To Cæsius Bassus
Say, have the wintry storms, which round us beat,Chased thee, my Bassus, to thy Sabine seat?Does music there thy sacred leisure fill,While the strings quicken to thy manly quill?--O skilled, in matchless numbers, to discloseHow first from Night this fair creation rose;And kindling, as the lofty themes inspire,To smite, with daring hand, the Latian lyre!Anon, with youth and youth's delights to toy,And give the dancing chords to love and joy;Or wake, with moral touch, to accents sage,And hymn the heroes of a nobler age!To me, while tempests howl and billows rise,Liguria's coast a warm retreat supplies,Where the huge cliffs an ample front display,And, deep within, recedes the sheltering bay.The Port of Luna, friends, is worth your note--So, in his sober moments, Ennius wrote,When, all his dreams of transmigration past,He found himself plain Quintus at the last!Here to repose I give the cheerful day,Careless of what the vulgar think or say;Or what the South, from Afric's burning air,Unfriendly to the fold, may haply bear:And careless still, though richer herbage crownMy neighbors' fields, or heavier crops embrown.--Nor, Bassus, though capricious Fortune graceThus with her smiles a low-bred, low-born race,Will e'er thy friend, for that, let Envy plow,One careful furrow on his open brow;Give crooked age upon his youth to steal,Defraud his table of one generous meal;Or, stooping o'er the dregs of mothery wine,Touch, with suspicious nose, the sacred sign.But inclinations vary:--and the PowerThat beams, ascendant, on the natal hour,Even Twins produces of discordant souls,And tempers, wide asunder as the poles.The one on birthdays, and on those alone,Prepares (but with a forecast all his own)On tunny-pickle, from the shops, to dine,And dips his withered pot-herbs in the brine;Trembles the pepper from his hands to trust,And sprinkles, grain by grain, the sacred dust.The other, large of soul, exhausts his hoard,While yet a stripling, at the festive board.To USE my fortune, Bassus, I intend:Nor, therefore, deem me so profuse, my friend,So prodigally vain, as to affordThe costly turbot for my freedmen's board;Or so expert in flavors, as to showHow, by the relish, thrush from thrush I know."Live to your means"--'tis wisdom's voice you hear--And freely grind the produce of the year:What scruples check you? Ply the hoe and spade,And lo! another crop is in the blade.True; but the claims of duty caution crave.A friend, scarce rescued from the Ionian wave,Grasps a projecting rock, while in the deepHis treasures, with his prayers, unheeded sleep:I see him stretched, desponding, on the ground.His tutelary gods all wrecked around,His bark dispersed in fragments o'er the tide,And sea-mews sporting on the ruins wide.Sell, then, a pittance ('tis my prompt advice)Of this your land, and send your friend the price;Lest, with a pictured storm, forlorn and poor,He ask cheap charity from door to door."But then, my angry heir, displeased to findHis prospects lessened by an act so kind,May slight my obsequies; and, in return,Give my cold ashes to a scentless urn;Reckless what vapid drugs he flings thereon,Adulterate cassia, or dead cinnamon!--Can I (bethink in time) my means impair,And with impunity provoke my heir?"--Here Bestius rails--"A plague on Greece," he cries,"And all her pedants!--there the evil lies;For since their mawkish, their enervate lore,With dates and pepper, cursed our luckless shore,Luxury has tainted all; and plowmen spoilTheir wholesome barley-broth with luscious oil."Heavens! can you stretch (to fears like these a slave)Your fond solicitude beyond the grave?Away!--But thou, my heir, whoe'er thou art,Step from the crowd, and let us talk apart.Hearest thou the news? Cæsar has won the day(So, from the camp, his laureled missives say),And Germany is ours! The city wakes,And from her altars the cold ashes shakes.--Lo! from the imperial spoils, Cæsonia bringsArms, and the martial robes of conquered kings,To deck the temples; while, on either hand,Chariots of war and bulky captives standIn long array. I, too, my joy to prove,Will to the emperor's Genius, and to Jove,Devote, in gratitude for deeds so rare,Two hundred well-matched fencers, pair by pair.Who blames--who ventures to forbid me? You?Woe to your future prospects! if you do.