In numoriam fralris mei Wilfridi arlium magistri Ozoniensis.

HORACE THE MINSTREL

A STUDY OF HIS SAPPHIC
AND ALCAIC LYRICS

Bv-
NOEL A. BONAVIA-HUNT, M.A.
P,mbrOMCoU,1,. Olffor4

"et tmuit nostras numerosus Horatius aures,

dum ferit Ausonia carmina -culta lyra."
(Ovid, Tristia IV, 10, 49.)

LONDON : MUSICAL OPINION LTD.,

26, HA1TON GARDEN, E.C.1.
1954
 CONTENTS

CHAPTER

I. INTRODUCTORY - 7
II. THE SAPPHIC OoE - 16

111. THE ALCAIC ODE

IV. THE POETIC ART OF HORACE - 37

V. A LESSON - 57

APPENDIX

I. (A) UST OF PROPER NAMES - 74

(B) UST OF ABSTRACT PROPER NOUNS - 80

II. ANALYSIS OP RHYMED AND UNRHYMED CONCORDS

IN THE SAPPHIC ODES - - 81

Drrro. OF COLLIDING SIBII.ANTS - - 81

Ill. KEY TO EXERCISES

INDEX -
AD QUINTUM HORATIUM FLAOOUM
"Visam Britannos hospitibus fsros,"
oblivionis ne metuens quidem
sic, Flacce, dixisti perite
magna mod is memorare magnis;
non ,ratiori pandimus advenae
nunc liberates limina, qui novis
vulgamus inventis benignas
Pacis Amidtiaeque voces
totum per orbem. non tua vox tacet,
non visit Orcum plurima pars tui
quem Fama dilexit superstes
carmine nos lepido levantem;
quicumque et au.dens Aeolias cupit
tentare M usas.,sive f ugacihus
prudenter Orpheas per artes
divitiis meliora quaerit,
seu scandit altum discipulus pede
Pindum labanti, versibus e tuis
gazas honorandis beatas
adsiduo fodiat ligone.

4
 PREFACE
Qtmrrus HoRAntJSFLAocus predicted that his odes would win
for him immortal fame, a prediction fully justified by the verdict
of posterity. He a1so claimed to have introduced an original
oontribution to the poet's art, notably in his Sapphics and Alcaica.
He is a persona grata in classical circles, but his name is for th~
majority of students associated with certain familiar tags and
phrases which, while bearing eloquent testimony to a unique and
magnetic personality, represent but a tiny selection of precious
stones picked from an almost inexhaustible treasure-house. One
i., tempted to suggest that a little less time might be devoted in
our schools and oollcgc.-3to the composing of V ergilian hexa-
meters and Ovidian elegiacs-essential as this field of Latin
versification undoubtedly is as part of the cla&,ical scholar's
training-and more opportunities afforded for a study of
Horatian lyrics with salutary effect on the cultural development
of our university students. As a sixth form schoolboy my own
acquaintance with Horace was restricted to a few selected odrs :
Sapphic and Alcaic venc as a medium for the individual
expression of my budding Muse was forbidden ground : V ergil
and Ovid were the order of the day and year to the exclusion
of all other Roman poets. This restricted diet could, I now feel,
have been supplemented and enriched by the introduction of at
least one of Horace's metres--let the form master choose-but
the neCC3.ity of adapting the school curriculum to the rigid
requirements of university examinations cannot be ignored and
it is to the universities that we must presumably look for the
required lead. Still too many of our universities-there are
commendable exceptions-give insufficient encouragement to the
undergraduate desiring to deviate from the prescribed coune,
and there is room for an enlarged outlook on the part of those
responsible for the syllabus. An examination paper dealing with
Latin verse composition might justifiably allow the student to
choose his own metrical medium and poetical model (provided
that such medium and model are approved). There are many
English poems which can best be rendered in Sapphic or Alcaic
instead of ·the ubiquitous hexameter or elegiac form : if the
choice is left to the examinee, that very choice might constitute
a weighty factor in the examiner's marking.
5
 Even the erudite scholar may have to confess that he palSC9SCS
little more than a superficial acquaintance with the finer and
more subtle characteristics of Horace's work, which are only to
be discovered and duly appreciated after an intensive study of his
technique and the inner structure and contents of his ode,. I
am hoping that this little book, in which for the first time (as I
believe) the musical as well as the aesthetic aspect, so essential to
a true understanding and appreciation of Horace's poetic art,
has been presented, may be found useful at least in those circles
where Latin versification is cultivated not only for its educative
value but as an art to be pursued for its own sake.
I wish to express my thanks to Prof~or E. J. Wood of the
Clasmcs Department of Leeds University for the wonderful
encouragement he has given me and not least for his careful
scrutiny of the script prior tt> publication. Any faults that remain
are mine alone. I am a1so greatly indebted to a well-known
Birmingham barrister friend for valuable suggestions made
during the writing of the book, and for his collaboration in the
composing of the " student's " as well as the model Sapphic and
Alcaic versions of HCJTick's" Gather Ye Rosebuds."
N.A.B.H.
Stagsden, Bedf«d.
1954-

6
 CHAPTER I. - INTRODUCTORY
Foa the modem reader as well as the composer of Latin Sapphic
and Alcaic verse Horace is the undisputed modd; a brief exam-
ination, therefore, of Horace's claim to have made an original
contribution to Roman poetic literature, and more particularly
to the vocal and instrumental expremon of Roman lyrical verse
will not be out of place by way of an introduction to the main
subject of this book.
Quintus Horatius Flaccus was born in 65 B.c. and died on
November I 7th, 8 B.c. At the age of twenty he went to Athens
as a student at that university. Here he acquired his knowledge
of Greek lyrical poetry and became acquainted with the lyrics
of Sappho and Alcaeus and p06Sibly with those of other Greek
poets (cf. C. IV. ix). He had only been two years at Athens when
his studies were interrupted by the assassination of Julius Caesar
in 44 B.c. and the subse.quent arrival of Brutus in Athens. Horace
joined Brutus' army, which was defeated at Philippi in 42 B.o..
He returned to Rome in 41 s.o. and succeeded in obtaining an
appointment as quaestor's clerk. It was then that he found time
for verse composition. In 39 s.c. he was introduced to Maecenaa,
Octavian's confidential adviser, and he was fortunate in securing
a real friend who was also a patron of the arts. It was Maecenaa
who gave him the Sabine farm where his best work, and in
particular the Odes, was produced. Octavian had become
" master of all things " after his defeat of Antony at the battle
of Actium in 31 B.c. followed by the capture of Alexandria and
the deaths of Antony and Cleopatra. In 27 B.c. the Roman
senate conferred upon him the title of Augustus. An atmosphere
of peace, order and national unity reigned in which lyrical poetry
could well thrive. Horace was indeed fortunate. He lived partly
at Rome and partly at his Sabine farm, making occasional visits
to other places. He enjoyed the friendship of several highly
placed and distinguished men such as Maecenas, Agrippa,
M malla and Pollio. The poets V ergil, Varius and Tibullus were
also friends of his.
In this book we arc concerned only with Horacc's Sapphic
and Alcaic odes. The first three boob of the Carmina. were
published in 23 s.o. The fourth book was written at the request
of Augustus and published circa 13 s.c. The Carmen Saeculare
(a Sapphic hymn also specially composed at Augustus' bidding)
was written in 17 B.C.
7
1.-In his poems Horace claims to have introduced " novel
arts,, to his own native country. In C.I. 26 he refers to "fidca
novae " and " Lcsbio plcctro " (" in measures new with Iabian
quill "}, and in C.III. 1 he says " carmina non prius audit.a . . .
canto ,, (" I sing songs not heard before "). In C.111.30 he
claims to be the first to adapt Greek song to Latin sung verse
(see footnote, p. ·1 1}- " princeps Aeolium cannen ad ltalos
deduxisse modos." He tells Melpomene, the Muse of tragedy,
how he is pointed out by the finger of pmers-by as " the minstrel
of the Roman lyre" (" Romanae fidiccn lyrae ''). Lastly, in
C.IV. 9 he writes: "Non ante vulgatas per artes verba loquor
socianda chord.is " (" I utter words to be wedded to strings by
arts not hitherto revealed "}, and " socianda chordis " surely
means what it says. ·
How far was Horace justified in asserting this claim? A
former Roman poet at once comes to mind as we put the question
-Catullus, who was born circa 87 B.c. and died probably about
53 B.O~ This earlier poet had composed odes based on those of
the Greek lyrical poets. He wrote Sapphic odes (probably about
60 B.c.), though only two and a fragment have been preserved.
One of these, the passionate love-song of three stanZ\S (C. 51)
addressed to Lesbia-the false and fickle Clodia who nearly
broke his heart and probably shortened his life-is ·part of a
poem in the same metre by Sappho herself :
me mi par esse deo videtur,
ille, si fas est, superare divos,
qui scdens adversus identidem te
spectat et audit
duke ridentem, miscro quod omnis ·
eripit scnsus mihi ; ~ simul te,
Lesbia, aspexi, nihil est super mi
[vocis in ore ; ]
lingua sed torpet, tenuis sub artus
flamma demanat, sonitu suopte
tintinnant aures, gemina teguntur
lumina nocte.
(" Godlike mr.thinks is he-and more so,
if that may be-who sitting face to face
with thec--can watch thee smile
and hear thee speak; such rapture wrests
from me my sanity, wretch that I am.
For, Lesbia, no sooner have I seen thee than
8
 my lips are speechless, no words will come,
my tongue is palsied ; down through each limb
there shoots a subtle flame ; my ears
tingle with ringing noises, my eyes
arc veiled with a two-fold darknes.,.,,)
W c cannot imagine Horace writing such impassioned lines to
Chloe ! The diction is really more akin to the language of Greece
than of Rome.
Again, the longer Sapphic ode (Catullus, C. 11) of six stanzas
exhibits a crude metrical structure : such lines as the fallowing
are unmelodious and lack Horace's rhythmical polish and
elegance:
"Seu Sagas sagittiferosque Partbos, sive quae septemgeminus
colorat"
" Gallicum Rhenum homoilesque ultimosque Britannos ,,
" pauca nuntiate meac puellac "
"nullum am.ans vere, sed identidem omnium ilia rumpens,,
{The last example, however, is intentionally rugged with its
sobbing rhythm: we find no parallel in Horace).
It is in his use of the Greek iambic and phalecian metres that
Catullus distinguished himself as a lyric poet: these and his
longer Alexandrine poems, inspired by his study of Callimachus
in particular, entitle him to high rank, along with .Lucretius,
among the Roman poets of the first great period of Latin litera-
ture. But we are not concerned here with the art of other than
Horace.
It is clear that Horace's claim to have been the first to adapt
Greek song to Latin verse cannot be sustained in connexion with
either the Sapphic metre or the Sapphic ode. Catullus forestalled -
him. But the claim does hold good in the case of Alcaic verse,~~
and it is to Alcaeus that Horace refers in Epist. 1.19.3!2 where
he writes " hunc ego, non alio dictum prius ore, Latinus vulgavi
fidicen "-" him I, the Latin minstrel, have made known not
voiced by anyone but me before": if it is to the Alcaic ode
that he refers in C.IV. g as his original contribution to Roman
poetry, and if the other pas.,ages above quoted also refer to
Alcaics, he cannot in connexion with this particular field of
composition be accused of boastful exaggeration.
Apart from the superb artistry that lends so great a distinction
to Horace's odes, he can rightly be credited with having lifted
the metrical structure of the Sapphic and Alcaic stanzas to a
pitch of perfection that entitles them to recognition as new f onns
9
of art. The modifications he introduced into these two metrical
forms will be duly explained in the chapters that follow.
11.-But this is not all : there is the musical aspect to be con-
sidered. Horace during his student days at Athens had doubtless
heard the Greek citharoedists singing the odes of Sappho and
Alcaeus with string accompaniment: what more natural than
that he should wish' to emulate these pcrf ormanccs in his own
native land? When Horace in the Ars Poetica (355) wrote " ut
citharoedus ridetur chorda qui sempcr oberrat eadem," he might
well have been referring to his own early attempts to master the
plectra! technique in his student days at Athens. We possess,
unfortunately, little knowledge of Roman music (apart from the
contribution made by Greek musicians) owing to the paucity of
references in Roman writers and historians. It has even been
contended that Latin verse was not sung but recited in the
speaking voice; that at most a sing-song or inflected monotone
was adopted by the Roman cantor; that the words dicere, can.ere,
cantare, modulari are conventional only and all bear the same
meaning, that of reciting metrical groupings of words with the
requisite accents and rhythm. Yet such evidence as we may elicit
from the Roman poets themselves would seem to contradict this
assumption. Ovid tells us in his 1lristia, IV. 10. 59. that his
elegiacs were sung all over Rome (" totam cantata per urbem ")
and we can hardly imagine public performances of this kind to
have consisted in nothing more than dramatic recitations of verse
in the speaking voice. We know that the old Greek scales and
modes were carried into Italy by the Greek slaves who acted aa
minstrels to the rich dilettanti of Rome ; that these citharoedists
not only sang but accompanied their songs with the lyre, plucking
the strings with the plectrum or quill. What the actual form of
accompaniment was we do not know : it is permissible to con-
jecture that the plucked string coincided with the ictus of each
foot of the verse in order to draw attention to the rhythmical
form. If this was so, it was of little consequence whether the
plectral note " doubled " the voice part or struck a note above
or below the vocal melody. The cultured Roman would not
have been content with a monotonous sing-song after hearing
the lyrical pcrf ormanccs of Greek musicians. However low their
musical standard may have been as compared with that of
Greece, the Romans would now expect something better than the
" male cantare " of earlier reciters. We have reason to believe
that they were averse to sing-song: Quinn1ian quotes Cacw's
gi~ at a cantor who intoned his songs : " Si cantas male cantas ;
10
si lcgis, cantas " (I. 8. 3). There can be little doubt that the man
Horace refers to in his Sermones I. 10. 19 was a singer and not
a reciter (" nil practcr Calvum et doctus cantare Catullum ").
We have evidence that Horace knew something about the Greek
musical modes,1-for in Epod. IX. 51 6 he writes :
" Sonante mixtum tibiis cannen lyra,
hac Dorium, illis barbarum? "
and in C. IV. 15. 30
"Lydis remixto carmine tibiis."
The stern and martial Dorian mode would indeed have suited
the Alcaic ode, and the Hypodorian (or Aeolian) mode would
have been even more suitable. The Lydian mode would have
been eminently appropriate for the singing of a Sapphic hymn
by soprano voices, with or without the tibia or the lyre.
Was Horace able to play the lyre? We have his own testimony
in C. IV. 3: "already:' he says, "I am ]em attacked by Envy's
tooth " (" iam dentc minus mordeor invido "). He continues :
"o testudinis aurcac
dulcem quae strepitum, Pieri, temperas,
o mutis quoque piscibus
donatura cycni, si libeat, sonum
totum muneris hoe tui est,
quod monstror digito praetereuntium
Romanac fidicen lyrae :
quod spiro et placeo, si placco, tuum est.'
(" 0 Pierian Muse that dost modulate the sweet sounds of the
golden shell, 0 thou who could'st impart to dumb fishes the song
of the swan, did'st thou so desire, this is all thy gift that I am
pointed out by the finger of passers-by as the minstrel of the
Roman lyre : that I am inspired and give pleasure, if pleasure I
do give, is thy gift.")
In C. I. 32 Horace sings to his harp : " age die Latinum,
barbite, cannen," and again we must quote " verba loquor
socianda chordis." He not only wrote his lyrics but also taught
his chorus to sing them. W c see him in the capacity of choir-
master instructing " virgines puerique " to watch the snap of his
thumb as he conducts the musical performance of a Sapphic
hymn (" Lesbium servatc pedem meique pollicis ictum "-C. IV.
6. 35). We know that the Sapphic Carmen Saeculare was sung
1Horace fre~ently di1tin_gui1hes" modi .. (melodies) from " numeri "
(measures): cf. Epiat. I. ill. 12, 13 and II. ii. 14S; C. III. ix. 10; IV. xi. S4.
tn C. III. m, " modos " mean, sunf vene, as in GrHea.
11
in the streets of Rome and we are justified in believing that
Horace arranged for previously composed Sapphic hymns to be
sung by "virgines puerique" under his control and instruction.
He would not have been so foo&h as to risk a reprimand from
his Emperor-to say nothing of Maecenas and other high
Government officials who were present-by experimenting for
the first time with a sung Sapphic on so important a State
occasion. Moreover, it is evident to a musician who has closely
studied the form and verbal structure of Horace's lyrics, especi-
ally the Sapphic, Alcaic and Asclepiad metrics, that Horace
possessed a critical ear, that he aimed at a euphony of syllable
and sound unsurpassed in the whole of the Roman classical age
of literature. No wonder Ovid in his days of exile is impelled to
bear such eloquent testimony to his experience of Horace's poetic
and musical art when he writes in Tristia, IV. 10. 49: "et tenuit
nostras numerosus Horatius aures, dum ferit Ausonia cannina
culta lyra." Those who would place a figurative interpretation
upon these words must bear the onus of proving their case : the
statement is that of a rival poet who might very pardonably have
envied Horace's more fortunate position.

