25TH LATIN SUMMER SCHOOL

14th-18th JANUARY 2019

Eastern Avenue Building, University of Sydney

LEVEL 4.6 Horace as Poet of Time Instructor: Kathleen Riley

HORACEPoet of Time

SYDNEY LATIN SUMMER SCHOOL 2019LEVEL 4Y (ADVANCED )

Tutor: Kathleen Riley

HORACE, POET OF TIME

2

From Denis Feeney’s ‘Horace and the Greek Lyric Poets’, in Michèle Lowrie, ed. (2009), Horace: Odes and Epodes. OUP: 202-31

3

TEXTS

1. Odes I.4

2. Odes IV.73. Odes I.9

4. Odes I.115. Odes I.23

6. Odes II.57. Odes I.25

8. Odes IV.109. Odes III.26

10. Odes IV.111. Louis MacNeice, ‘Solvitur acris hiems’

12. A. E. Housman, ‘Diffugere nives’

Detail of mosaic pavement with Seasons, Roman Carthage, late 4th century AD

4

1 . ODES , I .4

SOLVITUR acris hiems grata vice veris et Favoni,     trahuntque siccas machinae carinas,ac neque iam stabulis gaudet pecus aut arator igni,     nec prata canis albicant pruinis.iam Cytherea choros ducit Venus imminente Luna, 5     iunctaeque Nymphis Gratiae decentesalterno terram quatiunt pede, dum gravis Cyclopum     Vulcanus ardens visit officinas.nunc decet aut viridi nitidum caput impedire myrto     aut flore terrae quem ferunt solutae; 10nunc et in umbrosis Fauno decet immolare lucis,     seu poscat agna sive malit haedo.pallida Mors aequo pulsat pede pauperum tabernas     regumque turris. o beate Sesti,vitae summa brevis spem nos vetat incohare longam. 15     iam te premet nox fabulaeque Maneset domus exilis Plutonia; quo simul mearis,     nec regna vini sortiere talis,nec tenerum Lycidan mirabere, quo calet iuventus     nunc omnis et mox virgines tepebunt. 20

Vocabularycaleo (2) to burn, to be inflamedcarina (1) keel, boathaedus (2) a young goat, kidimmolo (1) to sacrificeincoho (1) to begin, developpratum (2) meadowpremo (3) to press upon, overwhelmpruina (1) hoar-frostquatio (3) to shake

5

Sandro Botticelli, ‘Primavera’, circa 1470s or 80s. Uffizi Gallery, Florence

6

2. ODES , IV.7

DIFFVGERE nives, redeunt iam gramina campis     arboribusque comae;mutat terra vices, et decrescentia ripas     flumina praetereunt;Gratia cum Nymphis geminisque sororibus audet 5     ducere nuda choros.immortalia ne speres, monet annus et almum     quae rapit hora diem:frigora mitescunt Zephyris, ver proterit aestas     interitura simul 10pomifer Autumnus fruges effuderit, et mox     bruma recurrit iners.damna tamen celeres reparant caelestia lunae:     nos ubi decidimusquo pater Aeneas, quo dives Tullus et Ancus, 15     pulvis et umbra sumus.quis scit an adiciant hodiernae crastina summae     tempora di superi?cuncta manus avidas fugient heredis, amico     quae dederis animo. 20cum semel occideris et de te splendida Minos     fecerit arbitria,non, Torquate, genus, non te facundia, non te     restituet pietas;infernis neque enim tenebris Diana pudicum 25     liberat Hippolytum,nec Lethaea valet Theseus abrumpere caro     vincula Pirithoo.

Vocabularyalmus (adj.) cheerful, genial intereo to perishbruma (1) winter pomifer (adj.) fruit-bearingcoma (1) foliage praetereo (trans.) to run pastdecido (3) to sink down protero (3) to tread downdiffugio, -ere, -fugi to disperse spero (1) to hope forheres, -edis heir

7

3 . ODES , I .9

VIDES ut alta stet nive candidumSoracte, nec iam sustineant onus     silvae laborantes, geluque      flumina constiterint acuto.

dissolve frigus ligna super foco 5large reponens atque benignius     deprome quadrimum Sabina,      o Thaliarche, merum diota:

permitte divis cetera, qui simulstravere ventos aequore fervido 10     deproeliantis, nec cupressi      nec veteres agitantur orni.

quid sit futurum cras fuge quaerere, etquem Fors dierum cumque dabit lucro     appone, nec dulcis amores 15      sperne puer neque tu choreas,

donec virenti canities abestmorosa. nunc et campus et areae     lenesque sub noctem susurri      composita repetantur hora, 20

nunc et latentis proditor intimogratus puellae risus ab angulo     pignusque dereptum lacertis      aut digito male pertinaci.