--And, sir, not this alone; for I have vowedA supplemental largess to the crowd,Of corn and oil. What! muttering still? draw near,And speak aloud, for once, that I may hear."My means are not so low that I should careFor that poor pittance you may leave your heir."Just as you please: but were I, sir, bereftOf all my kin; no aunt, no uncle left;No nephew, niece; were all my cousins gone,And all my cousins' cousins, every one,Aricia soon some Manius would supply,Well pleased to take that "pittance," when I die."Manius! a beggar of the first degree,A son of earth, your heir!" Nay, question me,Ask who my grandsire's sire? I know not well,And yet, on recollection, I might tell;But urge me one step farther--I am mute:A son of earth, like Manius, past dispute.Thus his descent and mine are equal proved,And we at last are cousins, though removed.But why should you, who still before me run,Require my torch ere yet the race be won?Think me your Mercury: Lo! here I stand,As painters represent him, purse in hand:Will you, or not, the proffered boon receive,And take, with thankfulness, whate'er I leave?Something, you murmur, of the heap is spent.True: as occasion called it freely went;In life 'twas mine: but death your chance secures,And what remains, or more or less, is yours.Of Tadius' legacy no questions raise,Nor turn upon me with a grandsire-phrase,"Live on the interest of your fortune, boy;To touch the principal is to destroy.""What, after all, may I expect to have?"Expect!--Pour oil upon my viands, slave,Pour with unsparing hand! shall my best cheerOn high and solemn days be the singed earOf some tough, smoke-dried hog, with nettles drest;That your descendant, while in earth I rest,May gorge on dainties, and, when lust excites,Give to patrician beds his wasteful nights?Shall I, a napless figure, pale and thin,Glide by, transparent, in a parchment skin,That he may strut with more than priestly pride,And swag his portly paunch from side to side?Go, truck your soul for gain! buy, sell, exchange;From pole to pole in quest of profit range.Let none more shrewdly play the factor's part;None bring his slaves more timely to the mart;Puff them with happier skill, as caged they stand,Or clap their well-fed sides with nicer hand.Double your fortune--treble it--yet more--'Tis four, six, ten-fold what it was before:O bound the heap--You, who could yours confine,Tell me, Chrysippus, how to limit mine!
Words in this poem 53
- wintry a.
- Suitable to winter; resembling winter, or what belongs to winter; brumal; hyemal; cold; stormy; wintery. [AS. wintrig.]
- sabine a.
- Of or pertaining to the ancient Sabines, a people of Italy. [L. Sabinus.]
- latian a.
- Belonging, or relating, to Latium, a country of ancient Italy.
- anon adv.
- Straightway; at once. [OE. anoon, anon, anan, lit., in one (moment), fr. AS. on in + an one. See On and One.]
- wrote v. i.
- To root with the snout. See 1st Root. [OE. wroten. See 1st Root.]
- transmigration n.
- The act of passing from one country to another; migration. [F. transmigration, L. transmigratio.]
- haply adv.
- By hap, chance, luck, or accident; perhaps; it may be.
- embrown v. t.
- To give a brown color to; to imbrown. [Pref. em- (L. in) + brown.]
- generous a.
- Of honorable birth or origin; highborn. [F. généreux, fr. L. generous of noble birth, noble, excellent, magnanimous, fr. genus birth, race: cf. It. generoso. See 2d Gender.]
- mothery a.
- Consisting of, containing, or resembling, mother (in vinegar).
- ascendant n.
- Ascent; height; elevation. [F. ascendant, L. ascendens; p. pr. of ascendere.]
- natal a.
- Of or pertaining to one's birth; accompying or dating from one's birth; native. [L. natalis, fr. natus, p.p. of nasci to be born: cf. F. natal. See Nation, and cf. Noel.]
- forecast v. t.
- To plan beforehand; to scheme; to project.
- dine v. i.
- To eat the principal regular meal of the day; to take dinner. [F. dîner, OF. disner, LL. disnare, contr. fr. an assumed disjunare; dis- + an assumed junare (OF. juner) to fast, for L. jejunare, fr. jejunus fasting. See Jeju]
- stripling n.
- A youth in the state of adolescence, or just passing from boyhood to manhood; a lad. [Dim. of strip; as if a small strip from the main stock or steam.]
- intend v. t.