III.-In Horace we see a real Roman artist tempering the

subtlety and metrical foffllS of his Greek masters with the more
masculine characteristics of his race. He imparted Roman dignity
and terseness of diction to his lyrics combined with a rhythmical
petfection and verbal finish that perished with him. But Horace
the artist lives on in every civilised country of the modem world,
for not only has he bequeathed to posterity his imperishable
odes but he has a message of permanent value for every succeed-
ing age. His own prophecy has indeed been fulfilled : " non
omnis moriar, multaque pars mei vitabit Llbitinam: usque ego
postera crescam laude recens " (C. III. 30).
It is not known how the musical melodies brought to Rome
by Greek slaves were adapted to Roman words in the chanting
of Sapphic and Alcaic lines and stanzas. One can only surmise
what a musician in those days would do. If, as we have a right to
assume, Horace was sufficiently acquainted with Greek music and
its association with Greek lyrical verse to be able to adapt it to
his modified edition of Sapphics and Alcaics, what process could
he have employed for this purpose? The Greeks had the great
advantage of their verbal accents (grave, acute and circumflex)
which influenced the pitch-changes of the melody. Latin has no
pitch-accents and the only resource available for determining or
12
even suggesting the pitch-changes would be in the grouping of
feel. The iambus (u -), for instance, indicates a rising inflexion
at the long syllable; the trochee (- ..,) a fall at the short syllabic;
the dactyl (- u o) a fall at the two short syllables and the anapaest
(o o -) a corresponding rise. The spondee (- -) is neutral and
therefore may offer either a rise or fall or a lcvd pitch with ·
neither rise nor fall. These pitch-changes ref er to the process of
reciting a verse, that is, the up and down inflexions of the speak-
ing voice. It is but a short step from speaking to intoning and
from intoning to singing. Horace would only have had to press
the metrical feet into the service of melodic composition ; in
short, to have harnessed the words to the Dorian or the Lydian
mode in accordance with the rise and fall of the succes.,ive feet.
He would not have had to conform too rigidly to the pitch-
changes indicated by the various feet, but he could reduce to a
minimum the discrepancies existing between the beats and the
accented syllables, he could make these beats and accents coincide
as far as possible. That he did so in the case of his Alcaic metri-
cal system seems borne out by a close examination of the inner
texture of the verse elements and stanzas. In the case of h.ia
Sapphic metrical system the internal evidence is less conclusive,
but it is by no means wanting. Indeed the mating of modal
music to Latin words provides a most valuable clue to the method
Horace adopted in perfecting his metrical schemes. Surely this
is what he means by the reference to ltali modi? The musical
settings given in Figs. 1 and !2 and referred to in Chapters II and
III may help to indicate to the student the method by which
Latin metrical feet can be melodically exprcsscd.1
IV.-A question of 800le importance in connexion with the
recitation and musical rendering of Latin verse is the manner
in which elided syllables were enunciated. It has been suggested
that the elided vowel was not completely ignored in reading but
lightly touched. We are justified in believing that elision did not
affect the time taken to recite the verse (or need not have done
so) ; if it did, why did Horace avoid a hiatus between one verse
and the next of a stanza? It is not improbable that only the
least wanted vou,el was omitted, the consonants being preserved,
thus:
(1) faller(e) et effuger(e) est triumphus
(2) Fortuna saevo laeta negotio (e)t
1 It is hardly neceuary to point out that the oompoaer of 1~ vene doea
not need a muaical ear 10 long a, he pouesaet the faculty of phonetic du-
crimination.
13
 (3) cum flore, Maeccnas,rosarum(c)t
(4) scu rix(a)m et insan.mamorcs
(5) nuptiar{u)m expers et adhuc protcrvo
(6) dona praescntis cape laetus horac (a)c
(7) Antioch(um) (H)annibalemque clirum
(8) qucm si pucllar(u)m imereres choro
(9) numqu(am) umeris positurusarcum
(10) in maius; id(e)m odcrc vires
( 1 1) dcrcpta vidi; vidi ego civium : here the " i " of the
second " vidi " would be pronounced as a consonant,
" vidyego." " Flagitio additis " (C. III. v. i6) may have
demanded a very rapid touch on -o as an en passanl
sound in deference to" additis."
There arc two exceptional cases in the odes which require
special attention. These arc :-
(a) " hinc omne principium, hue refer exitum " (C. III. vi. 6)
and (b) "vos lene consilium et datis et dato" (C. III. iv. 41).
"Principium, hue" may have been pronounced either princi-
J,:,uc (three syllables) or principi:,uc. "Consilium et datis"
seems to require the preservation of the more important final
syllable of " eonsilium " and would therefore be pronounced
consilyumt. We cannot be sure whether Horace intended the
second and third syllables of these two words to be recited as two
consecutive shorts, thus dividing the usual " longa " into two
" breves " in imitation of the Greek poets, or the second -i to
be treated as a consonant, thus lengthening the first -i in accord-
ance with prosodical law. In support of the latter view, held
by the majority of scholars, we may quote "Nasidieni" in
Sennones II. viii. 1 which cannot be scanned unlam the second
-i is treated as a consonant.
Horace did not introduce elision into his odes so freely as in his
hexameters since the clipping of syllables, so common in Latin
colloquial spcech,a. could easily have been a hindrance to the
rhythmical effect and flow of chanted vene. If elegiacs were
f!Ung on special occasions, we can understand why elision was
introduced with due discretion in this metre also. Verse recited
in the speaking voice would admit of a far higher percentage
of elided syllables, as in Vergil's hexameters.
1 In Sermones 11. 2. 28 we find a hexameter ending with u cocto aum
adest honor idem?., Was num pronounced or was it elided before adest?
It seem1 more probable that the fint letter of adest was clipped off and the
two words recited as "numdest." If so, my theory finds 1Upport from this
example.
14
 PROSODICAL DEFINITIONS
A Verse or verse-line is a line of words composed of a certain
number of feet.
A Foot consists of two or more syllables.
A Stanz,a consists of a certain number of verses.
M dre is a system or scheme of versification.
A Sense-pauseis the end of a sentence marked by strong punctua-
tion such as a full-stop, colon, semicolon or question mark.
An End-stop is a full-stop, colon, semicolon or question mark at
the end of a verse or a stama.
A Breakindicates the place in a metrical sequence of feet where
a word ends. It may occur either within or at the end of a
foot.
A Caesura is the place withirr.a foot where a word ends. Its
object is to divide a verse into two elements.
Diaeresisoccurs when two or more words in succe&'lloncoincide
with the feet instead of cutting across them.
A Hiatus.occurs when the last syllable of a verse ends with a
vowel or ""ffi and is not allowed to elide before the first word
of the f o!}owing verse which begins with a vowel.
Synaphea prevents a hiatus by adding an extra {hypennetric)
syllable to the last word of a verse so that it may elide with
the first word of the following verse (which begins with a
vowel) without altering the length of the former as scanned.
Another form of Synaphea is that which divides a word
between the end of one verse and the beginning of the next.
Note.-All references to punctuation are based upon the Oxford
Edition ( 1947) of Horace's Opera, but in any case
punctuation is determined by the seme and its corttct
translation.

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 CHAPTERII. THE SAPPHIC ODE
"Reddi.di carmen. docilis modorum vtJtis HOf'ati"-(C. IV. 6.)
Tm Sapphic or more correctly the First or Lesser Sapphic stanza
consists of four verses, the first three being the same in metre and
the fourth a short one known as the Adonius. The scheme is as
follows:-

vv. 1,2,3:

v. 4: .1....,v I-'-~.
The strong caesura occurs after the first syllable of the third
foot as indicated by the double bar. The rhythm is clearly shown
in Fig. 1 which gives a musical settiogt of stanzas 8 and 9 of
Horace's Carme11J Saeculare. In stanza 8 the strong caesura
occurs in all three verses, while in stanza 9 the third verse has a
weak (or feminine) caesura,thus:
-ul--1-vn ul-u I--
which occurs after the sixth syllable instead of the more usual
fifth. This ~as re-introduced not only as a welcome variation
in the rhythmical flow of the verse but was also able to provide
a change of direction in the melodic sequence of notes, as is
clearly indicated in the musical setting of Fig. 1. Note how the
succession of feet compels the tune to descend from the first note
to the cadence of each verse of Fig. IA, while the third verse of
. Fig. 1B stanza is able to ascend at the fifth note and so introduce
a more cheerful atmosphere. Horace evidently realised the need
of this change in order to counteract the somewhat lugubrious
and depressing tendency of the nonnal Sapphic quatrain, and we
find him making much greater use of the weak caesura in his
later work, while the C armm Saeculare contains no lt'!SS than
nineteen such vcr.;c,--a third of the total number of venes.
An ode celebrating the Ludi Tarentini to be sung by a
choir of twenty-seven boys and twenty-seven girls in the streets
of Rome would need to be set to a more rousing melody than
that dictated by the more normal Sapphic rhythm. It has also
been suggested that since the strong caesura tends to produce a
regular rhythm cutting across the quantitative rhythm, Horace
16
fclt it to be a stumbling-block to children singing a hymn, unuacd
as they would be to quantity rather than accent as dominating
speech.
Apart from thcac considerations the weak caesura enabled the
composer to introduce an antibacchic trisyllable (- - v) without
the necessity of eliding its final syllable at the strong caesural
point as, for example, in C. II. 4. 10, Thessalo victore et ademp-
tus Hector. (See under section Caesura (a) for other examples.)
It must be clearly understood that the musical example of
Fig. 1, as also that of Fig. 2, does not claim to represent the
actual melodies sung in Horace,s time. No Roman examples
have been handed down to us. The tunes given are designed to
illustrate the general effect produced by the ode as a whole when
sung to a melody which conforms to the metrical system. The
melody of Fig. 1 is written in the Greek (not the ecclesiastical)
Hypennixolydian mode or tropos, while that of Fig. 2 is in the
Greek Hypodorian mode. Modem key signatures and notation
are employed to enable the musical reader to play the tunes on
the piano or the organ, while the harmonised accompaniment is
added with the object of presenting a fuller expression of the
modal atm~here.
Horace's scheme diffen from that of Catullus in that ( 1) the
fourth syllable of the venc is always long, that is, the second loot
is a spondee instead of a trochee ; (2) the caesura is either at the
fifth syllable (strong) or at the sixth (weak), thus dividing the
verse into two balanced elements consisting of 6 + 5 or 5 ·+ 6
syllables. Polysyllabic words such as "sagittifcros," "septcm-
geminus,""practereunte,, are therefore inadmissible in Horace's
scheme for the first three verses since they would throw the
metrical structure and rhythm into confusion. The strong caesura
was standardised in order to preserve the normal balance of the
rhythmic line, the weak caesura being occasionally introduced
in the interests of rhythmic and melodic variety, as already
pointed out. The placing of the strong caesura also affects the
pitch-accent of the initial syllable of the second half of the
verse, enabling the cantor to impart a minor stress-beat to that
syllable (see the smaller sized accent mark in the metrical scheme
indicating this particular stress). A rise in pitch could, if thought
dmrable, be made at this point as shown in the first and third
verses of the musical setting in Fig. JA. If, instead of being sung,
the verses were recited or intoned with pitch-inflexions, the same
principles would be observed, the voice rising and falling in
accordance with the metrical scheme. A large proportion of
17
Horace's Sapphic stanias consists of non-stop lines, the object
being to make them more tractable when sung by a choir of bo}'B
and girls (see c,pecially C. IV. 6 and in particular !Jtanzas 9
and 10).
The com~g e>fSapphics is subject to certain rules which
should be complied with as far as pc:mible. Although rules are
made to be broken by the genius (and only so in exceptional
cases),their normal o~nce is essential if Horace is to be the
model.
1. 'Caesura. (a) It will be seen that the first three versesof the
quatrain consists of the following five feet in succession : trochee,
spondee, dactyl, trochee, spondee or trochee, with the caesura
introduced at the third foot either after the first or the second
syllable of that foot. (" Caesura " means " cutting " and may be
regarded as dividing a verse into two parts or elements.) A strong
caesura divides a foot after a long syllable, while a weak caesura
divides it immediately after a short syllable. In the following
example (C. I. 10, stanu 2) we find a weak caesura introduced
in the second verse :
Te canam, magni 11 Iovis et deorum
nuntium cuivaequc II lyrae parentem,
callidum quicquid II placuit i0C080
q:,nderc furto.
The caesura is never introduced by Horace at any other than
these two points in the verse : no elision is allowed at the weak
cae,ural point. 1 Horace elides the strong caesural syllable four
times only, in C. II. 4. 10; 16. 26; C. III. 27. 10 and C. IVi. 11.
27 (" Pegasusterre~umiequiJemgravatus'").
(b) Dianiesis(or foot separation) must be avoided in choosing
words for the first haH of the verse-line where a strong caesura
is used: that is, the opening words must not coincide with the
feet. Thus, two consecutive c:iwyllablessuch as "saepel magnaml
f.e ,, are forbidden, the correct sequence being " saepe te mag-
nam." It is worth noting also that Horace never begins a line
with (a) a word of four or five syllables or (b) al dissyllable
followed by two monosyllables (" saepel te .silquis "). All other
verbal sequences arc allowable in the first element.
(c) Where a weak caesura ocCUIS,the final word of the first
element is usually an antibacchic trisyllable (d. "curvaequc ,,
above): this may be preceded by either another trisyllable (e.g.
t E.g. •te canam ,,stvdin,, omic,,dvl~i ,, is not permiuible.
18
" nuntium curvaeque ,,) ,or by two word&-a monosyllable fol-
lowed by a dissyllablc or vice versa :
e.g. " jussa pars mutare "
" jam mari terraque ,,
A quadrisyllable preceded by a clissyllable is also permissible and
five examples occur in the Carmen Saeculare which begins with
" Phoebe silvarumque 11po tens Diana."
A rare and not to be encouraged instance of a dmsyllablc at the
critical point is found in C. IV. 11, 29: "scmpcr ut te digna II
scquarc et ultra." 1 Students arc advised to keep to the trisyllable
or quadrisyllable.
(tl) It may be asked how often in a Sapphic ode the weak
caesura should be introduced. In the opinion of most scholars it
should be found at least once in a complete ode comprising not
less than four stanzas. Apart from this convention (if such it may
be called), since the weak caesura imparts to the verse a sense
of haste or of buoyancy, its introduction can be intentional with
this particular effect in mind. A good instance occurs in the 14th
,tann of the 'Carmen Saeculare, in which all three verses have
the weak caesura :
jam mari terraque manus potentcs
Medus Albanasque timet secures,
iam Scythae rcsponsa petunt superbi
nuper et Indi.
One can picture the bard,s chest swelling with patriotic pride
and exultation. Many other examples can be cited :
fcrvct immensusquc ruit profundo
Pindarus ore.
(C. IV. t, 7).
tcrque, dum procedis, " io Triumphc ! "
non semel diccmus, " io Triumphc ! "
(ibid. 49)
On the other hand there arc not more than six instances of the
weak caesura in the first book of the odes, and only one occun in
the second book. C. I. 12, with fifteen stanzas, C. III. 11, with
thirteen and C. III. 27, with nineteen stanzas contain no weak
caesura. Nevertheless, the general consensus of opinion among
scholara is in favour of the introduction of this variation in due
proportion to the number of verses. It must be remembered that
1 So, too, Catullu,: " ille mi par eaaedeo videtur.''
19
Horace wrote the first three books of the odes before 23 B.c.
when he was forty-two years old, some of the odes were composed
as early as 30 B.c. The fourth book was written much later and
the Carmen Saeculare in 17 B.c. at Augustus' special request. It
is unlikely that every Sapphic ode was intended to be sung, for
example the philosophic ode C. II. 10, 1 but it seems certain that
Horace realised the importance of wedding words to music in his
later work. A careful scrutiny of his Sapphics tends to confirm
this supposition.

