Item 15 - Letter from A. E. Housman to W. H. Semple

1 folded sheet, 1 envelope

(With an envelope.)

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Transcript

Trinity College | Cambridge
24 Nov. 1927

Dear Semple,

In the poetical astronomy of the ancients the evening star does rise: Catull. 62 7, Verg. buc. VIII 31, culic. 203, ciris 350. It also dodges round the sun at night and turns up next morning as morning star: Catull. 62 34 sq. etc. What Horace is saying is that neither evening nor morning takes Valgius’ grief away {1}: Cinna ap. Seru. georg. I 288 (Baehr. frag. poet. Rom. p. 324) ‘te matutinus flentem conspexit Eous | et flentem paulo uidit post Hesperus idem’ {2}.

I am glad you find Reading pleasant.

Yours sincerely
A. E. Housman.

[Direction on envelope:] W. H. Semple Esq. | The University | Reading

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The envelope, which bears a 1½d. stamp, was postmarked at Cambridge at 3.15 p.m. on 24 Nov.

{1} The reference is to Horace, Odes, II. 9. 9–12.

{2} The vertical line in the quotation is in the MS.