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.
XML: Passage Full Text
offendam in nugis?' hae nugae seria ducent
in mala derisum semel exceptumque sinistre.
ut mala quem scabies aut morbus regius urget
aut fanaticus error et iracunda Diana,
455
vesanum tetigisse timent fugiuntque poetam
qui sapiunt, agitant pueri incautique sequuntur.
hic, dum sublimis versus ructatur et errat,
si veluti merulis intentus decidit auceps
in puteum foveamve, licet 'succurrite' longum
460
clamet, 'io cives', non sit qui tollere curet.
si curet quis opem ferre et demittere funem,
'qui scis, an prudens huc se deiecerit atque
servari nolit?' dicam siculique poetae
narrabo interitum. 'Deus inmortalis haberi
465
dum cupit Empedocles, ardentem frigidus Aetnam
insiluit. sit ius liceatque perire poetis:
invitum qui servat, idem facit occidenti.
nec semel hoc fecit nec, si retractus erit, iam
fiet homo et ponet famosae mortis amorem.
470
nec satis adparet, cur versus factitet, utrum
minxerit in patrios cineres an triste bidental
moverit incestus: certe furit ac velut ursus,
obiectos caveae valuit si frangere clatros,
indoctum doctumque fugat recitator acerbus;
475
quem vero arripuit, tenet occiditque legendo,
non missura cutem, nisi plena cruoris, hirudo.'
Alpheios needs funds to keep these texts and tools freely available. Make a tax-deductible donation by December 31, 2024 to keep reading.
Alpheios needs funds to keep these texts and tools freely available. Make a tax-deductible donation by December 31, 2024 to keep reading.