2. The Adonius or fourth line, though called a verse in its own

right, really fonns an integral part of the third verse, and no
break should be introduced between the last word of the third
verse and the Adonius. The metre consists of two feet, a dactyl
followed by a spondee or trochee. Elision should be avoided in
this final line, the sole instance in Horace being found in C. II. 16
-" neque auro "-where " neque " could be " nee." This ode
also affords an example of the third verse being carried on to the
Adonius in the middle of a word, the word being completed in
the first foot of the Adonius:
Grosphe, non gemmis neque purpura venale neque auro
(C. II. 16, 7)
There are two more examples in C. I. 2, 19 and C. I. 25, 11,
respectively :
labitur ripa, love non probante, ux-
orius arnnis
and Thracio bacchante magis sub inter-
lunia vento.
In C. IV. 6, 1 1 a preposition is separated from its noun :
procidit late posuitque collum in
pulvere Teucro.
(The cantor would sing " coll(u)m in.)
Another example is found in C. III. 8, 3 :
plena miraris positusque carbo in
caespite vivo.
3. Hiatus. Though there are exceptions to the rule, there should
be no hiatus between the last syllable of one verse and the first
syllable of the succeeding verse in t Iresame stanza; that is, if the
1
The one and only case where the Adonius is split up to provide the break
between two contiguo111clawes.
20
last word of a venc ends with a vowel or with -m, the following
verse should begin with a consonant so as to avoid elision.
Horacc's earlier work contains exceptions, but in any case a
hiatus should be justified. For example, in C. III. 11, 29 the
first verse of the eighth stanza ends the sentence begun in the
previous f'taDm :
quae manent culpas etiam sub Oreo.
impiae-nam quid potuere maius ?-
impiae sponsos potuere duro
perdere ferro.
Here the hiatus is justified by the repetition of ' impiae " and the
pause at " Oreo.,, But the hiatus is sometimes avoided by means
of an extra syllable tacked on to the final word of the verse which
can be elided before the first word of the next verse : this is
known as synaphea: examples--
(a) mugiunt vaccae, tibi tollit kinnitum
apJa quadrigis equa, to bis Afro (C. II. 16, 34)
(b) dissidens plebi numero beatorum
eximit Virtus, etc. (C. II. 2, 18)
(c) plorat et vires animumque moresque
aUf'et>seducit in astra ·nigroque
invidet Oreo. (C. IV. 2, 22)
In example (b) the clipping of "beator(um)" vividly expresses
the closing of Virtue's gate to Phraates. "Hinnitum" in (a)
suggests the mare's prolonging neighing. In (c) the chain of
conjunctions would be grammatically required.
4. Enjambment of Stan,zt#sl and Sense-pausin·g.Since the Sap-
phic is the classic hymn metre, the stanzas are frequently self-
oontained and end with a full-stop or a colon. There is no hard
and fast rule to be observed since examples of both end-stopped
and enjambed stanzas are found in Horace. Out of a total of
179 Sapphic stanzas 105 are end-stopped (the final stanza of an
ode is obviously end-stopped and so is not included in thC'JIC
figures). This leaves 74 stanzas not ending with a full-stop, colon
or question mark: 41 have no stop but run on to the next stann..
Nine of the odes have no sense-pause inside the verses of the
stanzas, and C. IV. 2 with its 15 stanzas has but one single case.
The Carmen.Saeculare has none (a commendable feature in a
.sung ode). The only verse-lines (apart from the Adonius) that
may be end-stopped are the fint and second, though out of a
total of 385 verse-lines there arc not more than some 30 examplm ·
21
in Horace's Sapphic odes. The student is therefore advised to
aim as far as possible at bringing his main sentences to an end
either at a word within one of the first three verse-lines of a stanza
or else at the last word of the Adonius. (See "Notes to Com-
posers" at the end of this chapter).
5. Parenth11,es.A parenthetical clause should not be introduced
without good reason since it tends to break up the rhythm if it
demands a pause in the melodic flow in order to be recognisable
as such. Only three examples occur in Horacc's Sapphics, viz.
C. III. 11 (two beginning with "nam "), and C. IV. 11 (one
beginning with " enim ").
6. Length of Ode. The shortest ode consists of two stanzas.
There are three such in the odes : C. I. 30 and 38 and C. III. 22.
The longest has nineteen stanzas. There is no ruling as to length,
which is obviously determined by the subject-matter.
7. Rhyming. Horace indulged in rhyme-endings and these
should be introduced in at least one of the Sapphic stanzas. The
rhymed syllables may occur both within and at the end of verses.
A few examples of both kinds will suffice :
(a) Within the verse1 :
displicent nexae philyra coronae (C. I. 38)
contrahes vento nimium secundo (C. II. 10)
servit Hispanae vetus hostis orae (C. III. 8)
est mihi nonum superantis annum (C. IV. 11)
Phylli, nectendilf apium coronis (ditto)
These arc all "concords," that is, adjectives and their nouns in
agreement, a device which is so frequently employed in the
pentameter verse of an elegiac couplet and is indeed regarded by
many scholars as an essential feature in that particular metre.
(b) Examples of verse endings:
vidimus flavum Tiberim retortu
litore Etrusco violenter undis (C. I. 2)
proeliis audax, neque te silebo,
Liber, et saevis inimica Virgo
beluis, nee te, metuende certa
Phoebe sagitta. (C. I. 12)
laeta quod pubes hedera virenti
gaudeat pulla magis atque myrto,
aridas frondes hiemis sodali
dedicet Hebro. (C. I. 25)
1 See Appendix II for a rynopm and 1ummary of such concorda.
22
 cxpcdit matris cincres opcrtos
fallae et toto tacituma noctis
signa cum caelo gclidaque divas
morte carentiJ. (C. II. 8)
multa, qua crinis rcligata fulges;
ridet argento domus ; ara castis
vincta verbenis avet immolato
spargier agno. . .• C. IV. 1 1}
There are 56 cases in the Sapphic odes of a noun and its
epithet placed respectively at the end of verses 3 and 4 as shown
in the last example (C. IV. II): 27 of these are rhymed concords,.
excluding such cases of nearly rhymed concords as-
acer ea Mauri peditis cruentum
vultus in hostem. (C. I.~)
It should be noted that the noun is usually placed in the Adonius,
the rhymed epithet ending the p.receding verse, scansion per-
mitting.
8. The right clr.oiceof m,etrefor the expression of a given theme
is of no little importance. The Sapphic ode is primarily a senti-
mental lyric and is not the best medium for philosophic argu-
mentation. The odes of C. I. 2 ( especially the first six stan7.a8),
C. II. 2 and C. II. 1o are not strictly true to type, but these are
the only exceptions. We cannot doubt that Horace passed
through the usual process of mental and technical development
that all great artists experience(" operosa parvus carmina fingo ')
and that his later work exhibited a deeper appreciation of the
distinctive character of such Greek metrical systems as he selected
for his purpose. His most inspired Sapphics are pitched in a
lighter and more homely key and reveal a curiosa f elicitas of
expres.,ion and technique acquired from the cumulative experi-
ence of earlier efforts. Moreover, they conform to the musical
requirements of the sung lyric, while some of the earlier examples
would have unduly taxed the ingenuity of the cantor.
NOTES TO COMPOSERS OF SAPPHICS.
1. Since the Sapphic is the Roman classic hymn metre, en-
jambed stan:zas are not essential ; but enjambment is not by
any means forbidden and in a lengthy ode is desirable in
order to relieve the monotony of a succession of end-stopped
quatrains.
2. Concords, rhymed and unrhymed, occur in both Catullus"
and Horace's Sapphics (intentional or otherwise). Provided
23
 they are not f orccd, they undoubtedly embellish an ode and
should be artistically introduced.
3. Varicty of syllabic distribution in the word grouping should
not be neglected.
4. The first element of a verse must not consmt of words co-
inciding with the metrical feet.
5. ,Hiatus between the verses of a stanza should be avoided.
Synaphea should only be introduced when it serves a very
definite purpose.
6. A weak caesura should be introduted at least once in an
ode consisting of more than three stanzas. (The case is
different if a composer publishes a number of Sapphic odes
in volume form : some of these might well consist entirely
of strong caesura verses as in Horace's earlier work).
7. Main sentence, should, as far as poaible, be brought to an
end either (a) at the last word of the Adonius, or (b) at a
word within one of the three verse-lines of the stanza, or (c)
at the end of the first or second verse-line (never at the end
of the third). (a) and (b) are the best places, though (c) is not
disallowed provided it is introduced as an occasional
variation.
8. For the choice of vocabulary sec the Notes for composers of
Alcaics.

.
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 CHAPTERIII. THE ALCAIC ODE.
cc Mecum Diof&IUo sub antro
qua.eremodos levioreplectro "-(C. II. 1)
Tm Alcaic stanza or quatrain consists of four verses, the metrical
schcme 1 is as follows :-
1 The arrangement of vv. 1 and 2 is due to my brother, the late W .
.Bonavia-Hunt.

vv. 1, a:

V. 3:

v. 4:

This is set to music in Fig. 2, about which the same :remarks

apply as in the case of Fig. 1. The stringed accompaniment
would coincide with the accented notes, the plectrum being used
for this purpose. The small notes are added in case it is demcd
to play the tune over on the piano or organ. Strictly speaking,
the melody is determined by the feet : rising with the iambus
and anapaest and falling with the trochee. The spondee being
neutral in its effect on pitch variation, as well as on accent {which
can fall on either syllable) offers the melodist an opportunity of
making the note-sequence singable as well as shapely. Since the
first note of a melodic composition was by ancient tradition sung
unaccompanied, though there might be an anacrutic note struck
immediately before it on the lyre to give the de.sired cue to the
cantor, the accent could coincide with the second syllable as in
this case.
Horace's task was that of adapting Latin metrical feet to the
melodic requirements of the singing voice and of producing a
unified and well-balanced structure worthy of the moral and
patriotic themes to which the Alcaic quatrain was specially
appropriate. The rise and fall of the voice would have to be
artistically determined by the metrical sequence of words : the
iambic feet with the anapaest in the fint two verses made pamiblc
25
an ascent at thoee sections where the ascent was imperative and
would at the same time allow, when dmred, a fall at the end of
the line. The third verse introduces the critical stage of the
melody since it is followed by an all-descending fourth verse : it
accordingly permits of a rising sequence and leads naturally to
the final verse. The metrical scheme is amply borne out by
C. II. 3, especially the final staou which demands this treatment
if a disastrous tug-of-war between words ad music is to be
avoided.
Those who advocate the adoption of a trochaic metrical
scheme are obliged to make the opening syllable of the first three
verses an " anacrusis" so as to start the " verse proper " with a
trochee. Thus-
vv. 1, 2 - I - V I - - II -- u u I - u i -
v. 3 -l-ul--1-ul--
The objections to this scheme arc many and serious, the chief
ones being (a) the descending sequence which Horace, would
never have countenanced since it would have been incompattole
with both vocal and stringed accompaniment ; (b) the fact that
its adoption by Horace would have compelled him to commit the
crime of introducing diaereses or word sequences coinciding with
the feet, e.g.-
hie I unde I vitam I sumeret I inscius
. (C. III. 5, 37)
and there arc no less than sixty-six examples of this word
sequence in the Alcaic odes. But (c) the term "anacrusis" is
es,entially extra metrum and more properly an instrumental.
expedient (which the Greeb employed prior to the start of a
melody and appears to have been copied by the Romans who
tenned it " sublatio "). It never forms an integral part of the
metrical scheme but is added as a preliminary gesture or pre-
fatory device. The anacrutic half-foot prefixed by Sophocles to
some of the verses of his choruses (e.g. Oedipus Tyrannus, 154,
162; Tlrachiniae,641, 1005) is an irregular extra-normal device
suddenly introduced to give the emotional effect desired: this is
very different from the deliberate introduction of an anacrutic
half-foot to crystallise a rigid metrical scheme never to be
departed from by the versifier.
Horace adapted Alcaeus' scheme to Latin measures by ( 1)
making the first foot of the first three verses a spondce-out of a
total of 634 such verses only 18 start with a short syllablrr--(2)
26
dividing the first and second verses into their two elements by
introducing a regular caesural cut at their fifth syllable, a rule
he broke only three times, and (3) making the fifth syllable of·
each of the first three verses long.
As in the case of Sapphics, the composer of Alcaic verse must
be guided by certain canons essential to artistic results.

I. Prosodical rules.
( 1) The first two verses are repeated and are subject to the
:same rules. The caesura must always occur at the third foot and
after the fifth syllable. Three exceptions are found in the odes>
namely in C. I. 37,.5 and 14 :
"antehac nefas depromere Caecubum"
" mentemque lymphatam Mareotico"
and C. IV. 14, 17:
" spectandus in ccrtamine Martio."
Horace is not averse to an elided syllable at the caesura.I point :
e.g. "jam clarus occultum Andromedae pater" (C. III. 29, 17).
There are twenty-five examples in the odes, seven in C. I, eight
in C. II, ten in C. III, none in C. IV. Such an elision should,
however, be introduced with due discretion.
(~) As in the case of Sapphics the opening words must not
C(>Ulcidcwith the feet : such a sequence as " idem. I viget I flos "
is forbidden. True, we find " antehac nefas " in Horace's verse
quoted above, but it is not to be copied even though some excuse
may possibly be found for a trisyllable in synizesisas the opening
word. Monosyllables are far safer in that they split up the feet,
but they must not be allowed to exceed the artistic limit of
harmonic proportion. A verse opening like " est ut viro vir "
(C. III. 1) or " te, Liber, et si " (C. Ill. 21) is quite unobjection-
able provided other verses in the same ode are not thus started.
Five-syllabled words are meritorious, such as "praegestientes,"
"oblivioso," "desiderantem," "fastidiosust "incontinentis,"
which Horace uses to begin the first verse, and "formidolosus,"
" tumultuosum," " insanientem,U " sentcntiarum,,, " dissenti•
entes," beginning the second verse. Horace only three times
starts a verse with a quadrisyllable.
In the selection of words to fonn a verse regard should be had
10 variety_ of ~llabic distribution. See how Horace achieves this
in all his Alca1c odes. The latter half or clement of the first and
:second verse should exhibit this same verbal variation :
27
 Pallaclis aegida 3 3
mole ruit sua 2 2 2
non ego te meis 1 2 1 2
ut premercr sacra 1 3 2
die age tibia I 2 3
notus et integrae 2 1 3
nom.inis et togae 3 1 2
conveniet lyrae 4 2
lite relinquerct 2 4
dum sapientiac 1 5
condicionibus 6
5 + 1 occurs only in C. IV.. 9, 1 (interitura quae) and 1 + 3
+ 1 + 1 in C. II. 11, 13 (vd platanus vd hac).
The novice should resist the lure of three consecutive dis-
syllables which appear to come the most readily of all the
sequences and produce a fussy effect if unduly repeated in the
same ode. In no circumstances should such a sequence be allowed
to end two consecutive verses. The same caveat applies to two
trisyllables. The best and surest safeguard against such repetition
is to introduce as much variety as pamble, as Horace did.
(3) The third vcne may be arranged to break at the same
caesura! point as its two predecessors, but in his later work
Horace made this an exception rather than the rule, preferring
to avoid a repetition of this particular break at the third foot in
three consecutive lines. Thus, a verse consisting of a word se-
quence such as " versa.re glebas I et severae " is best allowed
only once in an ode (unless the number of stanzas is sufficiently
great to justify two such sequences). Nor should two consecutive
dissyllables be employed at the end of this verse, such as " cantarc
rivos I atque truncis,, unltss they enable a sequence of repeated
words (cpanalepsis) to be introduced for a special effect as we
find in C. II. 13: "Alcaee, plectro dura navis,
dura fugae mala~ dura belli."
The same objection holds good against a quadrisyllabic ending,
though it may be justified when introduced for special effect.
There arc only three examples in the odes : " rcgumque matff11
barbarorum ,, (C. I. 35, 11 ), " ab insolenti tcmperatam " (C. II.
3, 3) and "nodo coerces viperino" (C. II. 19, 19). Not a single
instance occurs in C. III. and IV. There is no case of a tri-
syllable with an enclitic ending this line, e.g. " invidumque."
The most euphonious effect is that produced by three con-
secutive trisyllablea, such as " dircpta Parthorum superbis," or a
28
trisyllable, quadrisyllable and dissyllable, such u " iniccit
emovitque culpas/' though the opening trisyllable may be ex-
changed for a monosyllable plus a dissyllable, or vice versa. An
excellent variation is made by employing a five or six syllable
word in the middle of the line, e.g.-
dulcem elaborabunt saporcm (C. III. 1, 1g)
non decoloravere cacdes (C. II. 1, 35).
A short worded sequence is not as effective as the above examples,
but as a variation it is quite justifiable, such as-
ceu flamma per taedas vel Eurus (C. IV. 4, 43)
or per damna, per caedes, ah ipso (C. IV. 4, 59).
There is only one instance of a break at the fourth syllable, viz.
C. I. 26, 11: hunc Lesbio sacrare plcctro. This should · be
avoided. In C. II. 3, 27 we find sors exitura et nos in aetem~
in which the elided fifth syllable might appear to produce a
similar effect ; but the elision really shifts the break to the fifth
syllable, namely at "et." 1
The thiro verse should run on to the fourth as of ten as
possible ; a sense-pause in the third verse should not be introduced
without the sentence following it being carried on to the end of
the stanza or into the next stanza. The most suitable sense-pause
in the third verse-is after the sixth syllable, e.g.-
ungucnta de conchis. quis udo
deproperare apio coronas
curatve myrto?
(C. II. 7, ~3)
A sense-pause or stop at the second or third syllable should
normally be followed by a conjunction unless it separates two
interrogative clause.s as in C. I. 35, st. 9 or permits an epanalepsis
as in C. III. 1, st. 8, and III. 4, st. 15.
(4) The fourth and final verse should never start with two
succcs.,ive trisyllables, that is, two dactylic words, since this
introduces a diaeresis. A line such as "optima praebuit ipse
dona " is imp~ible ; in fact, there is only one case in the
odes of successive breaks occurring at the third and sixth syl-
lables, namely in C. III. 3, 64: "conjuge I me Iovis I et sorore."
The break is usually at the fourth syllable, and Horace was
especially fond of a quadrisyllabic opening, e.g. " impavidum
1 C. 11. 7, 19 provides the 10le example of a monosyllable at the end of
the third vene : " depone sub Iauru mea, nee.,. A monosyllable, preceded
by a vowel or m elided before it, i■ allowed, e.g. " deorum et!' ·
29
fcricnt ruinae " (C. III. 3, 8) ; but better still sounds a rhyming
concord such as in the following :-
virginea domitus sagitta (C. III. 4)
Hesperiae mala luctuosae (C. III. 6)
compositis vencrantur armis (C. IV. 14)
Needless to add, a six syllable word such as " detcrioribus " a
never employed to start this verse. A five syllable word occurs in
C. II. 3, "interiore nota Falerni" and in C. IV. 9, "Stesichorive
graves Camenae " : in C. I. 9 we find " o Thaliarche, merum
diota." There are only four such cases in the odes. Thm break
at the sixth syllable sometimes occurs after a previous one at the
fourth, as in C. IV·. 4, " cgit amor I dapis I atque pugnae " : in
C. IV. 9 "noctc, carent I quia] vatc sacro" and C. IV. 15 "vcla
darem. I tua, I Caesar, aetas." More usually the verse opens with
a quadrisyllable or a monosyllable plus a trisyllable :
"explicuit I sua I victor anna" (C. IV. 9)
'~ dum rediens I fugat I astra Phoebus " (C. III. 2 I)
a trisyllable fallowing a monosyllable at the end of this sequence
only occurs once in the odes :
"sperne puer I neque I tu choreas" (C. I. 9)
The most frequent fourth verse sequence is
-uv-lluv-\.11--
that is, a break at the fourth syllable followed by a quadri-
syllable and a dissyllable. Out of a total of 317 stanzas there
are no less than 88 examples of this sequence in the odes, 37 of
which begin with a quadrisyllable, e.g. " composita repetantur
hora " (C. I. 9).
The sequence - u u - II v v - I v - -
occurs 81 times, 31 of which begin with a quadrisyllable, e.g.
"Sardiniae segetes feraces" (C. I. 31). There are 108 examples
consisting of three words only, showing Horace's predilection for
long words. The opening quadrisyllable occurs 68 times.
The sequence- u u I - u u - I u - - occurs 40 times,
e.g. " vertere funeribus triumphos " {C. I. 35). There are 48
cases of a break at the sixth syllable, e.g. " post equitem sedet
atra Cura" (C. III. 1). The sequence
-uo1-uo-u1--
occurs 19 times, e.g. "levia personuere saxa" (C. I. 17), and
there are two cases of - v v - I v v - v - -
" divitias operosiorr.s " {C. III. r)
and " progcnicm vitiosiorem " (ibid. 6)
30 3
both of which occur in the final vcnc of the ode.
Thrtt casa of - V i u - u u - V I - - are fOUDd,e.g.
"ales .Hyperl:>c:,ffalque
campoa" (C. II. 20)
vitis Achaemoniumquecoebun" (C. III. 1)
" maius Echioniacve Thebac " (C. IV. 4)
A variant occun in C. II. 20 : " mittc supervacuoshonores "
and C. III. 1 : " cuncta supercilio moventis.,, A further variant
.is found in C. III. 5 : " aut Lacedaemonium Tarentum."
To sum up: all sequences are permissible except those which
introduce a diaeresis with the first two feet (as already stated);
but we have seen that Horace showed a distinct preference for
certain sequences and it it desirable to employ these with due
regt6rd to the need /qr variety. It should also be noted that
Horace frequently introduced an enclitic (-que, -ve) at the eighth
syllable, e.g. "per titulos memorcsque fastus." There are 62
examplesin the odes.

