2. • He was born in 65 B.C. in Venusia (southeastern Italy)
• He died in 8 B.C. and left his estate to his declared heir,
Augustus.
• His father was an ex-slave (“libertinus”).
• Father made enough money to finance an education in Rome
and Athens for Horace.
• While in Athens, Brutus made Horace a high ranking army
officer.
• Why was he promoted to rank of “tribune”, which was usually
reserved for the “equites” (highest class of Romans below the
senatorial class)?
• Brutus and his army lost at Philippi (42 B.C.) and Horace lost
his fortune.
3. • Horace returned to Italy and became a clerk for a
“quaestor” (treasury official) in Rome.
• In Rome, he met other educated literary figures.
• There, his poetry caught the attention of Maecenas,
Octavian’s (Augustus’) powerful friend, who was charged
with discovering competent poets and writers.
• In 38 B.C. Maecenas introduced him to the literary circle
which he had been forming and gave him Sabine farm in
36 B.C.
• He was well known and well accepted by a variety of
Romans.
• There is evidence he had a good relationship with
Octavian (Augustus).
5. • This first Ode is dedicated to Horace’s patron Maecenas.
• The poem extols the role of a poet as an activity which is divine and tells that all
other professions pale in comparison.
• The poem offers a half-serious, but programmatic defense of the poet's
profession and life style. The poem rejects all the usual avenues to fame, glory,
and riches.
• In the poem he tells that, in contrast to his fellow Roman aristocrats,…
he is not interested in winning the most prestigious athletic event, the Olympic
chariot races
he is not interested in a military career crowned by a triumph,
he is not interested in the life of a wealthy senatorial land holder
he is not interested in that of a similarly rich knight engaged in international trade.
• Instead, the poet claims to prefer…
the worry-free life of an Epicurean poet-sage who, in an idealized countryside,
has time to enjoy life's little pleasures.
• In a twist at the end of the poem, Horace returns to the idea of fame and glory,
which he has just denigrated, by jokingly suggesting that Maecenas should
award him, the first Latin lyricist, a place among the nine lyric poets of the
classical Greek canon.
6. • Horace expresses joy at the defeat and death of Cleopatra and celebrates
Octavian’s victory at the Battle of Actium (31 B.C.)
• The early stanzas refer to Cleopatra as the enemy plotting destruction for all
that is Roman.
• The final three stanzas of Horace’s ode celebrating the fall of Cleopatra are
in contrast with the previous denouncements of the enemy and praise of the
victor. The atmosphere of these last three stanzas takes on an honorable
sound, painting Cleopatra as a worthy adversary.
• Horace achieves this dramatic shift in tone through the adept use of meter
and word placement. This shift leaves the reader with thoughts to ponder:
is Horace commending the unnamed queen or, rather, painting her as an
admirable, yet dangerous, foe?
7. • Maecenas atavis edite regibus
• o et praesidium et dulce decus meum:
• O Maecenas born from royal remote ancestors
• both my protector and sweet glory
• sunt, quos curriculo pulverem Olympicum
• collegisse iuvat metaque fervidis
• There are those, whom it pleases to have collected Olympic dust on the racetrack
• with blazing wheels, and, the turning post
• 5 evitata rotis palmaque nobilis
• terrarum dominos evehit ad deos;
• having been avoided, the noble palm
• raises to the gods, the masters of the world
8. • hunc, si mobilium turba Quiritium
• certat tergeminis tollere honoribus,
• (It pleases) This man, if the crowd of pliant Romans fights
• to raise with triple honors
• illum, si proprio condidit horreo,
• 10 quicquid de Libycis verritur areis.
• (it pleases) him, if he stored in his own storehouse,
• whatever is swept from the Libyan threshing floors
• gaudentem patrios findere sarculo
• agros Attalicis condicionibus
• you should never drive out with Attalician terms (money) (the guy) rejoicing
• to cut the native fields with a hoe
9. • numquam demoveas, ut trabe Cypria
• Myrtoum pavidus nauta secet mare;
• so that he would cut the Myrtoan sea with a Cyprian ship
• as a frightened sailor
• 15 luctantem Icariis fluctibus Africum
• mercator metuens otium et oppidi
• the merchant, fearing the stormy wind wrestling with the waves of Icarus,
• praises leisure and the countryside of his town
• laudat rura sui, mox reficit rates
• quassas indocilis pauperiem pati.
