EPODON LIBER. CARMEN I. AD MAECENATEM. THE poet expresses his determination to accompany Maecenas to the Actian war (31 B. C.) We know from history that Maecenas had no personal share in this war, but, by the special desire of Augustus, remained at Rome in charge of Italy. At the time, however, when Horace wrote the epode, this arrangement could not have been made. IBIS Liburnis inter alta navium, Paratus omne Caesaris periculum Quid nos? Quibus te vita si superstite Jucunda, si contra, gravis. Utrumni jussi persequemur otium, Non dulce, ni tecum simul, An hunc laborem mente laturi, decet Qua ferre non molles viros? Feremus, et te vel per Alpium juga Inhospitalem et Caucasum, Vel occidentis usque ad ultimum sinum 5 10 1. Ibis Liburnis inter alta propugnacula navium, 'thou wilt go in Liburnian barks among the lofty bulwarks of the (hostile) ships of war.' The fleet of Octavianus consisted chiefly of Liburnae or Liburnicae, light vessels of war, such as were originally used by the Liburnians, an Illyrian tribe on the east coast of the Adriatic. On the other hand, the ships of Antony had lofty sides, and several decks, and were formidable in appearance, but very unwieldy. 5. Construe thus: quibus vita jucunda, si te superstite, scil. erit.-9. Laturi, scil. sumus.-11. Feremus, etc. This is the answer to the previous question, and contains the main idea of the poem: 'yes, we will bear the danger Non ut juvencis illigata pluribus 25 Aratra nitantur mea, Pecusve Calabris ante sidus fervidum Lucana mutet pascuis, Neque ut superni villa candens Tusculi Satis superque me benignitas tua Ditavit haud paravero Quod aut avarus ut Chremes terra premam, mutually.'15. Roges, thou mayst perhaps ask.' Si me roges might also have been used.-21. Magis relictis, 'but (fears) still more, when she has left her young ones alone.'-25. Non-mea, 'not that my ploughs, harnessed to more bullocks, may labour;' that is, may cut up the heavy soil.-27. Pecusve-pascuis, or that my cattle, before the heat of summer, may change (that is, gain in exchange) Lucanian pastures for those of Calabria.' Lucania is a mountainous district, Calabria and the neighbouring region of Apulia, a dry plain. Mutare aliquid means often to obtain a thing, by giving something in exchange for it.' Consequently the force of the clause is this, or that I may obtain from thee pasturegrounds in Lucania, to which my flocks may resort in the summer.' The sense of the whole passage is this: I do not wish by your friendship to acquire extensive lands, or to become rich in cattle, or to obtain a magnificent villa. He mentions as such a villa one extending up the hill of Tusculum, even to the walls of the city. Tusculum was situated on the top of the hill at whose foot now lies the town of Frascati. Its walls are called Circaea (line 30), because, according to tradition, Telegonus, son of Ulysses and Circe, founded the city. Compare Carm. iii. 29, 8.-33. Chremes, the usual name of an avaricious old man in the Greek comedies. CARMEN II. ALFIUS. THE praises of country life. At the end of the poem, after describ- · ing very beautifully the pleasures of a residence away from the busy haunts of men, Horace turns the matter into a joke, and represents the picture which he has drawn as merely an agreeable fancy. We must not suppose, however, that the poet really preferred the town to the country. He did most sincerely love the country, but his connection with Maecenas and other circumstances kept him much at Rome. Such time as he could spare, he spent in the country, and this kind of mixed town and country life seems to have suited him best, for he does not deny that he could not always enjoy the entire seclusion of the country. BEATUS ille qui procul negotiis, Ut prisca gens mortalium, Neque excitatur classico miles truci, Forumque vitat et superba civium Ergo aut adulta vitium propagine Altas maritat populos, Prospectat errantes greges, 5 10 Aut in reducta valle mugientium Inutilesque falce ramos amputans Aut pressa puris mella condit amphoris, 15 Feliciores inserit, Vel cum decorum mitibus pomis caput Ut gaudet insitiva decerpens pira Certantem et uvam purpurae, Qua muneretur te, Priape, et te, pater Libet jacere modo sub antiqua ilice, 20 9. The practice of training vines up poplars and elms is still preserved in Italy. The figurative expression maritare, used of joining the weak vine to the stronger tree, is very beautiful.