(5) Hialua between verses should be avoided: a verse ending

with a vowel or -m should be followed by one beginning with a
consonant. While there are examples of such hiatus in the odes,
they either represent Horacc's earlier work or are intentionally
introducedto heighten the effect of the sentence. For example,
Virtus repulsae nescia sordidae
intaminatis fulget honon"bus (C. III. 2)
emphasises the incorruptibility of virtue:
caudam et rcccdcntis trilingui
ore pcdes tctigitquc crura (C. II. 19)
,uggcsts the g_aping jaws of Cerberus closing to lick the feet of
Bacchus;
rugis et instanti senectae
adfcret indomitaequc morti (C. II. 14)
depicts the irrevocable march of time.
A hiatus is often avoided by employing et as a separator, e.g.
sedcsque discrctas pionun et
· Acoliis fidibus querentem (C. II. 13)
a device natural enough when it is remembered that Horace ends
a vcnc with this con junction when there is no hiatus to be
prevented, e.g.
o quae beatam diva tenes Cypnun et
Mcmphin carentem Sithonia nive (C. III. ~6)
31
 (6) Synaphea,_by which term is meant the eliding of an hyper-
metric syllable at the end of one verse before a vowel which
begins the next verse, is not common in Alcaic metre : example,
are
Sors cxitura et nos in actemum
exsilium impositura cumbae (C. II. 3, 27)
where the eternity of death's exile is vividly exp~d ;
cum pace delabentis Etruscum
in mare, nunc lapidcs adesos (C. III. !29,35)
depicting the continual gliding of events "cum pace in mare."
(7) Elision.is by no means debarred, though it must not be
employed to excess. The following statistics relating to C. III
and C. IV! will give some idea of the proportion of elisions to the
number of stanzas per ode found in Horace's latest work:
C. III:
Ou Numbn of Elisions Numb•r of Stanzas
I 5 12
2 7 8
3 12 18
4 23 !.10
5 8 14
6 9 12
17 2 4
21 6 6
23 I 5
26 2 3
29 14 16
89 I 18

C. IV:
4 3 19
9 2 13
14 6 13
15 5 8

16 53
--
Su,mmar1: C. III - 89 elisions : 472 verses
C. IV - 16 elisions : 212 verses
N.B.-Neque for nee is not counted.
32
 There is only one example of an elided vowel before the tenth
syllable of the first or second verse, namely in C. II. 3, 1 o :
"umbram hospitalem consociare am.ant," which is intentionally
expressive.
A word ending with a long syllable should not be elided before
a short vowel, e.g. "perdit(o) amore," and an iambic word should
not be elided before any vowel short or long, e.g." nondum de{o)
immiti.',
(8) Words beginning with sc, sp, squ, or st must not be pre-
ceded by a vowel-ended word, e.g. "nulla spes," "triste scclus,"
"dignamque stirpem." There is a divergence of opinion among
scholars as to whether a vowel followed by these double conson-
ants which is short by nature may be scanned as short when
occurring at the fall of a foot. It is contended by some that such
a concurrence should never be allowed, while others cite examples
from Vergil, Lucretius, Propertius and Catullus in which a vowel
so placed is short at the fall of a foot. There are two cases in
Horace's Satires, but none in the odes. Such a concurrence is far
from euphonious and for this reason alone should be avoided.

II. Continuity or Enjambment of Stanzas.

The Alcaic ode fundamentally differs from the Sapphic in the
relationship the stanzas bear to one another. In no case should
an ode consist of a succession of end-stopped quatrains separated
by a full-stop at the fourth verse : in other words, a sentence
begun in one stanza and carried on to a stop at some point in the
succeeding stanza {or stanzas) is a characteristic feature of Alcaic
construction. A beautiful example, among many, may be seen in
C. I. 29. The number of coupled stanzas depends, of course, on
the length of the ode and its subject matter : it would be a mis-
take to f onnulate a definite rule of percentages. Horace's third
book of Carmina, for instance, opens with six successive Alcaic
odes. The first has twelve stanzas and five of these are end-
stopped-the final one ending with a question mark is not
included. The second' ode has eight stanzas and four are end-
stopped. The third has eighteen stanzas and nine are end-
stopped. The fourth has twenty stanzas and twelve are end-
stopped. The fifth has fourteen stanzas with six end-stops. The
sixth has twelve stanzas and seven end-stops. C. I. 26, 29 and 34
arc examples of short odes with all stanzas enjambcd: C. III. 26,
with its three stanzas, has a stop at the end of its second stanza,
the first being continuous with it. It will be noticed that the
33
shortest Alcaic ode contains not less than three stanzu, prcsum•
ably the minimum permissible.
The modem composer of Alcaics will do well to bear this
characteristic feature of distributed sense-pauses in mind, since
the poem as a whole should present a continuous stream of
thought with its successive clauses and sentences ending at appro-
priate stages in the line to line progreaion. This is the ideal to be
aimed at even if it is not always easy of attainment. Pauses arc
best introduced in the first or second verse or near the end of
the third verse. In the fourth verse Horace has fourteen cases of
a stop at the thi.rd syllable.
III. Internal and external rhyming of elements in the staor,a
appears not infrequently in the odes and due attention should be
paid to this feature. 1 The fallowing selected examples speakfor
themselvc, :

(a) Internal rhyming:

vino et luccmis Medus acinaces
immane quantum discrcpat : impium
lenite clamorcm, sodales~
et cubito rcmancte prcsso (C. I. i7)
o Diva, gratwn quae regis Antium
pracsens vel imo tollerc de gradu
mortalc corpus vcl supcrbos
vertcre funcribus triumphos (C. I. 35)
insignc maestir praesidium rcis
et consulenti, Pollio, curiae,
cui laurus aetemos honorcs
Dclmatico pepcrit triumpho (C. II. 1)
quamquam chorcis aptior et iocis
ludoque dictus non sat idoncu.r (C. II. 19)

(b) E%ternal rhyme-endings:

Augustus acliectis Britannis
impcriogravi1>usque
Penis (C. III. 5)
o magna Carthago, probrosis
altior Italiac ruinir! (C. III. 5, 40)
l Jan) not concerned with the question whether rhyming waa intentionally
or accidentally or even inevitably introduced.
34
 curas et arcanum iocoso
consilium retegis Lyaeo {C.III. 21)
si tu.re placaris et homa
frugc Lares avidaque porca (C. III. 23)
omitte mirari beatae
fumum et opes strepitumque Romae
(C. III. 29}
videre Raeti bc11asub Alpibw
Drusum gerentem Vindelici-quibw
lateque victrices catcrvae
ooncn1iisiuverus rcvictae (C. IV. 4)
In the following example from C. iv: 15 both internal and
external rhyming occur :
nosquc et prof estis lucibus et sacris
inter iocosi muncra Libcri
cum prole matronisquc nostns
rite deos prius apprecati
There arc no lc,s than forty examples of end-rhyming concords
between third and fourth verses, to say nothing of unrhymed
concords. It is never ammfor an Alcaic composer to introduce
at least one rhyming verse or couplet in an ode.

IV. Horace's aversion to colliding sibilants is characteristic of

all his work : if introduced they should be separated by a scnac-
pausc or a caesura} break, though they arc permissible when a
special effect is intended such as the hissing of serpents or of
flames or winds or of disapproval. The number of colliding sibil-
ants occurring in the first six odes of C. III is eight in a total of
eighty-£our stanzas and 336 verses. C. III. 2 has none. The total
number of instances occurring in the whole of the Alcaic odC9is
thirty-eight.

V. An Alcaic ode in which there is a complete absence of proper

names would not have deserved Horacc's blcuing. Without
them it is impos.,ible to introduce that concrete imagery which
as much as anything else differentiates the best Latin poetry from
the best prose. A list of names used by Horace will be found in
the Appendix in the hope that it may be of use to the student :
it is not exhaustive. A list of abstract nouns personified by
Horace is also given.
35
 NOTES TO COMPOSERS OF ALCAICS.
1. A relatively high percentage of enjambed stanzas (in pro~
portion to the total number), with sense-pauses introduced
within the verse•lines, lends distinction to an Alcaic ode.
2. Variety of syllabic distribution to prevent rhythmic monot-
ony should be home in mind.
3. The first element of a verse must not consist of words
coinciding with the metrical feet.
4. Metrical word sequences rarely used by Horace are be3t
avoided in a sh~rt ode, and even in a long one should not be
introduced without good reason. Sequences never found-in
Horace should be duly noted and avoided.
5. Hiatus between the verses of a stan:r.ashould be avoided.
6. The sentences should be coupled by Horatian conjunctiom
(see Chapter Ill). A very nice di,crimination is needed on
the composer's part to decide whether to couple or not : a
" choppy " effect must be avoided and the lines should flow
on smoothly. Uncoupled clauses arc be3t introduced as a
series of questions or commands or in epanalepsis. The idea
or theme should be expressed by a chain of sentences with
no snapping of the connecting thread till the last word is
reached.
7. Opportunities for introducing internal concords should not
be neglected, though not at the expense of poetic expression
and construction.
8. Every line should run smoothly on oiled wheels : when
recited the words should produce a sensation of melodic
euphony.
9. Words favoured by Horace (especially in his ode.,) claim
prior importance in the selection of vocabulary ;. but words
only once found in the odes or the epodes yet recognised as
classical and bearing Augustan authority (e.g. employed by
V ergil and Ovid) are also permmible. One is also justified
in using a Vergilian or Ovidian word not found in Horace
where a Horatian equivalent is not available. At the same
time, a word bearing the authority of any Augustan poet
should not be adversely criticised if its appearance in a
Horatian ode is artistically justified.
36
 CHAPTERIV. THE POETIC ART OF HORACE.
"Ego apis M atinae more modoque ... operosaparvw
cmmina fingo ''-(C. IV. 2).
THE art of verse composition can only be acquired after long and
assiduous practice. This is true even if the artist pcaesses a
natural gift. Very few classical scholars are capable of composing
a Latin poem completely immune from adverse criticism : even
the great Augustan poets, Vergil, Ovid and Horace have their
critics. Yet posterity has awarded them their rightful place in
the hierarchy of art, since each in his own peculiar field succeeded
in combining metrical perfection with that magic touch which
characterises the workmanship of all masters of poetic expression.
It is not sufficient to be able to write impeccable Latin or to avoid
prosodical erron; nor should the scholar be content to ape the
pedestrian who ambles along the main road ever keeping the
kcrbstone in view and afraid to venture into the byways in search
of new and unsuspcctcd scenery. A living, pulsing spirit must
pervade the composition and this is not captured by fine phrases
or the mere choice of words but by the manner in which the total
effect of a sentence, verse or stanza is produced. The flavour of
the finished poem and the impression it leaves on the reader's
mind is what matters.
The Romans were naturally proud of the legendary history
of their race, and the influence of mythical beliefs was still strong
in the Augustan era. It was this atmosphere which Horace
breathed as he wrote his lyrics in the rural peace of his Sabine
farm. The twentieth century Englishman may find it difficult
to catch this same spirit, but if his mind is immersed in the
historical environment of a past age he can at least introduce
101.11eof its atmosphere into his work. Horace was fortunate in
living long enough to see the Roman Empire at the height of its
glory under Augustus and receiving the encouragement of that
great patron of the arts. Complete freedom of speech was allowed
so long as it was not treasonable or unduly libellous, and Horace
is seen at his best in his denunciations of avarice and selfish
ambition rather than in his laudatory references to the emperor.
Almost the whole gamut of emotion is covered in the odes, but
they may be classified broadly into those which were written to
S7
charm or amuse and those designed to stir the national con-
science.
I. When we examine the form, structure and contents of thCR
lyria we find a neatness and finish which almcm induces a feeling
of despair in the heart of the would-be imitator. It is at times
difficult to render an English original into Latin verse in such a
way that these qualities are preserved, but the student is not
thereby prevented from endeavouring to write Sapphics or
Alcaics in Horace's grand manner : at least he may try to capt~
the magic of Horace's characteristic modes of thought, the secret
behind his own literary approach to what often amounts to quite
a simple proposition when it is boiled down. He cannot hope to
tread in the shoes of one wh~ poetry is inimitable, nor indeed
is slavish imitation true art ; but at least he can try to impart
into his own work the personification of abstract ideas, the con-
crete imagery, the geographical similes and tropes, the occa'Sional
philosophical observations, the allusions to Greek or Roman
history and mythology, all of which pervade the odes and create
in the reader a definite portrait of Horace the man and the
artut.
For example, the ninth stanza of C. II. 16 (Sapphic) could be
rendered, without upsetting the sense, thus :
Multa sunt anncnta tibi pecusquc
plurimum; nee detst tibi vis cquarum
pulchra; vmiri bene sumptuoso
dives amictu,
Grosphe, tu gaudes.
But how. infinitely superior with its precise, specific, concrete
detail is Horace's
tc greges centum Siculaeque circum
mugiunt vaccae, tibi tollit hinnitum
apta quadrigis cqua, te bis Afro
murice tinctac
vcs.tiunt Janae.
II. Whm confronted with the task of turning an English poem
into Horatian verse the student may find it helpful to convert it
first of all into English prose, making sure that the English
version is correctly interpreted. He has then to choose the most
appropriate Latin metre and in doing so he must exercise due
discrimination. If the theme of the ode is light and simple,
38
especially if addressed to a person, such as a love lyric or a song
of praise or a prayer to a deity, the Sapphic metre is a safe
choice, the Alcaic ode being more suited to weightier themes.
The line of demarcation, however, is not always so simply de-
fined, since Horace himse1f did not hentate to employ the
Sapphic form for themes which might equally well have been
expressed in the Alcaic, while the latter measure was sometimes
adopted by him for the expression of lighter themes. A certain
degree of elasticity is pardonable in the selection of metre, but
there is a limit that should be omerved. The fundamental differ-
ence between Sapphic and Alcaic lies in the treatment given to
the stanzas. The Sapphic ode may consist of a series of end-
stopped stanzas while the Alcaic cannot. This treatment of.
stanzas does not, of course, preclude clauses and sentences of
varying length within the verse-lines of the !lf:an:zain either case,
but sentences should not be allowed to stop at the end of every
stanza of the Alcaic ode, nor should sentences be concluded at
the last word of every verse-line but should be made to run on to
the next verse if not to the next stanza. The student who is
accustomed to constructing elegiac couplets will find· himself on
strange ground, though if he has had some experience of hexa-
meter verse composition he will the better appreciate the need for
distributing his sentences within the lines at various stages. The
continuity of construction that characterises Horace's work,
especially in his Alcaic odes, should be carefully studied : it is not
the logical continuity that one admires in Ciceronian prose, since
the connecting thread of the theme is often extremely slender,
yet is not broken. One is conscious of a thin stretch of fine elastic
rubber which cannot be made to snap however far it is pulled
out, and Horace, in Ep. II. i. 224, writes : " lamentamur non
apparere labores nostros et tenui deducta poemata filo/'
The prose version of an English poem to be finally rendered
into Latin lyrical verse should next be converted. into four line
stanzas in the metrical form chosen. The rough early version
should always precede the more polished product : many alter-
native settings of verse-lines, phrases, stanzas will probably
demand due consideration before finality--or what the composer
hopes may be the final rendering-is reached. It is a fascinating
pastime and inspiration often comes unexpectedly after the brain
has been given a rest. But the student must cultivate the faculty
of self-criticism.
Great care should be taken in joining sentences together as the
•ubject of the ode is being developed from stanza to stanza :
39 .
sometimes the only connecting link between two sentences is
that which is supplied by the sense : at other times they arc
connected by a conjunction, but it must be the right kind of
conjunction, the lighter the better. Conjunctions such as nam,
namquc, enim, quod, quia, quoniam, quippe should not be intro-
duced without adequate justification : Horace uses them very
sparingly. Nam occurs six times only in the whole of the odes,
namque three times, enim four times. The conjunctions favoured
by Horace are et, -que, vel, -ve, aut, nee, neque, sed, at (not ast),
tamen, ne, neu, si, nisi,1 cum, dum, ubi, ut, and the relative
pronouns. Non is often used for nee. It is of interest to note that
no Sapphic or Alcaic stanza begins with" et," though this con-
junction not infrequently occurs as the second word in this first
verse of the stanza. We must not expect to see balanced periods
or logical sequences in lyrics lending themselves to musical
expression : the coupling of sentences, in short, should be poetical
and not prosaic. As already pointed out, much of the charm of
Horace's verse is the direct result of a series of graphic pictures:
in which he introduces variegated scenery and pulsing imagery.
Often and again, in a few words or phrases magically chosen,.
he succeeds in capturing an atm~phere which would cost a
prosy historian a page or more of verbiage.

