Jam Cytherea choros ducit Venus imminente lunâ, Alterno terram quatiunt pede, dum graves Cyclopum Nunc decet aut viridi nitidum caput impedire myrto, Nunc et in umbrosis Fauno decet immolare lucis, Pallida Mors aequo pulsat pede pauperum tabernas Regumque turres. O beate Sesti, 5 10 Vitae summa brevis spem nos vetat inchoare longam. 15 Jam te premet nox, fabulaeque Manes, Et domus exilis Plutonia; quo simul mearis, Nec regna vini sortiere talis, Nec tenerum Lycidan mirabere, quo calet juventus 20 CARMEN VI. AD M. VIPSANIUM AGRIPPAM. Horace, addressing Agrippa, tells him that the Epic Muse of Varius alone can celebrate his martial deeds; that he himself, accustomed as he was only to light and sportive subjects, possessed neither the courage nor the abilities which would warrant him in venturing upon so noble a theme. CARM. 4.-8. visit, Codd.-12. agnam, haedum, and haedos, Codd.-15. incoare, Cod. 16. fabulaeque et manes, Cod.-18. Nec regna talis sortiere vini, Cod. 5. imminente = desuper, medio in coelo lucente, shining overhead.' 6. decentes, poetic. = ȧßpaí, 'graceful.' 7. alterno pede, i. e. rythmically dancing-graves-laboriosas, the toilsome forges' (as they prepare anew the thunderbolts, for the summer-time, to Jupiter). 9. nitidum, i. e. 'shining' (with unguents) — impedire, poetic. = vincire, redimire, to tie,' i. e. 'to crown.' 10 solutae, relaxed; comp. Virg. Georg. 1, 44: Zephyro putris se gleba resolvit. 12. agnâ, haedo, sc. sibi immolari. B rich' (thus frequently with Horace and in opposition to pauperes; see in the foll., C. 2, 14, 11; 2, 18, 34; S. 2, 2, 45; Ep. 1, 10, 33; A. P. 434)—turres, poetic. 'the palaces." 15. note the energetic opposition of brevis and longam in the same verse, and the position of longam at the end. 16. fabulae (nomin. plur.) poetic. fabulosi, inanes, shadowy,' 'unreal;' imitated by Persius (5, 152): Cinis et manes et fabula fies. Scribêris Vario fortis et hostium Victor, Maeonii carminis alite, Quam rem cumque ferox navibus aut equis Nos, Agrippa, neque haec dicere, nec gravem Nec saevam Pelopis domum 5 Nec cursus duplicis per mare Ulixei, Conamur, tenues grandia, dum pudor Imbellisque lyrae Musa potens vetat 10 Quis Martem tunicâ tectum adamantinâ Tydiden superis parem? Nos convivia, nos proelia virginum 15 20 CARM. 6.—2. aliti, Edd.—7. Ulyssei, Codd.-15. Merionem, some Codd.-18. strictis, Bentl. conj. tive'--nescius, poetic. with the infin. (cedere)- duplicis, like the Greek dɩñλoûs, of a double-minded, crafty person. 10. potens lyrae (genit.); (comp. C. 1, 3, 1: potens Cypri.) 11. Caesaris, i. e. Augusti. 12. culpâ ingeni, by want of talent.' 13. sq. Quis, &c., meaning of the sentence: Not every one is able to celebrate in a worthy manner the god Mars or the heroes of the Homeric epos. 15. nigrum pulvere coopertum pulvere, squalentem, squalid, begrimed with Trojan dust.' 16. parem superis, the Homeric daíμovi loos (Il. 5, 884); assisted by Minerva he wounded Venus and Mars, 11. 5, 335 sq. 17. construe: nos (sive), vacui, sire CARMEN VII. AD L. MUNATIUM PLANCUM. Horace prefers Tivoli to all the finest cities of Greece or Asia; and advises Plancus, whether visiting that delightful spot, or living as a campaigner in foreign lands, to follow the example of Teucer when on the point of leaving his country, and drown the cares of life in mellow wine. LAUDABUNT alii claram Rhodon, aut Mytilenen, t Moenia, vel Baccho Thebas vel Apolline Delphos Sunt quibus unum opus est intactae Palladis urbem 5 Undique decerptam fronti praeponere olivam; Aptum dicet equis Argos ditesque Mycenas: Et praeceps Anio ac Tiburni lucus et uda 10 CARM. 7.-1. Mityle nen, Codd.-2. Ephesum, some Codd.-5. arcem, some Codd.9. dicit, some Codd. —10. ne neque, Bentl. quid urimur, non praeter solitum lèves, cantamus convivia, nos (cantamus) proelia virginum, acrium in juvenes sectis unguibus;-urimur quid, 'burn with any passion-proelia, facetiously of the light, and sometimes feigned contests of youth-acres sectis unguibus, facetiously: violently assailing with pared nails' (i. e. harmlessly); note the position of the opposite words, sectis and acrium, at the beginning and end of the verse. Carm. 7.