- To stretch' to extend; to distend. [OE. entenden to be attentive, F. entendre, fr. L. intendre, intentum, and intensum, to intend, attend, stretch out, extend; pref. in- in + tendere to stretch, s]
- deem v. t.
- To decide; to judge; to sentence; to condemn. [OE. demen to judge, condemn, AS. d, fr. d doom; akin to OFries. d, OS. ad, D. doemen, OHG. tuommen, Icel. dæma, Sw. dömma, Dan. dömme, Goth. d. See Doom, n., an]
- prodigally adv.
- In a prodigal manner; with profusion of expense; extravagantly; wasteful; profusely; lavishly; as, an estate prodigally dissipated.
- crave v. t.
- To ask with earnestness or importunity; to ask with submission or humility; to beg; to entreat; to beseech; to implore. [AS. crafian; akin to Icel. krefia, Sw. kr, Dan. kr.]
- scarce a.
- Not plentiful or abundant; in small quantity in proportion to the demand; not easily to be procured; rare; uncommon. [OE. scars, OF. escars, eschars, LL. scarpsus, for L. excerptus, p. p. of excerpere to pick out, and hence to contract, to shorten; ex (see Ex-) + carpere. See C]
- ionian a.
- Of or pertaining to Ionia or the Ionians; Ionic. [L. Ionius. See Ionic.]
- pittance n.
- An allowance of food bestowed in charity; a mess of victuals; hence, a small charity gift; a dole. [OE. pitance, pitaunce, F. pitance; cf. It. pietanza, LL. pitancia, pittantia, pictantia; perh. fr. L. pietas pity, piety, or perhaps akin to E. petty. Cf. Petty]
- pictured a.
- Furnished with pictures; represented by a picture or pictures; as, a pictured scene.
- forlorn a.
- Deserted abandoned; lost. [OE., p.p. of forlesen to lose utterly, AS. forleósan (p.p. forloren); pref. for- + leósan (in comp.) to lose; cf. D. verliezen to lose, G. verlieren, Sw. förlor]
- angry a.
- Troublesome; vexatious; rigorous. [See Anger.]
- scentless a.
- Having no scent.
- thereon adv.
- On that or this. [AS. . See There, and On.]
- cassia n.
- A genus of leguminous plants (herbs, shrubs, or trees) of many species, most of which have purgative qualities. The leaves of several species furnish the senna used in medicine. [L. cassia and casia, Gr. qetsi\'beh, fr. qatsa' to cut off, to peel off.]
- impunity n.
- Exemption or freedom from punishment, harm, or loss. [L. impunitas, fr. impunis without punishment; pref. im- not + poena punishment: cf. F. impunité. See Pain.]
- mawkish a.
- Apt to cause satiety or loathing; nauseous; disgusting. [Orig., maggoty. See Mawk.]
- cursed a.
- Deserving a curse; execrable; hateful; detestable; abominable.
- luckless a.
- Being without luck; unpropitious; unfortunate; unlucky; meeting with ill success or bad fortune; as, a luckless gamester; a luckless maid.
- luscious a.
- Sweet; delicious; very grateful to the taste; toothsome; excessively sweet or rich. [Prob. for lustious, fr. lusty, or perh. a corruption of luxurious. Cf. Lush, Lusty.]
- laureled a.
- Crowned with laurel, or with a laurel wreath; laureate.
- jove n.
- The chief divinity of the ancient Romans; Jupiter. [L. Jupiter, gen. Jovis, OL. Jovis, nom. & gen. for Djovis; akin to E. Tuesday. See Tuesday, and cf. Jupiter.]
- largess n.
- Liberality; generosity; bounty. [F. largesse, fr. large. See Large, a.]
- aloud adv.
- With a loud voice, or great noise; loudly; audibly. [Pref. a- + loud.]
- nephew n.
- A grandson or grandchild, or remoter lineal descendant. [OE. neveu, nevou, nevu, fr. F. neveu, OF. also, nevou, L. nepos; akin to AS. nefa, D. neef, G. neffe, OHG. nevo, Icel. nefi a kinsman, gr. nepat grandson, desce]
- niece n.
- A relative, in general; especially, a descendant, whether male or female; a granddaughter or a grandson. B. Jonson. Wyclif. [OE. nece, F. nièce, LL. neptia, for L. neptis a granddaughter, niece, akin to nepos. See Nephew.]
