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Horace 2.10

Horace advises Licinius to follow the Golden Mean, to avoid the extremes of becoming too upset or too confident. In nature, the tallest trees and mountains encounter the most difficulties. Good and bad things come into everyone's life, but they also depart.

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Rectius vives, Licini, neque altum
semper urgendo neque, dum procellas
cautus horrescis, nimium premendo
.rb...litus iniquum.

auream quisquis mediocritatem .........................rbl... 5
diligit, tutus caret obsoleti
sordibus tecti, caret invidenda
.......sobrius aula.

saepius ventis agitatur ingens
pinus, et celsae graviore casu ...... ............................10
decidunt turres, feriuntque summos
.......fulgera montes.

sperat infestis, metuit secundis
alteram sortem bene praeparatum
pectus. informes hiemes reducit ................ ...............15
.......Iuppiter; idem

summovet. non, si male nunc, et olim
sic erit. quondam cithara tacentem
suscitat musam neque semper arcum
.......tendit Apollo. ....................................................20

rebus angustis animosus atque
fortis appare; sapienter idem
contrahes vento nimium secundo
.rb...turgida vela..

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Meter: Sapphic strophe
1. rectius: comparative adverb;
  altum: "the deep", i.e., the sea.
2. urgendo, premendo: gerunds in Ablative.
7. invidenda: gerundive, translated literally "to be envied".
9. saepius: comparative adverb.
12. montes: Accusative plural.
13. infestis, secundis: sc. rebus, "circumstances".
17. si male nunc: "if things are bad now".
20. Apollo: Garrison notes that Apollo, along with his bow, was sometimes associated with death from disease.
23. vento... secundo: Ablative Absolute.
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last updated November 14, 2004
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