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Horace 2.03

Don't overreact either to adversity or to prosperity. Nature has its regular habits; we should enjoy its delights. Whatever our station in life, each of us will be carried off by Death someday.

Click on the words in the poem below to get vocabulary information.

Please, if you see errors, let me know about them so I can fix them!

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Aequam memento rebus in arduis
servare mentem, non secus in bonis
........ab insolenti temperatam
................laetitia, moriture Delli,

seu maestus omni tempore vixeris,............................5
seu te in remoto gramine per dies
........festos reclinatum bearis
................interiore nota Falerni.

quo pinus ingens albaque populus
umbram hospitalem consociare amant.....................10
........ramis? quid obliquo laborat
................lympha fugax trepidare rivo?

huc vina et unguenta et nimium brevis
flores amoenae ferre iube rosae
........dum res et aetas et sororum............................15
................fila trium patiuntur atra.

cedes coëmptis saltibus et domo
villaque, flavus quam Tiberis lavit,
........cedes, et extructis in altum
................divitiis potietur heres.......................rb.....20

divesne, prisco natus ab Inacho,
nil interest an pauper et infirma
........de gente sub divo moreris;
................victima nil miserantis Orci.

omnes eodem cogimur, omnium...................rbl.......25
versatur urna serius ocius
........sors exitura et nos in aeternum
................exsilium impositura cumbae.

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Meter: Alcaic strophe
1. memento: Imperative.
2. non secus: "as well as."
3. temperatam: sc. mentem.
4. moriture: Future Active Participle.
6f. te... beaveris: "have fun."
beaveris: beaveris
8. interiore nota: "a well seasoned jar."
11. quid: "why?"
13. brevis: Accusative plural.
14. iube: sc. aliquem as object of the imperative.
15. sororum...trium: i.e., the Fates.
18. lavit: normally 1st Conjugation, Horace treats it as a 3rd.
22. pauper: in apposition to the subject of moreris, also dives.
24. victima: sc. es.
26. urna: Ablative of Separation.
27f. exitura, impositura: Future Active Participles, modifying sors;
nos: Direct Object of impositura.
28. cumbae: Dative with Compound Verb.
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last updated October 17, 2003
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