The Quotable Rhett Butler: Nihil Desperandum

I heart Horace. I just thought we'd get that out of the way first. A weird sympathy, I admit, made even weirder by the fact that Gone with the Wind is what started it in the first place. I come from a country where torture Latin is among the subjects one has to take in high school. I liked grammar, but in turn resented most of the dead Roman poets they forced upon us. Horace was an exception because--well, to be honest, because I  knew that lines like "dulce et decorum est pro patria mori" and "non sum qualis eram bonae sub regno Cynarae" came from him, and I figured nothing that had the slightest connection with GWTW could be all bad (and that in the background is my Latin teacher fainting at the blasphemy).

And now that our short medium-length episode of Bugsie's autobiography is covered for the public's enlightenment, let me introduce this week's Rhett Butler (mis)quote, which yes, actually comes from Horace:

"'Nihil desperandum' is my motto."

--Gone with the Wind, Chapter XXXIV

As you all know already, this is from the famous jail scene; it's Rhett response to Scarlett's (fake) worry over his fate. Of course, she's oblivious to the meaning of his motto and unashamed of her ignorance, in typical Scarlett fashion, which prompts him to elaborate, somewhat misleadingly:

"'What does that mean?'

'It means 'maybe,' my charming ignoramus.'"

--Gone with the Wind, Chapter XXXIV

The literal translation of what he said in Latin is actually "nothing to be despaired of," which of course sounds much better as "no cause for despair" or, with more of a stretch, "never despair." The slight problem is that the expression, initially taken from Horace's Odes (Carmina) and become a popular saying, is in fact "Nil desperandum." Rhett is misquoting it, but without actually committing any grammatical fault, as "nil" is the contraction of "nihil," and often used in poetical contexts  to attain the right number of syllables for a particular meter. Both words have the same primary sense, "nothing," and are used interchangeably (as you can amply see if you have the patience to  read through the dictionary entry linked above).

But what does "Nil desperandum" stand for in its original context? It's actually a very interesting thing, for the ode in which this expression appears (I.7, that is) seems quite fitting for Rhett. Horace refers to the mythical hero Teucer, a participant to the Trojan War whose father had disowned him and banished him from his city of birth, because he had failed to prevent his much more famous half-brother Ajax from killing himself. Teucer is to leave and found a new city, and naturally he finds this a good opportunity to address a pep talk to his crew, to assure them that there is no reason for despair while they are under the guidance and auspices of Teucer ("Nil desperandum Teucro duce et auspice Teucro").  Here is a poetical translation of the entire fragment:

 "Where Fortune bears us, than my sire more kind,
There let us go, my own, my gallant crew.
'Tis Teucer leads, 'tis Teucer breathes the wind;
No more despair; Apollo's word is true.
Another Salamis in kindlier air
Shall yet arise. Hearts, that have borne with me
Worse buffets! drown today in wine your care;
To-morrow we recross the wide, wide sea!”

--excerpted from Horace, Odes, I.7

"Drown today in wine your care; To-morrow we recross the wide, wide sea." That actually sounds like something that not only the wandering Rhett, but also Scarlett with her "Tomorrow is another day" could adhere to, doesn't it?