- Source
- Horace, Satires, Epistles and Ars Poetica. Fairclough, H. Rushton (Henry Rushton), editor. London: William Heinemann Ltd.; Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1929.
- Translation
- AI-generated (gemini-3.5-flash) — machine translation; may contain errors
- Languages
- 日本語 · English · 简体中文 · 한국어
- CTS URN
- urn:cts:latinLit:phi0893.phi005.humanitext-lat2:1.8.1-1.8.17
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-27
The poet asks the Muse to report to his friend Celsus about his own mental ailment and inconsistency, and advises Celsus to remain humble in his success.
Celso gaudere et bene rem gerere1 Albinovano
To Celsus Albinovanus, joy and good success,
Musa rogata refer, comiti scribaeque Neronis,
Musa, being requested, report, to the companion and scribe of Nero.
si quaeret quid agam, dic multa et pulchra minantem2
If he inquires what I am doing, say that, though promising many fine things,
vivere nec recte nec suaviter; haud quia3 grando
I live neither rightly nor pleasantly; not because the hail
contuderit vitis oleamque momorderit aestus,
has crushed my vines, or the heat has parched my olives,
nec quia longinquis armentum aegrotet in agris;
nor because my herd is sick in distant pastures;
sed quia mente minus validus quam corpore toto
but because, less sound in mind than in my whole body,
nil audire velim, nil discere, quod levet aegrum;
I wish to hear nothing, to learn nothing, that may relieve my sickness.
fidis offendar medicis, irascar amicis,
I am offended with my faithful physicians, I am angry with my friends,
cur me funesto properent4 arcere veterno;
asking why they hasten to rescue me from this fatal lethargy;
quae nocuere sequar, fugiam quae profore credam;
I pursue what has harmed me, I flee what I believe will do me good;
Romae Tibur amem ventosus, Tibure Romam.
at Rome, fickle as the wind, I love Tibur; at Tibur, Rome.
Post haec, ut valeat, quo pacto rem gerat et se,
After this, inquire how he is, how he manages his affairs and himself,
ut placeat iuveni percontare utque cohorti,
and how he pleases the young prince and his cohort.
si dicet, recte, primum gaudere,5 subinde
If he says, “Well,” first rejoice, and then immediately
praeceptum auriculis hoc instillare memento:
remember to instill this precept into his ears:
ut tu fortunam, sic nos te, Celse, feremus.
”As you bear your fortune, Celsus, so shall we bear you.”
- 1.8.1gaudere et bene rem gerere
An infinitive used as a formula of greeting at the beginning of a letter, mimicking the Greek custom of using the infinitive (χαίρειν) instead of the typical Latin formula "salutem dicit."
- 1.8.3multa et pulchra minantem
The present participle minantem (accusative singular masculine) modifies the implied subject 'me' of the infinitive 'vivere'. Here, 'minari' means to make big promises or boast of grand literary or philosophical plans, rather than to threaten.
- 1.8.4haud quia
Followed by the subjunctive mood (contuderit, momorderit, aegrotet) to introduce a rejected, subjective reason (not because... but because...).
- 1.8.10cur me funesto properent
An indirect question clause introduced by cur, explaining the ground or content of the anger implied in the preceding main verb 'irascar amicis'.
- 1.8.15primum gaudere
An infinitive acting as the complement of the imperative 'memento' in the next line: 'primum [te] gaudere [memento]' (first remember to rejoice).