CARMEN XVI. AD MAECENATEM. DESCRIPTION of the power and destructive influence of gold. The poet resolves to live content with his humble lot. INCLUSAM Danaën turris aënea Robustaeque fores et vigilum canum Tristes excubiae munierant satis Nocturnis ab adulteris, Si non Acrisium, virginis abditae Custodem pavidum, Jupiter et Venus Risissent fore enim tutum iter et patens Aurum per medios ire satellites Et perrumpere amat saxa potentius Demersa exitio; diffidit urbium Portas vir Macedo et subruit aemulos 6 5 10 15 1. Danaë, the daughter of Acrisius, was, in consequence of a declaration by an oracle that her son should kill his grandfather, kept by her father shut up in a strong tower, that she might never be married. But, as the story goes, Jupiter visited her in the form of a shower of gold. Her son was the hero Perseus. Aënea, 'strong.' Compare iii. 3, 65. 3. Munierant, for the regular munivissent, defendissent. Gram. § 346, 2. — 6. Pavidum, because he feared that his daughter's son would kill him.-7. Fore. The accusative with the infinitive here depends upon an omitted they thought, believed, knew.'-8. Converso in pretium deo, 'to the god, if he changed himself into gold, pretium being thus = aurum. - 10. Amat, like the Greek φιλεῖ, is accustomed." Potentius ictu fulmineo, more potent than the stroke of a thunderbolt.'-11. Augur Argivus is Amphiaraus of Argos. His wife, Eriphyle, was bribed with a golden bracelet by Polynices, who was raising an army against his brother the king of Thebes, and she persuaded her husband to accompany her brother Adrastus on the expedition, though he knew that he would perish in it. .-14. Vir Macedo, Philip, king of Macedonia, father of Alexander the Great. He made himself master of Olynthus, Amphipolis, Potidaea, Pydna, and many other towns, by bribery. It is related of him that he used to say any fortress could be taken into which an ass laden with gold could enter. Aemulos reges, his competitors for the throne of Macedonia, Pausanias, Argaeus, Arrhybas, Chersobleptes, whose under-generals he bribed. --15. Navium-duces, an allusion to the freedman Menas, the most Crescentem sequitur cura pecuniam Quanto quisque sibi plura negaverit, Contemptae dominus splendidior rei, Magnas inter opes inops. 20 25 Purae rivus aquae silvaque jugerum Paucorum et segetis certa fides meae 30 Fulgentem imperio fertilis Africae Fallit sorte beatior. 40 skilful admiral of Sextus Pompeius, whom Octavianus induced by bribery to desert his master.-18. Majorum fames, a hunger, thirst after more.' Perhorrui, a stronger expression for nolui. - 19. To raise my head so high as to be widely visible, visible far and near (late conspicuum);' that is, to become rich and powerful.-22. To plura supply tanto. 23. Construe thus: nudus (without riches') peto castra cupientium nil, I betake myself to the camp, the party of those who seek nothing:' hence of course I leave, desert the party of the rich. 25. Contemptaerei, of a despised (that is, small) fortune.'--26. Arat has the last syllable lengthened by the ictus; see a similar case in iii. 5, 17. As to the sense, compare i. 1, 9. ―30. Certa fides meae segetis, the sure confidence that my harvest will turn out as I wish.'-32. Fallit sorte beatior, a Greek construction, my little property escapes the notice of him who glitters with the government of fertile Africa, as being, according to fate's decree (or in regard to lot'), happier;' that is, he does not perceive it to be happier. Hence the accusative fulgentem depends on fallit.—33. Calabrae apes. As to the excellence of the honey of Tarentum, see ii. 6, 14.-34. Laestrygonia in amphora, in an amphora from Formiae,' a town of Campania, famed for its wine: see i. 20, 11. For Formiae boasted that the district around it was the ancient land of the Laestrygones, of whom Homer speaks in Odyssey, x. 82.-35. Languescit. Wine loses its bitterness, becomes mild by age. Pinquia vellera; that is, sheep whose fleeces are fat, thick. The wool from upper Italy, called Gallia Cisalpina, especially from the neighbourhood of Altinum, was in great repute.-39. Contracto-cupidine, Quam si Mygdoniis regnum Alyattei 'by limiting my desires.' Horace, contrary to the regular practice in prose, always treats cupido as masculine. Parva vectigalia porrigam, I shall extend, increase my small income' (for vectigalia here = reditus generally). 41. Alyattei. Alyattes was king of Lydia, and father of the well-known Croesus. The Mygdones were a tribe in Phrygia. Hence the meaning of the passage is this: than if I were to join the kingdom of Alyattes to the fields of the Mygdonians, and thus become lord of more and richer lands.