Horace Ode 1.33, translated by Elizabeth Spencer
     
    Albius, do not ache excessively remembering
The bitter Sweet One, and stop these pitiful
Love elegies, "Why does a younger
Man outshine you, your trust in Glycera having been violated."

Love has consumed Lycoris, well known
For her delicate brow, Cyrus however
Favors cold Pholoe; but she-goats will sooner
Couple with Apulian wolves
Than Pholoe will besmirch herself with that unchaste, filthy man.
So it has seemed best to Venus, to whom it is pleasing to
Send unequal forms and spirits under a bronze yoke
As a cruel joke.

Although a sweeter love sought to obtain me in the same way,
She kept me occupied with pleasing chains, Myrtale,
A freedwoman more passionate than the Adriatic waters
Bending the Gulf of Calabria.
 
  Additional Information About This Poem
    Poem in Original Latin
    E. Spencer's Introduction and Philosophy of Translation
    E. Spencer's Commentary on Her Translation
 
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© 2003 Elizabeth Spencer