Faunus, the Roman God of the countryside associated with the Greek Pan is a friendly presence for Horace – who believes that he owes him his escape from a falling tree – but he is unpredictable and needs to be handled with care and consideration. In this Ode, Horace offers him sacrifice and a holiday for the farm in his honour. In the illustration, a fresco from Pompeii represents the dancing ditcher, whom Horace describes during the celebrations as “stamping three times on his enemy the earth”.
Hear Horace’s Latin and follow in English here.