• soon he repairs his beaten upon ship untrained to endure poverty
10. • est, qui nec veteris pocula Massici
• 20 nec partem solido demere de die
• There is (one), who neither rejects old Massic wine
• nor does he reject to take away a part of the solid day
• spernit, nunc viridi membra sub arbuto
• stratus, nunc ad aquae lene caput sacrae;
• now stretched with respect to his limbs under the fresh green arbutus tree,
• now at the gentle source of the sacred water;
• multos castra iuvant et lituo tubae
• permixtus sonitus bellaque matribus
• the military camp pleases many and the sound of a straight war trumpet having been
mixed
• with the curved cavalry trumpet and the wars having been cursed by mothers
11. • 25 detestata; manet sub Iove frigido
• venator tenerae coniugis inmemor,
• The hunter stays under the cold sky
• forgetting the delicate wife,
• seu visa est catulis cerva fidelibus,
• seu rupit teretes Marsus aper plagas.
• whether the deer appeared to the faithful young dogs
• or whether a Marsian boar shattered the smooth hunting nets.
• me doctarum hederae praemia frontium
• 30 dis miscent superis, me gelidum nemus
• Ivy, the rewards of the learned brows,
• mixes me with the gods above, the chilly grove
12. • Nympharumque leves cum Satyris chori
• secernunt populo, si neque tibias
• and the light choruses of Nymphs with the Satyrs
• distinguish me from the people, if Euterpe does not
• Euterpe cohibet, nec Polyhymnia
• Lesboum refugit tendere barbiton.
• hold back the flutes, and Polyhymnia does not
• avoid to extend the Lesbian lyre.
• 35 quodsi me lyricis vatibus inseres,
• sublimi feriam sidera vertice.
• But if you put me among the lyric poets I will strike
• the stars with my lofty head.
13. • Nunc est bibendum, nunc pede libero
• Now we must drink, now we must strike the earth
• pulsanda tellus, nunc Saliaribus
• with loose foot, now it was time
• ornare pulvinar deorum
• to adorn the sacred couch
• tempus erat dapibus, sodales.
• for the Salarian feasts, companions.
• antehac nefas depromere Caecubum
• previously, it was a crime to bring out
• cellis avitis, dum Capitolio
• choice wine from Caecubus, from the ancestral cellars
14. • regina dementis ruinas
• while the queen was preparing the mad ruins for the Capitoline
• funus et imperio parabat
• and destruction for the government
• contaminato cum grege turpium
• with foul company of men shameful by disease.
• morbo virorum, quidlibet inpotens
• wild to hope for anything
• sperare fortunaque dulci
• and drunk with sweet fortune.
• ebria; sed minuit furorem
• but scarcely one ship safe and sound from the flames
• vix una sospes navis ab ignibus
• reduced her fury
15. • mentemque lymphatam Mareotico
• and Caesar, pursuing closely with oars, reduced the mind
• redegit in veros timores
• frenzied by means Mareotican wine into true fears
• Caesar ab Italia volantem
• flying from Italy.
• remis adurgens, accipiter velut
• just as a hawk (pursues), the gentle doves
• mollis columbas aut leporem citus
• or the quick hunter (pursues) the rabbit
• venator in campis nivalis
• on the plains of snowy Thessaly
• Haemoniae, daret ut catenis
• in order to give the fatal monster to chains
16. • fatale monstrum, quae generosius
• who seeking to perish more nobly
• perire quaerens nec muliebriter
• neither dreaded the sword like a woman
• expavit ensem, nec latentis
• nor reached the hiding shores
• classe cita reparavit oras,
• with a fast fleet,
• ausa et iacentem visere regiam
• and having dared to look at the palace in ruins
• voltu sereno, fortis et asperas
• with a calm face, and brave to handle the harsh
• tractare serpentes, ut atrum
• serpents, in order that she would drink the black
17. • corpore combiberet venenum,
• poison with her body.
• deliberata morte ferocior:
• more savage by means of a carefully planned death
• saevis Liburnis scilicet invidens
• refusing surely to be led away by savage galleys
• privata deduci superbo
• as a private (citizen)
• non humilis mulier triumpho.
• not a humble woman for a proud triumph.
