Ode 2.10

Licinius, here's a recipe
To keep you from undue commotion,
Remember that the shore can be
As treacherous as the depths of ocean:

The man who loves the golden mean,
Avoids the squalor of a hovel;
And scorns the palaces, serene
Above the envious ones who grovel.

It is the giant pine that creaks,
It is the tallest towers that tumble;
And it is on the mountain peaks
That lightnings strike and heavens crumble.

The heart forearmed, when times are drear,
Hopes for the best, and in fair weather
Allows itself an hour of fear—
It takes the good and bad together.

Be patient then, and reef your sails;
Equip your courage with endurance.
Thus shall you meet the roaring gales
With laughing wisdom and assurance.
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