Horatius in Modum Anacreontis

Quid prodest, amice, flere
pro rebus malis futuris?
Dum vivimus, bibamus!
Cras forsitan moriemur.

Nunc misce, puer, Falernum,
nunc ungue caput rosato,
nunc cithara sonante
pellamus curas acerbas.

Vides ut nix alta montes
tegat? Senectus alba
sic caput meum tegebit—
sed nunc iuventus ridet!

Corona hedera virenti,
puella forma divina,
et vinum—haec tria vitam
faciunt amore dignam.

Translation

Horace in the Manner of Anacreon

What good, my friend, is weeping
over troubles yet to come?
While we live, let’s drink!
Tomorrow we may die.

Now, boy, mix the Falernian,
now anoint my hair with rose oil,
now, while the lyre is sounding,
let us drive out bitter cares.

Do you see how deep snow
covers the mountain peaks?
So too will white old age
soon blanket my head—
but now youth laughs!

A crown of fresh green ivy,
a girl of divine beauty,
and wine—these three alone
make life worthy of love.

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Notes on Style

This poem tries to capture Horace’s synthesis of Greek and Roman traditions. The Anacreontic influence appears in the simple meter, the direct address, and the traditional symposium elements (wine, roses, music, ivy crowns). But this is Horatian in its philosophical depth—the snow metaphor for aging, the carpe diem urgency, and the catalogue of life’s essential pleasures.

The language mixes everyday directness (“bibamus!”) with poetic elevation (“forma divina”). Unlike Anacreon’s pure hedonism, Horace’s ‘version’ carries an undertone of memento mori—the shadow of death that makes present pleasure more precious. The final triplet (crown, girl, wine) creates a perfect Roman symposium scene, but with that characteristic Horatian reflection on what makes life “amore dignam”—worthy of love.

Charles M. Sumid Copyright 2025 Written 1972