The works of Horace : with English notes, critical and ... - Cristo Raul

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36S EXPLANATORY NOTES. BOOK III., ODE XXIX.
of the poet himself.—The lighter wines, or such as lasted only fnm on*
vintage to another, were kept in cellars ; but the stronger and more dura-
ble kinds were transferred to another apartment, which the Greeks called
iitoBijicti, or mduv, and the poet, on the present occasion, horreum. With
the Bomans it was generally placed above iiie fumanum, or dryingkiln,
in order that the vessels might be exposed to such a degree of smoke
as was calculated to bring the wines to an early maturity.—9. Invieem.
"In alternate strain." The poet is to chant the praises of Neptune, and
Lyde those of the Nereids.—10. Virides. Alluding to the color of the sea.
—12. CynthiiB. Diana. An epithet derived from Mount Oynthus in Be-
ios, her native island'.—13. Summo ccermine, &:c. *' At the conclusion of
the strain, we will sing together of the goddess who," &c. The allusion
is to Venus. Gnidon. Consult note on Otfei., 30, 1.—14. Pulgentes Cyc-
laiat. " The Cyclades, coaspicnons from afar." Consult note on Oue i.,
14, 20.—-PffpAon. Consult note on Ode i., 30, 1.— 15. Junctis olorihus.
" With her yoked swans." In her car dravra by swans.—16. Dieetui
merita, 4c. "Night, loo, shall be celebrated, in ahymn due to her praise."
The term nania is beautifully selected liere, though much of its peculiar
meaning is lo^t in a translation. As the nania, or funeral dirge, marked
the close of existence, so here the expression is applied to the hymn that
ends the banquet, and whose low and plaintive numbers invite to repose.
Ode XXIX. One of the most beautiful lyric productions of all antiquity.
The bard invites bis patron to spend a few days beneath bis humble
roof, far from splendor and affluence, and from the noise and confasion of
a crowded capital. He bids him dismiss, for a season, that anxiety for
the publicwelfare in which he was but too prone to indulge, and tells him
to enjoy the blessings of tbe present honr, and leave the events of the fu
ture to the wisdom of the gods. That man, according to the poet, is alone
truly happy, who can say, as each evening closes around him, thathe has
enjoyed in a becoming manner the good things which the day has bestowed
; nor can even Jove himself deprive him of this satisfaction. The
surest aid against the mutability of fortune is conscious integrity, and he
who possesses this need not tremble at the tempest that dissipates tbe
wealth of the trader.
1-19. 1. Tyrrhenaregumprogeniei. "Descendant of Etrurian mlcrs."
Consult note on Odei-t 1, 1. TiH. "In reserve for thee."—2. Noti ante
verso. " Never as yet turned to be emptied of any part of its contents,"
i. e., as yet nnbroacbed. The allusion is to the simplest mode practiced
among the Bomans for drawing off* the contents of a wine-vessel, by inclining
it to one side, and thus pouring out the liquor.—4. Balanus. "Perfume."
The name baldnust or' myrobaiaitumf was given by the ancients
to a species of nut, from which a valuable unguent or peifume was ex-
tracted.—5. Eripe te mora. "Snatch thyself from delay," i. e., firom every
thing in the city that may seek to detain thee there—from all the engrossing
cares of public life.—6. Ut semper-vdum. We lave followed here the
very neat emendation of Hardinge, which has received the commendations
of many eminent English scholars. The common text has ne temper
itdum^ which involves an absurdity. How could Meecenaa, at Rome,
contemplate Tibnr, which was twelve or sixteen miles oSI—THut.