Hill. On this occasion Augustus selected Horace as the poet best fitted for the task of composing such an ode; and the stately elegance of the following stanzas, though they be neither warmed nor brightened by the lyric fire and sparkling fancy of the author's less official poems, attest the wisdom of the emperor's choice. Apollo and Diana are thrice invoked, by all their attributes, to continue their protection and favour to the Roman Empire, which is thrice, with the most imposing solemnity, committed to the care of these tutelary gods. It has been supposed by some commentators that the successive parts of this hymn have been arranged according to a regular system: Orellius approves of a scheme proposed by Steiner: Proodos.-Strophae I. et II. (juncti pueri et puellae.) Lucidum coeli decus, o colendi Strophe II. Quo Sibyllini monuere versus Strophe III. (pueri.) Alme Sol, curru nitido diem qui CARM. SAEC.-5. quod, some Codd. Carm. Saec. - 1. silvarum potens 'sovereign of the woods' (comp. above C. 1, 3, 1: diva potens Cypri, and Virg. A. 9, 405: memorum Latonia custos). 2. lucidum decus coeli, although in singul., referring to Phoebus (Sol) as well as to Diana (Luna); comp. above C. 4, 8, 31: Clarum Tyndaridae sidus. 4. tempore sacro, 'at this sacred season.' 5. Sibyllini versus, &c., see the Argu ment. Strophe VII. (pueri.) Vosque veraces cecinisse, Parcae, Quod semel dictum est stabilisque rerum 20 25 16. Genetyllis, Bentl. conj.-26. and 27. dictum stabilis per aevum Terminus servet, Bentl. conj. splendore eodemque vigore exoriens. 11. sq. nihil Româ majus, comp. Virg. A. 7, 602: maxima rerum Roma, and G. 2, 534: sic rerum facta est pulcherrima Roma. 13 and 14. construe=Ilithyia(=Diana), lenis aperire (= lenis in aperiendo) rite (= bene, recte) maturcs partus, 'propitious in safely producing mature births.' 15. probas vocari Lucina, poetic. = thou likest to be called Lucina;' thou preferrest the name of.' 17. producas serves atque ad adultam aetatem feliciter pervenire jubeas, 'make advancing, flourishing, setting up.' 18. sq. decreta, &c., i. e. the marriage-law of Augustus, called 'Lex Julia de maritandis ordinibus,' here poetic.: super jugandis feminis and lege marita; super de, comp. above C. 3 8, 17: Mitte civiles super urbe curas, and C. 4, 2, 42: concines...publicum ludum super impetrato Augusti reditu. 21. sq. construe: ut certus orbis, per decies undenos annos (i. e. after a cycle of 110 years) referat cantus et ludos frequentes ter claro die totiesque (i. e. ter) gratâ nocte, as to the sense see the Argum.-the que in v. 22, joined with referat, but belonging to ludos (comp. above note to C. 1, 30, 6). 24. frequentes, 'in large multitude,'expressively put at the end of the strophe. 25. veraces, poetic. with the infin. (cecinisse, for in canendo) = canentes vera, veridicae, veracious.' 26. stabilisque, i. e. et quod stabilis (terminus rerum servet). 37. si...est, if it is, as really it is," alluding to the fact that Apollo advised Aeneas to sail to Italy (Virg. A. 4, 345). 39. pars (apposition to the preced. turmae), i. e. the companions of Aeneas. 41. sine fraude sine damno aut pernicie Aeneae omniumque ejus comitum (comp. above 2, 19, 19 sq.: nodo coerces viperino Bistonidum sine fraude crines). 42. castus, the same as the epithet pius given to Aeneas by Virgil. 44. plura relictis, i. e. majus, po Strophe XII. (pueri.) Dî, probos mores docili juventae, Et decus omne. Strophe XIII. (puellae.) Quaeque vos bobus veneratur albis 45 Clarus Anchisae Venerisque sanguis, 50 Impetret, bellante prior, jacentem Lenis in hostem. Strophe XIV. (pueri.) Jam mari terrâque manus potentes Jam Scythae responsa petunt, superbi 55 Strophe XV. (puellae.) Jam Fides et Pax et Honos Pudorque Priscus et neglecta redire Virtus Audet, apparetque beata pleno 60 45. docilis, Bentl.-46. senectutis, some Codd., Bentl.-49. quique, some Codd.--51. imperet.—52. laetus, Cod. Bern.-53. manum potentem, Bentl. conj.-57. Honor, some Codd. tentius imperium quam quod relique rat. 45. Dî, here esp. referring to Apollo and Diana. 47. rem, sc. familiarem, 'wealth'prolemque Et, to be scanned: prolemqu'let (hypermetric verse, comp. above C. 2, 2, 18; 2, 3, 27; 2, 16, 34; 3, 29, 85; 4, 2, 22). 49, &c. construe: et quae (accus. neutr. plur.) clarus sanguis Anchisae Venerisque (i. e. Augustus) veneratur (= venerando precatur) vos (deos) bobus albis, (ea) impetret. 51. bellante prior, poetic. = victor bellantis, belligerantis hostis. 52. lenis in jacentem hostem, in regard to the sense comp. Virg. A. 6, 854: Parcere subjectis et debellare superbos. 54. Albanos secures, poetic. = Romanos fasces (the Romans having been descendants of the people of Alba Longa, which was built by Ascanius, son of Aeneas). 55. responsaedicta (comp. C. 4, 15, 21 sq. Non qui profundum Danubium bibunt Edicta rumpent Julia)-superbi, belongs to Scythae. 60. Copia pleno cornu, comp. above C. 1, 17, 14: Copia...benigno cornu, and below Ep. 1, 12, 28 sq.: aurea fruges Italiae pleno defundit Copia cornu. Epodos. Strophae XVI-XIX. (juncti pueri et puellae.) Strophe XVII. Si Palatinas videt aequus arces, Strophe XXIII. Quaeque Aventinum tenet Algidumque, Quindecim Diana preces virorum Curet et votis puerorum amicas Strophe XIX. Haec Jovem sentire deosque cunctos, Dicere laudes. 65 70 75 65. aras, some Codd.-68. 71. 72. prorogat, curat, applicat, some Codd., Bentl. 61. Augur of Apollo, as god of prophecy (comp. above C. 1, 2, 32, and Virg. A. 4, 376: augur Apollo). 63. salutari arte, i. e. medicâ-fessos, poetic. = languidos ex morbo. 65. Palatinas arces, i. e. those very Palatine heights where they sang the Carmen Seculare, and the temple of the god built by Augustus on the same hill-aequus = = propitius, 'propitious.' 66. felix, belongs to Latium. 67. lustrum, the next celebration of the secular games. 69. Aventinum Algidumque, referring to the temples of Diana on the Aventine hill and the mount Algidus (see above C. 1, 21, 6) 70. Quindecim virorum, i. e. the college of Fifteen, who had the charge of the Sibylline books. 73. haec, i. e. quae precati sumusJovem deosque cunctos, a customary addition in hymns of this kind, in order not to offend any one deity by omitting some allusion to them all. 75. chorus doctus, i. e. edoctus a poëta, (comp. C. 4, 6, 43: docilis modorum vatis Horati). |