| ODES - I.5 | WHAT SLENDER SUITOR ... |
| Horace (Q. Horatius Flaccus) | trans. Colin Sydenham |
|
Quis multa gracilis te puer in rosa perfusus liquidis urget odoribus grato, Pyrrha, sub antro? cul flauam religas comam, simplex munditiis? Heu quotiens fidem mutatosque deos flebit et aspera nigris aequora uentis emirabitur insolens, qui nunc te fruitur credulus aurea, qui semper uacuam, semper amabilem sperat, nescius aurae fallacis. Miseri, quibus intemptata nites. Me tabula sacer uotiua paries indicat uuida suspendisse potenti uestimenta maris deo. |
What slender suitor slick with scented oils cajoles you, Pyrrha, in your pretty lair, for whom among the roses you preen your golden hair, demure and dainty? At your broken vows, at raging tempests darkening your sea, he'll often groan, dumbfounded in his naivety; for trusting in your sunshine he'll not know how fickle are your breezes, he'll suppose your welcome will be cloudless for ever. Woe to those you dazzle unsuspecting. As for me, I've offered (as a votive plaque informs) my sodden clothes to Neptune, the master of all storms. |
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Trans. copyright © Colin Sydenham 2006