Odes

Horace

Horace. The Odes and Carmen Saeculare of Horace. Conington, John, translator. London: George Bell and Sons, 1882.

  • Antonius! yes, the winds blow free,
  • When Dirce's swan ascends the skies,
  • To waft him. I, like Matine bee,
  • In act and guise,
  • That culls its sweets through toilsome hours,
  • Am roaming Tibur's banks along,
  • And fashioning with puny powers
  • A laboured song.
  • Your Muse shall sing in loftier strain
  • How Caesar climbs the sacred height,
  • The fierce Sygambrians in his train,
  • With laurel dight,
  • Than whom the Fates ne'er gave mankind
  • A richer treasure or more dear,
  • Nor shall, though earth again should find
  • The golden year.
  • Your Muse shall tell of public sports,
  • And holyday, and votive feast,
  • For Caesar's sake, and brawling courts
  • Where strife has ceased.