The Works of Horace In English Verse By several hands. Collected and Published By Mr. Duncombe. With Notes Historical and Critical |
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 | The Works of Horace In English Verse |  |
16
ODE V. Canidia.
By William Duncombe, Esq;
‘—But, by the Gods in Heaven, whose Sway
‘This World, and all Mankind, obey,
‘What can this Tumult mean? What Cause,
‘On Me those Looks of Terror draws?
‘Say by thy Children, if the Name
‘Of Mother grace thy nuptial Flame;
‘Say by this useless purple Vest;
‘By Jove, who must such Deeds detest;
‘O tell me, fierce Canidia, why
‘Thou view'st me thus with vengeful Eye;
‘Thus like a Step-dame dost appear,
‘Or Tygress snarling at a Spear!’
‘This World, and all Mankind, obey,
‘What can this Tumult mean? What Cause,
‘On Me those Looks of Terror draws?
‘Say by thy Children, if the Name
‘Of Mother grace thy nuptial Flame;
‘Say by this useless purple Vest;
‘By Jove, who must such Deeds detest;
‘O tell me, fierce Canidia, why
‘Thou view'st me thus with vengeful Eye;
‘Thus like a Step-dame dost appear,
‘Or Tygress snarling at a Spear!’
While thus the Boy for Mercy su'd,
Stripp'd of his Robes, he naked stood
In Bloom of Youth, with such a Form
As Thracians might to Pity warm!
Stripp'd of his Robes, he naked stood
In Bloom of Youth, with such a Form
As Thracians might to Pity warm!
17
Canidia, on whose hoary Head
Were Knots of little Serpents spread,
Unmov'd, these dire Commissions gave;
‘The rooted Fig-tree from the Grave,
‘And the funereal Cypress tear;
‘The nightly Screech-Owl's Plumes prepare;
‘And be her Eggs besmear'd with Blood
‘Of an envenom'd bloated Toad:
‘The Herbs that in Iölcos spring,
‘Or poison-fam'd Iberia bring:
‘Then from a famish'd Bitch a Bone
‘Be snatch'd, and in the Cauldron thrown.
‘Mix these Ingredients, and then raise,
‘By Colchian Art, the kindling Blaze!’
Were Knots of little Serpents spread,
Unmov'd, these dire Commissions gave;
‘The rooted Fig-tree from the Grave,
‘And the funereal Cypress tear;
‘The nightly Screech-Owl's Plumes prepare;
‘And be her Eggs besmear'd with Blood
‘Of an envenom'd bloated Toad:
‘The Herbs that in Iölcos spring,
‘Or poison-fam'd Iberia bring:
‘Then from a famish'd Bitch a Bone
‘Be snatch'd, and in the Cauldron thrown.
‘Mix these Ingredients, and then raise,
‘By Colchian Art, the kindling Blaze!’
See! busy Sagana the Ground
With Stygian Waters sprinkles round,
And, like a Porcupine, uprears
Her hideous Length of bristled Hairs.
Unaw'd by Conscience, Veïa broke
The Glebe, and groan'd at every Stroke,
To dig a narrow Hole, wherein
The Boy might, buried to his Chin,
Sink down alive, as Swimmers brave
The Stream, with Head above the Wave;
Slowly to pine his Life away
For Food, chang'd twice or thrice a-day,
And only plac'd before his Sight,
To mock his eager Appetite;
That they, when thus his Life was spent
By Hunger, and by Languishment,
A Philter from his Liver dry'd,
And juiceless Marrow, might provide.
With Stygian Waters sprinkles round,
And, like a Porcupine, uprears
Her hideous Length of bristled Hairs.
Unaw'd by Conscience, Veïa broke
The Glebe, and groan'd at every Stroke,
To dig a narrow Hole, wherein
The Boy might, buried to his Chin,
Sink down alive, as Swimmers brave
The Stream, with Head above the Wave;
18
For Food, chang'd twice or thrice a-day,
And only plac'd before his Sight,
To mock his eager Appetite;
That they, when thus his Life was spent
By Hunger, and by Languishment,
A Philter from his Liver dry'd,
And juiceless Marrow, might provide.
Parthenope, for Sloth renown'd,
Believes, with every Village round,
That Folia too of Rimini,
(Whose potent Voice can from the Sky
Call down the Moon, and every Star
That nightly decks the Hemisphere,
Who ev'n in monstrous Lusts delights)
Assisted in these hellish Rites.
Believes, with every Village round,
That Folia too of Rimini,
(Whose potent Voice can from the Sky
Call down the Moon, and every Star
That nightly decks the Hemisphere,
Who ev'n in monstrous Lusts delights)
Assisted in these hellish Rites.
Canidia here, with livid Jaws,
Her unpar'd Nails indignant gnaws:
What said she then, what left unsaid,
While to the Powers of Hell she pray'd;
Her unpar'd Nails indignant gnaws:
What said she then, what left unsaid,
While to the Powers of Hell she pray'd;
‘O Hecaté, and silent Night!
‘Presiding o'er our mystic Rite,
‘Now, now, your Vengeance interpose
‘To blast the Triumph of my Foes!
‘While savage Beasts to Forests fly,
‘And there, dissolv'd in Slumbers, lie,
‘Let wakeful Dogs around him bark,
‘As, skulking yonder in the Dark,
‘Th'old Letcher to Suburra's Stews,
‘With falt'ring Steps, his Way pursues;
‘With Essences perfum'd all o'er!
