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Pindar and Anacreon/Anacreon/Ode 19

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4290588Pindar and Anacreon — Ode 19Thomas BourneAnacreon

ODE XIX.—REASONS FOR DRINKING.

The earth drinks up the genial rains
Which deluge all her thirsty plains;

The lofty trees that pierce the sky[1]
Drain up the earth and leave her dry;
Th' insatiate sea imbibes, each hour,[2]
The welcome breeze that brings the show'r;
The sun, whose fires so fiercely burn,
Absorbs the wave; and, in her turn,
The modest moon enjoys, each night,[3]
Large draughts of his celestial light.
Then, sapient sirs, pray tell me why,
If all things drink, why may not I?

  1. The poet here refers to the supply of moisture which trees receive by means of their roots and fibres.
  2. This passage, which seems to have given the commentators some trouble, is by many supposed to be an error in the text. I have followed the usual reading, though I think Fawkes's amendment very judicious. He has it, "the sea drinks up the rivers," certainly a much more natural idea.
  3. The moon is said to drink from the sun, because she borrows her light from that luminary.