Amores

Ovid

Ovid. Ovid's Art of Love (in three Books), the Remedy of Love, the Art of Beauty, the Court of Love, the History of Love, and Amours. Dryden, John, et al., translator. New York: Calvin Blanchard, 1855.

  1. O'er earth, and sea, and air, and scale the sky;
  2. That man did not aspire to be a god,
  3. And tread the paths by Indian Bacchus trod,
  4. To give his name to some distinguish'd star,
  5. And be what Hercules and Caesar are.
  6. Instead of yellow harvests, now we seek
  7. For solid gold, and thro' earth's entrails break;
  8. The wealth we thus acquire's the soldier's prey,
  9. And dearly for the blood he spills we pay.
  10. The courts deny admittance to the poor,
  11. In vain the needy clients crowd the door;
  12. The judges to the rich decree the cause,
  13. And money only gives their force to laws.
  14. 'Tis money makes the judge with looks severe
  15. Insult the poor, and give the rich his ear;
  16. 'Tis money buys the title, makes the knight,
  17. And dignifies with quality the cit:
  18. Let money do all this, and more; the bar
  19. Let money govern, and direct the war.
  20. Let peace, as money sets the terms, be made,