Descend from heaven and come, speak with pipe
a long melody, queen Calliope,
now, if you prefer, with a keen voice
or with the strings and lyre of Phoebus.

Do you hear me, or does a lovely madness
delude me? I seem to hear her and to wander
through holy groves, which pleasant
waters and breezes pass through.

On Mt Vulture in Apulus,
outside the doorstep of my Apulian nurse,
I, a boy worn out by play and sleep
legendary wood-pigeons with fresh leaves

did cover, which would be a marvel to all,
whoever holds the nest of lofty Acheron
and the Bantine glades and the rich
field of humble Forentum,

that, with my body safe from black vipers
and bears I slept, that I was protected
by holy laurel and piled-up myrtle,
not without divine influence a spirited boy.

Yours, Camenae, yours am I borne into the
harsh Sabines, and cool
Praeneste or reclining Tibur
or Baiae on the waters pleased me.

As a friend to your springs and dances,
the battle line turned back at Philippi did not not destroy me,
nor did the cursed tree,
nor Palinurus in the Sicilian wave.

Whenever you will be with me, willing
will I, as a sailor, attempt the maddened Bosphorus
and, as a traveller, the burning sands
of the Assyrian shore,

and I will visit the Britains, savage to strangers,
and the happy Concanian, with horse's blood,
I will visit the bequivered Geloni
and, unharmed, the Scythian stream.

You renewed high Caesar, as soon as
he hid his forces, tired from warefare, in the towns,
as he sought to end his labours,
in the Pierian cave.

You must give gentle advice and rejoice
in that given, kindly ones. We know how he raised
the wicked Titans and their enormous mob
with falling thunder,

he who controls the static earth and the
windy sea, and rules the sad cities and kingdoms
and gods and mortal bands
alone with even power.

That group - confident, youthful, bristling with arms -
had brought great terror to Jupiter,
and the brothers striving to have placed
Pelion on dark Olympus.

But what could Typhoeus, and mighty Mimas,
or Porphyrion with his threatening stance,
or Rhoetus and Enceladus, that brave spear-thrower,
with torn-up tree trunks,

do as they rushed against the ringing shield
of Pallas? From here stood greedy
Vulcan, from here mother Juno and
he who will never put down the bow from his shoulder,

he who washes his flowing hair in the pure flow
Castalia, who owns the thickets of Lycia
and his native forest,
Apollo of Delos and Patarus.

Force without wisdom rushes from its own weight:
the gods, too, promote tempered force to something
greater; they also hate force
which stirs wickedness in every soul.

Hundred-handed Gyas is witness of my
wisdom, and the well-known temptor
of chaste Diana, Orion,
quelled by the virgin arrow.

Earth is pained when thrown upon its own monsters,
and mourns its offspring, sent by lightning
to ghastly Orcus; swift fire has not
eaten away Etna placed on them,

nor does the bird leave the liver of
insatiable Tityus, set as a guard
for wickedness; three hundred chains
hold back the lover Perithous.

descende caelo et dic age tibia
regina longum Calliope melos,
  seu voce nunc mavis acuta
  seu fidibus citharave Phoebi.

auditis an me ludit amabilis
insania? audire et videor pios
  errare per lucos, amoenae
  quos et aquae subeunt et aurae.

me fabulosae Vulture in Apulo
nutricis extra limina Apuliae
  ludo fatigatumque somno
  fronde nova puerum palumbes

texere, mirum quod foret omnibus
quicumque celsae nidum Acerontiae
  saltusque Bantinos et aruum
  pingue tenent humilis Forenti,

ut tuto ab atris corpore viperis
dormirem et ursis, ut premerer sacra
  lauroque conlataque myrto,
  non sine dis animosus infans.

vester, Camenae, vester in arduos
tollor Sabinos, seu mihi frigidum
  Praeneste seu Tibur supinum
  seu liquidae placuere Baiae.

vestris amicum fontibus et choris
non me Philippis versa acies retro,
  devota non extinxit arbor
  nec Sicula Palinurus unda.

Utcumque mecum vos eritis, libens
insanientem navita Bosphorum
  temptabo et urentis harenas
  litoris Assyrii viator,

visam Britannos hospitibus feros
et laetum equino sanguine Concanum,
  visam pharetratos Gelonos
  et Scythicum inviolatus amnem.

vos Caesarem altum, militia simul
fessas cohortes abdidit oppidis,
  finire quaerentem labores
  Pierio recreatis antro;

vos lene consilium et datis et dato
gaudetis, almae. Scimus ut impios
  Titanas inmanemque turbam
  fulmine sustulerit caduco,

qui terram inertem, qui mare temperat
ventosum et urbes regnaque tristia
  divosque mortalisque turmas
  imperio regit unus aequo.

magnum illa terrorem intulerat Iovi
fidens iuventus horrida bracchiis
  fratresque tendentes opaco
  Pelion imposuisse Olympo.

sed quid Typhoeus et validus Mimas
aut quid minaci Porphyrion statu,
  quid Rhoetus evolsisque truncis
  Enceladus iaculator audax

contra sonantem Palladis aegida
possent ruentes? Hinc avidus stetit
  Vulcanus, hinc matrona Iuno et
  nunquam umeris positurus arcum,

qui rore puro Castaliae lavit
crinis solutos, qui Lyciae tenet
  dumeta natalemque silvam,
  Delius et Patareus Apollo.

vis consili expers mole ruit sua;
vim temperatam di quoque provehunt
  in maius; idem odere vires
  omne nefas animo moventis.

testis mearum centimanus gigas
sententiarum, notus et integrae
  temptator Orion Dianae,
  virginea domitus sagitta.

iniecta monstris Terra dolet suis
maeretque partus fulmine luridum
  missos ad Orcum; nec peredit
  impositam celer ignis Aetnen,

incontinentis nec Tityi iecur
reliquit ales, nequitiae additus
  custos; amatorem trecentae
  Perithoum cohibent catenae.

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