Introduction. The fourth and last book of Horace's "Odes", was published in 13 A.D., some ten years after the publication of the other three, and they constitute the last of his published works. It is clear that he resumed the writing of lyric poetry only at the instance of Augustus and in order to celebrate the victories of the emperor's step-sons, Tiberius and Drusus Nero. He probably did so with some reluctance, as the beginning of the first ode in the book strongly suggests, and the second ode provides...

Introduction. Of the three books of "Odes" published by Horace in 23 B.C., this, the second book, is the shortest, containing only twenty poems. It is also the most uniform in form, as eighteen of these twenty are composed in the Aeolian metres of Alcaeus (12) and of Sappho (6). The tone of these odes is also the most serious in tone, and the most limited in range, with only three (viz. carmina 4, 5 and 8) dealing with themes of love. The text for this translation is taken from...