I do not have a great deal of material on Horace or much of his work in Latin, so it is difficult for me to make this portion of my site extensive. However, I have managed to compile a short biography of Horace, which you may access from the link at the top of the page. Here I have chosen a fascinating and beautiful poem from which we get a common modern expression. Again, the notes and translation are my own work.
As soon as I have time I will add more poems, notes, and translations of mine to this site.
This is Horace’s famous "carpe diem" work, and one of my
favorites:
Notes
Translation
Tu ne quaesieris - scire nefas - quem mihi, quem tibi
finem di dederint, Leuconoë, nec Babylonios
temptaris numeros. Ut melius, quicquid erit, pati!
seu plures hiemes, seu tribuit Iuppiter ultimam,
quae nunc oppositis debilitat pumicibus mare
Tyrhenum. Sapias, vina liques, et spatio brevi
spem longam reseces. Dum loquimur, fugerit invida
aetas: carpe diem, quam minimum credula postero.
NOTES:
This text has several bits of syntax that may be difficult for some to
understand at first glance:
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- 'quaesieris' is short for "quaesiveris" (quaero,
quaerere, quaesivi, quaesitus)
- 'temptaris' is short for "temptaveris" (tempto (1))
These two verbs are an example of the use of the perfect active subjunctive
in place of the more commonly used present subjunctive with "ne" as
a substitute for the imperative mood. Also, in this case, "tempto"
means "consult."
- 'numeros' is referring to astrological tables, charts, or calculations. This word has a wide variety of meanings, among them "group," "measure," "meter," "rhythm."
- Horace makes 'hiemes' singular with 'ultimam' thus
allowing it to take the singular relative pronoun 'quae' and the
singular verb 'debilitat.'
- 'minimum' = "minime"
- 'postero' is used as a neuter noun meaning "future."
- 'credula' refers to 'Leuconoe,' because it is feminine and the last four words
can be translated as you would this:
"quam minime credula postero es(imperative).
MY TRANSLATION:
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May you not inquire - for to know is a sin - what end the gods have given to
me, to you, Leuconoe, nor may you consult Babylonian calculations.
How much better it is to endure whatever shall be!
Whether we shall bear more winters, or Jupiter has assigned his last,
which now by unwanted hailstones hinders the Tyrhennian sea.
May you be wise, strain your wines, and within a short time
you shall withdraw your long-lasting hope. While we speak,
envious life will have fled: seize the day, trusting as little as possible
in the future.