Ars Poetica, The works of Horace translated literally into English prose. Horace, creator; Smart, Christopher, 1722-1771, editor
Made available under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
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dives agris, dives positis in fenore nummis.
si vero est, unctum qui recte ponere possit
et spondere levi pro paupere et eripere artis
litibus inplicitum, mirabor, si sciet inter-
425
noscere mendacem verumque beatus amicum.
tu seu donaris seu quid donare voles cui,
nolito ad versus tibi factos ducere plenum
laetitiae; clamabit enim 'pulchre! bene! recte!'
pallescet, super his etiam stillabit amicis
430
ex oculis rorem, saliet, tundet pede terram.
ut, qui conducti plorant in funere, dicunt
et faciunt prope plura dolentibus ex animo, sic
derisor vero plus laudatore movetur.
reges dicuntur multis urgere culillis
435
et torquere mero, quem perspexisse laborent
an sit amicitia dignus; si carmina condes,
numquam te fallent animi sub vulpe latentes.
Quintilio siquid recitares, 'corrige sodes
hoc' aiebat 'et hoc'. mulius te posse negares
440
bis terque expertum frustra: delere iubebat
et male tornatos incudi reddere versus.
si defendere delictum quam vertere malles,
nullum ultra verbum aut operam insumebat inanem,
quin sine rivali teque et tua solus amares.
445
vir bonus et prudens versus reprehendet inertis,
culpabit duros, incomptis adlinet atrum
transverso calamo signum, ambitiosa recidet
ornamenta, parum claris lucem dare coget,
arguet ambigue dictum, mutanda notabit:
450
fiet Aristarchus; non dicet 'cur ego amicum
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