Q. Horatius Flaccus

Horace (65-8 BCE)

Tu ne quaesieris, scire nefas, quem mihi, quem tibi

finem di dederint, Leuconoë, nec Babylonios

tentaris numeros. Ut melius, quidquid erit, pati!

Seu plures hiemes seu tribuit Iuppiter ultimam,

quae nunc oppositis debilitat pumicibus mare

Tyrrhenum, sapias, vina liques, et spatio brevi

spem longam reseces. Dum loquimur, fugerit invida

aetas: carpe diem quam minimum credula postero.

Stop searching after – it’s forbidden to know –

the bounds the gods have set for you and me,

Leuconoë. Leave off these Babylonian sums!

It’s better to endure whatever comes.

Whether Jupiter’s given us many more winters

or this is the final one –

which now smashes the strength of the Tyrrhenian sea

on the rocks – be prudent; water your wine;

hold the length of your hopes to a short space.

Even now, while we speak, spiteful time speeds away;

seize the day; place as little trust as you can

in tomorrow.