Noise of Rome, the Trials of Poetry, and Life's Harmony — Horace, Epistles Book 2 (2.2.72–2.2.145), Latin & English

festinat calidus mulis gerulisque redemptor,

The hot contractor hurries with mules and porters,

torquet nunc lapidem, nunc ingens machina tignum,

a huge machine twists now a stone, now a great beam,

tristia robustis luctantur funera plaustris,

sad funerals struggle with robust wagons,

hac rabiosa fugit canis, hac lutulenta ruit sus:

here a mad dog flees, there a muddy sow rushes:

i nunc¹ et versus tecum meditare canoros.

go now and meditate tuneful verses with yourself.

scriptorum chorus omnis amat nemus et fugit urbem,

Every chorus of writers loves the grove and flees the city,

rite cliens Bacchi somno gaudentis et umbra:

rightly client of Bacchus who rejoices in sleep and shade:

tu me inter strepitus nocturnos atque diurnos

do you wish me, amid noises by night and by day,

vis canere et contracta sequi vestigia vatum?

to sing and to follow the narrow footsteps of the bards?

ingenium,² sibi quod vacuas desumpsit Athenas

A talent, which has chosen quiet Athens for itself

et studiis annos septem dedit insenuitque

and given seven years to study and grown old

libris et curis, statua taciturnius exit

in books and cares, usually goes out more silent than a statue and shakes the people with laughter:

plerumque et risu populum quatit: hic ego rerumfluctibus in mediis et tempestatibus urbis

here, in the midst of the waves of things and the tempests of the city,

verba lyrae motura sonum conectere digner?³

should I deign to connect words that will stir the sound of the lyre?

Frater erat Romae consulti rhetor, ut alter

There was at Rome a lawyer, the brother of a rhetorician, so that the one

alterius sermone meros audiret honores,

would hear nothing but praises from the speech of the other,

Gracchus ut hic illi, foret huic ut Mucius ille.

as if this one were Gracchus to him, and that one Mucius to this.

qui minus argutos vexat furor iste poetas?

How does that madness vex the melodious poets any less?

carmina compono, hic elegos. mirabile visu

I compose songs, this man elegies. A work wonderful to behold

caelatumque novem Musis opus! adspice primum,

and carved by the nine Muses! Look first,

quanto cum fastu, quanto molimine circum-spectemus

with how much pride, with how much effort we look around

vacuam Romanis vatibus aedem!

at the temple empty for Roman bards!

mox etiam, si forte vacas, sequere et procul audi,

Soon also, if perchance you are free, follow and listen from afar,

quid ferat et qua re sibi nectat uterque coronam.

what each brings and for what reason each weaves a crown for himself.

caedimur et totidem plagis consumimus hostem

We are struck and consume the enemy with as many blows,

lento Samnites ad lumina prima duello.

like Samnites in a slow duel until the first lights.

discedo Alcaeus puncto illius; ille meo quis?

I depart as Alcaeus by his vote; who is he by mine?

100

quis nisi Callimachus? si plus adposcere visus,

Who but Callimachus? If he seems to demand more,

fit Mimnermus et optivo cognomine crescit.

he becomes Mimnermus and grows with the wished-for surname.

multa fero, ut placem genus irritabile vatum,

I endure many things, to appease the irritable race of bards,

cum scribo et supplex populi suffragia capto;

when I write and, a suppliant, catch at the votes of the people;

idem finitis studiis et mente recepta

the same man, having finished my studies and recovered my mind,

105

obturem patulas impune legentibus auris.

would plug my open ears with impunity against those who read.

Ridentur mala qui componunt carmina; verum

Those who compose bad poems are laughed at; but

gaudent scribentes et se venerantur et ultro,

they rejoice as they write and venerate themselves and voluntarily,

si taceas, laudant quidquid scripsere beati.

if you are silent, praise whatever they have written, happy.

at qui legitimum cupiet fecisse poema,

But he who will desire to have made a lawful poem,

110

cum tabulis animum censoris sumet honesti;

will take up the mind of an honest censor with his tablets;

audebit, quaecumque parum splendoris habebunt

he will dare, whatever things have too little splendor

et sine pondere erunt et honore indigna ferentur,

and will be without weight and are deemed unworthy of honor,

verba movere loco, quamvis invita recedant

to move words from their place, although they recede unwillingly

et versentur adhuc intra penetralia Vestae;

and still turn within the sanctuary of Vesta;

115

obscurata diu populo bonus eruet atque

long obscured to the people, the good poet will dig out and

proferet in lucem speciosa vocabula rerum,

bring into the light beautiful names of things,

quae priscis memorata Catonibus atque Cethegis

which, mentioned by ancient Catos and Cethegi,

nunc situs informis premit et deserta vetustas;

now shapeless mold and deserted age weigh down;

adsciscet nova, quae genitor produxerit usus.

he will adopt new ones, which usage, the parent, has produced.

