View:
By Poem
Cupid's mother, cruel dame,
1
And Semele's Theban boy, and Licence bold,
Bid me kindle into flame
This heart, by waning passion now left cold.
O, the charms of Glycera,
5
That hue, more dazzling than the Parian stone!
O, that sweet tormenting play,
That too fair face, that blinds when look'd upon!
Venus comes in all her might,
Quits
Cyprus
for my heart, nor lets me tell
10
Of the Parthian, bold in flight,
Nor Scythian hordes, nor aught that breaks her spell.
Heap the grassy altar up,
Bring vervain, boys, and sacred frankincense;
Fill the sacrificial cup;
15
A victim's blood will soothe her vehemence.
Odes. Q. Horatius Flaccus. John Conington (Translator). London. 1882.
Sponsored by Perseus Project, Tufts University.
Funding provided by The National Endowment for the Humanities.