- sire n.
- A lord, master, or other person in authority. See Sir. [F. sire, originally, an older person. See Sir.]
- boon n.
- A prayer or petition. [OE. bone, boin, a petition, fr. Icel. b; akin to Sw. & Dan. b, AS. b, and perh. to E. ban; but influenced by F. bon good, fr. L. bonus. Ban, Bounty.]
- went n.
- Course; way; path; journey; direction.
- expect v. t.
- To wait for; to await. [L. expectatum, to look out for, await, expect; ex + out spectare to look at. See Spectacle.]
- unsparing a.
- Not sparing; not parsimonious; liberal; profuse. Burke. [Pref. un- not + sparing, p. pr. of spare.]
- shall v. i.
- To owe; to be under obligation for. [OE. shal, schal, imp. sholde, scholde, AS. scal, sceal, I am obliged, imp. scolde, sceolde, inf. sculan; akin to OS. skulan, pres. skal, imp. skolda, D. zullen,]
- lust v. i.
- To list; to like. [AS. lystan. See Lust, n., and cf. List to choose.]
- patrician a.
- Of or pertaining to the Roman patres (fathers) or senators, or patricians. [L. patricius, fr. patres fathers or senators, pl. of pater: cf. F. patricien. See Paternal.]
- napless a.
- Without nap; threadbare.
- swag v. i.
- To hang or move, as something loose and heavy; to sway; to swing. [Cf. Icel. sveggja, sveigja to bend, to sway, Norw. svaga to sway. See Sway.]
- portly a.
- Having a dignified port or mien; of a noble appearance; imposing. [From Port demeanor.]
- paunch n.
- The belly and its contents; the abdomen; also, the first stomach, or rumen, of ruminants. See Rumen. [OF. panch, pance, F. panse, L. pantex, panticis.]
- mart v. t.
- To buy or sell in, or as in, a mart.
- caged a.
- Confined in, or as in, a cage; like a cage or prison.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
To Cæsius Bassus is in the public domain. This text is taken from The Satires of Juvenal, Persius, Sulpicia, and Lucilius Literally translated into English prose, with notes, chronological tables, arguments, &c., Project Gutenberg ebook #50657; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Persius, To Cæsius Bassus, in The Satires of Persius (1821), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #50657, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/persius-satires/to-c-sius-bassus.html, id L23629.
Form and metre
To Cæsius Bassus is 156 lines in a single stanza. It is in rhyming couplets, 96% of the lines: heroic couplets. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 90%).
See other poems in heroic couplets, other poems in iambic pentameter.
Measured by Laurel's pipeline, not copied from a handbook: how stress and metre are counted, how rhyme is lettered, how a drifted rhyme is found. Where the dictionary cannot confirm a rhyme the letter is withheld, not guessed.
Rhyme words, stanza by stanza
The word that ends each line, lettered by the rhyme it makes; a dash is a line whose rhyme the dictionary could not confirm.
- 1 AABBCCDDEEFFGGHHIIJJKKLLMMNNOOPPQQRRSSTTUUVVWWXXWWYYZZaabbccddeeff--gghhhhiijjkkllmmnnooppqqrr--ssttuuvvvvww--xxxxyyzzAABBCCDDEEFFGGHHIIJJKKLLMMNNOOPPQQRRSS beatA · seatA · fillB · quillB · discloseC · roseC · inspireD · lyreD · toyE · joyE · sageF · ageF · riseG · suppliesG · displayH · bayH · noteI · wroteI · pastJ · lastJ · dayK · sayK · airL · bearL · crownM · embrownM · graceN · raceN · plowO · browO · stealP · mealP · wineQ · signQ · powerR · hourR · soulsS · polesS · aloneT · ownT · dineU · brineU · trustV · dustV · hoardW · boardW · intendX · friendX · affordW · boardW · showY · knowY · hearZ · yearZ · spadea · bladea · craveb · waveb · deepc · sleepc · groundd · aroundd · tidee · widee · advicef · pricef · poor · door · findg · kindg · returnh · urnh · thereonh · cinnamonh · impairi · heiri · criesj · liesj · lorek · shorek · spoill · oill · slavem · gravem · artn · apartn · dayo · sayo · wakesp · shakesp · bringsq · kingsq · handr · standr · prove · jove · rares · pairs · yout · dot · vowedu · crowdu · nearv · hearv · carev · heirv · bereftw · leftw · gone · one · supplyx · diex · degreex · mex · welly · telly · mutez · disputez · provedA · removedA · runB · wonB · standC · handC · receiveD · leaveD · spentE · wentE · securesF · yoursF · raiseG · phraseG · boyH · destroyH · haveI · slaveI · cheerJ · earJ · drestK · restK · excitesL · nightsL · thinM · skinM · prideN · sideN · exchangeO · rangeO · partP · martP · standQ · handQ · moreR · beforeR · confineS · mineS
