Mirus amor, juvet ut tigres subsidere cervis, Credula nec flavos timeant armenta leones, Ametque salsa levis hircus aequora. Haec et quae poterunt reditus abscindere dulces Aut pars indocili melior grege; mollis et exspes Vos quibus est virtus, muliebrem tollite luctum, 40 Nos manet Oceanus circumvagus: arva, beata Reddit ubi Cererem tellus inarata quotannis Germinat et nunquam fallentis termes olivae, Mella cava manant ex ilice, montibus altis Nulla nocent pecori contagia, nullius astri ities which are to happen before the emigrants' return. remember that the poet was young when he wrote this epode. — 36 Exsecrata; that is postquam execrationibus haec fixa et inviolata constituimus. 40. Etrusca litora; that is, push out first from Ostia, then sail along the Italian, Gallic, and Spanish coasts, till you reach and pass the Pillars of Hercules. 43. Cererem,corn.' The poet describes at some length how the earth, in the happy islands, brings forth without tillage abundant crops -a state of things which is found nowhere, and which would only do man harm. 46. Pulla, 'dark-coloured;' that is, ripe. -52. Alta, the ground seeming to rise, as the reptiles creep forth.-56. Utrumque; that is, both the overabundance of rain and the drought.-57. The ship Argo has never come to these happy islands, nor has Medea with her accursed arts been here to blast the bounties of nature. 59. Torquere cornua, to turn the sail-yards.' - 61. Astri; as Sirius in our Italian Gregem aestuosa torret impotentia. 65 -au 65 clime.-62. Impotentia, violence,' as frequently. -64. Utreum, after he had alloyed the golden age with the brazen.' Quorum secunda fuga, a prosperous flight from which (iron times.)' SATIRARUM LIBER PRIMUS. SATIRA I. OBSERVATIONS, full of wit and good practical morality, on the universally-prevalent vice of dissatisfaction with one's own position in life on the eager desire of possessing more than others—and the avarice which would ever accumulate and never begin to enjoy what has been acquired. This constant bustle is represented as the most dangerous enemy of a quiet, reflective, happy life; and no doubt the warning, not unnecessarily to distract their minds, was very seasonable to the Romans at this period (some years before the battle of Actium), when property was in a most unsettled state, and peace had been long unknown to the republic. But the moral precepts are perfectly applicable to the men of the present age also. Qui fit, Maecenas, ut nemo, quam sibi sortem Miles ait multo jam fractus membra labore. 'Militia est potior. Quid enim? Concurritur: horae Cetera de genere hoc (adeo sunt multa) loquacem 10 15 1. The prose construction would be, Qui fit ut nemo ea sorte, quam, &c. contentus vivat. As to qui, how,' see Gram. § 118, note.-2. Fors, not Fortuna, but 'accident, chance,' the opposite of ratio, 'a choice made for reasons.'-7. Concurritur, 'the shock of battle takes place.'-10. Consultor, the client seeking advice.'-11. Datis vadibus, 'having (in the previous term of court) given bail' that he would appear when required. An action for debt is alluded to.13. De genere hoc=hujusmodi, hujus generis. — 15. Quo rem dedu 'Jam faciam quod vultis: eris tu, qui modo miles, cam; that is, how far I go in my assertion regarding discontent. 17. Hinc vos, vos hinc; properly, hinc vos, illinc vos; but the lively mode of representation requires us to imagine a kind of gesticulation. Those to whom the god calls are to change not only the parts (partes) which they play, but also, with them, their positions in the scale of society.-19. Nolint, the apodosis: si quis deus vitae optionem det, nolint aliam eligere. The present subjunctive indicates that the supposition is possible. As to the construction of licet, see Gram. § 376, 3.-9 20. Ambas buccas inflet, 'puff up both his cheeks;' illis, against them,' a sign of contempt. Horace has intentionally chosen a vulgar figure, probably from comedy.-23. Jocularia, comic speeches,' such as were delivered in the theatres. In enouncing serious truths in jocular language, Horace would be acting as the teachers of young children do, who 'sometimes' (olim) give them cakes and sweetmeats to induce them to learn the letters, the A B C (elementa.) To the relative clause, ut qui jocularia supply the indicative percurrit, out of percurram.—28. The sound echoes to the sense, indicating hard labour.-33. Magni formica laboris could in prose mean only an ant of great industry.' Here, however, this genitivus qualitatis means, which can endure great labour;' and hence, properly, animal or bestia should be supplied.36. Quae. The poet's reply begins. In the relative is involved an emphatic conjunction, it being very true, but.' The avaricious man toils on, 6 = verumtamen hace, and never stops to Quid juvat immensum te argenti pondus et auri Non tuus hoc capiet venter plus ac meus: ut si 45 Forte vehas humero, nihilo plus accipias quam 50 Mille aret? 'At suave est ex magno tollere acervo.' Dum ex parvo nobis tantundem haurire relinquas, Eo fit, At qui tantuli eget, quanto est opus, is neque limo 55 Turbatam haurit aquam, neque vitam amittit in undis. 60 At bona pars hominum decepta cupidine falso, 'Nil satis est,' inquit, 'quia tanti, quantum habeas, sis.' Quid facias illi? Jubeas miserum esse, libenter Quatenus id facit. Ut quidam memoratur Athenis enjoy his acquisitions, but the ant does. When the sun enters the sign of Aquarius (January 16), the closing (inversus) year assumes its most miserable aspect. -42. Furtim defossa go together.-43. The avaricious man's defence. -44. Horace replies. -45. Miliacentum, thy barn-floor may have thrashed a hundred thousand of grain;' supply the ordinary corn measure, modius or medimnus. -46. Plus ac. Horace frequently uses ac after comparatives, instead of quam. See Zumpt, $340, note.-47. In a troop of slaves taken to the market to be sold, one carries the bread-bag, but he does not for that reason receive more of the bread than the others who have had different burdens, or none at all.-50. Viventi, a somewhat free use of the dativus commodi, refert having commonly a different construction. Gram. $284. -51. At. The avaricious man raises a new plea, which Horace goes on to answer. The former having compared money to a heap (acervus) of corn, the poet, in his reply, takes up the same figure, and speaks of granaries (granaria) and a small corn-chest (cumera.) - 54. Liquidi humoris, aquae. 56. Eo fit, hence it happens' that a person who wishes more than he needs, falls into danger. This truth is illustrated by the fate of the person just mentioned, who would fill his vessel from a river rather than a brook. The stream carries him away, along with the bank on which he was standing. As to the Aufidus, compare Carm. iv. 14, 25.-59. Eget, in a rare sense,= cupit.-62. The third plea of the avaricious man: man is valued according to his wealth.-64. Quatenus quoniam. The = = |