 | Poems by Three Friends |  |
81
HORACE, BOOK I. ODE XIV.
TO THE REPUBLIC.
O ship! shall hostile waves again
Impel thee backward to the main?
Wilt thou thy dangerous course pursue,
Nor bravely seize the port in view?
Bereft of oars, thy naked sides
Can ill resist the raging tides;
Thy mainyards groan upon the mast,
All shattered in the southern blast,
And scarcely can the assaulted keel
Check the rocked vessel's rapid reel;
Thy cords are broke, thy canvas torn,
No guardian Gods thy deck adorn,
To whom, in hours of anxious care,
The soul might breathe its votive prayer.
Though hewed from Pontus' lofty pine,
You proudly boast the illustrious line,
And trust an idle name can save
Your wreck from the devouring wave;
No painted stern, a gaudy toy,
Gives to the timid seaman joy.
O, scorn not the tempestuous wind!
But leave the treacherous deep behind!
Impel thee backward to the main?
Wilt thou thy dangerous course pursue,
Nor bravely seize the port in view?
Bereft of oars, thy naked sides
Can ill resist the raging tides;
Thy mainyards groan upon the mast,
All shattered in the southern blast,
And scarcely can the assaulted keel
Check the rocked vessel's rapid reel;
Thy cords are broke, thy canvas torn,
No guardian Gods thy deck adorn,
To whom, in hours of anxious care,
The soul might breathe its votive prayer.
82
You proudly boast the illustrious line,
And trust an idle name can save
Your wreck from the devouring wave;
No painted stern, a gaudy toy,
Gives to the timid seaman joy.
O, scorn not the tempestuous wind!
But leave the treacherous deep behind!
O thou, of late my toil and care!
For thee I breathe the ardent prayer;
For thee, with patriotic zeal,
This faithful breast must ever feel;
May'st thou escape the dangerous seas,
Amongst the shining Cyclades!
For thee I breathe the ardent prayer;
For thee, with patriotic zeal,
This faithful breast must ever feel;
May'st thou escape the dangerous seas,
Amongst the shining Cyclades!
| Poems by Three Friends | |