The Odes/Book I

The Odes Book I written by Horace

Book II

Translated by A. S. Kline

The Dedication: To Maecenas

To Augustus

Virgil: Off to Greece

Spring

Treacherous Girl

A Tribute to Agrippa

Tibur (the modern Tivoli)

To Lydia: Stop Ruining Sybaris!

Winter

To Mercury

Carpe Diem

Praising Augustus

His Jealousy

The Ship of State

Nereus’ Prophecy of Troy

He Repents

The Delights of the Country

Wine

Glycera’s Beauty

To Maecenas

Hymn to Diana

Singing of Lalage (Integer Vitae)

Chloë, Don’t Run.

A Lament For Quintilius

A Prophecy of Age

A Garland For Lamia

Entanglement

Three Handfuls of Earth

Off To The Wars

Ode To Venus

A Prayer to Apollo

To the Lyre

Tibullus, Don’t Grieve

Fortune’s Changes

To Fortune

Numida’s Back Again

I: XXXVII Cleopatra

Now’s the time for drinking deep, and now’s the time to beat the earth with unfettered feet, the time to set out the gods’ sacred couches, my friends, and prepare a Salian feast.

It would have been wrong, before today, to broach the Caecuban wines from out the ancient bins, while a maddened queen was still plotting the Capitol’s and the empire’s ruin,

with her crowd of deeply-corrupted creatures sick with turpitude, she, violent with hope of all kinds, and intoxicated by Fortune’s favour. But it calmed her frenzy

that scarcely a single ship escaped the flames, and Caesar reduced the distracted thoughts, bred by Mareotic wine, to true fear, pursuing her close as she fled from Rome,

out to capture that deadly monster, bind her, as the sparrow-hawk follows the gentle dove or the swift hunter chases the hare, over the snowy plains of Thessaly.

But she, intending to perish more nobly, showed no sign of womanish fear at the sword, nor did she even attempt to win with her speedy ships to some hidden shore.

And she dared to gaze at her fallen kingdom with a calm face, and touch the poisonous asps with courage, so that she might drink down their dark venom, to the depths of her heart,

growing fiercer still, and resolving to die: scorning to be taken by hostile galleys, and, no ordinary woman, yet queen no longer, be led along in proud triumph.

I: XXXVIII The Simple Myrtle

My child, how I hate Persian ostentation, garlands twined around lime-tree bark displease me: forget your chasing, to find all the places where late roses fade.

You’re eager, take care, that nothing enhances the simple myrtle: it’s not only you that it graces, the servant, but me as I drink, beneath the dark vine.

Index of First Lines

Maecenas, descendant of royal ancestors,6 The Father’s sent enough dread hail7 May the goddess, queen of Cyprus,9 Fierce winter slackens its grip: it’s spring and the west wind’s sweet ……11 What slender boy, Pyrrha, drowned in liquid perfume,12 You should be penned as brave, and a conqueror13 Let others sing in praise of Rhodes, or Mytilene,14 Lydia, by all the gods,16 See how Soracte stands glistening with snowfall,17 Mercury, eloquent grandson of Atlas,18 Leuconoë, don’t ask, we never know, what fate the gods grant us,19 What god, man, or hero do you choose to praise. 20 When you, Lydia, start to praise. 22 O ship the fresh tide carries back to sea again.23 While Paris, the traitorous shepherd, her guest,24 O lovelier child of a lovely mother,26 Swift Faunus, the god, will quite often exchange. 27 Cultivate no plant, my Varus, before the rows of sacred vines,28 Cruel Venus, Cupid’s mother,29 Come and drink with me, rough Sabine in cheap cups,30 O tender virgins sing, in praise of Diana,31 The man who is pure of life, and free of sin,32 You run away from me as a fawn does, Chloë,33 What limit, or restraint, should we show at the loss. 34 Now the young men come less often, violently. 35 Friend of the Muses, I’ll throw sadness and fear36 To fight with wine-cups intended for pleasure. 37 You, my Archytas, philosopher, and measurer of land,38 of the sea, of wide sands, are entombed. 38 Iccius, are you gazing with envy, now,40 O Venus, the queen of Cnidos and Paphos,41 What is the poet’s request to Apollo?. 42 I’m called on. O Lyre, if I’ve ever played. 43 Tibullus, don’t grieve too much, when you remember44 Once I wandered, an expert in crazy wisdom,45 O goddess, who rules our lovely Antium,46 Now’s the time for drinking deep, and now’s the time. 49 My child, how I hate Persian ostentation,51

Metres Used in Book I.

The number of syllables most commonly employed in each standard line of the verse is given. This may vary slightly for effect (two beats substituted for three etc.) in a given line.

Alcaic Strophe: 11 (5+6) twice, 9, 10 used in Odes: 9,16,17,26,27,29,31,34,35,37

Sapphic and Adonic: 11(5+6) three times, 5 Odes: 2,10,12,20,22,25,30,32,38

First Asclepiadean: 12 (6+6) all lines Ode: 1

Second Asclepiadean: 8, 12 (6+6), alternating Odes: 3,13,19,36

Third Asclepiadean: 12 (6+6) three times, 8 Odes: 6,15,24,33

Fourth Asclepiadean: 12 (6+6) twice, 7, 8 Odes: 5,14,21,23

Fifth Asclepiadean: 16 (6+4+6) all lines Ode: 11, 18

Alcmanic Strophe: 17 (7+10) or less, 11 or less, alternating Odes: 7,28

First Archilochian: 17 (7+10) or less, 7 alternating Odes: None in Book I

Fourth Archilochian Strophe: 18 (7+11) or less, 11 (5+6) alternating Ode: 4

Second Sapphic Strophe: 7, 15 (5+10) alternating Ode: 8

Trochaic Strophe: 7,11 alternating Odes: None in Book I

Ionic a Minore: 16 twice, 8 Odes: None in Book I