Song of the Ages

Horace, Odes and Epodes. Shorey, Paul,editor; Laing, Gordon Jennings, joint editor. Chicago: B.H. Sanborn and Company, 1919.

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"Song of the Ages" is a choral hymn composed to pray for the peace, prosperity, and endurance of the Roman state. The poem is structured as a solemn prayer sung by a chorus of selected young boys and girls during the grand Secular Games. It begins with an invocation to the solar god Apollo and the goddess Diana, calling upon them to protect and bless Rome. The chorus then prays for the moral renewal of the citizens, the abundance of offspring, and the establishment of a peaceful world order. As the hymn progresses, it extols the just rule of Augustus and prays for the perpetuation of his governance. The work concludes with a firm conviction that the gods have heard their prayers, ensuring eternal prosperity and glory for the Roman Empire.