Carpe Diem: Horace De-Poetized

Over two thousand years ago, a Roman poet named Quintus Horatius Flaccus wrote poetry which has over the centuries been the inspiration of writers, statesmen, and philosophers. Until recently, his poetry was the backbone of a solid education, and no student left school without having memorized at least one of his poems. From Horace came the maxims people lived by: non omnis moriar, ira furor brevis est, nunc est bibendum, and the title of this work, carpe diem. Of course, reading Horace was never easy. It took years to learn basic Latin and many more to appreciate the artistry of a poet whose phrases are a challenge to even the best scholars. Not only did Horace invent words and use others in new ways, he also took advantage of the free word order of his language to make his thoughts fit the music of the best of the ancient Greek poets. It is this last—word order—that is the focus of this book. For each of the 103 odes that Horace wrote, this book provides a side-by-side re-ordering in everyday Latin prose. No synonyms are used and, only when absolutely necessary, are words such as prepositions and pronouns inserted for clarity. Along with each prose rendition, notes are provided which explain in simple Latin difficult words as well as historical and cultural information necessary to understanding the text. To help read the poem, the meter is indicated as well as the long vowels. Appended to the text are rough translations of many of the odes as an additional aid to the reader who seeks to know Horace as he presented himself—in his own tongue.