I forbid the man who divulged those secretįorgets the wicked man, despite his start. Virtue, that opens the heavens for those whoĭid not deserve to die, takes a road deniedĪnd the bloodied earth, on ascending wings.Īnd there’s a true reward for loyal silence: Shines out with its honour unstained, and never Virtue, that’s ignorant of sordid defeat, Yet death chases after the soldier who runs, It’s sweet and fitting to die for one’s country. So swiftly through the core of destruction.’ Provoke the lion that’s dangerous to touch, Tyrant’s wife, and her grown-up daughter, sigh: Spending his life in the open, in the heart
#LIBER VIII TRANSLATOIN HOW TO#
Learn how to make bitterest hardship his friend, Let the boy toughened by military service Style, with lofty columns to stir up envy? Why should I build a regal hall in modern Wine, nor the perfumes purchased from Persia, So if neither Phrygian stone, nor purple,īrighter than the constellations, can solace Where the lord climbs up, and dark Care will not leaveīehind the horseman when he’s out riding. When piles are driven deep: the builder, his teamīut Fear and Menace climb up to the same place The fish can feel that the channel’s narrowing, Parching the fields, or the cruel winter. Nor his treacherous farmland, rain being blamed Nor his vineyards being lashed by the hailstones, Setting, nor the strength of the Kids rising, He who only longs for what is sufficient, Or the vale of Tempe, stirred by the breeze. Of birds or the playing of zithers bring back To the man above whose impious head hangs Sicilian feasts won’t supply sweet flavours The Campus, will maintain that he’s nobler, Over wider acres than will his neighbour, It’s true that one man will lay out his vineyards Is the power Jove has over those kings themselves, The power of dread kings over their peoples, I hate the vulgar crowd, and keep them away: The metres used by Horace in each of the Odes, giving the standard number of syllables per line only, are listed at the end of this text (see the Index below). The Collins Latin Dictionary, for example, includes a good summary. Those wishing to understand the precise scansion of Latin lyric verse should consult a specialist text. Counting syllables, and noting the natural rhythm of individual phrases, may help. Please try reading slowly to identify the rhythm of the first verse of each poem, before reading the whole poem through. I have followed the original Latin metre in all cases, giving a reasonably close English version of Horace’s strict forms. Horace fully exploited the metrical possibilities offered to him by Greek lyric verse. This work may be freely reproduced, stored and transmitted, electronically or otherwise, for any non-commercial purpose. Kline © Copyright 2003 All Rights Reserved