Horace: Odes and Epodes

This collection gathers the most celebrated lyric poems of a Roman poet from the Augustan age, offering a vivid portrait of public and private life in ancient Italy. The verses swing between exuberant celebrations of friendship, love, and triumph, and more austere reflections on politics, fate, and the fleeting nature of fame. Written in tight, musical Latin, the poems are renowned for their crisp imagery, witty wordplay, and masterful use of meter.

Listening brings the bustling streets of Rome, the rustle of vineyards, and the quiet of a lover’s garden to life, each line resonating with the cadence of a song once performed with lyre accompaniment. The edition presents a reliable text, carefully revised by leading scholars, allowing the listener to appreciate subtle shifts in tone and the poet’s skillful balance of personal feeling with civic duty. Whether you are drawn to the bright optimism of a sunrise hymn or the sober meditation on mortality, these verses invite a timeless connection to the human heart.