…sapias, vina liques, et spatio brevi
spem longam reseces. Dum loquimur, fugerit invida
aetas: carpe diem, quam minimum credula postero.Be wise, decant the wine, prune back
your long-term hopes. Life ebbs as I speak—
so sieze each day, and grant the next no credit.—Horace, Odes (Carmina), Book I Ode XI
No, I haven't started my study of Latin (see previous post) but I am almost finished my study of The Well-Educated Mind. The last chapter is on poetry, which until recently has been an inscrutible mystery to me, probably due to my former, Bush-like insulation from real life experience, a result (in my case) of youth, introversion, and a stable, cushy environment at home and at school. I'm starting to get it now (whether I like it or not) including the ever-popular "time's a-wastin'" theme. Apparently getting old(er) never gets old.