III. There is no surer way of acquiring the necessary technique

of lyrical composition than by scrutinising the original model :
then with the mind responding to its influence the student can set
to work on the task in hand. With this object in view, let us look
at some of Horace's work and take careful note of the various
points which a student should not fail to appreciate in his read-
ing. Since space is limited, only one complete Sapphic ode and
one complete Alcaic ode can be examined, but these two
examples should suffice for our purpose, since excerpts from a
number of other odes will be given later with renderings into
English and such notes as are deemed desirable.
The Sapphic ode chosen for examination is C. I. xxii.
Integer vitae scelerisque purus
non eget Mauris iaculis neque arcu
nee venenatis gravida sagittis,
Fusee, pharetra,
1 ni occurs once only in C. IV. 6, 21 (Sapphic) : " ni tuis victw . . _
adnui.aet."
40
 sive per Syrtcs iter aestuosaa
sive facturus per inhospitalcm
Caucasum vel quae loca fabulosus
lambit Hydupes.
namque me silva lupus in Sabina,
dum meam canto Lalagen et ultra
tenninum curls vagor expeditis,
fugit inermcm ;
quale portentum neque militaria
Daunias latis alit acsculetis
nee Iubae tellus gcnerat, leonum
arida nutrix.
pone me pigris ubi nulla campis
arbor ar.stiva rccrcatur aura,
quod latus mundi nebulae malusque
Jupiter urgct;
pone sub curru nimium propinqui
solis-interra domibus ncgata:
dulcc ridcntcm Lalagen amabo,
dulce loquentem.
Note the following points :-
(c) Prosod1: the only elision is "ne.que arcu." The verses open
with beautifully varied syllabic distribution. There is no case
of colliding sibilants.
( b) Internal concMds: there are eight and all arc rhymed
except that in stanza 2, line 1.
(c) Voeabular,: aestuosas, inhospitalcm, fabulosus, lambit, curls
expeditis, portentum, militaris, aesculctis, malus lupiter,
nimium propinqui.
(tl) Epanale;sis:nequc . . . nee : sive . . . sivc : pone . . . pone :
dulcc . . . dulce.
{e) A.Uusive imagery: Mauris, Syrtes, Caucasus, Hydaspcs,
Daunias, Iuba, curru solis, terra domibus ncgata.
(J) Enjambment: stanzas I and 2.
The translation follows :-
Whoso is upright and guilt-free in his manner of life needs not
Moorish darts nor bow nor quiver loaded with poisoned arrows,
Fuscus, whether he makes his way through the sunbaked Syrtes
(NortlaA.frican coast)or the inhospitable Caucasus or the regions
fl
watered (lambit) by Hydaspes of mythical fame (nou the
epithets). For (n.amque essential,here) while I was singing of my
Lalagc and wandering beyond the confines of my estate (the
Sabine farm) in the Sabine woods with not a care in the world
(lit. with caresdismissed) and unarmed, there fled from me a woH
-a monster (this word" p,:,rtenlum" also bears a mystic signifi-
cance) the like of which neither martial Daunias (i.e. Apulia, a
province of lower Italy) rears in her spacious oak-forests, nor the
parched land of Juba (Numidian king), nurse of lions, breeds.
Place me (a challenge to the world) on the arid plains where
no tree is revived by the summer breeze, that part of the world
which mists and a lowering sky (Jupiter) oppress: place me be-
neath the chariot of the sun where it rides (concrete imagery) too
close to a land for any to inhabit (lit. a land denied for howes).
Sweetly laughing Lalage will I love, sweetly prattling Lalage !
(He will not cease his songs to Lalage, come what may).
Note that the first two stanzas state a philosophic truth : the
four that follow (introduced by " namque ") describe the poet's
own penonal experience of it, beginning and ending with his
devotion to Lalagc. This is Horace at his best.
The next ode to be examined is the Alcaic C. II. xiv.
1 Ehcu fugaces, Postumc, Postume,
labuntur anni, nee pietas moram
rugis et instanti senectac
adferet indomitaeque morti;
5 non, si treccnis, quotquot cunt dies,
amice, places illacrimabilem
Plutona tauris, qui ter amplum
Gcryonem Tityonquc tristi
compescit unda, scilicct omnibus,
10 quicumque terrae munere vClcimur,
enaviganda, sivc regcs
sive inopes erimus coloni :
frustra cruento Marte carebimus
fractisque rauci ftuctibus Hadriae,
15 frustra per autumnos nocentem
corporibus metuemus Austrum ;
viscndus ater flumine languido
Cocytos errans et Danai genus
infamc damnatusque longi
20 Sisyphus Acolides laboris.
42
 linqucnda tellus et domus et placcm
uxor ; ncquc harum, quas col.is,arborum
te praetcr invisas cupressm
ulla brcvem dominum sequetur :
25 absumet heres Caecuba dignior
servata ccntum clavibus et mero
tinguet pavimcntum superbo
pontificum potiore cenis.
(a) Metrical points: note the sequential variants in the latter
haH of venes I and 2 of each stanza, the absence of hiatus, the
third verse variant in second and third stanzas, the fourth verse
variants ; the absence of colliding sibilants ; the only two elisions
at lines 12 and 22, the latter not really an example since the word
neque could be nee.
(b) Rhyming: this feature is not introduced here, except in
.line 22-" harum ... arborum " and the curious concord placing
in the second and third stanzas-" trecenis . . . tauris " and
"unda ... cnaviganda "-where the break at the fifth syllabic
of verse 3 occurs aftcr " tauris " and " enaviganda " respectively :
" mcro " rhymes with " superbo " in the last stan'Za, but the
rhyme is probably accidental.
(c) Epanalep.sis: Note "sive . . . sive " and " frustra . . .
frustra."
(d) Enjambment: This is a short ode of seven stanzas, only
two of which are enjambed, but the connecting thread is never
snapped. Here Horace evidently pref erred to keep the vcncs
intact except for internal comma stopping in order to enhanr-.e
the total effect of withering scorn which he pours upon the
devoted head of one Postumus. Further notes on the ode will
accompany the translation (intentionally free) which now follows.
Alas, Postumus, Postumus, swiftly the years fly past and piety
will not retard wrinkles, advancing age and invincible death :
(note "rugae" conDrete for abstract): even three hecatombs of
bulls a day offered to Pluto (name) the merciless (epithet) will not
appease him, my friend (sarcastic vocative), who imprisom
Geryon of triple fame and Tityos (more names) by the gloomy
river which we, too, whom Mother Earth nourishes, cannot
escape (note the sarcastic comptJrison of animals with human
beings), whether we arc kings or poor farmers (a favourite theme
with Horace the humble farmer). In vain shall we escape from
4S
bloody Mars and the violent breakers of the roaring Adriatic
(nameand IAJnthet): in vain (jrusl.ra . .. frustra) shall we fear the
perilous Auster (south wind) : the sight of Cocytos (river of the
underworld) dark and slug-like (vivi~ picture..:painting)awaits
us (he tries to make Postumtiir shudder at the prospect of a dismal,
semi-conscious existence below), also of the infamous daughters
of Danaus (who murdered their hwbands) and of ceaseles toiling
Sisyphus (mythical allurions familiar to every Roman boy and
girl: no Elysium for poor Postumus!). We must quit our earth,
our home, our wife so dear : the trees you now tend will not
accompany you their short-lived lord (" brevem dominum "--a
sarcastic reference to the longevity of the tree), but only the hate-
ful cypress (which will be used at Postumtd' fuweral). Your
Caecuban (a uer, special vintage of wine) guarded so jealously
by a hundred keys (in the cellars and bins Postu.musprizes so
muck) will be consumed (" absumet" a strong word here) by a
worthier heir who will bathe (tinguet) your marble floor with
choices. wine excelling even that at pontiffs' f casts.
A lurid picture, this, of a rich and self-centred fool's fate,
painted with pungent flashes of biting sarcasm : even the phrases
and words expressing pity are so many barbed shafts. The poem
bears striking testimony to the superb technique of a master hand.
IV. We now fallow with extracts from the odes which will repay
study. The translation in each case (sometimes a free one) should
suffice to give the student the necessary pointers with an occa-
sional note where deemed desirable.
(1) From q. I.
ix. st. 6:
nunc et latentis proditor intumo The gleeful lau,h that
betrays the lass hiding in
gratus puellae risus ab angulo furthest comer and the
pignusque dereptum lacertis forfeit snatched from arm
aut digito male pcrtinaci. or finger feigning to
protest.
xvi. st. 6, 7 :
compescc mentem : me quoque pectoris Curb that spirit ! I, too,
in impassioned -youth'•
temptavit in dulci iuventa sweet day rushed madly
fcrvor et in celeres iambos into impetuow verse and
misit furentem ; nunc ego mitibus would change bitter for
sweet if only you would
mutarc quaero tristia, dum mihi come back to me who
6as recantatis amica have recanted those angry
opprobriis animumque reddas. words of mine.
ff
xxxi. st. 5:

fru.i paratis et valido rnihi, Let me, Apollo, I pray.

be content with what I
Latoe, doncs et, precor, intcgra have, and sound of body
cum mentc nee turpcm scnectam and mind, pus an old
degerc nee cithara carentcm. age lacking neither hon-
our nor the lyre.

xxxii. st. 2, 3:

Lcsbio primum modulate civi, (0 lyre), fint tuned by the

Lab1an citizen wbot fierce
quifcrox bello tamen inter anna, in war, yet, wnether
SlVC iactatam religarat udo armed or with tolling
litore navim, boat moored to the wave-
beaten shore, sang of
Li"bcrumet Musas Venercmque et illi Bacchus and the Mwes
SClllperhaeren~em puerum canebat, and Vcnua and the boy
et Lycum nigris oculis nigroquc that clings to her and
Lyau with hia lovely
crinc decorum. black eyes and black
treuel.

xxxiv. st. 2-4 :

... namquc Diespiter, For Jove, who ii wont

to cleave the cloud1 with
igni corusco nubila dividens lightning ftath, did (in-
plerumque, per purum tonantt.S deed) drive through a
egit equos volucremque currum ; cloudless uy his thunder-
ing 1tecdl and winged
quo bruta tellus et vaga ftumina chariot with which the
quo Styx et invisi horrida Taenari 10lid earth and meander-
ing stream, and Taenanu'
scdcs Atlanteusque finis hated seat and Afric' s
concutitur. valet ima summis fartheat shore are aha.ken.
mutare et insignem attenuat dcus, (Truly) Jove has power :
he can change the lowest
obscura promens; hinc apiccm rapax and the highest : he put&
Fortuna cum stridore acuto down the mighty and
sustulit, hie posuissegaudet. eults the lowly. Portune
swifty snatches the ctOWD
from one with shrilly
whutling wing and hand,
it to another with a glad
smile.

(Note.-The epithets bruta ... vaga ... Atlantcus ..• rapax,

and the masterly structure of these three stanzas.
45
xnv. st. 3-5:
regumque matres barbarorum et The mothen of barbarian
kinp and purple-clad ty-
purpurei metuunt tyranni, rants fear lest with red.-
iniuri~ ne pe<le proruas lea foot (without regard
;antcm columnam, neu populus frequens for the consequences) you
overthrow the pillar of
" ad arma " ccssantes, " ad anna " the 1tate and the mob
concitet impcriumque frangat. incite the hesitant "to
tc semper anteit serva Nccmitas; arms, to arm, ! .. and
wreck the throne. Before
clavos trabales et euncos manu you walb subservient Fate
gf.StanS aena, nee severus with spikes and wedges ill
uncus abcst liquidumque plumbum. her bruen hand, and the
cruel clamp and the
liquid lead.
(2) From C. II.
i. at. 8, g:
quis non Latino sanguine pinguior What field ii not fattened
with Latin blood testify-
campus scpulchrisimpia proelia ing with its graves to im-
testatur auditumque Mcdis pious strife and the sound
Hespcriac sonitum ruinae? of Italy's fall heard nen
by the Medes? What
pool, what stream does
qui gorges aut quae ftumina lugubris not know the sorry tale P
ignara belli?, quod mare Danniae What sea has not the
Italian slaughter ducol-
non decoloravcre caedes? oured? What coast doea
quac caret ora cruott nOltro? not taste our blood?

iii. st. 4-7 :

hue vina et ungucnta et nimium brevis Hither bid slaves bring
wine and ointment and
florcs amocnae ferre iube rosac the short-lived blouom1
dum res et aetas et sororum of the sweet rose while
fila trium patiuntur atra. Fortune and time and the
dark threads of the three
cedes cocmptis saltibus et domo Sisten allow.
villaque, flavus quam Tiberis lavit, You must leave your pur-
cedes, et ex.structis in altum chased acres, your hou,e
and your estate wuhed
divitiis potietur hem. by yellow Tiber; yes in-
divesne, prisco natus ab Inacho, deed, and an heir shall
nil interest an pauper et infima take possession of your
heaped up wealth. Rich
de gente, sub divo moreris you may be and a tcion
victima nil miserantis Orci. of ancient Inachus, or
poor and of lowly birth-
omnes eodem cogimur, omnium what matter?-you are
vcrsatur uma serius ocius abiding under the open
son; exitura et n~ in aetemum sk.y a victim of pitiless
Orcw.
exsilium impositura cumbae.
46 4
(.Note.-Victims were turned loose in the fields before slaughter).
We are all being gathered
to the same place : the lot
of all is being toned about
in the urn destined aoooer
or later to fall out and
place us in the boat that
carries us to eternal
exile.
(.Note.-Thc rising melody of the third vcne would aptly depict
the bouncing up process followed all too soon by the
downward rush of Charon's boat to the unknown
beyond).
X. st. 2-5:
aurcam quisquis mediocritatem He who cherishes the
golden mean avoids the
diligit, tutus caret obsoleti dirt of an ill-kept home
sordibus tecti, caret invidenda and a sumptuously furn-
· 80brius aula. ished hall inviting envy.
It is the tall pine that
saepius ventis agitatur ingens bows to the wind, the tall
pinus et celsae graviorc casu tower that falls with the
decidunt turre.s feriuntque summos heavier crash, the moun-
tain tops that the light-
fulgura montis. ning strikes.
sperat infestis, mctuit sccundis The heart well prepared
altcram sortem bene praeparatum for good or ill ia that
which is hopeful in ad-
pectus. infonnis hiemes reducit versity and 1uspicioU1 of
Jupiter, idem prosperity.
Jupiter restores the horrid
summovet. non, si male nunc, et olim winters, but he1 too, takes
sic erit : quondam cithara tacentem them away. Ir it is bad
suscitat Musam neque scmper arcum now, it will not always be
so; Apollo at time, wakes
tcndit Apollo. with hi1 lyre the silenced
song and does not always
stretch the bow.
xi. st. 3:
2,
fugit retro Smooth cheeked youth
and comelineu are nuh-
levis iuvcntas et decor, arida ing away behind w and
pcllcntc lascivos amOR".S wizened age is driving
canitic f acilemquc somnum : away love the gamester
and sweet sleep.
Not for ever do the spring
non acmper idem floribus est honor ftowen keep their glory,
verni1, ncque uno luna rubcns nitet nor blushing moon shine
with unchanged face.
voltu : quid aetemis minorcm Why undertake the un-
consiliis animum fatigas? equal task of planning for
tomorrow?
(Note the striking array of epithets).
47
xiii. st. 4, 5 :
quid quisquc vitet, numquam homini satia Man is never careful
enough from hour to hour
cautum est in horas : navita Bosphorum as to what be should
Poenus perhorrescit neque ultra shun : the Punic sailor
caeca timet aliunde f ata ; shudders at the thought
of the Bosphorus yet fean
not the hidden fatea that
milt.asagittas et celcrem fugam loom in the beyond; the
Parthi, catenas Parthus et Italum soldier (fears) the arrows
and swift flight of the
robur; scd improvisa leti Parthian : the Parthian
vis rapuit rapietque gentes. (fears) the chain, and
power of Rome; but un-
foreseen is the violent
doom that hu leized and
again will seize the
nation.a.
(Not~:-intcmal enjambment in both ~an:ras: second syllable
of " timet " lengthened at caesuraaccompanied by the
pluck of the plectrum. Bold strokes of the brush).
xix. st. 8:
te vidit insons Cerberus aurco Cerberw apied you with
your glorious hom of
comu decorum, leniter attcrens gold, brushed you gently
caudam, et rcccdentis trilingui with his tail and u you
ore pcdes tetigitque crura. passed licked your feet
a.nd legs with his triple
tongue.
{Not~.-An ode to Bacchus brought to its conclusion with one of
Horace's most picturesque flights of imagination).

(3) From C. III.

i. st. 3, 4 :
51: ut viro vir latius ordinet True it is that one man
arbusta sulcis, hie generosior spreads hla vineyard, over
more acres than hu
descendat in Campum petitor, neighbour, that one can-
monbus hie meliorque fama didate for office who
comes down to the Cam-
contendat, illi turba clientium pus (~Iartiw) is of nobler
sit maior; aequa lege NCCCMitas birth, and another more
sortitur insignes et imos : worthy and distinguished,
while yet another hu a
omnc capax movet uma nomcn. larger crowd of back.en :
Fate distributes her fav-
oun with an impartial
hand to high and low
alike : her capaci0111um
(still) toues every name.
48
 (.Nou.-This is Horace the Roman prophet stirring the national
consciousness and conscience. The sequence " viro vir
. • • hie . . . hie • . • illi " should be noticed and the
absence of connecting links between clauses).

V. st. 7, 8, 9 :
aw-orepensusscilicet acrior Saved from bloocllbed,
forsooth, by a bribed
miles rcdibit. ftagitio additia peace our 10ldien will
damnum : neque amissos colom renew the struggle more
Iana refert medicata fuco, keenly than ever t
Loss is added to dis-
nee vera Virtus, cum sernel excidit, honour; the wool dyed
with purple never regains
curat reponi dctcrioribus : the hue it has once lost,
si pugnat extricata denais nor does true valour, once
ccrva plagis, erit ille fortis departed, desire to return
to degenerate hearts.
qui pcrfidis sc crcdidit hostibus, Only when the hind,
et Marte Pocnos protcret altcro, freed from close-meshed
toils, gives fight, then (in-
qui lora restrictis lacertis deed) will that man be
sensit iners timuitquc mortem. brave who ha, trusted
himself to perfidioua foes :
that man will defeat the
Carthaginian, in another
war who has tamely feh
the thongs upon his fet-
tered arm.a, helpleu and
in fear of death.
(.Note.-Another of the many fine example.s of external and
internal enjambment. The ode is embroidered with
rich metaphor and simile. The sibilants are intentional).

vi. st. I~ :

damnosa quid non imminuit dies? What a ravap is T.IDlef

Our parents age wone
aetas parcntum, peior avis, tulit than that of our grand-
noa nequiorr.s, mox daturos parents has borne us who
progcniem vitiosiorem. are worse ,till, and we
ourselvea are destined to
bear a still more wicked
brood.

xi. st. 1-5 :

Mercuri -nam te docilis magjstro 0 Mercury - taught by
movit Amphion lapide1 cancndo-- you his master did Amph-
ion move the rocb with
tuquc tcstudo ttsonarc septem 90ng-you, 0 shell, with
callida ncrvis, your seven stringa cun-
ningly coaxed into 10Und,
49
 yet at one time wu
nee loquax olim neque grata, nunc et neither eloquent nor
divitum mensis et amica tcmplis, musical, now are a wel-
die modos, Lyde quibus ob.mnatas come guest at the tables
of the rich and at temples
applicct aures, -pour (I pray) muaic
into the can of Lyde and
quae velut latis equa trima campis tame her obstinacy, who,
ludit cxsultim metuitquc tangi, like a filly of three yean
frolics over the wide
nuptiarum expers et adhuc protervo • plains and hates to be
auda marito. touched, unwedded still
and uncouth in the pres-
tu pott.a tigris comitesque silvaa ence of an eager suitor.
You can draw tigen and
duccrc et rivos celercs morari; forests as your compani-
cessit immanis tibi blandienti ons and check the swift
ianitor aulac,. ftow of rivers; Cerberus,
giant watchdog of hell,
Cerberus,quamvis furiale centum though a hundred snakes
guard his terrible head,
mnoiaot angues caput exeatque and foul breath and puru-
spiritus taetcr saniesque manet lent gore ftow from his
three-tongued jawa, yield-
ore trilingui. ed to your mesmeric
influence.

(.Nole.-This is really an Alcaic theme set to Sapphic metre, but

Horace was a great experimenterand had already com-
posed an Alcaic ode on similar lines to Bacchus (sec
C. II. 19 above). The enjambment here is not essential
to the Sapphic ode, but it is beautifully done).

xxi. It. s:
non ille, quamquam Socraticis madet Steeped though he be in
aennoo.ibus,tc ncglcgct horridus : Socratic philOlophy . he
(Corvinw} will not shrink-
narratur et prisci Catonis ingly* refuse you (Mauic
saepe mcro caluisse virtus. wine-jar): even good old
Cato'• virtuowneu ii said
to have been often
warmed with wine.
* i.e. with hand raised in
horrified disapproval.

