Epist. 1.14.1Vīlice silvārum et mihi mē reddentis agellī,
quem tū fastīdīs, habitātum quīnque focīs et
quīnque bonōs solitum Variam dīmittere patrēs,
certēmus, spīnās animōne ego fortius an tū
5ēvellās agrō, et melior sit Horātius an rēs.Steward of the woods and of the little farm that restores me to myself, which you scorn, though it was once inhabited by five households and used to send five good fathers to Varia, let us compete whether I root out the thorns from my mind more stoutly or you from the land, and whether Horace or his property is in better shape. Epist. 1.14.6Mē quamvīs Lamiae pietās et cūra morātur,
frātrem maerentis, raptō dē frātre dolentis
īnsōlābiliter, tamen istūc mēns animusque
fert et amat spatiīs obstantia rumpere claustra,
10rūre ego vīventem, tū dīcis in urbe beātum.Although the devotion and grief of Lamia keep me here, as he mourns his brother, grieving inconsolably for his brother snatched away, yet my mind and heart carry me there and long to burst the barriers that block the course. I call the man who lives in the country happy, you the man in the city.
Epist. 1.14.11Cui placet alterīus, sua nīmīrum est odiō sors.He who likes another's lot, no doubt, hates his own. Epist. 1.14.12Stultus uterque locum immeritum causātur inīquē:
in culpā est animus, quī sē nōn effugit umquam.Each is a fool, and unfairly blames the undeserving place: the fault lies in the mind, which never escapes itself. Epist. 1.14.14Tū mediastīnus tacitā prece rūra petēbās,
15nunc urbem et lūdōs et balnea vīlicus optās:
mē cōnstāre mihi scīs et discēdere trīstem
quandōcumque trahunt invīsa negōtia Rōmam,
nōn eadem mīrāmur;As a drudge you used to long for the country in silent prayer; now, as steward, you wish for the city and the games and the baths. You know that I am consistent and leave sadly whenever hateful business drags me to Rome. We do not admire the same things; Epist. 1.14.18eō disconvenit inter
mēque et tē.therein lies the disagreement between you and me. Epist. 1.14.19Nam quae dēserta et inhospita tesqua
20crēdis, amoena vocat mēcum quī sentit, et ōdit
quae tū pulchra putās, fornix tibi et ūncta popīna
incutiunt urbis dēsīderium, videō, et quod
angulus iste feret piper et tūs ōcius ūvā,
nec vīcīna subest vīnum praebēre taberna
25quae possit tibi, nec meretrīx tībīcina, cuius
ad strepitum saliās terrae gravis;For what you think deserts and inhospitable wastes, the man who feels as I do calls lovely, and he hates what you think beautiful. The brothel and the greasy cookshop, I see, stir in you a longing for the city, and the fact that this corner of mine will bear pepper and incense sooner than grapes, and that there is no tavern close by to supply you with wine, nor a flute-girl courtesan to whose din you might stamp heavily on the ground; Epist. 1.14.26et tamen urgēs
iamprīdem nōn tācta ligōnibus arva bovemque
disiūnctum cūrās et strictīs frondibus explēs;and yet you toil at fields long untouched by mattocks, and look after the unyoked ox and fill it with stripped leaves; Epist. 1.14.29addit opus pigrō rīvus, sī dēcidit imber,
30multā mōle docendus aprīcō parcere prātō.the stream adds work for the lazy man, if rain has fallen, and must be taught by many a dam to spare the sunny meadow.
Epist. 1.14.31Nunc age, quid nostrum concentum dīvidat audī.Now come, hear what breaks our harmony. Epist. 1.14.32Quem tenuēs decuēre togae nitidīque capillī,
quem scīs immūnem Cinarae placuisse rapācī,
quem bibulum liquidī mediā dē lūce Falernī,
35cēna brevis iuvat et prope rīvum somnus in herbā;One whom fine togas and glossy hair became, who, as you know, pleased greedy Cinara without gifts, who drank clear Falernian from midday, a short meal delights him and sleep on the grass beside a stream; Epist. 1.14.36nec lūsisse pudet, sed nōn incīdere lūdum,
nōn istīc oblīquō oculō mea commoda quisquam
līmat, nōn odiō obscūrō morsūque venēnat:
rīdent vīcīnī glaebās et saxa moventem.nor am I ashamed to have played, but I would be ashamed not to cut the game short. There, no one files away at my comforts with a sidelong eye, nor poisons them with hidden hatred and bite: the neighbours laugh as I move clods and stones. Epist. 1.14.40Cum servīs urbāna diāria rōdere māvīs;You would rather gnaw the daily rations in town with the slaves; Epist. 1.14.41hōrum tū in numerum vōtō ruis: invidet ūsum
lignōrum et pecoris tibi cālō argūtus et hortī,
optat ephippia bōs, piger optat arāre caballus.into their number you rush in your prayers: the sharp-witted groom envies you the use of firewood, flock and garden. The ox longs for saddle-trappings, the lazy nag longs to plough.
Epist. 1.14.44Quam scit uterque libēns cēnsēbō exerceat artem.My verdict will be that each should gladly practise the craft he knows.