Europa
An ode by Horace
May bad people see bad omens everywhere,
The screech of an owl, the sight of a pregnant dog,
Or a grey she-wolf running across a field,
Or maybe a fox that's lately dropped her litter;
Or may they see a serpent like an arrow
Slither obliquely across, scaring the horses.
My prayers will make good omens for good people.
I'll look to the east and call upon the raven
To sing good fortune to come to those I fear for,
Before he has a chance to fly to the west,
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David Ferry is a poet, a translator of poetry, and a professor of English at Wellesley College.