Four books of lyric poetry that took ten years to write and every word shows it. Horace perfected the art of the short poem — love, wine, death, politics, friendship, the passage of time — in forms borrowed from Greek lyric and made entirely his own. 'Carpe diem' comes from here. So does 'Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori.' Read slowly. These poems reward attention the way wine rewards patience.
Start ReadingThe opening collection ranges from drinking songs to political odes. Includes the dedication to Maecenas, the Cleopatra ode, and the famous carpe diem.
Moderation, mortality, and the art of living well. Friendship, philosophy, and the pleasures of the Sabine farm.
The Roman Odes open the book — six poems on civic virtue. Ranges from Augustus's moral programme to the private joys of poetry and wine.
Written late, at Augustus's request. Celebrates military victory, the passage of time, and the immortality of poetry.