Tuesday, February 10, 2026
The Future
Pindar, Nemean Odes 11.43-46 (tr. William Race):
‹Older
As for that which comes from Zeus, no clear sign attends men, but all the same we embark on ambitious projects and yearn for many accomplishments, for our bodies are enthralled to shameless hope, and the streams of foreknowledge lie far off.Horace, Odes 3.29.29-32 (tr. Niall Rudd):
τὸ δ᾿ ἐκ Διὸς ἀνθρώποις σαφὲς οὐχ ἕπεται
τέκμαρ· ἀλλ᾿ ἔμπαν μεγαλανορίαις ἐμβαίνομεν,
ἔργα τε πολλὰ μενοινῶντες· δέδεται γὰρ ἀναιδεῖ 45
ἐλπίδι γυῖα· προμαθείας δ᾿ ἀπόκεινται ῥοαί.
God in his providence hides future events in murky darkness, and laughs if a mere mortal frets about what is beyond his control.
prudens futuri temporis exitum
caliginosa nocte premit deus, 30
ridetque si mortalis ultra
fas trepidat.
