (without their being specially invited), to laugh at his jokes and confirm all his boasts. The term is very appropriate. 24. Ridiculus absorbere. The infinitive, according to a Greek usage, indicates the reason why.-27. The sense is: we, the other guests, ate straight on, without paying attention to the peculiarities of each dish, though our taste told us that they were

« PredošláPokračovať »