The poet advises Leuconoë to enjoy the present hour, instead of endeavouring to pry into the secrets of futurity. Tu ne quaesieris (scire nefas) quem mihi, quem tibi Finem dî dederint, Leuconoë, nec Babylonios CARM. 11.-1. quaesieris scire, nefas, some Codd. son Hector. 16. fefellit, i. e. eλaber, passed unobserved.' 17. laetus sedibus (ablat.), in the place of the blessed,' 'in blissful regions.' 18. levem turbam, i. e. the shades of the dead. 20. imis, poetic. = inferis. Carm. 11.-1. Tu, in an imperative sentence, see above C. 1, 9, 16-scire nefas, sc. est; as for the reason comp. below C. 3, 29, 29 sq. 2. sq. nec tentaris Babylonios numeros, 5 Tentâris numeros. Ut melius, quidquid erit, pati! Seu plures hiemes seu tribuit Jupiter ultimam, Quae nunc oppositis debilitat pumicibus mare Tyrrhenum, sapias, vina liques, et spatio brevi Spem longam reseces. Dum loquimur, fugerit invida Aetas: carpe diem, quam minimum credula postero. CARMEN XII. AD CAESAREM AUGUSTUM. The poet sings the praises of Jupiter, Minerva, Bacchus, Diana, and Apollo (Dii); of Hercules, Castor, and Pollux (Heroës); of illustrious characters in Roman history (Viri); and, lastly, of Augustus. QUEM virum aut heroa lyrâ vel acri Tibiâ sumis celebrare, Clio? Quem deum? Cujus recinet jocosa 3. temptaris, some Codd.-4. tribuet, some Codd. CARM. 12.-2. sumes, some Codd.; 3. recinit, some Codd; retinet, one Cod. poetic. nec sollicite exploraris Chaldaicas rationes, nor anxiously investigate the astrological calculations of the Chaldeans.' 3. ut melius! how much better.' 4. ultimam, sc. hanc. = 5. debilitat, poetic. collidit (undas, quae se infringunt ad opposita saxa), breaks the waves by the opposite cliffs.' 6. vina liques, 'filter your wine;' the Romans used to filter the wine through the saccus vinarius (wine-bag) and the colum (strainer), filled with ice, in order to make it clearer and fresher-spatio brevi (ablative absol. or of cause) = quum spatium (vitae) breve sit, or: propter spatium breve (comp. above 1, 4, 15: Vitae summa brevis spem nos vetat inchoare longam). 8. carpe, grasp,'' seize,' i. e. enjoy the present day'—quam minimum, &c., (comp. Ep. 1, 4, 13: Omnem crede diem tibi diluxisse supremum). Carm. 12.-1. Quem virum, &c. imitation of Pind. Olymp. 2, 1: 'Avaέıφόρμιγγες ὕμνοι, τίνα θεόν, τίν' ἥρωα, τίνα δ ̓ ἄνδρα κελαδήσομεν—virum, living man,' opposite to heroa, the departed hero-acri = λιγυρᾶ, constant epithet of the tibia, the shrill-toned flute.' 2. sumis celebrare, poetic. celebrandum. suscipis 3. jocosa imago, the mocking, sportive echo' (which deludes the traveller). f. Fr. Dont Aut in umbrosis Heliconis oris, Aut super Arte maternâ rapidos morantem Quid prius dicam solitis parentis Unde nil majus generatur ipso, e qui. Nec viget quidquam simile aut secundum: Proximos illi tamen occupavit Pallas honores, Proeliis audax; neque te silebo, 13. Quid prius? dicam solitis parentem, Tea-parentum, some Codd.—15. et (inst. of ac), some Codd.-19. occupabit, some edd.-20 and 21. Pallas honores, Proelius audax neque, &c., some edd. temporis horam). like the Greek o@ev, also of a person ex quo (sc. Jove) 'from whom; thus afterwards 1, 28, 28; 2, 12, 7; 3, 11, 38; S. 1, 6, 12; 2, 6, 21 (and thus sometimes in classic prose); comp. also hinc ab eo, C. 3, 17, 2. 19. proximos, i. e. the next, but only at a great distance; comp. Virg. A. 5, 320; Proximus huic, longo sed proximus intervallo -occupavit, poetic. possedit, habet, has acquired, possesses.' 21. Proeliis audax, of Minerva (comp. Virg. A. 11, 483; Armipotens, praeses belli, Tritonia virgo). 22. inimica saevis beluis, the Greek Onpopóvn (killing wild beasts'), epithet of Artemis or Diana, here poetic. called virgo. Beluis, nec te, metuende certâ Dicam et Alciden, puerosque Ledae, Defluit saxis agitatus humor, Romulum post hos prius, an quietum Regulum, et Scauros, animaeque magnae Fabriciumque. 31, qui sic, quia sic, qua sic, quae sic, quod sic, nam sic, cum sic, di sic Codd.; sic di Bentl.-35. anne Curti, Bentl. Conj.-41. intonsis, Fea (e Quint. 9, 3, 18.) 23. metuende certa (= non fallente) sagitta, the Greek ekηßóλos ('far-darting') epithet of Apollo. 25. pueros Ledae, i. e. Castor and Pollux. 26 and 27. nobilem. poetic. with the infin. (superare) illustrious for his victories in boxing' (pugnis from pugnus; comp. below S. 2, 1, 26 sq.: Castor gaudet equis, ovo prognatus eodem Pugnis)-quorum alba (= lucida) stella, i. e. Gemini, the Twins, comp. above C. 1, 3, 2; fratres Helenae, lucida sidera. 30. concidunt, poetic. placantur, 'cease' (comp. Virg. A. 1, 154: cunctus pelagi cecidit fragos). 31. voluêre, sc. Castor and Polluxponto, dative = in pontum (comp. Virg. G. 1, 401: nebulae magis ima petunt campoque recumbunt). 35 and 36. Catonis (sc. Uticensis) nobile letum, see Excurs. to this Ode. 38. prodigum, poetic. with genit., 'prodigal of life' (comp. below 1, 18, 16: Arcanique fides prodiga; Ep. 1, 7, 42: locus...nec multae prodigus herbae; and A. P. 164: prodigus aeris). 39. gratus referam = grato animo memorabo, 'full of gratitude I will celebrate'-insigni, poetic. quae reddit insignem, 'distinguishing, celebrating.' 42. utilem, poetic. praeclarum (in = Te minor laetum reget aequus orbem; Tu parum castis inimica mittes Fulmina lucis. 43. sancta and arto Bentl. conj.-46. Marcellis, Haupt. Conj.-57. latum, some Codd. 55 60 50. orte Saturno, comp. C. 1, 1, 1: edite regibus. 51. magni Caesaris, i. e. Augusti— fatis a fatis-tu (sc. Jupiter) regnes secundo Caesare (i. e. ut post te Caesar secundus sit rector orbis terrarum), 'reign with Caesar as the second in authority.' 54. egerit triumpho, i. e. triumphans ante se egerit captivos. 57. te (sc. Jove) minor, 'inferior to thee alone.' 58. gravi curru, poetic., i. e. tonans et fulgurans, with thy formidable car.' 59. parum, more expressive negation than non; parum castis lucis === lucis pollutis ab impiis, 'to the polluted groves.' |