Foul Asian coast, his life hast thou betrayed,
On thee by guilty waves his corpse was tossed.
Close in her breast his loving spouse conveyed
The sacred urn, too soon the seas were crossed,
Too soon those ashes in the earth she laid,
And seemed twice widowed of a love twice lost.

Death snatched you away before your day and took you to Lethe's shore,
You could beat old Parr, but Methuselah might give you a month or more.
What a voice to be dumb — it could overcome the market's or schoolroom's clatter,
A revivalist hymn, or the river's brim with a million cranes a-chatter.
There was none like you foul tricks to do, as a witch you have left no double:
Be your covering slight and of sand so light that the dogs may have little trouble.

I AM Latinus, darling of the stage,
The applause, the pride, the wonder of my age,
Who could have wooed stern Cato to the play,
And made Fabricius laugh his cares away.
Naught from the theatre did my morals take,
And only in a farce was I a rake.
Virtue you need our master's grace to win;
He is a god who sees the heart within.
" A parasite of Phoebus" — as you will:
But let Rome know I served her great Jove still.

Send verse to Nerva? Nay, a bard so bold
Might give cheap scent to Cosmus, hope to please
Paestum with privet flowers or marigold,
Send bitter honey to Hymettus' bees.
Yet is there grace in humbler lines — for these
Are olives taken after daintier cheer;
Yet wonder not should my Thalia fear
(Knowing her meaner power) your face to see;
Did not a Nero dread your taste austere,
Reading his merry verse? and so doth she.

If we gaze at your Hyllus as he passes by,
You look at your guests with a most troubled eye.
What crime is it in a fair boy to delight?
Don't the sun and the gods and the stars please our sight?
Shall I turn my eyes from him and hide my face up,
As though 'twere a Gorgon presenting my cup.
Even savage Alcides let Hylas be seen,
And Ganymede sports with young Hermes, I ween.
To your table you'd better blind Oedipus call,
If you don't want your minions to be viewed at all.

Who carved our master's bust from Latin stone
And so the Phidian ivory outshone?
'Tis Jove's own face; nay 'tis the world we see:
So the god thunders when from clouds he's free.
Athena gave thee more than that one crown;
She too this worshipped image once did own.

Tell me where now the golden garland lies
That Alban Pallas gave thee for thy prize. Carus:
See'st thou our master's face in marble wrought?
To grace his locks my crown took wings unsought. Martial:
The pious oak may grudge the olive now
Its glory; for it wreathes our victor's brow.

Friend , if for larger wealth I seem to pine,
It is not as the vulgar herd desire it;
They long that Rheims may toil to give them wine,
And slave-drive half a county to acquire it;
They hunt for ormolu and Adams fine
Or gilded " Empire" stuff, — I don't admire it —
And quaff from crystals of the rarest sort
Dark draughts of richest Burgundy or Port.

The liveried menial lies beneath my ban,
I seek no crowd of fools to bow before me,
Let others keep the pampered serving-man,
To see a six-foot flunkey standing o'er me,

A RTEMIDORUS bought a pretty slave
And sold his lands to pay — the price was great —
But Calliodorus with the sum he gave
Became the master of the whole estate.
Who bears the name of Artemis should rate
Love at a price far meaner; and its charm,
To him that's called from beauty, prove a bait
Much more alluring than a dirty farm.

This open space, with marble and with gold
Emblazoned, knew our infant lord of old.
O happy earth, that heard his wailing cry,
And as he crept could see and help supply.
Here stood the house which to our world has given
What Rhodes and pious Crete bestowed on heaven.
Then eunuch priests the baby god concealed
With all their strength, loud rattling lance on shield;
For thee, great Caesar, Jove himself had care,
And bolt and aegis stood for shield and spear.