Vocabularyarea (1) a playground gelu (4. n.) frostcampus (2) exercise-ground intimus (adj.) inmostcanities (f.) grey hair, old age large (adv.) plentifullychorea (1) a dance morosus (adj.) peevishdepromo (3) to fetch out ornus (f.) mountain-ashderipio, -ere, -ui, dereptum to snatch from pignus (n.) a love-tokendiota (1) a two-handled jar quadrimus (adj.) four years oldfervidus (adj.) boiling sterno, ere, stravi to make smoothfors (f.) chance, luck susurrus (2) a whisper

8

4. ODES , I .11

TV ne quaesieris, scire nefas, quem mihi, quem tibifinem di dederint, Leuconoe, nec Babyloniostemptaris numeros. ut melius, quidquid erit, pati,seu pluris hiemes seu tribuit Iuppiter ultimam,quae nunc oppositis debilitat pumicibus mare 5Tyrrhenum: sapias, vina liques, et spatio brevispem longam reseces. dum loquimur, fugerit invidaaetas: carpe diem, quam minimum credula postero.

Vocabularycredulus (adj. + dat.) trusting ininvidus (adj.) envious, grudgingliquo (1) to strainpumices (pl.) rocksreseco (1) to prune, cut backspatium (2) life-spantempto (1) to make trial of

John William Waterhouse, ‘Gather Ye Rosebuds While Ye May’, 1909

9

5. ODES , I .23

VITAS inuleo me similis, Chloe,quaerenti pavidam montibus aviis matrem non sine vano aurarum et silvae metu.

nam seu mobilibus veris inhorruit 5adventus folliis seu virides rubum dimovere lacertae, et corde et genibus tremit.

atqui non ego te tigris ut asperaGaetulusve leo frangere persequor: 10 tandem desine matrem tempestiva sequi viro.

Vocabularyatqui and yet inhorresco. -ere, -horrui to quiveravius (adj.) remote, untrodden lacerta (1) a lizardfrango (3) to crush, subdue mobilis (adj.) rustlinggenu, -us (n.) the knee rubus (2) bramble-bushhinnuleus (2) a young deer, fawn tempestivus (adj.) of an age for

A late Roman marble mosaic panel, circa 4th-5th century AD

10

6. ODES , II .5

NONDVM subacta ferre iugum valetcervice, nondum munia comparis aequare nec tauri ruentis in venerem tolerare pondus.

circa virentis est animus tuae 5campos iuvencae, nunc fluviis gravem solantis aestum, nunc in udo ludere cum vitulis salicto

praegestientis. tolle cupidinemimmitis uvae: iam tibi lividos 10 distinguet Autumnus racemos purpureo varius colore.

iam te sequetur: currit enim feroxaetas et illi quos tibi dempserit apponet annos; iam proterva 15 fronte petet Lalage maritum,

dilecta, quantum non Pholoe fugax,non Chloris albo sic umero nitens ut pura nocturno renidet luna mari Cnidiusve Gyges, 20

quem si puellarum insereres choro,mire sagaces falleret hospites discrimen obscurum solutis crinibus ambiguoque vultu.

Vocabularyinsero (3) to introduce, insertiuvenca (1) heifermire (adv.) marvellouslymunia, orum (n.) dutiespraegestio (4) to desire greatly, delightprotervus (adj.) bold, wantonracemus (2) bunch, clustersalictum (2) willow-grove

11

Fragment of a Byzantine floor Mosaic with a Personification of Ktisis. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

12

7. ODES , I .25

PARCIVS iunctas quatiunt fenestrasiactibus crebris iuvenes protervi,nec tibi somnos adimunt, amatque ianua limen,

quae prius multum facilis movebat 5cardines; audis minus et minus iam‘me tuo longas pereunte noctes, Lydia, dormis?’