-11. Mugientium, scil. boum.-17. The sense of the figurative expression is: when the season of harvest with its fruits comes.-21. Qua munere Labuntur altis interim ripis aquae, Queruntur in silvis aves, Fontesque lymphis obstrepunt manantibus, At cum tonantis annus hibernus Jovis Imbres nivesque comparat, Aut trudit acres hinc et hinc multa cane Apros in obstantes plagas, Aut amite levi rara tendit retia, Turdis edacibus dolos, Pavidumque leporem et advenam laqueo gruem 35 Jucunda captat praemia. Quis non malarum, quas amor curas habet, Haec inter obliviscitur? Quodsi pudica mulier in partem juvet Domum atque dulces liberos, (Sabina qualis aut perusta solibus Pernicis uxor Appuli), Sacrum vetustis exstruat lignis focum Claudensque textis cratibus laetum pecus Et horna dulci vina promens dolio Non me Lucrina juverint conchylia Si quos Eois intonata fluctibus Hiems ad hoc vertat mare. tur, 'to present thee with them;' that is, to offer them to thee, O Priapus, as the first-fruits.-27. The fountains murmur in opposition (namely, to other sounds in nature.') Lymphis manantibus, instrumental ablative, aqua manante. There seems to be a little tautology here, the poet having spoken immediately before of aquae rolling along within their lofty banks; but these are rivi, fluvii, larger than the fontes.-31. Multa cane. The feminine is used particularly of hunting dogs. -33. Rarum is a standing epithet of rete, all nets having interstices.-35. It was quite common at this time to eat cranes, birds of passage. At an after period, storks, too, were considered as delicacies. See Pliny, Hist. Nat. xxiii. 30.-37. The prose construction would be, quis non obliviscitur malarum curarum, quas amor habet?· 39. Quodsi, emphatic, if, therefore, a faithful wife,' &c. The apodosis begins with line 49.45. Textae crates are the hurdles which form the sheepfold.-49. Connect non me magis juverint, the magis, which belongs to both clauses, being inserted in the second. The Lucrine Lake on the Campanian coast was famed for its oyster beds.-50. Rhombus, and especially scarus, the most valued sea-fishes. The latter was called by Ennius, in a poem on the art of cookery, cerebrum Jovis. The part of the sea generally frequented by the scarus was the east of the Mediterra Non Afra avis descendat in ventrem meum, Jucundior, quam lecta de pinguissimis Aut herba lapathi prata amantis et gravi 55 Vel agna festis caesa Terminalibus, Vel haedus ereptus lupo. 60 Has inter epulas ut juvat pastas oves Videre properantes domum, Videre fessos vomerem inversum boves nean: hence the poet supposes that only the winter, descending with thunder upon the eastern (Eois) waves, can drive the precious fish to the coast of Italy. 53. Afru avis, or gallina Numidica, Guinea-fowl;' attagen, woodcock.'-57. Lapathus, sorrel.'-59. The Terminalia, a merry festival of neighbours in the country districts, in which the termini, or boundary-stones, land-marks, were crowned. It was celebrated on the 23d of February, according to the Julian calendar. This festival was, upon the whole, one on which no bloody sacrifices were offered; but Ovid in his Fasti, and Horace in this passage, allow the sacrifice and eating of a lamb.65. The vernae, slaves born in the house, sit comfortably round the hearth, near which, on the wall, were placed the images of the Lares, generally two. These statuettes are said to 'shine;' namely, from the light of the fire.-67. Locutus, scil. est. CARMEN III. AD MAECENATEM. THE poet imprecates curses on garlic in a style of playful exagge ration. It had been presented to him at the table of Maecenas, probably by the special direction of the host, who wished to derive a little amusement from the exhibition of Horace's aversion to the vegetable. PARENTIS olim si quis impia manu |