(Nole.-The reference is to the great M. Valerius Mcssalla

Corvinus,a lover of wine, whose views did not prevent
him from celebrating an auspicious occasion in a festive
manner. The name may have been chosen as a play
upon " cor " and " vinum ,, ; the stan7.3is concocted in
humorous vein, "madet,,, "horridus" and "caluissc"
being chosen for this purpose).
50
xxiii. st. 5 :
immunis aram si tetigit manus, If your hand touches the
altar without a gift,• it
non sumptuosa blanclior hostia could not have been more
mollivit aversos Pcnates winning with a sumptuous
farre pio et saliente mica. victim and appeases the
estranged Penatea even
with aacred meal and
crackling salt.

(Note.-" SumptuaHi hostia" is ablative of means and not

nominative as some have supposed, making final
syllable of " sumptuosa " long at the caesura and before
" bi." For the ablative, cf. " sanguine pinguior "
(C. II. 1, ~9) and " docta prece blandus " (Ep. ii. 1,
1 35).
• " lmmunu," cf. Epist. I. 14, 33 = im-munis.

(4) From C. IV.

ii. st. 7, 8:
multa Dircaeum levat aura cycnum, A mighty breeze, Antony,
carries the Dircaean swan
tendit, Antoni, quotiens in altos (Pindar) as oft as he .eeb
nubium tractus. ego apis Matinac the lofty regions of the
more modoque clouds. I, like the Matin-
ian bee that gathen the
grata carpcntisthyma per laborcm pleasant thyme with
aaiduous toil about the
plurimum circa nemus uvidique grove and banks of well-
Tiburis ripas operosa parvus . watered Tibur I, a
carmina fingo. humble minstrel, fashion
my odes with hard work.

iv. st. 8, 9:
fortcs creantur fortibus et bonis; From the brave and good
are the brave bom; in
CR in iuvencis, est in cquiapatrum ateen and 1teed1 the vir-
virtus, neque imbellem ferocc, tues of their stock are
progenerant aquilae columbam. seen : fierce eagles do not
beget timid doves. Yet
doctrin~ sed vim promovct insitam, training promotes inborn
rectique cultus pectora roborant ; worth and right living
strengthens the heart; u
utcumque defcccre mores, ever righteousness f aib,
indecorant bene nata culpae. faults disfigure nature's
good handiwork.

(Note.-" Indccorant" one of Horacc's rare words).

51
ix. st. 1-3:
nc forte crcdas interitura quac Think not the words will
perish which I, bom neat
longe sonantem natus ad Aufidum far-echoing Aufidm, by
non ante vulgatas per artes arts not before made pub-
vcrba loquor socianda chord.is ; lic, utter to be wedded
to strings; no, not though
non, si priores Maeonius tenet Maeonian Homer talr.et
pride of place (in the
sedes Homerus, Pindaricae latent poeu' gallery)1 for even
Ccaequc et Alcaei minaces so Pindar's Mtue ii not
Stesichorique graves Camenae ; hid, nor that of Ceo•
(Simonidea), of warlilu,
nee siquid olim lusit Anacreon Alcaeus or of Stesichoru1
the solemn. Nor has Time
dclcvit actas ; spirat adhuc amor destroyed the sporting
vivuntque commis.,i calores songs Anacreon wrote of
Acoliae fidibus pucllac. old; the love of the Aeo.
lian maid still lives and
the passion expressed by
her lyre.
(Note.-" Commissi fidibus," lit. "entrusted to the lyre").
V. Horace's use of striking and sometimes unusual epitheu
should be duly noted. The following examples are given in the
hope that they may be of use to the student.
From C. I:
.
Ode I. 12 Attalicis condicionibus bribes of wealth
ix. 17 canities morosa crabbed old age
xi. 7
... invida aetas envious Time
xvm.
... 4 mord.aces sollicitudines cankering cares
.
XXlll. 5 mobilibus follis quivering leaves
XXXIV. 2 insanientis sapientiae votary of a foolish wildom
consultus
XXXV.
XXXVI.
. 12 purpurei tyranni
16 breve lilium
purple-clad tyrants
short-lived lily
From C. II:
i. 29 Latino sanguine pinguior enriched with the feast or
Latin blood
ii. 7, 8 Fama supenrtes enduring Fame
penna metuente solvi on wini that never falten
(lit. earing to droop)
...
iii. 3 insolenti laetitia
w. 19 exstructis in altum divitiis
complacent joy
riches piled up on high
v. 10 lividos racemos darkening grapes
v. 15 proterva fronte
.
VI. 23 debita lacrima
saucy approach
loving tear (i.e. due from
a sorrowing friend)
52
 vu. 21 oblivioeo Massico wine that banishes care ·
ix. 3 inacquales procellae unpredictable storms
ix. 17 mollium querelarum effeminate wailinp
x. 5 auream mediocritatem the golden mean
xii.
. ~6 f acili saevitia tantalising cruelty
..
XIV. 21
:xvu. 29
placens uxor
Mercurialium virorum
all-attentive wife
poets (lit. under the
patronage of Mercury)
xix. 9 pervicaces Thyiadas tireless Bacchanah
XX. 24 supervacuos honores UJelesa tribute (i.e. con-
ferring no benefit)

From C. III:
w. 6g iocosae lyrae merry lyre
iii. 30 insanicntem Bosphorum
. madly seething Bosphorus
IV. 46 mare vent08UID wind-swept sea
v. 27 am.issoscolores once lost coloun
vi.. 8 Hesperiae luctuosae grief-stricken Italy
Vl. 25 de tcnero ungui from her early childhood
(lit. from a tender nail :
a Greek expression bor•
rowed by Horace)
viii. 19 luctuosis annis luckleu strife
x. II (Pcnelopen) clifficilem procis unyielding to suiton
... 157
xi.
XUI.
obstinatos aures
loquaces lymphae
reluctant ears
babbling streams
xiv. II male ominatis vcrbis ill.omened word,
xv. 6 stellis candidis
. glittering atan
...
XVl. 37 importuna pauperies
XVJll. 2 aprica rura
cruel poverty
sunny countryside
xvili. 11 otioro hove
. idle bull (i.e. squatting)
(cyathis) commodis
.
XIX. 12
XXJ. 15 iocoso Lyaco
to the capacity required
wine that 1ootem the
tongue
..
xxvi. 10 Sithonia nive
XXV11. 31 nocte sublustri
Thracian snow
glimmering night
. fastidiosam copiam
(i.e. starlit)
.
XXJX. 9
XXIX. 10 molem propinquam nubibus
loathaomeluzury
pile towering to tbe lofty
arduis clouds
vagis ventis
.
XXIX. 24 wandering breezes
.
XXJX. 45 sole puro
Af ricis proccllis
cloudless sky
·XXIX.
xxix. 61
57
avaro man
. wind-driven storms
!(reedy aea
53
From C. IV:
i 34 rara lacrima occasional tear
i 40 aquas volubiles whirling waten
ii.. 31 opera3a carmina 10ng1 born of hard work
iii. 8 tumidas minas bombastic threats
:d. 23 grata compcdc vinctum bound with pleaaing fetter
xi 25 avaras spes ambitious hopes
xv. 10 cvaganti licentiac " outrunning the
constable"
xv. 16 Hespcrio cubili sun,et

VI. The repetition of words or phrases after intervening matter,

knownas lf/)analeps#,i, a poetic device always worth bearing in
mind, though it must never be forced. Horace made considerable
use of it as the foilowing examples testify :
dulce . . . dulce C. I. 22 (Sapphlc)
nondum ... nondum C. II. 5 (Alcaic)
sit ... sit C. II. 6 (Sapphic)
ridet . . . rident
crescit . . . acscit C. II. 8 (Sapphic)
caret . . . caret C. II. 10 {Sapphic)
dura . . . dura . . . dura C. II. 13 {Alcaic)
frust:ra . . • frustra C. II. 14 {Alcaic)
otium ... otium
ocior . . . ocior C. II. 16 (Sapphic)
non ego . . . non ego C. II. 20 (Alcaic)
somnwn ... somnus C. III. 1 (Alcaic)
ter . . . ter . . . ter C. Ill. 1 (Alcaic)
Vester . . . Vester • . . VC'.Btris
qui ... qui
quid . . . quid . . . quid
hinc ... hinc
visam ..• visam
vis ... vim C. Ill. 4 {Alcaic)
impiae ... unpiae C. III. 1 1 (Sapphic)
eras •.• aas C. III. 17 (Alcaic)
impudcns . . . unpudcns C. III. 27 (Sapphic)
est in . . . est in C. IV. 4 (Alcaic)
Phoehus ... Phoebus
rite ... rite C. IV. 6 (Sapphic)
Epanalepticrepetition of non, nee, sivc, seu i, a favourite
device of Horace's: in C. I. 16, for example, we find sive ...
54
live, non . . . non . . . non . . . non, neque . . . nee . . . nee ; in
C. I. 31 non is repeated four times, and in C. IV. 2 seu ... seu
.•. sive. Rcp?ted pronouns, c,pecially tu and te, are frequently
found, as in C. I. 10. C. I. 16, stan1.a ~ affords a good example
of repeated non :-
non Dindymene, non adytis quatit
mentem saccrdotum incola Pythius,
non Liber aeque, non acuta
sic gcminant Corybantcs acra.
Concurrent repetition without any intervening word or words
occurs in seven cases :
C. II. 14 Postume, Postumc
C. II. 17 ibimus ibimus
C. II. 20 iam iam
C. III. 3 Dion Dion
C. III. 26 hie, hie
C. IV. 1 precor, prccor
C. IV. 4 ocddit, ocddit
Ambiguity of construction should be avoided : for example, a
feminine singular word should not occur in the same sentence as
a neuter plural word permitting a two-way rendering, e.g.
" munera sors tibi dat benigna " where " benigna " can qualify
either " munera " or " sors." Or again, the possibility of two
alternative renderings is introduced by such a sentence u
''memento possenihil supcrare Bacchum" where either nihi1 or
Bacchus can be the subject of the verb.
The same word should not be repeated in an ode without good
reason such as in the case of an epanalepsis : a sufficiently wide
command of vocabulary will make such vain repetitions unneces-
sary. For example, "time,, can be expressed by tcmpus, aetast
aevwn, dies, hora, the right word being chosen, of course, to suit
the context.
Horace liked to separate epithets from their nouns, often
allowing a number of words to intervene between the two, e.g.
" ubcres cantare rivos atque truncis lapsa cavis iterare mclla n
(C. II. 19), and "amatorcm trecentae Pirithoum cohibent
catenac " (C. III. 4). Epithets should always be carefully chosen
so as to justify their existence. They should never be introduced
for the mere purpose of filling a vacant space in a verse-line.
Horacc's epithets repay careful examination and study.
There are two words which are of special interest in that
55
Horacc's use of them in the odes differs from that of the other
Augustan poets. These are iam and atqu.e: iam by itself is not
found in the odes with the meaning of nunc, except with another
word coupled with it such as "age iam" (C. IV. 11) or "iam
non," " iam iam " : by itself it means either " already " or clsc
"very soon" according to the context. It is never found alone
in conjunction with an imperative.
Atque (" and ") is always elided before a vowel (as a mono-
syllable) by the Elegiac poets, Ovid, Tibullus and Propertius,
such exceptions as occur being of dubious authenticity ; but
Horace employs it as an unelided dmyllable for the coupling of
two nouns, two adjectives or two vcrm, never as a conjunction
connecting two sentences. The one and only case of atque con-
necting two sentences occurs in C. III. 11 where " eius atque "
is not accepted by the majority of commentaton and " effluat-
quc" or" exeatque" have been suggested as variae lectiones.
In conclusion, the student is strongly advised to consult Lane
Cooper's Horatian Concordance published by the Carnegie
Institution of Washington, an invaluable aid to those who aim at
writing Latin lyrical vene in the true Horatian style and idiom.
L. P. Wilkinson's valuable treatise, " Horace and His Lyric
Poetry" will also be found both interesting and educative
(Cambridge Univenity Press, England).

56
 CHAPTER V. A LESSON.
"V os exem,,.ana
Al • ...

noctuma versate manu, versate diu.rna "-(Ars Poetica, 268)

LETus suppose that a student is being confronted with the task
of rendering Herrick's "Gather ye Rosebuds" into Latin verse,
adopting as his metre the Sapphic quatrain. The English text is :
Gather ye rosebuds while ye may,
Old Time is still a-flying;
And this same flower that smiles today
Tomorrow will be dying.
The glorious lamp of heaven, the sun,
The higher he's a-getting~
The sooner will his race be run,
And nearer he's to setting.
That age is best which is the first,
When youth and blood are warmer;
But being spent, the worse, and wont
Times still succeed the fonner.
Then be not coy, but use your time,
And while ye may, go marry;
For having lost but once your prime
You may for ever tarry.
The student sets to work and produces the following version:
1 Dum licet, gemmas lcge nunc rosanun,
nam fugit tcmpus propcrante gresm;
eccc vivit flos hodie rcnidcns
crasque peribit.
5 sol, poli summi speciosa lampas,
quo magis surgct citiusquc cursum
finict, tanto citius sub umbras
noctis inibit.
nempe ver primum bona dona praebet,
1o cum calct sanguis saliuntquc venac ;
imminent peiora : scquetur aetas
pessima tandem .
.57
 nubc iam sponso, posito pudorc,
sic diem carpcns, mora ncu sit ulla ;
15 forsan amittens sedeas iuventam
innuba scmper.

CitmmsM:
Good points. Lines 2, 10, 15 and 16 are the btBt; there are
some pleasing phrases, e.g. properante gressu, specima Iampas,
calct sanguis saliuntque venae, diem carpens, sedeas innuba.
Unfortunately the bad points outnumber the good ones.
Bad points.
(a) There is not a single concord. The number of concords
should, if possible, be equal to half the number of stanzas (or
more!), and if rhymed, so much the better. There should be an
Adonic concord (even if unrhymed) at the end of at least one of
the stanzas : that is, the last word of the Adonius should be a
noun with its epithet occurring at the end of the preceding verse.
(b) The stanzas are too square cut: the fim: two verses of each
stanza (line 6 excepted) all stop at the end word instead
of being carried over to a stop at the following verse-line. While
it is not neces.,ary to run every verse on to the next in this way,
such "internal enjambment" of line-clauses should be intro-
duced in due proportion to the number of stanzas.
(c) There are three cases of hiatus, namely between lines 2 and
3, 10 and 11, 15 and 16. The hiatus between lines 10 and 11
might be condoned if the other two cases were absent, since
" imminent peiora" could then suggest the brief interval separa-
ting springtime from the worse time that follows ; but the hiatus
is best avoided.
(d) Line 3 starts with two diaeretic feet~ i.e. two dissyllables;
this is not allowed. Again, no case occurs in Horace of a clausal
break at the weak caesura, therefore the stop at " pciora " in line
1 1 is unauthorised.
(e) Ver primum," introduced to represent the " first age "
should be suitably followed by " hiems " or " bruma " by way
of completing the metaphor.
(f) Ecce, nam, nempe do not justify their existence and are
best omitted.
(g) There are too many unseparated nouns and epithets :
properante gressu, poli summi, speciosa lampas, ver primum,
58
bona dona (dona is otiose), aetas pessima. Some at least of these
should be separated by intervening matter.
(h) There arc four cases of colliding sibilants: magis rurget,
citius .rub, sanguis saliuntque, amittens sedeas. Such concurrences
arc even meritorious if they seIVe to heighten the effect of ,a
picture, and are penn.imble if separated by a stop or a caesura
(though even so one such case is enough for one ode). "Magis
!urget" and "citius sub" cannot be thus defended. The final
line depicting the sad lot of the unwanted spinster who has missed
her chance might well exhibit a sequence of sibilant words, a
device to which Horace is no stranger.
· (i) Horace would surely have addressed this ode to a maiden
by name .. There is not a single proper noun in the whole of this
version~
(J) " nube iarn sponso " is open to criticism. Horace never
uses iam alone 1 with an imperative, and sponso assumesa be-
trothed couple, with the girl delaying the wedding day. Herrick
surely has in mind a girl who has not yet found her man.
The alternative version that follows does not claim to be
perfect--:--even Horace's odes vary in excellence although the
1tandard of all is maintained at an amazingly high level of
artistry-but it attempts to fulfil the main requirements laid
down in these pages. It is not always easy to decide which of two
or even three alternative renderings of a given phrase, clause or
verse is the best, and the choice is sometimes made with consider-
able misgiving. While it is the total effect of the finished product
that matters, it is dependent on attention to small details :
Micliael Angelo's dictum," trifles make perfection and perfection
is no trifle," is as applicable to the poetic art as to all the arts.
The student should bear in mind that the same idea expressed
by Herrick in one way might be expres.,ed by Horace in another
way : the basic idea remains unchanged, but the outer clothing is
different. While both the Englishman and the Roman will
employ poetical language, the mode of exprmion may be quite
different and reflect the nationality and individuality of the
artist.
1 I rosas decerpe, Chloe, rccentcs
dum licet ; parcum volat usque tcmpus :
flos viget ridens hodie, caducus
eras perit idem :
1 The only case of iam with imperative is " age iam . . . conditce "
{C. IV. 11).
59
 5 quo magis tractus lovis in supem~
• Phocbus ascend.it, decus atque caeli
lampas, hoe distat minus et minus iam
meta cadentis :
optima audenti breve dat puellae
10 ver, ubi sanguis calet; heu, sequentur
res minus faustae, neque tardat atram
bruma ruinam.
" quid viro iungi pudibunda cessas? "
te rogat Iuno, "fugiat iuventa,
15 nuptiarum expcrs sedeas seniles
forsan in ann~."
NOTES : The ode is addressed to Chloe, a .favouritc girl of
Horacc's.
line J : "rosas rccentes," d. C. III. 27, 43.
,, 2: "parcum," grudging.
.,, 7 : ". minus et minus
. ·· 1am,"dCI. . . 25, 6 .
,, 13: "d. C. III. 27, 58.
,, 14: Juno is the goddess of matrimony.
,, 15: "nuptiarum expers," see C. III. 11, 11.
The weak caesura verse indicates urgency in line 1. The sibi-
lants in the last lines of the final stanza are intentional-the
fiercely whispered warning of Juno.
The metrical pattern of this version, as well as the number of
concords internal and Adonic, bears close resemblance to that~
C. III. 18: a subsequent discovery, as it happens. See a1so
C. III. 20.
There arc no enjambed stanzas. Only lines 2 and 13 are end-
paused, otherwise sentences stop either within the verses or at the
end of a stanza. The question in line 13 is part of Juno's
admonition.
As an example of how not to render English poetry into Latin
metrical verse, we give the following setting of stanza 3 :
optima est aetas ea prima quae fit,
dum calet sanguis : venit ingravescens
pro:xima : extremum sequitur malorum,
foeda scncctus.
The light simplicity of Herrick's poem is hardly suited to the
Alcaic metre, but for the sake of illustrating the principal points
discussed in connexion with that metre two alternative versions
60
are given. The first we may suppose to have been composed by
our hypothetical student ; the second is an attempt ,o bring it
more closely in line with Horace's treatment.
1 I, carpe gemmas, dum rubor est ra!lis,
quod tcmpus alls adsiduis fugit;
fl06 ecce nunc vivcns renidet :
eras stipula morietur aegra.
5 sol, illa cacli fax nitidmima,
quo sublevarit se magis in polum
cursu peracto, noctis umbras
decidet hoe citius sub imas.
a, verc donant optima di novo
10 cum sanguis ardet pcctorc fcrvido;
peiora succcdent et ultra
pessima fert tibi bruma tristis.
sic carpe lucrum coniugium petens
et nunc pudorem pone tuum, prccor,
15 nam forsan amissa iuventa
innuba pennaneas in aevum,

