| Horace Ode 2.3, translated by Devin Ludwig | ||
| Aequam Memento Remember during uphill struggles, learned Dellius, To keep your mind serene And maintain temperance no less From arrogant indulgence, for you’re destined to die. Remember this, whether you will go on Living in gloom forever, or in a remote meadow, Resting through festive days, you will refresh yourself With the most treasured wine. Why do the ominous pine and the pale shining poplar Love to weave their shady branches? And why do you think cool fleeing waters of the sinuous river Labor to rush along, giving life!? Order wines and perfumes brought to you, and enchanting roses, so ephemeral, While affairs and the passing seasons And the Fates’ ill-omened life line allow. You’ll withdraw from your acquired tracts of land, From your apartment and your country estate On the golden Tiber; You will concede And an heir will take your wealth built on the deep waters. Whether you are a rich man, descended from the ancient kings, Or a poor man of the lowest class, it’s all the same, For you will linger under the dry open sky, a sacrifice for pitiless Death. We’re all herded to the underworld We’re all in the lottery; sooner or later Our number will roll out, and over deep waters We will be ferried to eternal exile. |
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| Additional Information About This Poem | ||
| Poem in Original Latin | ||
| D. Ludwig's Introduction and Philosophy of Translation | ||
| D. Ludwig's Commentary on His Translation | ||
© 2003
Devin Ludwig |
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