Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Odes (by Horace) - carpe diem


Tu ne quaesieris, scire nefas, quem mihi, quem tibiDon't ask (it's forbidden to know) what end
finem di dederint, Leuconoe, nec Babyloniosthe gods have granted to me or you, Leuconoe. Don't play with Babylonian
temptaris numeros. ut melius, quidquid erit, pati.fortune-telling either. How much better it is to endure whatever will be!
seu pluris hiemes seu tribuit Iuppiter ultimam,Whether Jupiter has allotted to you many more winters or this final one
quae nunc oppositis debilitat pumicibus mare Tyrrhenum:which even now wears out the Tyrrhenian sea on the rocks placed opposite
sapias, vina liques et spatio brevi— be wise, strain the wine, and scale back your long hopes
spem longam reseces. dum loquimur, fugerit invidato a short period. While we speak, envious time will have {already} fled
aetas: carpe diem, quam minimum credula postero.Seize the day, trusting as little as possible in the future.

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