Camms:11.
The first stanza is best with its picturesque imagery of blushing
roaes, winged time, the smiling flower and the withered stalk.
The best lines are numbers 1, 5, 1 o, 11 ; line 2 is spoilt by quod,
line 3 by ecce, line 4 by the collided sibilants which could have
been avoided by " calamo . . . aegro " ; line 7 introduco a
caesura at the filth syllable without adequate justification in a
four stanza ode ; " optima " (line g) should be followed by
" mala '' or " deteriora " and not by " peiora. " as here. Line 1 2
is prosodically open to objection on account of the verbal
sequence " pessima fert tibi " which is only once found in
Horace's Alcaic odes-a quadrisyllable would be far better, such
u " perniciemtrahet atra bruma.,, The hiatus between lines 15
and I 6 should have been avoided. The stop at the end of line
3 is also bad and the verse could be made to run on by substi-
tuting "moriturus,, for" morietur." Nam is best omitted from
line 15, and " precor " from line 14, which suffers also from a
weak start (" et nunc "). " Sic " (line 13) is apparently a render-
ing of Herrick's " then "-not a very happy word since it should
refer back to the previous subject. But the most fatal flaw of all
61
is the absence of enjambment of stanzas; moreover every sentence
stops at the end of a verse except in one instance, namely in lines
6 and 7. Not a single proper noun has been introduced. The
final stanza offers more scope for pictorial imagery than our
student has realised. By running the sentences on through the
stanzas as far as possible and stopping them at suitable points,
introducing some proper names and varying the metrical sequen-
ces sufficiently to ensure a euphonious recitation of each
successive verse and stanza, it is pos.,ible to bring the composition
a little nearer to the Horatian standard. So let us try.
1 lam nunc recentes carpe, Chloe, rosas ;
labuntur horae ; flrn3hodie nitens
eras cedet aetati malignae
marcidus; egregiaque Phocbus
5 flamma renidens, quo subit altius
arces supemas, hoe citius cadet
metamque continget ; neque Hebe
virginibus meliora laetis
quam vere primo donat, ubi calet
1o sanguis; sed instat deterioribus
heu bruma cum rebus, peritque
mox Decor ac viridis Iuventas.
quo ntinc maritas ceu Pholoe fugax
taedas moraris? desit honor genis,
I5 te forsan innuptam Cupido
spemat anum fugiente penna.
NOTES: The first three stanzas are enjambed, with sentences
carried to stops within the verse-lines. The sense-pause in line 4
occurs at the third syllable of this verse, this being, as an cx~-
ination of Horace's Alcaic odes clearly shows, the most fitting
point for such a pause if introduced at all : the continuation with
a word ending witb an enclitic is also a favourite device of
Horace's. Concords occur in lines I and 8.
Line 5. "renidens,U cf. C. II. 5, 19. "Phoebus renidens"
and " flos nitens " in association provide a touch of unity linking
up two rather disparate ideas in the poet's thought.
Lines 11 and 12. "Decor ac Iuventas," d. C. II. 11, 6.
"Peritque mox ... luventas" expresses "worst times."
There are five proper names-Chloe, Phocbus, Hebe (the
patroness of youth), Pholoe (the coy maiden of C. II. 5, 17,
62 5
and C. I. 33, 7), and Cupido. In addition there are the two
penonified abstracts above noted.
The final stanza is an attempt at vividness : Chloe, bashful
and hesitant, urged to seize the present opportunity lC'8t,with
the loss of her youthful prime, Cupid may flee from her in
disgust. "Quo none ... moraris? '' "For what purpose now arc
yo'- delaying the matrimonial torches like coy Pholoc? " A
diplomatic question preceding the grave warning.
Alternative versions of the opening lines of the final sta1na are
pcaible, e.g.
(a) "I, carpe tempus nubile: qui pudor te nunc retardat?"
{qui, what sort of?)
(b) "Quid, stulta, cessas nubere? qui pudor te,. die, retardet? ,,
The composer has to act as adjudicator after duly examining
the claims of rival competitors. No two Latinists, however ripe
their scholarship, could be expected to produce the same word-
for-word rendering of an English poem; nor would it matter so
long as the rendering exhibits the characteristic qualities of the
Augustan model. Here, for example, is another Alcaic version
of this ode which the student is invited to compare with the
pnMOUSone ; both settings are intended to serve as models while
no claim is made for perfection.
Gemmas rosarum carpe, Chloe, breves
dum n:set aetas te sinit invida ;
flos dulce nunc voltu reniden.s
purpureo, moribundus idem
5 eras heu iacebit : Sol, nitidum decus
lampasque Olympi, quo subit altius
arces supemas, hoe cadentis
Hesperio propior cubili
fit cursus : Hebe virginibus novo
1o dat vere laetis optima cum calet
sanguis, sed aevum affert December
deterius properatque bruma
damnum senectae flebile. fortiter
matura lecto nube, Chloe, proco;
15 vis semper ut Lyde morari
spreta carens face nuptiali?
NoTES: "res et aetas," cf. C. II. 3, 15; "Hesperio cubili," cf.
C. IV. 15; "properat damnum senectae," vide C. III. 24, 62.
63
"Lyde," vide C. II. 11, 22 and C. III. 11 (also "face nuptiali,,).
The followingpoem by William Blake lends itself more natur-
ally to an Alcaic rendering :
Whether on Ida's shady brow
Or in the chambers of the East,
The chambemof the Sun, that now
From ancient melody have ceased;
Whether in heaven ye wander fair,
Or the green comers of the earth,
Or the blue regions of the air
Where the melodious winds have birth ;
Whether on crystal rocks ye rove,
Beneath the bosom of the sea,
Wandering in many a coral grove;
Fair Nine, forsaking Poetry;
'How have you left the ancient love
That bards of old enjoy'd in you!
The languid strings do scarcely move,
The sound is forced, the notes arc few.
We attempt an Alcaic version as fallows :
Sublimis Idae seu iuga visitis
umbrosa, Musae, sive palatia
Phoebca quae quondam solebant
Aeolio rcsonare cantu,.
sive in reducta valle vagamini,
seu vultis arces caeruleas Iovis
tentare; seu flatus Favoni,
Calliope, stimulas canoros
ex aethere almo ; seu vitreas maris
rupcs in imo, Picriae, sinu
Iustratis et centum rubcntis
coralii nemorosa tecta,
priscam quid artem spernitis? heu fides
languent, et illas cruda ferit manus,
nee reddit amissos poetae
vix docili numeros Apollo.
NOTE: For the proper names here used the reader is referred to
Appendix I. "reducta valle," cf. C. I. 17, 17.
64
 Walter Savage Landor's "Resignation" provides material for
a Sapphic setting :
Why, why repine, my pensive friend,
At pleasures slipp'd away? .
Some the stem Fates will never lend,
And ~I rduse to stay.
I see the rainbow in the sky,
The dew upon the grass;
I see them, and I ask not why
They glimmer or they pass;
With folded arms I linger not
To call them back; 'twere vain:
In this or in some other spot
I know they'll shine again.
Quid malam sortem quercris quod ista
gaudia, Antoni, tibi nunc negcntur?
sunt enim quae nos prohibent iniquae
carpere Parcae ;
5 nulla perstabunt : pluvii colores
intuens arcus liquidumque rorem,
cur micent vel cur abeant rogare
non ego curo ;
non meum voltu residere tristi,
1o non meum votis revocare vanis
ilia quae rursus Pater hue vcl illuc
lucida, reddct.

NoTEs : An alternative rendering of lines 3 to 5 could be

" commodant durae modicos in usus
ilia Sorores
haec dabunt numquam."
The Adonic concord, however, is lost, and perhaps in a short ode
like this one, the }0$ is not of much consequence ; nor is a weak
caesura! verse essential.
Line 3 : sc. gaudia.
Line 9 : " voltu residere tristi." Antony is pictured as sitting
idly in his chair in pensive mood ; the poet is not one to waste
time and wait till the rainbow and the dew come back again : he
knows he will see them again in some place or other. This is a
parable : as with such visible and material things as the rainbow
65
and the dew, so with the pleasures of life.
The metrical repetition of lines 9 and I o is intentionally
emphatic.
John Henry Newman's well-known hymn, " Lead, Kindly
Light," is not unsuitable for rendering into Latin Sapphic verse,
although it does not so readily admit of the introduction of
heathen proper names.
Lead, Kindly Light, amid the encircling gloom,
Lead thou me on;
The night is dark and I am far from home,
Lead thou me on.
Keep thou my feet: I do not ask to see
The distant scene; one step enough for me.
I was not ever thus, no~yed that thou
Shouldst lead me on ;
I loved to see and eh~ my path, but now
Lead thou me on.
I loved the garish day, and spite of fears
Pride ruled my will : remember not past years.
So long thy power bath blest me, sure it still
Will lead me on
O'er moor and fen, or crag and torrent, till
The night is gone ;
And with the morn those angel faces smile,
Which I have loved long since, and lost awhile.
1 Noctis, heu, spissis ego cingor umbris
et procul distat domus : o Supreme,
tu pedes tentantis iter benigna
dirige luce :
5 me pie dedo tibi, numen almum,
mente tranquilla gradiens quod ultra est
non ~go spectem ; capere est sat unum,
te duce, passum :
non manum sempcr cupii paternam
1o tramitem carpens proprium ; sepulto
quot metu vecors tenuere vana
gaudia pectus !
illius fastus memor abnegabis
nunc potestatem mihi tarn fidclem?
15 dum viam quaerens vagor ad beatas
sanius oras,
66
 sis coma prancns mihi trameunti
taca torrentes scopul08paludes,
donec cffulgcntc fugaris atras
~o lampade nubes;
mane ridcntes tuear sodales
nuper am.issos,pueroque caros
integro vitae prius ; a, salutent
me smiorcm.
Nani:
line 3 the weak ccasura suggests urgency.
,, 5 " me pie dcdo tibi," introduced to express the changed
attitude of the suppliant. The recurringphrase
" Lead thou me on " is foreign to Horace.
,, 6 "gradicns" is not found in the odes but has Vergiliao
and Ovidian sanction and is just the word re-
quired: "quad ultra est" (C. II. 16).
,, 13, 14 " illius f astus memor, etc.", '' mindful of that pride
wilt thou withhold thy power so faithful to me? ,,
The final stanza docs not refer to angels as such or to departed
laved ones (as often supposed) but to the lost innocence and faith
of early childhood which the poet longs to recapture. In order
to do justice to this poem six stanzas were necessary : even so, the
number of Latin words falls short of the English by 26. Tcrsc-
nea is a virtue, but not brevity for its own sake: to" skelctonisc"
a Latin rendering may well be to deprive it of proper colour and
of imaginative qualities essential to true poetry.
Shelley's"Mutability" provides good material for a Sapphic
ode:
The flower that smiles today
Tomorrow dies;
All that we wish to stay
Tempts, and then flies;
What is this world's delight?
Lightning that mocks the night,
Brief even as bright.
Virtue, how frail it is !
Friendship, too ~ !
Love, how it sells poor bliss
For proud despair!
But we, though soon they fall,
Survive their joy and all
Which OWi we call.
67
 Whilst skies are blue and bright,
Whilst flowers arc gay,
Whilst eyes that change ere night
Make glad the day,
WhiJst yet the calm hours creep,
Dream thou-and from thy sleep
Then wake to weep.

AD TORQUATUM
Flos hcri laetus violae recumbit
marcidus; quicquid cupimus morari
frontc nos invitat, amice, blanda ·
mox abiturum :
quam fuga:x vitae decus inquietae !
sic breve et candens rapidisque flammis
insolens fulgur properat silentcm
ludere noctem :
quid valet Virtus fragilis Fidcsque
rara? quam vanas alit obstinatus
spes Amor, mutare ccler dolore
gaudia lento !
si ferox illi., quod inest honoris
tempus expellit, tamen in f uturos
nos ditB et quod proprium vocamus
provehit ultra.
dum Pater caelo fa vet ipse puro,
dum rosae rident oculique Pyrrhae
tarn die grati-minus hcu nitebunt
vespere sero--
hora dum cursu fluit alma leni,
somnia,o Torquate, beata carpas
credulus-somnis cito dimpatis
tum lacrimabis.
NOTES-
Stanza 4-: we and our po&,eSSions(for what they are worth!)
survive the joys that virtue, friendship and love bring
us.
Staum 5 : the parenthesis isolates the unpleasant circum-
stance from the list of pleasant ones.
68
 Stanr.a 6 : Horace invariably introduces an addrcaec in his
Sapphic odes : for this late introduction of Torquatus
d. C. IV. 7 and C. III. 8.

Cowper's well-known hymn, " God moves in a mysterious

way " is not unsuitable for Sapphic or Alcaic rendering provided
it is addressed, as Horace would have done, to a friend with the
object of dispelling doubts about the purpose behind the
Universe. It is more a philosophical ode than a hymn in the true
semc.

God movcs in a mysterious way

His wonders to periorm,
He plants His footstepsin the sea,
And rides upon the storm.
Deep in unfathomable mines
Of never-failing skill
He treasures up His bright designs
And works His sovereign will.
Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take;
The clouds ye so much dread
Are big with mercy, and shall break
In blessings on your head.
Judge not the Lord by feeble ~,
But trust Him for His grace ;
Behind a frowning providence
He hides a smiling face.
Blind unbelief is sure to err
And scan His work in vain;
God is His own interpreter
And He will make it plain.
Artibus miranda Pater laborat
abditis, Albi, pedibusque calcat
acquor iratoque domat frcmente.1
turbine vent08 ;
5 ille sub tellure cavis profundis
condidit gazas sapienter amplas
ut voluntatem peragat potentcm
consiliumque.
69
 sit nihil curae, comes, at leventur
1o corda ! quae nubes hodie minatur
atra mox fiet genialis imber
munera fundens :
iudicare audes animo minore
numen aeternum? bona largienti
15 fide, nam toJVa facie pa tern um
celat amorem :
impiosarcana Pater petentes
non sinit rerum reperire causas,
qui pio solus propriis recludet
talia verbis.

An Alcaic version follows:-

Miranda caecis mille Pater viis
molitur, Albi, seu pedibus mare
calcat quietum, seu procellis
praf3idet imperitatque vector
5 Euro furenti, sive sub intima
terra profundis imposuit cavis
gazas refulgentes ut inde
propositum peragat supemum.
tu trade ventis sollicitudines
10 pcctusque gaudens erige, nam tibi
nunc illa fonnidata nu bes
muneribus tumet alma gratis ;
nee scirc fas est omnia quae Pater
intcndit ; illi fidere sit satis
qui fronte sub torva renidet
largus opum, neque cedet unquam
arcana doctis, nee Babylonias
chartas amanti, sed reteget suis
in tempore aetemum libenter
consilium propriisque verbis.
Nons:
line 9 "trade ventis," d. C. I. 26. 2, 3.
" 13 " nee SCire '"cfCIV
. fas est omrua, . . ·. 4, 22.
n 17 " Babylonias chartas," d. C. I. 11. 2, 3.
"18 "suis," "to his own adherents."
70
 We amclude this chapter with a set of Exacilcs for the
ltodart's benefit. These consist of Sapphic and Alcaic staous,
or portionsof stao7-a9>which the student is invited to scrutiniae
enon in protK>dy.
forpot111"ble The keys will be found in Appendix
Ill.

SAPPHIC EXERCISES.
I. labium nunc promere, Agrippa, vinum
tempus est : nunc trade deo dolorem.
sed Fidcs rara est pretiosior quam
dona quae nobis tnl>uunt iniquae
optima Parcac.
3· o iubar caelcste ! redire Virtus
audeat neglecta, et Amor Fidcsque
omnia vincant.
cur tuo me turbat, amice, qucstu
quod rclinquat te mmcrum Neaera?
5. artc mira dux aciem in fcroces
cFuigitParthos, et acuta spemunt
pila cohortcs.
6. sol cadit cursum peragcns diurnum
et prcmit metam Hesperiam, nee umbras
sidera tollunt.
me stupct desiderium Megillae
dulce caneotis.
8. ncmpc non tu semper a~ mavis
cum tuae sortis pueri pucllas
carmine mulcent?
• • • • • • • • • •
. .
• lC>COSJS
9·
cantibus curac minuentur atrae :
mox pcrituris
gaudiisfaustam capiamus horam,
dum licct.
1 o. fit labor noctuquc dicque : nullum
barbari scrvis tribuunt onustis
pracmium.
71
11. non minas Caesar tumidas timcbit
nee parabit consiJia improbanda
nee dabit quaesita suis libenter
munera amicis.
12. non nihil pravum sedet ac malignum
rebus hwnanis penitus, quod ultra
dignior grata vice solvet aevi
vita futuri.

