Book III: Elegy the Sixth: A Fare-Well Toast

Tibullus (55 BC–19 BC), translated by Theodore Chickering Williams · 1905

iambic pentameter · ABAB · 68 lines · from The Elegies

Come radiant Bacchus! With the hallowed leafOf grape and ivy be thy forehead crowned!For thou canst chase away or cure my grief--Let love in wine be drowned!

Dear bearer of my cup, come, brim it o'er!Pour forth unstinted our Falernian wine!Care's cruel brood is gone; I toil no more,If Phoebus o'er me shine.

Dear, jovial friends, let not a lip be dry!Drink as I drink, and every toast obey!And him who will not with my wine-cup vie,May some false lass betray!

This god makes all men rich. He tames proud souls,And bids them by a woman's hand be chained;Armenian tigresses his power controls,And lions tawny-maned.

That love-god is as strong; but I delightIn Bacchus rather. Fill our cups once more!Just and benign is he, if mortal wightHim and his vines adore!

But, O! he rages, if his gift ye spurn.Drink, if ye dare not a god's anger brave!How fierce his stroke, let temperate fellows learnOf Pentheus' gory grave.

Away such fear! Rather may some fierce strokeOn that false beauty fall!--O frightful prayer!O, I am mad! O may my curse be broke,And melt in misty air!

For, O Neaera, though I am forgot,I ask all gods to bless thee, every one.Back to my cups I go. This wine has broughtAfter long storms, the sun.

Alas! How hard to masque dull grief in joy!A sad heart's jest--what bitter mockery!With vain deceit my laughing lips employLoud mirth that is a lie.

But why complain and moan? O wretched me!When will my lagging sorrows haste and go?Delightful Bacchus at his mysteryForbids these words of woe.

Once, by the wave, lone Ariadne pale,Abandoned of false Theseus, weeping stood:--Our wise Catullus tells the doleful taleOf love's ingratitude.

Take warning friends! How fortunate is he,Who learns of others' loss his own to shun!Trust not caressing arms and sighs, nor beBy flatteries undone!

Though by her own sweet eyes her oath she swear,By solemn Juno, or by Venus gay,At oaths of love Jove laughs, and bids the airWaft the light things away.

It is but folly, then, to fume and fret,If one light lass that old deception wrought;O that I too might evermore forgetTo speak my heart's true thought!

O that my long, long nights brought peace and thee!That nought but thee my waking eyes did fill!Thou wert most false and cruel, woe is me!False! But I love thee still.

How well fresh water mixes with old wine!Bacchus loves water-nymphs. Bring water, boy!What care I where she sleeps? This night of mineShall I in sighs employ?

Make the cup strong, I tell you! Stronger there!Wine only! While the Syrian balm o'er-flows!Long would I revel with anointed hair,And wear this wreath of rose.