‘I cull'd them from my richest Store!—
‘Whence can arise this strange Delay?
‘Will not the Powers of Night obey
‘My Spells? And are they weaker grown
‘Than those to fam'd Medéa known?
‘Medéa could the Royal Dame,
‘Creon's proud Daughter, wrap in Flame,
‘By a rich Robe she gave the Bride,
‘In life-consuming Poison dy'd;
‘She Jason's Prowess could defy,
‘And on the Wings of Dragons fly!
‘But though no Herb, nor Root that lies
‘Conceal'd in Earth, escapes my Eyes,
‘He sleeps in his fond Harlot's Bed,
‘With Oyl oblivious round it shed—
‘Alas! I now perceive the Cause,
‘Why he contemns and spurns my Laws;
‘Some Sorceress with her stronger Hand
‘Has loos'd him from my brittle Band:
‘But, Varus! know, full many a Tear
‘Shall wet thy Cheeks for what I bear.
‘I'll now a sovereign Beverage mix,
‘For ever Thee my Slave to fix;
‘By this when I my Lover gain,
‘E'en Marsian Charms would strive in vain
‘To rend him from my Arms again!
‘Sooner beneath the Sea the Skies
‘Shall sink, and Earth to Heaven arise,
‘Than he not burn with fierce Desire,
‘Like this Bitumen in the Fire!’—
‘Presiding o'er our mystic Rite,
‘Now, now, your Vengeance interpose
‘To blast the Triumph of my Foes!
19
‘And there, dissolv'd in Slumbers, lie,
‘Let wakeful Dogs around him bark,
‘As, skulking yonder in the Dark,
‘Th'old Letcher to Suburra's Stews,
‘With falt'ring Steps, his Way pursues;
‘With Essences perfum'd all o'er!
‘I cull'd them from my richest Store!—
‘Whence can arise this strange Delay?
‘Will not the Powers of Night obey
‘My Spells? And are they weaker grown
‘Than those to fam'd Medéa known?
‘Medéa could the Royal Dame,
‘Creon's proud Daughter, wrap in Flame,
‘By a rich Robe she gave the Bride,
‘In life-consuming Poison dy'd;
‘She Jason's Prowess could defy,
‘And on the Wings of Dragons fly!
‘But though no Herb, nor Root that lies
‘Conceal'd in Earth, escapes my Eyes,
‘He sleeps in his fond Harlot's Bed,
‘With Oyl oblivious round it shed—
‘Alas! I now perceive the Cause,
‘Why he contemns and spurns my Laws;
20
‘Has loos'd him from my brittle Band:
‘But, Varus! know, full many a Tear
‘Shall wet thy Cheeks for what I bear.
‘I'll now a sovereign Beverage mix,
‘For ever Thee my Slave to fix;
‘By this when I my Lover gain,
‘E'en Marsian Charms would strive in vain
‘To rend him from my Arms again!
‘Sooner beneath the Sea the Skies
‘Shall sink, and Earth to Heaven arise,
‘Than he not burn with fierce Desire,
‘Like this Bitumen in the Fire!’—
With Prayers the Boy now try'd no more
To sooth their Fury as before;
But, doubtful long what first to speak,
From his pale Lips these Curses break:
‘Though magic Charms, on Earth, a-while
‘The Hand of Justice may beguile,
‘Yet never can their Power confound
‘Of Right and Wrong th'unvarying Bound;
‘And Heaven's eternal Laws ordain,
‘That all who give, shall suffer Pain!
‘In Bitterness of Soul preferr'd,
‘My Vows for Vengeance shall be heard;
‘No Victim e'er can wipe away
‘The Crimes of this infernal Day:
‘Soon as this tortur'd Body dies,
‘A dreadful Spectre will I rise,
‘And tear your Cheeks with crooked Nails,
‘(So far the Power of Ghosts prevails!)
‘Sit heavy on your Breast by Night,
‘And break your Sleep with wild Affright.
‘The hooting Vulgar shall pursue,
‘From Street to Street, your impious Crew
‘With Stones; and with your Blood the Ground
‘Shall stain, and dash your Brains around,
‘Then shall the Wolves and Tygers tear
‘Your Limbs, deny'd a Sepulchre:
‘My Parents (ah! surviving me)
‘This just Revenge with Joy shall see!’
To sooth their Fury as before;
But, doubtful long what first to speak,
From his pale Lips these Curses break:
‘Though magic Charms, on Earth, a-while
‘The Hand of Justice may beguile,
‘Yet never can their Power confound
‘Of Right and Wrong th'unvarying Bound;
‘And Heaven's eternal Laws ordain,
‘That all who give, shall suffer Pain!
21
‘My Vows for Vengeance shall be heard;
‘No Victim e'er can wipe away
‘The Crimes of this infernal Day:
‘Soon as this tortur'd Body dies,
‘A dreadful Spectre will I rise,
‘And tear your Cheeks with crooked Nails,
‘(So far the Power of Ghosts prevails!)
‘Sit heavy on your Breast by Night,
‘And break your Sleep with wild Affright.
‘The hooting Vulgar shall pursue,
‘From Street to Street, your impious Crew
‘With Stones; and with your Blood the Ground
‘Shall stain, and dash your Brains around,
‘Then shall the Wolves and Tygers tear
‘Your Limbs, deny'd a Sepulchre:
‘My Parents (ah! surviving me)
‘This just Revenge with Joy shall see!’
| The Works of Horace In English Verse | |