ALCAIC EXERCISES.
1. te iudiccm non dulcc ridcns,
duke loquens Lalage domabit.
2. vcstigiis terram caterva
honisonis premit indecora
3. innupta quid sponsum retardaa?
pone moras posito pudorc.
4. quis non laborantcm senectam
praetereuntibus horret annis?
5. cur pectus arguto exanimaa mcum
flctu? tibi nunc gaudia Caecubum
donent: qucrcllaa infidclis
Lesbia fundat ! iniqua fata
6. illumque non centum pcricla
impavidum quaticnt; nee unquam
ccdct tyranno.
7. et ccrva fonnidans scqucntcs
ocius ad sua tccta currit
8. fonnidolosos non metuet greges
boum minaci fronte ruentium
de colic ; sed cemcns draconem
tecta fuga citiorc quacret.
9. audirc somno iam videor mco
voces amoenas carmina, quae ttbi
finxi, Chloe dulcis, cancntum:
o eadem canerct Cupido !
72
l 0. iam IUllt petendi- De tibi sit pudor-
dcsiderantcs te facilem proci :
taedae parcntur nuptiales !
dcliciis capiaa maritum.
1 1• dum tc trcmcntem dira Pl"OIClpina
ridet cachinnis, pro patria virum
It dedcrc illustri volentcm
plaudit, amansquc parat coronam
12. scribcna cundo progreditur stilus,
tum sai.pta linquit ; non lacrimae tuac
nee millc ddcbunt preces nee
juua notam minimam papyri.

73
 APPENDIX I
A-LisT op PaoPER.NA.Mas
Achaemenea : grandfather of Cyrus; extremely rich Persian.
Acheron : river of the underworld.
Acbivi: Greeb.
Acroceraunia: dangerous rocky promontory.
Aeacus : judge of the underworld.
Aeolius : Greek (adj.).
Africus : stormy south west wind.
Agyieus : Apollo.
Alcaeus : Lesbian poet and citharoedist.
Alcidea : Hercules.
Alfius : a usurer.
Anacreon: Greek poet of Teos.
Antilochus : Greek hero.
Apollinaris : belonging to Apollo.
Apollo: god of poetry, music, art and healing.
Aprilis : April.
Aquilo : winter wind and weather
Archytas : Greek philosopher.
Arctos : the North.
Asterie : maiden.
Attalicus: immemely rich.
Attalus : weal~y king of Pergamos.
Aufidus : swift and noisy river near Horace's birthplace.
Ausonius: Italian.
&ttbae: votaries of Bacchus.
Bacchus : god of wine, wine.
Baiae : Campanian watering.place.
Barine : maiden.
Bassareus
: Bacchus.
Bellerophon : hero who vanquished the Chimaera.
Berecyntia(tibia) : curved Phrygian flute.
Boreas: North wind.
Britanni: Britons.
Caecubum : rare wine.
Caesar: Emperor, Sultan, king, monarch.
74
Calenum : wine.
CalJiope: chief of the Muses.
Carnena : Muse.
Oarnillus: hero.
Oanicula : lesser dogstar.
Canicn)a } .
Canis : the worst throw of the dice.
Canidia : a 10rceress.
Oastalia : sacred spring of Parnaaus (Muses).
Castor: Greek hero (hone riding).
Cato: Roman hero celebrated for his virtue and patriotism.
Oeaopius : Athenian.
c.erberus: hound of the underworld.
Ceres: goddess of agriculture (crops, corn).
Charon : ferryman of the underworld.
Charybdis: dangerous whirlpool
•
Chium: wme.
Chimaera: mythical monster vomiting fire and slain by
Bellerophon.
Chloria: goddm of flowers (see Flora).
Chloe : maiden's name.
Circe : an enchantress.
Clio: Muse of history.
Cocytos: river of the underworld.
Cressa : maiden.
Cupido : Cupid.
Ourius: proverbial for frugality and integrity.
Cynthia : Diana.
Oynthius : Apollo.
Cyrus : Persian king.
Cytherea : Venua.

Daedalus : Athenian architect and builder of the Cretan labyrinth.

Daedaleus : architectural
DarnaJis : maiden.
Danai : Greeks.
Delius : Apollo.
Diana : goddess of childbirth, field sport,, also moon-goddess.
Diespiter : Jupiter.
Dircaeus: Theban.

Enceladus : a giant.
Eous: dawn.
75
Erycina : Venus.
Euhias : a female reveller.
Euhiua : Bacchus.
Enroenidea : the Furies (driving men mad).
Euterpe : Muse of music, vocal and instrumental.

Fabricius: Roman hero famous for his frugality.

Falemum : wine.
Faunua : god of agriculture, sylvan deity (Pan).
Favoniua : vernal west wind.
Flora : goddess of flowers.
Furiae: the Furies {Eumenidae).
Galatea: maiden.
Genius : guardian spirit.
Geryones : monster.
Glyee:ra: maiden {Horace's mistrea).
Grai : Greeks.
Gratiae: the three Graces (sisters of great beauty and gentleness).
Gyas: monster (centimanus, hundred-handed).
Haemonia: snow-clad Thessaly.
Hercules : Greek hero (bravery, great strength).
Herculeus: Herculean (hard labour).
Hesperia: Italy.
Hesperiua : western.
Hippolytus : Greek hero.
Homerus : Homer.
Hyperboreus : exbeme northern.
Iapyx : North west wind.
Ilithyia: goddess of childbirth.
Ilion : Troy.
I nachia : maiden.
Italia : Italy.
Juno: wife of Jupiter; godde.u of matrimony.
Jupiter: king of heaven and the universe; the sky; the climate.
Laestrygonius : Campanian; wine-jar.
Lalage : maiden.
Lares : household deities; home.
Latium: district around Rome.
Latous : Apollo.
Lenaeum : wine.
Lesbia : maiden.
Lesbium : wine.
76
Labius
Leabous} : lync.
.
Leuconoe~ maiden.
Liber : wine, &uctification.
Li'bitina : goddess of corpses.
Liburna: fast sailing vessel.
Licymnia : wife of king of Lydia.
Lucina : goddess of child-birth.
Lyaeum : wine.
Lyce : maiden.
Lycoris: maiden:
Lyde : maiden.
Lynceus : sharp-sighted.
Maecenas : Horace's patron and friend.
Maeonim. Homeric :
Manes : ghosts, departed spirits.
Mareoticum : wine.
Marica : nymph.
:=.n
} :god of war; war.
Megilla : maiden.
Melpomene: Muse of tragedy; Horace's special Muse.
Mercurialis: under Mercury's aegis; commercial, poetical.
Mercurius : god of culture, wit, eloquence, trade, roads and con-
ductor to the underworld.
Minerva: goddess of spinning and learning (Pallas).
Minos: a judge of the underworld.
:::e}: the Muses; inspiration; poetry; the fine arts.
Myrtale: a freedwoman, friend of Horace.
Naiades: water nymphs.
Neaera : a mistress of Horace.
Neobule : maiden.
Neptunus : sea-god.
Nereus : sea-god.
Nestor: king of Pylus, famed for long life and wisdom.
Nireus: Greek hero, famed for his good looks.
Notus : south wind, rain wind.
Nymphae : minor deities of streams, trees, mountains and seas.
Oceanus: the ocean.
Olympus : mountain sacred to Jupiter and the gods; heaven; the
sky.
77
Orcus : the underworld.
Orpheus: mythical citharoedist, the great charmer.
Parcae : the Fates (see Sorores).
Parrhasius: Greek painter.
Pater : Jupiter.
Pelides : Achilles.
Penates : household deities, home.
Penelope: wife of Ulysses faithful to him, rejecting all suitors.
Perithous
Pirithous } :unrescu ed prooner
. . th e un derworId.
1n
Persicus : Persian.
Persae : Persians.
Phaeax : a lucky man.
Phidyle : maiden.
Phoebe : the moon.
Phoebus: Apollo; the sun.
Pholoe : a coy maiden.
Phryne: maiden.
Phyllis: maiden.
Pierides: Muses.
Pierius : musical, lyrical.
Pimpleis }
Pipleis : a Muse.
Pindarus : Pindar, Greek lyric poet.
Pindus: abode of the Muses on Mt. Parnassus.
Pluto: ruler of the underworld.
Pollux : Castor's brother, boxing hero.
Polyhymnia : a Muse.
Porphyrion: a giant (with threatening mien).
Postumus : Roman surname.
Priapus : god of horticulture.
Proserpina: goddess of the underworld.
Proteus : a sea-god; fickle person.
Pyrrha: maiden.
Pythagoras : Greek philosopher.
Pythius : Apollo.
Rhode : maiden.
Rhoetus: a giant.
Roma: Rome.
Romanus : Roman.
Sabinus: rural, agricultural.
Sappho : Greek poetess, composer of love lyrics.
78 6
Satumus : god of the Golden Age of Rome.
Satyri : rustic deities, satyn.
Scopas : Greek painter.
Siculus : Sicilian.
Silvanus: forest god.
Sisyphus : mythical convict in the underworld; represents fruitless
toil.
Sithonia : Thracian; wintry conditions.
Socraticus : . belonging to Socrates the philosopher.
Sorores: the three Sisten-Clotho, Lachesis and Atropos; the
Fates.
Stesichorus : Greek poet.
Styx: river of the underworld.
Taenarus: the underworld.
Tantalus : mythical sufferer; " so near and yet so far."
i= }: the underworld.
Tartareus : of the underworld.
Telephus: inconstant lover.
Tempe: beautiful valley in Thessaly.
Tenninalia: the feast of boundaries.
Thalia : Muse of comedy.
Thetis : sea nymph.
Thressa Thraci .I
Thraessa : an gir ·
Thyiades : Bacchic revellen.
Thyoneus : Bacchic.
Titan : the sun.
Tydides : Greek hero (Diomedes).
Tyndaridae : Castor and Pollux.
Tyndaris : maiden.
Typhoeus : a giant struck by lightning by Jupiter and buried
under Mt. Aetna.
Venus : goddess of love; love grace, charm; the highest throw of
the dice (see Canicula and Canis).
Venusia: Horace's birthplace.
Vesperus : evening star, evening.
Vesta : household goddess.
Virgines Vestales : Vestal virgins.
Vulcanus: fire god.
Zephyrus : the west wind.

79
 B--L1sT op ABSTRACT PROPER NoUNs.

Amor: Love.
Copia : Abundance.
Cura : Anxiety.
Decor: Youthful ~uty.
Fama : Fame, Rumour.
Faustitas : Fertility of the soil.
Fides : Faith.
Fors : Chance, Fate.
Fortuna : Fortune, Fate.
Gratia : Grace.
Gloria: Glory, Renown.
Honas }
Honor : Honour.
locus: Jest, Sport.
Iustitia: Justice.
luventa }
Iuventus : Youth.
luventas
Libertas: Liberty.
Licentia : Wantonness.
Minae : Threats, Danger.
Mon: Death.
Necessitas: Fate.
Nox: Night.
Pauperies: Poverty.
Pax: Peace.
Pietas : Piety, Patriotism, Duty.
Poena : Punishment.
Pudor : Decency, Modesty (sense of shame).
Sors : Fate, Destiny.
Spes: Hope.

~==
}:
Timor :
Earth.
Fear.
Veritas: Truth.
Vesper: Eventide.
Virtus : Virtue, Valour.
80
 APPENDIX II
Rhymed and Unrhymed Concords in the first three verses of
the Sapphic Stanza as found in Horace's Odes.
Colliding Sibilants in the Sapphic Odes.
No.of Concords
Ode Stanzas Unrhymed Rhymed Sibilants
C. I.: 2 13 3 5 1
10 5 1 0 0
12 15 3 4 0
20 3 1 2 0
22 6 1 7 0
25 5 4 1 2 (ono)
30 2 1 0 1
32 4 0 0 1
38 2 0 1 0
C. II.: 2 6 1 2 1
4 6 2 1 0
6 6 0 2 0
8 6 3 0 0
10 6 1 1 0
16 10 2 1 1
C. III.: 8 7 3 2 1
11 13 1 5 0
14 7 3 4 0
18 4 2 3 1
20 4 4 3 1 (ono)
22 2 1 2 0
27 19 3 3 3 (1 ono)
C. IV.: 2 15 2 3 1
6 11 4 2 0
11 9 2 3 0
Carmen
Saeculare 19 8 2 3
Total: 26 205 56 59 17 (-4 ono)
Note.-" Ono ,. = onomatopoeic. .
The number of rhymed Adonic concords is 27, that of unrhymed concords
(including such examples as pronos ... men,es) is 29.

81
 APPENDIX III
KEv TO PRosooICALEu.oas
Sapphic Exercises.
Ex. 1. line 1; elided last syllable of third foot after weak caesura,
" nunc promere " not allowed : the caesura! stop after
" nunc " in both lines should be avoided.
2. The fint line ends with monosyllable preceded by a word
of more than two syllables : this is not found in the Sapphic
Odes. Aho hiatus between the last two lines is bad.
3. Sense-pause at weak caesura, and hiatus between the last
two lines not allowed.
+. "me turbat," the break here not good. Monosyllable
followed by trisyllable opening very ugly in line 2.
5. Diaeretic opening of line 1 forbidden : final syllable of
"acuta" is normally long before "spernunt," therefore
does not scan.
6. The middle line has no caesura.
7. Absence of caesura only permissible if meant to copy
CatullUI.
8. line 1 : C.IV.11.29 is the only example of this sequence.
9. Pause at end of third line of stanza not found in Horace:
Adonius should not be made part of next stanza.
10. Pause at end of fourth foot of line 1 not in Horace.
11. line 2 : trisyllabic second word forces a caesura at end
of second foot followed by forbidden dactyl : this elision
in Adonius not in Horace.
12. Prosodically correct.
Alcaic &ercises. (v. = verse of Alcaic stanza.)
Ex. 1. v. 3, monosyllable + trisyllable start very ugly.
2. v. 3, quadrisyllabic start not good.
3. Sense-pause at v. 3 should be avoided.
4. Six-syllable word opens v. 4: not allowed.
82
 5. Diaeretic opening feet of v. 2; sense-pause at lint foot rare
in Horace, and sense-pause at fifth syllable of v. 4 for-
bidden.
6. Sense-pause at seventh syllable of v. 4; hiatus between
v. 3 and+.
7. Diaeretic dactyls opening v. 4 are forbidden: "ad sua,"
(preposition is treated as a proclitic).
8. Prosodically correct. " Bown,'' iambic start, allowed as an
occasionalvariation.
9. Diaeretic opening, end-pause and hiatus at final word of
v. 3, all forbidden.
10. Stanza too square-cut : v. 3 ends with quadrisyllable and
pause.
11. This v. 4 sequence occun once only in Horace (C.I.26.12),
and " amansque " is ill-sounding.
12. Monosyllable ending third verse occun but once in Horace,
viz. C.II.7.19.

INDEX
Abstract noum, 35, 80 Cantor, 10, 17, 20, 23, 25
Accent, 10, 12, 13, 17, 25 Carmen Saeculare, 7, 11, 16, 19,
Adonius, 16, 20, 21, 24, 60, 65 20, 21
Aeolian 10ng, 11 Catullw (poet), 8, 9, 11, 17, 33
Alcaeus, 7, 9, 10, 26 Cicero, 39
Alcaic metre, 13, 25, 39 Citharoedista (Greek), 10
Ambiguous construction, 55 Cleopatra, 7
Anacrusis, 25, 26 Concords, 22, 23, 24, 30, 35, 36,
Anapaest, 13, 25 41, 58, 62, 81
Antibacchic, 17L 18 Conjunctions, use of, 36, 40, 49, 58
Antony, Mark, 7 Corvinus, Meuala, 50
Alclepiad metre, 12
Atque, Horace'• we of, 56 Dactyl, 13, 18
Augustus, 7, 37 Diaeresis, metrical, 15, 18, 29, 31,
58
Beats, 13, 17 Dorian Mode, 11, 13
Bonavia-Hunt, Wilfrid, 25
Break, metrical, 15, 29 Ele~ac verse, 10, 14, 22 39
Eliuon, 13, 14, 17, 18, ~O, 21, 27,
Caesar, Julius, 7, 10 29, 32. 33, 43 .
Caesar, Augustus Octavianua, 7, 37 End-stop, 15, 21, 391 58
Caesura, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 24, 58 Enjambment, 21, 3:,, 34, 36, 39,
Callimechua (poet), 8 41, 43, 48, 49, 58, 62
83
Epanalepai1, 28, 29, 36, 41, 43, 54, Pitch-changes, 12, 13
55 Plectrum, 10, 25, 48
Epithets, Horatian, 52-54 Proper nouns, 35, 59, 62, 74-79
, separation of, 23 55, 58 Propertiua (poet), SS
Euphony, verbal, 12, 33, S6,62 Punctuation, 15
Foot, metrical, 10, 13, 15, 18, •t Quatrain, 16, 18, 23, 25, 33
pa.trim Quintilian, 10
G~k modes, 10, 11, 12, 17 Repetition of words (concurrent),
55
Hexameter vene, 14 39 Repetition of words (inartistic), 55
Hiatus, 15, 20, 21, 24,31, 36, 43, Rhyming, 22, 23, 24, 30, 34, 35,
58, 61 43, 58
Hypermixolydian mode, 17 Rhythm, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16,
Hypodorian mode, 11, 17 17, 22

lam, Horace', use of, 56, 59 Sabine Farm, Horace's, 71 37, 4-2
Iambus, 13, 25 Sappho (Greek poete11), 7
lctuJ, 10 Sapphic metre, 13, 16, 17, 18-24-,
39
Sense-pause, 151 21, 29, 34, 39, 62
Length (of Sapphic Ode~ 22 Sibilants, colliding, 35, 43, 49, 59,
,, (of Alcaic Ode), ;,4 60, 61, 81
Lucretius (poet), 9..,33 Sophocles, 26
Ludi Tarentini, lo Spondee, 13, 17, 18, 25, 26
Lydian mode, 11, 13 Stanza, 12, 13, 15, 16, 17, 20, 21
Lyre, 10, 11, 52 sq., et passim
Syllabic distribution, 24 36, 43
Maecenul. 7, 12 Synaphea, 15, 21, 24, 27, 28, 32
Mesaala , Synizesis, 27
Metre, 9, 15, 23, 26, 38, 39
Muaic, Roman, 10, 17 Tibia, 11
,, Greek, 10, 11, 12, 17, 26 Tibullus (poet} 7
Trochee, 13, 17,18, 25
Names, proper, 35, 59, 62, 74
Noun,, abstract (penonified), SS, 80 Varius (poet), 7
Vergil (poet), 7, 14, 33, 36, 37
Ovid {poet), 10, 12, 36, 37 Vene, verse-line, 13, 15, 16-24, •t
Oxford Edition (of Horace), 15 J>assim
Vocabulary (choice of), 36, 41
Parenthesis, 22, 67
Pitch-accents, 12, 13, I 7 Wilkin10n, L. P., 56