Horace Odes I.9
Meter: Alcaic
x ˉ ˘ ˉ ˉ// ˉ ˘ ˘ ˉ ˘ x
x ˉ ˘ ˉ ˉ// ˉ ˘ ˘ ˉ ˘ x
x ˉ ˘ ˉ ˉ ˉ ˘ ˉ x
ˉ ˘ ˘ ˉ ˘ ˘ ˉ ˘ ˉ x
Vides, ut alta stet nive candidum
Soracte, nec iam sustineant onus
silvae laborantes, geluque
flumina constiterint acuto?
Dissolve frigus ligna super foco 5
large reponens atque benignius
deprome quadrimum Sabina,
o Thaliarche, merum diota.
x ˉ ˘ ˉ ˉ// ˉ ˘ ˘ ˉ ˘ x
x ˉ ˘ ˉ ˉ// ˉ ˘ ˘ ˉ ˘ x
x ˉ ˘ ˉ ˉ ˉ ˘ ˉ x
ˉ ˘ ˘ ˉ ˘ ˘ ˉ ˘ ˉ x
permitte divis cetera, qui simul
stravere ventos aequore fervido 10
deproeliantis, nec cupressi
nec veteres agitantur orni.
quid sit futurum cras, fuge quaerere, et
quem fors dierum cumque dabit, lucro
adpone, nec dulcis amores
sperne, puer, neque tu choreas, 15
x ˉ ˘ ˉ ˉ// ˉ ˘ ˘ ˉ ˘ x
x ˉ ˘ ˉ ˉ// ˉ ˘ ˘ ˉ ˘ x
x ˉ ˘ ˉ ˉ ˉ ˘ ˉ x
ˉ ˘ ˘ ˉ ˘ ˘ ˉ ˘ ˉ x
donec virenti canities abest
morosa. Nunc et campus et areae
lenesque sub noctem susurri
composita repetantur hora,
nunc et latentis proditor intumo 20
gratus puellae risus ab angulo
pignusque dereptum lacertis
aut digito male pertinaci.
Discussion Questions:
1. What are the specific Latin words that create the contrasts in this poem?
2. How does the second stanza contrast with the first? What is the role of fire and wine?
3. Cite three tenets of Epicurean worldview that are stated in line 9-18. What words and images does Horace use to make them concrete?
4. What is the role of memory in this poem?
5. Describe the relationship between the speaker and the addressee.
6. How can the various meanings of repeto affect the interpretation of this poem?
7. What is the function of the seasons in the poem? What correspondence do you find between Horace’s description of Mt. Soracte, the trees and the rivers in the first stanza and aspects of human aging and death?
8. Describe the narrowing of visual focus from the beginning of the poem to the end. What effect does this have?
9. Compare this poem to other odes that utilize the motif of the seasons, e.g. Odes I.4 and IV.7.
10. Compare the images of the sea in Odes I.5 and I.11 with the image in this poem.
11. Discuss the ways in which male can be translated. How do these different translations reflect different interpretations of the poem?
12. How does the imagery of the poem contribute to the advice about time and love given in the third and fourth stanzas?
13. What sounds predominate in stanza 1 and why? What do you notice about the placement of the words Soracte, silvae, and flumina in the first stanza and of the imperatives in stanzas 2, 3 and 4? Find an example of interlocked word order in the second stanza. For what reason(s) would Horace use a complex word order in the last stanza? How does it reflect the action?
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