Verses and Translations Part 9

O quot odoriferi voitatis in aere venti, Caeruleum tegmen vestra sit ala mihi: Tuque sedens Parna.s.sus ubi caput erigit ingens, Dextra veni, Clio: teque docente canam.

Jam suaves somnos Tholus affectare Theatri Coeperat, igniflui trans laqueare poli: Alectus consanguineam quo tempore Erinnyn, Suave soporatam, coepit adire quies.

l.u.s.tra sed ecce labans claudo pede Lemnia linquit Luridus (at lente lugubriterque) Deus: Amisit veteres, amisit inultus, amores; Teter habet Venerem terribilisque Cyclops.

Electri nebulas, potioraque somnia vero; Quotque placent pueris gaudia, quotque joci; Omnia tristiae fas concessisse superbae: Admissum Pietas scitque premitque nefas.

Respice! Nonne vides ut Erostratus alter ad aedem Rursus agat flammas, spreta Diana, tuam?

Mox, Acheronteis quas Parca eduxit ab antris, Druriacam nubes corripuere domum.

O ubi purpurei motus pueri alitis? o qui Me mihi turbineis surripis, angor, aquis!

Duc, labyrintheum, duc me, mare, tramite recto Quo rapidi fontes, pigra caterva, ruunt!

Jamque--soporat enim pectus Vindicta Virago; Omnibus a venis sanguinis unda salit; Gorgoneique greges praeceps (adverte!) feruntur - Sim, precor, o! semper sim tibi junctus ego.

"LEAVES HAVE THEIR TIME TO FALL."

FELICIA HEMANS.

Leaves have their time to fall, And flowers to wither at the North-wind's breath, And stars to set: but all, Thou hast all seasons for thine own, O Death!

Day is for mortal care, Eve for glad meetings at the joyous hearth, Night for the dreams of sleep, the voice of prayer, But all for thee, thou mightiest of the earth!

The banquet has its hour, The feverish hour of mirth and song and wine: There comes a day for grief's overwhelming shower, A time for softer tears: but all are thine.

Youth and the opening rose May look like things too glorious for decay, And smile at thee!--but thou art not of those That wait the ripen'd bloom to seize their prey!

"FRONDES EST UBI DECIDANT."

Frondes est ubi decidant, Marcescantque rosae flatu Aquilonio: Horis astra cadunt suis; Sed, Mors, cuncta tibi tempera vindicas.

Curis nata virum dies; Vesper colloquiis dulcibus ad foc.u.m; Somnis nox magis, et preci: Sed nil, Terrigenum maxima, non tibi.

Festis hora epulis datur, (Fervens hora jocis, carminibus, mero;) Fusis altera lacrymis Aut fletu tacito: quaeque tamen tua.

Virgo, seu rosa pullulans, Tantum quippe nitent ut nequeant mori?

Rident te? Neque enim soles Praedae parcere, dum flos adoleverit.

"LET US TURN HITHERWARD OUR BARK."

R. C. TRENCH.

"Let us turn hitherward our bark," they cried, "And, 'mid the blisses of this happy isle, Past toil forgetting and to come, abide In joyfulness awhile.

And then, refreshed, our tasks resume again, If other tasks we yet are bound unto, Combing the h.o.a.ry tresses of the main With sharp swift keel anew."

O heroes, that had once a n.o.bler aim, O heroes, sprung from many a G.o.dlike line, What will ye do, unmindful of your fame, And of your race divine?

But they, by these prevailing voices now Lured, evermore draw nearer to the land, Nor saw the wrecks of many a goodly prow, That strewed that fatal strand;

Or seeing, feared not--warning taking none From the plain doom of all who went before, Whose bones lay bleaching in the wind and sun, And whitened all the sh.o.r.e.

"QUIN HUC, FREMEBANT."

"Quin hue," fremebant, "dirigimus ratem: Hic, dote laeti divitis insulae, Paullisper haeremus, futuri Nec memores operis, nec acti:

"Curas refecti cras iterabimus, Si qua supersunt emeritis novae Pexisse pernices acuta Canitiem pelagi carina."

O rebus olim n.o.bilioribus Pares: origo Di quibus ac Deae Heroes! oblitine famiae Haec struitis, generisque summi?

Atqui propinquant jam magis ac magis, Ducti magistra voce, solum: neque Videre prorarum nefandas Fragmina n.o.bilium per oras;

Vidisse seu non poenitet--ominis Incuriosos tot praeeuntium, Quorum ossa sol siccantque venti, Candet adhuc quibus omnis ora.

CARMEN SAECULARE.

MDCCCLIII.

"Qucquid agunt homines, nostri est farrago libelli."

Acris hyems jam venit: hyems genus omne perosa Foemineum, et senibus glacies non aequa rotundis: Apparent rari stantes in tramite glauco; Radit iter, cogitque nives, sua tela, juventus.

Trux matrona ruit, multos dominata per annos, Digna indigna minans, glomeratque volumina crurum; Illa parte senex, amisso forte galero, Per plateas bacchatur; eum chorus omnis agrestum Ridet anhelantem frustra, et jam jamque tenentem Quod pet.i.t; illud agunt venti prensumque resorbent.

Post, ubi compositus tandem votique pot.i.tus Sedit humi; flet crura tuens nive candida lenta, Et vestem laceram, et venturas conjugis iras: Itque domum tendens duplices ad sidera palmas, Corda miser, desiderio perfixa galeri.

At juvenis (sed cruda viro viridisque juventus) Quaerit bacciferas, tunica pendente, {145a} tabernas: Pervigil ecce Baco furva depromit ab arca Splendidius quiddam solito, plenumque saporem Laudat, et antiqua jurat de stripe Jamaicae.

O fumose puer, nimium ne crede Baconi: Manillas vocat; hoc praetexit nomine caules.

Te vero, cui forte dedit maturior aetas Scire potestates herbarum, te quoque quanti Circ.u.mstent casus, paucis (adverte) docebo.

Praecipue, seu raptat amor te simplicis herbae, {145b} Seu potius tenui Musam meditaris avena, Procuratorem fugito, nam ferreus idem est.

Vita semiboves catulos, redimicula vita Candida: de coelo descendit [Greek text].

Nube vaporis item conspergere praeter euntes Jura vetant, notumque furens quid femina possit: Odit enim dulces succos a.n.u.s, odit odorem; Odit Lethaei diffusa volumina fumi.

Mille modis reliqui fugiuntque feruntque laborem.

Hic vir ad Eleos, pedibus talaria gestans, Fervidus it latices, nec quidquam acquirit eundo: {146a} Ille pet.i.t virides (sed non e gramine) mensas, Pollicitus meliora patri, tormentaque {146b} flexus Per labyrintheos plus quam mortalia tentat, Acre tuens, loculisque pilas immitt.i.t et aufert.