TO THE FOUNTAIN OF BANDUSIA (ODES, III, 13)

by: Horace (Quintus Horatius Flaccus) (65-8 B.C.)

FOUNTAIN of Bandusia!

Whence crystal waters flow.

With garlands gay and wine I'll pay

The sacrifice I owe;

A sportive kid with budding horns

I have, whose crimson blood

Anon shall dye and sanctify

Thy cool and babbling flood.

 

O fountain of Bandusia!

The Dog-star's hateful spell

No evil brings into the springs

That from thy bosom well;

Here oxen, wearied by the plow,

The roving cattle here

Hasten in quest of certain rest,

And quaff thy gracious cheer.

 

O fountain of Bandusia!

Ennobled shalt thou be,

For I shall sing the joys that spring

Beneath yon ilex-tree.

Yes, fountain of Bandusia,

Posterity shall know

The cooling brooks that from thy nooks,

Singing and dancing go.

• Horace - A biography of the Roman philosopher and dramatic critic Quintus Horatius Flaccus.
• Horace: Bibliography - A bibliography of the works of Quintus Horatius Flaccus; includes a list of critical and biographical resources.
• Latin Dramatic Criticism - An overview of dramatic criticism as it developed during the Roman Empire.
• The Maxims of Horace - An overview of the Roman critic's rules for dramatic construction.
• Purchase books by Horace