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Horace 1.01

Horace dedicates his work to Maecenas, his patron. People have all sorts of various interests; Horace's interest happens to be poetry.
 

Click on the words in the poem below to get vocabulary information.

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iMaecenas atavis edite regibus,
o et praesidium et dulce decus meum,
sunt quos curriculo pulverem Olympicum
collegisse iuvat metaque fervidis
evitata rotis palmaque nobilis..................................5
terrarum dominos evehit ad deos;
hunc, si mobilium turba Quiritium
certat tergiminis tollere honoribus,
illum, si proprio condidit horreo
quicquid de Libycis verritur areis............................10
gaudentem patrios findere sarculo
agros Attalicis condicionibus
numquam dimoveas, ut trabe Cypria
Myrtoum pavidus nauta secet mare.
luctantem Icariis fluctibus Africum...........................15
mercator metuens otium et oppidi
laudat rura sui; mox reficit rates
quassas, indocilis pauperiem pati.
est qui nec veteris pocula Massici
nec partem solido demere de die.............................20
spernit, nunc viridi membra sub arbuto
stratus, nunc ad aquae lene caput sacrae.
multos castra iuvant et lituo tubae
permixtus sonitus bellaque matribus
detestata. manet sub Iove frigido.............................25
venator tenerae coniugis immemor,
seu visa est catulis cerva fidelibus,
seu rupit teretes Marsus aper plagas.
me doctarum hederae praemia frontium
dis miscent superis, me gelidum nemus.....................30
Nympharumque leves cum Satyris chori
secernunt populo, si neque tibias
Euterpe cohibet nec Polyhymnia
Lesboum refugit tendere barbiton.
quodsi me lyricis vatibus inseres,..............................35
sublimi feriam sidera vertice.

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Meter: First Asclepiadean.
3. sunt: "there are some", "there are those".
4. collegisse: perfect infinitive with present force;
  meta: this word and the infinitive collegisse are subjects of iuvat.
6. dominos: in apposition to quos.
7. hunc: object of iuvat; "this man", i.e., as opposed to people interested in chariot racing; likewise, illum (line 9): "that man".
8. trigeminis honoribus: a reference to the cursus honorum.
11. gaudentem: sc. aliquem.
12. Attalicis: Attalus was the name of several kings of Pergamum of legendary wealth.
13. numquam dimoveas: "you could never tempt".
14. pavidus nauta: in apposition to the subject of secet (gaudens aliquis).
15. Icariis fluctibus: Dative with luctantem.
16. otium: with rura; Hendiadys.
18. pati: Complementary Infinitive with indocilis.
19. est: sc. vir.
21. spernit: takes both pocula and demere as objects; membra: Accusative of Respect.
22. ad: "near"; caput aquae: refers to a spring.
25. Iove: i.e., the sky, heaven; i.e., he stays out all night.
28. Marsus: the Marsi were an ancient people of Latium.
29. praemia: in apposition to hederae.
32. populo: Ablative of Separation.
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last updated October 17, 2003
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