Words in this poem 20

falernian a.: Of or pertaining to Mount Falernus, in Italy; as, Falernianwine.
phoebus n.: Apollo; the sun god.
jovial a.: Of or pertaining to the god, or the planet, Jupiter. [F., fr. L. Jovialis pertaining to Jove. The planet Jupiter was thought to make those born under it joyful or jovial. See Jove.]
lass n.: A youth woman; a girl; a sweetheart. [OE. lasse; prob. of Celtic origin; cf. W. llodes girl, fem. of llawd lad. (Lad a youth.]
wight n.: A whit; a bit; a jot. [OE. wight, wiht, a wight, a whit, AS. wiht, wuht, a creature, a thing; skin to D. wicht a child, OS. & OHG. wiht a creature, thing, G. wicht a creature, Icel. v]
adore v. t.: To worship with profound reverence; to pay divine honors to; to honor as deity or as divine. [OE. aouren, anouren, adoren, OF. aorer, adorer, F. adorer, fr. L. adorare; ad + orare to speak, pray, os, oris, mouth. In OE. confused with honor, the French pr]
spurn v. t.: To drive back or away, as with the foot; to kick. [OE. spurnen to kick against, to stumble over, AS. spurnan to kick, offend; akin to spura spur, OS. & OHG. spurnan to kick, Icel. spyrna, L. spernere to despise,]
gory a.: Covered with gore or clotted blood. [From Gore.]
frightful a.: Full of fright; affrighted; frightened.
broke v. i.: To transact business for another. Brome. [See Broker, and cf. Brook.]
masque n.: A mask; a masquerade.
lagging n.: The clothing (esp., an outer, wooden covering), as of a steam cylinder, applied to prevent the radiation of heat; a covering of lags; -- called also deading and cleading.
lone n.: A lane. See Loanin.
ingratitude n.: Want of gratitude; insensibility to, forgetfulness of, or ill return for, kindness or favors received; unthankfulness; ungratefulness. [F. ingratitude, L. ingratitudo. See Ingrate.]
undone a.: Not done or performed; neglected. [Pref. un- not + done.]
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.]
waft v. t.: To give notice to by waving something; to wave the hand to; to beckon. [Prob. originally imp. & p. p. of wave, v. t. See Wave to waver.]
fume n.: Exhalation; volatile matter (esp. noxious vapor or smoke) ascending in a dense body; smoke; vapor; reek; as, the fumes of tobacco. [L. fumus; akin to Skr. dh smoke, dh to shake, fan a flame, cf. Gr. fum smoke, F. fumée. Cf. Dust, n., Femerell, Thyme.]
evermore adv.: During eternity; always; forever; for an indefinite period; at all times; -- often used substantively with for.
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,]

Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.

About this text

Book III: Elegy the Sixth: A Fare-Well Toast is in the public domain. This text is taken from The Elegies, Project Gutenberg ebook #9610, the Theodore Chickering Williams translation; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.

Cite as: Tibullus, Book III: Elegy the Sixth: A Fare-Well Toast, in The Elegies (1905), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #9610, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/tibullus-elegies/book-iii-elegy-the-sixth-a-fare-well-toast.html, id L14435.

Form and metre

Book III: Elegy the Sixth: A Fare-Well Toast is 68 lines in 17 stanzas of 4 lines each. The rhyme scheme is ABAB, complete in 16 of its 17 stanzas. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 88%). 96% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 9.0 syllables. 3 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 19% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.

See 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 ABAB leaf^A · crowned^B · grief^A · drowned^B
2 ABAB o'er^A · wine^B · more^A · shine^B
3 ABAB dry^A · obey^B · vie^A · betray^B
4 ABAB souls^A · chained^B · controls^A · maned^B
5 ABAB delight^A · more^B · wight^A · adore^B
6 ABAB spurn^A · brave^B · learn^A · grave^B
7 ABAB stroke^A · prayer^B · broke^A · air^B
8 ABAB forgot^A · one^B · brought^A · sun^B
9 A-A- joy^A · mockery · employ^A · lie
10 ABAB me^A · go^B · mystery^A · woe^B
11 ABAB pale^A · stood^B · tale^A · ingratitude^B
12 ABAB he^A · shun^B · be^A · undone^B
13 ABAB swear^A · gay^B · air^A · away^B
14 ABAB fret^A · wrought^B · forget^A · thought^B
15 ABAB thee^A · fill^B · me^A · still^B
16 ABAB wine^A · boy^B · mine^A · employ^B
17 ABAB there^A · flows^B · hair^A · rose^B

