Close to the beginning of Horace’s first book of Odes, this ode is the first in which he develops the theme of carpe diem: spring is lovely, and the right time to sacrifice to the country God Faunus, but time is short and death inevitable. All sombre enough, but this piece has some hidden meanings. Sestius and Horace are probably old acquaintances, and there may be some little jokes here at his expense – along with an implied compliment to Augustus and his readiness to let bygones be bygones. Read more, hear Horace’s poem performed in Latin and follow in English here.
Horace invites his friend and patron, Maecenas, to take a break from the cares of public life and visit him in the country, where the simple life is the good life. The rich and greedy may find themselves in peril on life’s sea, he says, but, with the help of the seafarers’ protectors, Castor and Pollux, he himself will come through safely in his simple little rowing-boat. Hokusai’s “Great Wave off Kanagawa” needs no introduction.
Hear Horace’s Latin and follow in English here.
Why does Horace couple (no pun intended) the name of Glycera with those of the goddess of love and the god of commerce? I think we can guess. Hear Horace’s Latin and follow in English here.