Scansion, line by line
Each line with its syllable count and the stresses the words themselves fix: / stressed, ˘ unstressed, · a syllable the word leaves free and the metre decides. Read against iambic pentameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| Say, have the wintry storms, which round us beat, | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Chased thee, my Bassus, to thy Sabine seat? | 10 | ·······˘/· |
| Does music there thy sacred leisure fill, | 10 | ·/˘··/˘/˘· |
| While the strings quicken to thy manly quill?-- | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| O skilled, in matchless numbers, to disclose | 10 | ···/˘/˘·˘/ |
| How first from Night this fair creation rose; | 10 | ······˘/˘· |
| And kindling, as the lofty themes inspire, | 10 | ·/˘··/˘·˘/ |
| To smite, with daring hand, the Latian lyre! | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| Anon, with youth and youth's delights to toy, | 10 | ˘/····˘/·· |
| And give the dancing chords to love and joy; | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Or wake, with moral touch, to accents sage, | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| And hymn the heroes of a nobler age! | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| To me, while tempests howl and billows rise, | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| Liguria's coast a warm retreat supplies, | 10 | ······˘/˘/ |
| Where the huge cliffs an ample front display, | 10 | ·····/˘·˘/ |
| And, deep within, recedes the sheltering bay. | 10 | ····˘/·/˘· |
| The Port of Luna, friends, is worth your note-- | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| So, in his sober moments, Ennius wrote, | 10 | ···/˘/˘··· |
| When, all his dreams of transmigration past, | 10 | ·········· |
| He found himself plain Quintus at the last! | 10 | ··˘/······ |
| Here to repose I give the cheerful day, | 10 | ··˘/···/˘· |
| Careless of what the vulgar think or say; | 10 | /˘···/˘··· |
| Or what the South, from Afric's burning air, | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| Unfriendly to the fold, may haply bear: | 10 | ˘/˘····/˘· |
| And careless still, though richer herbage crown | 10 | ·/˘··/˘/˘· |
| My neighbors' fields, or heavier crops embrown. | 10 | ·/˘··/˘·˘/ |
| --Nor, Bassus, though capricious Fortune grace | 10 | ····˘/˘/˘· |
| Thus with her smiles a low-bred, low-born race, | 10 | ·········· |
| Will e'er thy friend, for that, let Envy plow, | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| One careful furrow on his open brow; | 10 | ·/˘/˘··/˘· |
| Give crooked age upon his youth to steal, | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| Defraud his table of one generous meal; | 10 | ˘/·/˘··/˘· |
| Or, stooping o'er the dregs of mothery wine, | 11 | ·/˘····/˘˘· |
| Touch, with suspicious nose, the sacred sign. | 10 | ··˘/˘··/˘· |
| But inclinations vary:--and the Power | 11 | ··˘/˘/˘··/˘ |
| That beams, ascendant, on the natal hour, | 11 | ··˘/˘··/˘/˘ |
| Even Twins produces of discordant souls, | 10 | /·˘/˘·˘/˘· |
| And tempers, wide asunder as the poles. | 10 | ·/˘·˘/˘··· |
| The one on birthdays, and on those alone, | 10 | ···/····˘/ |
| Prepares (but with a forecast all his own) | 10 | ˘/···/···· |
| On tunny-pickle, from the shops, to dine, | 10 | ·/˘/˘····· |
| And dips his withered pot-herbs in the brine; | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Trembles the pepper from his hands to trust, | 10 | /˘·/˘····· |
| And sprinkles, grain by grain, the sacred dust. | 10 | ·/˘····/˘· |
| The other, large of soul, exhausts his hoard, | 10 | ·/˘···˘/·· |
| While yet a stripling, at the festive board. | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| To USE my fortune, Bassus, I intend: | 10 | ···/˘···˘/ |
| Nor, therefore, deem me so profuse, my friend, | 10 | ······˘/·· |
