Horace, Odes, 1, 24

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hlawson38
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Horace, Odes, 1, 24

Post by hlawson38 »

The poet addresses Vergil, concerning mourning for a friend Quintilius.

multis ille bonis flebilis occidit,
nulli flebilior quam tibi, Vergili.
tu, frustra pius, heu non ita creditum
poscis Quintilium deos.
Translation:

He fell, to the tears of the best,
None more tearful than you Vergil,
You, your devotion in vain, he's no loan,
that you can call back from the gods.
Hugh Lawson

Qimmik
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Re: Horace, Odes, 1, 24

Post by Qimmik »

This isn't a literal translation, but it's an imaginative one.

hlawson38
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Re: Horace, Odes, 1, 24

Post by hlawson38 »

Qimmik wrote:This isn't a literal translation, but it's an imaginative one.
Thanks for the reply Qimmik. I was especially concerned with the rendering of "creditum . . . poscis", which I read as a metaphor of a loan that might be urgently called in, by the lender. Do Horace and his language permit that reading?
Hugh Lawson

Qimmik
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Re: Horace, Odes, 1, 24

Post by Qimmik »

I was especially concerned with the rendering of "creditum . . . poscis", which I read as a metaphor of a loan that might be urgently called in, by the lender. Do Horace and his language permit that reading?
Yes, see Lewis and Short credo:

http://perseus.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/phi ... isandshort

hlawson38
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Re: Horace, Odes, 1, 24

Post by hlawson38 »

Thanks, Qimmik. Somehow you find just the right entry, the one that I overlooked.
Hugh Lawson

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