-43. Bene est, it is well with him, he is well off.' 6 CARMEN XVII. AD AELIUM LAMIAM. ODE to Aelius Lamia, who is mentioned in i. 26, 8. An invitation to a cheerful feast on the next day. AELI, vetusto nobilis ab Lamo, Per memores genus omne fastos Late tyrannus), cras foliis nemus 5 1. Most of the illustrious Roman families traced their descent from some mythical hero; and the Lamiae, among the number, referred the origin of their race to Lamus, a son of Neptune, and king of the Laestrygones, who is mentioned by Homer in Odyssey, x. 81. He was said to have reigned in Formiae. Compare the preceding ode, line 34. Hence nobilis ab Lamo means 'noble, since thou art descended from Lamus.' ·2. Quando ferunt=quoniam narrant, 'since people say,' or 'since it is said,' followed by an accusative with the infinitive.-3. Construe thus: et omne genus nepotum ducit originem per memores fastos ab illo auctore, qui, etc. The fasti, calendar kept by the consuls and censors, are called memores, because they preserved the memory of distinguished men. — 7. Princeps, 'first.' Maricae. She was the goddess of the shore at Minturnae, where the Liris (now Garigliano) discharges itself into the sea. The river forms near its mouth extensive marshes.-9. Late tyrannus= Multis et alga litus inutili 10 Demissa tempestas ab Euro Sternet, aquae nisi fallit augur Annosa cornix. Dum potis, aridum Cum famulis operum solutis. late regnans, 'reigning over a wide dominion.' 15 Construe thus: cras tempestas demissa ab Euro ('sent, brought by Eurus') sternet nemus multis foliis et litus inutili alga; that is, there will be a great storm.-12. Aquae augur, 'the predicter of water, of rain.' When the hoarse tones of the crow were heard at night, the circumstance was said to presage rain.-13. Annosa, because, according to the belief of the ancients, it lived for seven generations. Dum potis, scil. est, so long as it is possible.' Aridum lignum, 'dry wood:' do it before the wood becomes damp from the rain.-14. Genium curabis. The common expression is, Genio indulgere, to enjoy one's self' by holding a banquet. 16. Operum solutis, a Greek construction for opere solutis, liberatis, 'freed from labour.' CARMEN XVIII. AD FAUNUM. - on ODE to Faunus, the rural god, who gave increase to the seed and the flocks. His festival was celebrated twice in the year. the Ides of February and the Nones of December; that is, at the commencement and close of agricultural operations. FAUNE, Nympharum fugientum amator, Lenis incedas abeasque parvis Aequus alumnis, Si tener pleno cadit haedus anno, 5 3. Lenis incedas, 'go gently, or graciously,' be gracious. The expression abeas aequus has the same force. The poet fancies that Faunus goes over the fields, examining them, blessing some, and cursing others. Parvi alumni are the young cattle.-5. The idea is this: if I, at the end of the year, on the Nones of December, offer a sacrifice to thee, as I certainly shall, or, because I shall do so, be gracious to me. Pleno anno, 'when the year is full;' that is, at the end of it.-6. Veneris sodali, in apposition to craterae, because wine and love are always supposed to go together.-7. Vetus ara, 'thy old altar,' such as country people usually have.-12. Pagus, 'the village; that is, the country people; said without any special reference to Horace's estate.-13. A sign of the power of Faunus: he can make the sheep bold and the wolf tame.- 14. This probably refers to the fact that the country people used to strew over with leaves the place where they held the festival of Faunus.-15. Fossor, the vinedresser,' by whom the earth is invisa, hated,' because he has to work on it. Gaudet pepulisse, he rejoices in beating it;' that is, in dancing. He beats it ter, because the measure of the dance is triple time. CARMEN XIX. AD TELEPHUM. AN ode, containing instructions, delivered in a playful strain, regarding the proper subjects of conversation at banquets. The poet asks not for learned discussions, but for free, easy talk about wine, baths, taverns, and love, interspersed occasionally with a toast to any friend who has recently met with good for. tune, or the like. QUANTUM distet ab Inacho Codrus, pro patria non timidus mori, Et pugnata sacro bella sub Ilio; = 2. Codrus, the last king of Athens, in a battle with the Heraclidae, voluntarily gave up his life for the safety of his country: hence he is here called non timidus audax, mori pro patria. His line of descent from Inachus, a mythical king of Argos, is adduced as an instance of an abstruse but very unprofitable subject of conversation, as also the genealogy of Aeacus, from whom Peleus, Achilles, Telamon, and Ajax were said to be sprung.-4. Sacro Ilio, |