To Alcæus

TO ALCÆUS

Countless are the cups thou drainest
In thy hymns to Dionysos,
O Alcæus!

War and wine alone thou singest;—
Wherefore not of Aphrodite,
O Alcæus!

Spacious halls are thine where many
Trophies hang in Ares’ honor,
O Alcæus!

Brazen shields and shining helmets,
Plates of brass, Chalcidian broad-swords,
O Alcæus!

When with winter roars the Thracian
North wind through the leafless forest,
O Alcæus!

Thou dost heap the fire and banish
Care with many a tawny goblet,
O Alcæus!