We mark an anniversary of
our earthquake, yours and
mine; one never hears the
San Franciscan say, You
couldn't understand it.
Rather, he believes we
do. He is, himself, a
constant, continuing mi-
grant toward settlement.
What did you think of Chios,
Bullatius, or of famous Les-
bos, how did elegant Samos
strike you, or Sardis, royal
seat of Croesus, or Smyrna
and Colophon, are they super-
ior or inferior to their rep-
utation?
And you, my friend, accept
with grateful hand whatever
hour the god has blessed you
with, and do not put off plea-
sures to some unknown time, so
that you may say .. you have
lived happily; for if it is
reason and forethought that
take away our cares, not a
site that commands a wide
sweep of ocean, it is their
climate, not their mind, that
men change when they rush a-
cross the sea.
Horace
20 BC
John Davie
translation
Satires and Epistles
Epistles I, 11
op. cit.
April 18, 1906
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