[Page 281]

Book II. Ode XII. Translated.

1 THE wars of Numantia and Hannibal dire,
2 On land, or on ocean the fighting,
3 Maecenas, ne'er suited my peaceable lyre,
4 In subjects much softer delighting.
5 You love not of centaurs embattled to hear,
6 Nor of giants, a tale of such wonder,
7 Who shook all the skies, made Jupiter fear,
8 'Till drove by Alcides and thunder.
9 In prose, my good patron, more nobly you write,
10 As your topic than these is much better,
11 How Caesar with glory can govern and fight,
12 And lead haughty kings in his fetter.
13 Alone my gay Muse of Licinnia would sing,
14 The constant, good-natur'd, and pretty,
15 So graceful to dance with the maids in a ring,
16 So sparkling, so merry, and witty.
17 While you play with her hair that is carelessly curl'd,
18 While this way, now that way she twitches,
19 Of your teazing so kindly complaining, no world
20 Could bribe for one lock with its riches.
[Page 282]
21 Thus blest with the nymph, how transporting the joy!
22 Who whimsical, wanton, amuses;
23 Who pleasingly forward, or prettily coy,
24 Oft snatches the kiss she refuses.

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About this text

Title (in Source Edition): Book II. Ode XII. Translated.
Themes: love; poetry; literature; writing; fighting; conflict
Genres: imitation; translation; paraphrase
References: DMI 26655

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Source edition

Dodsley, Robert, 1703-1764. A Collection of Poems in Six Volumes. By Several Hands. Vol. IV. London: printed by J. Hughs, for R. and J. Dodsley, 1763 [1st ed. 1758], pp. 281-282. 6v.: music; 8⁰. (ESTC T131163; OTA K104099.004) (Page images digitized by the Eighteenth-Century Poetry Archive from a copy in the archive's library.)

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