| So prodigally vain, as to afford | 10 | ·/˘˘˘···˘/ |
| The costly turbot for my freedmen's board; | 10 | ·/˘/······ |
| Or so expert in flavors, as to show | 10 | ··/˘·/˘··· |
| How, by the relish, thrush from thrush I know. | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| "Live to your means"--'tis wisdom's voice you hear-- | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| And freely grind the produce of the year: | 10 | ·/˘··/˘··· |
| What scruples check you? Ply the hoe and spade, | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| And lo! another crop is in the blade. | 10 | ··˘/˘····· |
| True; but the claims of duty caution crave. | 10 | ·····/˘/˘· |
| A friend, scarce rescued from the Ionian wave, | 12 | ···/˘··˘/˘˘· |
| Grasps a projecting rock, while in the deep | 10 | ··˘/˘····· |
| His treasures, with his prayers, unheeded sleep: | 10 | ·/˘···˘/˘· |
| I see him stretched, desponding, on the ground. | 10 | ·········· |
| His tutelary gods all wrecked around, | 10 | ·········· |
| His bark dispersed in fragments o'er the tide, | 10 | ··˘/·/˘··· |
| And sea-mews sporting on the ruins wide. | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| Sell, then, a pittance ('tis my prompt advice) | 10 | ···/˘···˘/ |
| Of this your land, and send your friend the price; | 10 | ·········· |
| Lest, with a pictured storm, forlorn and poor, | 10 | ···/˘·˘/·· |
| He ask cheap charity from door to door. | 10 | ···/˘˘···· |
| "But then, my angry heir, displeased to find | 10 | ···/˘·˘/·· |
| His prospects lessened by an act so kind, | 10 | ·/˘/˘····· |
| May slight my obsequies; and, in return, | 10 | ···/˘˘··˘/ |
| Give my cold ashes to a scentless urn; | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| Reckless what vapid drugs he flings thereon, | 10 | /˘·/˘···˘/ |
| Adulterate cassia, or dead cinnamon!-- | 11 | ˘/˘·/˘··/˘˘ |
| Can I (bethink in time) my means impair, | 10 | ··˘/····˘/ |
| And with impunity provoke my heir?" | 10 | ··˘/˘˘˘/·· |
| --Here Bestius rails--"A plague on Greece," he cries, | 10 | ·········· |
| "And all her pedants!--there the evil lies; | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| For since their mawkish, their enervate lore, | 10 | ···/˘·˘/˘· |
| With dates and pepper, cursed our luckless shore, | 10 | ···/˘·//˘· |
| Luxury has tainted all; and plowmen spoil | 10 | /˘·/˘····· |
| Their wholesome barley-broth with luscious oil." | 10 | ·/˘/˘··/˘· |
| Heavens! can you stretch (to fears like these a slave) | 11 | /˘········· |
| Your fond solicitude beyond the grave? | 10 | ··˘/˘····· |
| Away!--But thou, my heir, whoe'er thou art, | 9 | ˘/······· |
| Step from the crowd, and let us talk apart. | 10 | ········˘/ |
| Hearest thou the news? Cæsar has won the day | 10 | /˘········ |
| (So, from the camp, his laureled missives say), | 10 | ·····/˘/˘· |
| And Germany is ours! The city wakes, | 10 | ·/˘˘·/·/˘· |
| And from her altars the cold ashes shakes.-- | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| Lo! from the imperial spoils, Cæsonia brings | 11 | ···˘/˘····· |
| Arms, and the martial robes of conquered kings, | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| To deck the temples; while, on either hand, | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| Chariots of war and bulky captives stand | 10 | /˘···/˘/˘· |
| In long array. I, too, my joy to prove, | 10 | ··˘/······ |
| Will to the emperor's Genius, and to Jove, | 10 | ···/˘/˘··· |
| Devote, in gratitude for deeds so rare, | 10 | ˘/·/˘····· |
| Two hundred well-matched fencers, pair by pair. | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| Who blames--who ventures to forbid me? You? | 10 | ···/˘·˘/·· |
| Woe to your future prospects! if you do. | 10 | ···/˘/˘··· |
| --And, sir, not this alone; for I have vowed | 10 | ····˘/···· |
| A supplemental largess to the crowd, | 10 | ··˘/˘/˘··· |
| Of corn and oil. What! muttering still? draw near, | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| And speak aloud, for once, that I may hear. | 10 | ··˘/······ |
| "My means are not so low that I should care | 10 | ·········· |