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
Come radiant Bacchus! With the hallowed leaf	10	·/˘/˘··/˘·
Of grape and ivy be thy forehead crowned!	10	···/˘··/˘·
For thou canst chase away or cure my grief--	10	····˘/····
Let love in wine be drowned!	6	······
Dear bearer of my cup, come, brim it o'er!	10	·/˘·······
Pour forth unstinted our Falernian wine!	11	·····/˘/˘˘·
Care's cruel brood is gone; I toil no more,	10	·/˘·······
If Phoebus o'er me shine.	6	·/˘···
Dear, jovial friends, let not a lip be dry!	10	·/˘·······
Drink as I drink, and every toast obey!	10	·····/˘·˘/
And him who will not with my wine-cup vie,	10	··········
May some false lass betray!	6	····˘/
This god makes all men rich. He tames proud souls,	10	··········
And bids them by a woman's hand be chained;	10	·····/˘···
Armenian tigresses his power controls,	10	˘/˘····/˘/
And lions tawny-maned.	6	·/˘/˘·
That love-god is as strong; but I delight	10	········˘/
In Bacchus rather. Fill our cups once more!	10	·/˘/˘·/···
Just and benign is he, if mortal wight	10	··˘/···/˘·
Him and his vines adore!	6	····˘/
But, O! he rages, if his gift ye spurn.	10	···/˘·····
Drink, if ye dare not a god's anger brave!	10	·······/˘·
How fierce his stroke, let temperate fellows learn	10	·····/˘/˘·
Of Pentheus' gory grave.	6	···/˘·
Away such fear! Rather may some fierce stroke	10	˘/··/˘····
On that false beauty fall!--O frightful prayer!	10	···/˘··/˘·
O, I am mad! O may my curse be broke,	10	··········
And melt in misty air!	6	···/˘·
For, O Neaera, though I am forgot,	10	········˘/
I ask all gods to bless thee, every one.	10	·······/˘·
Back to my cups I go. This wine has brought	10	··········
After long storms, the sun.	6	······
Alas! How hard to masque dull grief in joy!	10	˘/········
A sad heart's jest--what bitter mockery!	10	·····/˘/˘˘
With vain deceit my laughing lips employ	10	··˘/·/˘·˘/
Loud mirth that is a lie.	6	······
But why complain and moan? O wretched me!	10	··˘/···/˘·
When will my lagging sorrows haste and go?	10	···/˘/˘···
Delightful Bacchus at his mystery	10	˘/˘/˘··/˘˘
Forbids these words of woe.	6	˘/····
Once, by the wave, lone Ariadne pale,	10	······˘/˘·
Abandoned of false Theseus, weeping stood:--	10	˘/˘····/˘·
Our wise Catullus tells the doleful tale	10	/······/˘·
Of love's ingratitude.	6	··˘/˘˘
Take warning friends! How fortunate is he,	10	·/˘··/˘˘··
Who learns of others' loss his own to shun!	10	···/˘·····
Trust not caressing arms and sighs, nor be	10	··˘/˘·····
By flatteries undone!	6	·/˘˘˘/
Though by her own sweet eyes her oath she swear,	10	··········
By solemn Juno, or by Venus gay,	10	·/˘/˘··/˘·
At oaths of love Jove laughs, and bids the air	10	··········
Waft the light things away.	6	····˘/
It is but folly, then, to fume and fret,	10	···/˘·····
If one light lass that old deception wrought;	10	······˘/˘·
O that I too might evermore forget	10	·····/˘·˘/
To speak my heart's true thought!	6	······
O that my long, long nights brought peace and thee!	10	··········
That nought but thee my waking eyes did fill!	10	·····/˘···
Thou wert most false and cruel, woe is me!	10	·····/˘···
False! But I love thee still.	6	······
How well fresh water mixes with old wine!	10	···/˘/˘···
Bacchus loves water-nymphs. Bring water, boy!	10	/˘·/˘··/˘·
What care I where she sleeps? This night of mine	10	··········
Shall I in sighs employ?	6	····˘/
Make the cup strong, I tell you! Stronger there!	10	·······/˘·
Wine only! While the Syrian balm o'er-flows!	10	·/˘··/˘···
Long would I revel with anointed hair,	10	···/˘·˘/˘·
And wear this wreath of rose.	6	······

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.

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