120

vemens et liquidus puroque simillimus amni

Vigorous and clear, and very like a pure river,

fundet opes Latiumque beabit divite lingua;

he will pour out wealth and bless Latium with a rich tongue;

luxuriantia compescet, nimis aspera sano

he will check the luxuriant, smooth the too rough with healthy

levabit cultu, virtute carenti tollet,

cultivation, remove what lacks strength,

ludentis speciem dabit et torquebitur, ut qui

he will give the appearance of one playing and yet be twisted, like one who

125

nunc Satyrum, nunc agrestem Cyclopa movetur.⁴

dances now a Satyr, now a rustic Cyclops.

Praetulerim⁵ scriptor delirus inersque videri,

I should prefer to seem a crazy and inactive writer,

dum mea delectent mala me vel denique fallant,

provided that my bad things delight me or at last deceive me,

quam sapere et ringi. fuit haud ignobilis Argis,

rather than to be wise and snarl. There was a man not ignoble at Argos,

qui se credebat miros audire tragoedos

who believed that he heard wonderful tragic actors,

130

in vacuo laetus sessor plausorque theatro;

a happy sitter and applauder in an empty theater;

cetera qui vitae servaret munia recto

who, however, kept the other duties of life in a right

more, bonus sane vicinus, amabilis hospes,

manner, a truly good neighbor, an amiable host,

comis in uxorem, posset qui ignoscere servis

gentle toward his wife, who could forgive his slaves

et signo laeso non insanire lagoenae,

and not grow mad if the seal of a bottle was broken,

135

posset qui rupem et puteum vitare patentem.

who could avoid a cliff and an open well.

hic ubi cognatorum opibus curisque refectus

This man, when restored by the wealth and care of his kinsmen,

expulit elleboro morbum bilemque meraco,

had expelled the disease and bile with pure hellebore,

et redit ad sese: “pol, me occidistis, amici,

and returned to himself, said: “By Pollux, you have killed me, friends,

non servastis,” ait, “cui⁶ sic extorta voluptas

you have not saved me, from whom pleasure has been thus snatched away

140

et demptus per vim mentis gratissimus error.”

and the most pleasant error of the mind removed by force.”

Nimirum sapere est abiectis utile nugis,

Doubtless to be wise is useful, casting away trifles,

et tempestivum pueris concedere ludum,

and to leave the timely play to boys,

ac non verba sequi fidibus modulanda Latinis,

and not to follow words to be modulated on Latin strings,

sed verae numerosque modosque ediscere vitae,

but to learn the numbers and modes of true life;

145

quocirca mecum loquor haec tacitusque recordor:

therefore, I speak these things with myself and record them in silence:

Syntax notes6 items

2.2.76i nunc
An idiomatic, ironic imperative expression ('go now and...') used to challenge someone to do something highly impractical or impossible.
2.2.81ingenium
An abstract noun meaning 'talent' or 'genius,' used metonymically here to refer to a person of such talent or a scholar.
2.2.86digner
First-person singular present subjunctive in a deliberative/rhetorical question, expressing hesitation or disbelief ('Should I deign to...?' or 'How could I bring myself to...?').
2.2.125movetur
Passive in form but functioning like a Greek middle voice, taking accusatives (Satyrum, Cyclopa) as internal objects (cognate accusatives) to mean 'dances the steps of'.
2.2.126praetulerim
First-person singular perfect subjunctive, used as a potential subjunctive to express a polite or softened preference ('I should prefer to...').
2.2.139cui
Dative of the relative pronoun, functioning here as a dative of separation ('from whom' pleasure was snatched away).

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-22)urn:cts:latinLit:phi0893.phi005.humanitext-lat2:2.2.72-2.2.145