| For that poor pittance you may leave your heir." | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Just as you please: but were I, sir, bereft | 10 | ········˘/ |
| Of all my kin; no aunt, no uncle left; | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| No nephew, niece; were all my cousins gone, | 10 | ·/˘····/˘· |
| And all my cousins' cousins, every one, | 10 | ···/˘/˘/˘· |
| Aricia soon some Manius would supply, | 10 | ········˘/ |
| Well pleased to take that "pittance," when I die. | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| "Manius! a beggar of the first degree, | 10 | ···/˘···˘/ |
| A son of earth, your heir!" Nay, question me, | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| Ask who my grandsire's sire? I know not well, | 10 | ·····/···· |
| And yet, on recollection, I might tell; | 10 | ····˘/˘··· |
| But urge me one step farther--I am mute: | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| A son of earth, like Manius, past dispute. | 10 | ········˘/ |
| Thus his descent and mine are equal proved, | 10 | ··˘/···/˘· |
| And we at last are cousins, though removed. | 10 | ·····/˘·˘/ |
| But why should you, who still before me run, | 10 | ·········· |
| Require my torch ere yet the race be won? | 10 | ·/········ |
| Think me your Mercury: Lo! here I stand, | 10 | ···/˘˘···· |
| As painters represent him, purse in hand: | 10 | ·/˘·˘/···· |
| Will you, or not, the proffered boon receive, | 10 | ·····/˘·˘/ |
| And take, with thankfulness, whate'er I leave? | 11 | ······˘˘/·· |
| Something, you murmur, of the heap is spent. | 10 | /˘·/˘····· |
| True: as occasion called it freely went; | 10 | ··˘/˘··/˘· |
| In life 'twas mine: but death your chance secures, | 10 | ········˘/ |
| And what remains, or more or less, is yours. | 10 | ··˘/······ |
| Of Tadius' legacy no questions raise, | 10 | ···/˘˘·/˘· |
| Nor turn upon me with a grandsire-phrase, | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| "Live on the interest of your fortune, boy; | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| To touch the principal is to destroy." | 10 | ···/˘˘··˘/ |
| "What, after all, may I expect to have?" | 10 | ······˘/·· |
| Expect!--Pour oil upon my viands, slave, | 9 | ˘/······· |
| Pour with unsparing hand! shall my best cheer | 10 | ··˘/˘····· |
| On high and solemn days be the singed ear | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Of some tough, smoke-dried hog, with nettles drest; | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| That your descendant, while in earth I rest, | 10 | ··˘/˘····· |
| May gorge on dainties, and, when lust excites, | 10 | ···/˘···˘/ |
| Give to patrician beds his wasteful nights? | 10 | ··˘/˘··/˘· |
| Shall I, a napless figure, pale and thin, | 10 | ···/˘/˘··· |
| Glide by, transparent, in a parchment skin, | 10 | ··˘/˘··/˘· |
| That he may strut with more than priestly pride, | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| And swag his portly paunch from side to side? | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Go, truck your soul for gain! buy, sell, exchange; | 10 | ········˘/ |
| From pole to pole in quest of profit range. | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| Let none more shrewdly play the factor's part; | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| None bring his slaves more timely to the mart; | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| Puff them with happier skill, as caged they stand, | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Or clap their well-fed sides with nicer hand. | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| Double your fortune--treble it--yet more-- | 10 | /˘·/˘/˘··· |
| 'Tis four, six, ten-fold what it was before: | 10 | ·········· |
| O bound the heap--You, who could yours confine, | 10 | ········˘/ |
| Tell me, Chrysippus, how to limit mine! | 10 | ·······/˘· |
The reader shows the same poem with its rhymes coloured and a stress row above each line, the notes beside their stanzas, and any word's definition on a tap; the analysis page takes the whole book apart. How every part of this site was made.