-1. laudabunt, futur. indic. concessivum for the pres. subj. = laudent per me licet, may celebrate (comp. below C. 1, 20, 10: Prelo domi- | tam Caleno Tu bibes uvam, and ib. 3, 23, 13: Victima pontificum secures tinget)-alii, corresponding with sunt quibus in v. 5-claram, 'celebrated' (for her commerce, arts, and eloquence) -Mytilenen, this (not Mitylenen) is the Albus ut obscuro deterget nubila coelo Molli, Plance, mero, seu te fulgentia signis Tiburis umbra tui. Teucer Salamina patremque Quum fugeret, tamen uda Lyaeo Tempora populeâ fertur vinxisse coronâ, 15 20 Sic tristes affatus amicos: 'Nil desperandum Teucro duce et auspice Teucro: 'Certus enim promisit Apollo 6 Ambiguam tellure novâ Salamina futuram. 'O fortes pejoraque passi 'Mecum saepe viri, nunc vino pellite curas: 'Cras ingens iterabimus aequor.' 30 15. here begins a new Ode in some Codd..-17. perpetuos, some Codd.-27. auspicé, Phoebo, Bentl. conj. 15. albus = clarus, 'clear' (i. e. mak- | suae Salamina constituit;' comp. also ing clear)-deterget, pres. tense 'sweeps away, removes' (from the dark sky). 17. perpetuo (the reading of the best manuscripts), adv. perpetually.' 19. molli= " miti, leni, soft, mild,' (comp. Virg. G. 1, 341: tunc mollissima vina). 21. Tiburis tui, poetic. for 'thy villa at Tibur 'Teucer, &c.; comp. Vellej. Paterc. 1, 1: Teucer non receptus a patre Telamone ob segnitiam non vindicatae fratris (Ajacis) injuriae, Cyprum appulsus cognominem patriae Virg. Æn. 1, 619 sq. Equidem Teucrum memini... finibus expulsum patriis. 22. uda Lyaeo, poetic., bathed in wine' (comp. Tibull. 1, 2, 3: multo perfusum tempora Baccho, i. e. already drunk'). 25. quo...cumque, Tmesis-fortunus melior parente, i. e. patre. EXCURSUS V. CARM. VII. LIB. I. TIBUR. (VERS. 12-14.) How was it that Horace, who had seen the most beautiful districts of Greece and Italy, and who enjoyed so much comfort on his Sabine farm that he did not like to exchange it for great Rome, was, nevertheless, led to express the desire that Tibur might one day be the abode of his old age, a final retreat for the man fatigued with sea voyages and military campaigns: Tibur Argeo positum colono Sit meae sedes utinam senectae, It was the magnificent natural beauty of the district which, even now, when time and barbarism have exercised their destructive power for so many centuries, fills the wanderer with admiration; it was those rocky heights on which the town and its splendid villas rose in picturesque groups; it was those foaming cascades, in which the wild Anio was rushing over the rocks; those rich plantations of olives and vines which spread all around; those ancient temples and grottoes, the sacred seats of myths and poetry; and, lastly, in addition to all these attractions, that quickening element for a character like Horace, namely, the society of the most distinguished men of his age, who retired hither to their country-seats from the fatiguing bustle of the town, and led here, in familiar intercourse, a purer, intellectual life. It was this rare union of an enchanting nature and an ingenious society which filled Horace with delight whenever he mentioned Tibur, and which suggested to him that great variety of attractive epithets for it:- "The gentle height of Tibur "2" Tibur's matted shades " 3-"The sunny field of Tibur, where the vine thrives" 4" Fertile Tibur, surrounded with water "5" Tibur watered by brooks, on the banks of which, when making poetry, I wander like the bee "6"Still Tibur "7 -"Tibur, for which I am longing when in Rome."8 Tibur (in Greek, ἡ Τίβουρα, Τίβυρις, and τὸ Τιβούρ, at present called Tivoli), situated on both sides of the Anio, but chiefly on the right bank of this river, twenty Roman miles from Rome, and connected with it by the Via Tiburtina, had, according to an old saying, been founded as early as a whole generation before the Trojan war, by two of the sons of Amphiaraus, king of Argos, Catillus, and Coras, and called Tibur in honour of their brother Tiburtus.9 According to another myth, the town existed much earlier, and was inhabited by the Sicani, who were expelled by the Greek settlers already mentioned. |