invicem moechos anus arrogantisflebis in solo levis angiportu, 10Thracio bacchante magis sub interlunia vento,

cum tibi flagrans amor et libido,quae solet matres furiare equorum,saeviet circa iecur ulcerosum, 15     non sine questu

laeta quod pubes hedera virentigaudeat pulla magis atque myrto,aridas frondes hiemis sodali     dedicet Hebro. 20

Vocabularyangiportus (4) a narrow streetbaccho (1) to ragecardo, -inis (m.) hingefurio (1) to maddengaudeo (2)(+ abl.) to take delight inhedera (1) ivylevis (adj.) cheap, unimportantmyrtus (f.) myrtlepubes (f.) youth, young peoplepullus (adj.) dark-greensaevio (4) to rage

13

8. ODES , IV.10

O CRVDELIS adhuc et Veneris muneribus potens,insperata tuae cum veniet pluma superbiae,et, quae nunc umeris involitant, deciderint comae,nunc et qui color est puniceae flore prior rosae,mutatus Ligurinum in faciem verterit hispidam, 5dices ‘heu’ quotiens te speculo videris alterum,‘quae mens est hodie, cur eadem non puero fuit,vel cur his animis incolumes non redeunt genae?’

Vocabularyhispidus (adj.) shaggy, hairy, bristlyincolumis (adj.) unimpaired, untouchedinsperatus (adj.) unexpectedpuniceus (adj.) red, purple-colouredspeculum (2) looking-glass, mirror

Head of an old man. Marble, Otricoli, 1st century BC. Museo Torlonia, Rome

14

9. ODES , III .26

VIXI puellis nuper idoneuset militavi non sine gloria; nunc arma defunctumque bello barbiton hic paries habebit,

laevum marinae qui Veneris latus 5custodit. hic, hic ponite lucida funalia et vectis et arcus oppositis foribus minaces.

o quae beatum diva tenes Cyprum etMemphin carentem Sithonia nive 10 regina, sublimi flagello tange Chloen semel arrogantem.

Vocabularyflagellum (2) whip minax, -acis (adj. + dat.) a threat tofunale (n.) wax-torch sublimis (adj.) upliftedlucidus (adj.) bright teneo (2) to hold, have power inmarinus (adj.) sea-born vectis (m.) a crowbar

Horace (?) in middle age, from a marble relief fragment of the early 1st century AD. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

15

10. ODES , IV.1

INTERMISSA, Venus, diurursus bella moves? parce precor, precor.

non sum qualis eram bonaesub regno Cinarae. desine, dulcium

mater saeva Cupidinum, 5circa lustra decem flectere mollibus

iam durum imperiis: abiquo blandae iuvenum te revocant preces.

tempestivius in domumPauli purpureis ales oloribus 10

comissabere Maximi,si torrere iecur quaeris idoneum:

namque et nobilis et decenset pro sollicitis non tacitus reis

et centum puer artium 15late signa feret militiae tuae,

et, quandoque potentiorlargi muneribus riserit aemuli,

Albanos prope te lacusponet marmoream sub trabe citrea. 20

illic plurima naribusduces tura, lyraque et Berecyntiae

delectabere tibiaemixtis carminibus non sine fistula;

illic bis pueri die 25numen cum teneris virginibus tuum

laudantes pede candidoin morem Salium ter quatient humum.

me nec femina nec pueriam nec spes animi credula mutui 30

nec certare iuvat meronec vincire novis tempora floribus.

sed cur heu, Ligurine, curmanat rara meas lacrima per genas?

cur facunda parvm decoro 35inter verba cadit lingua silentio?

nocturnis ego somniisiam captum teneo, iam volucrem sequor

te per gramina Martiicampi, te per aquas, dure, volubilis. 40

16

Vocabularyblandus (adj.) persuasive, winningcandidus (adj.) gleamingcitreus (adj.) of cedar-woodcomissor (1) to go in processiondecens (adj.) handsomeduco (3) to draw in, inhaledurus (adj.) hard-hearted, toughfistula (1) shepherd’s pipegena (1) the cheekintermissus (adj.) suspended, broken offlargus (adj.) free-spendinglustrum (2) a 5-year periodmano (1) to tricklenaris, -is (f.) nostrilolor, -oris (m.) swanquandoque wheneverreus (2) accused persontempora (n. pl.) templestrabs, trabis (f.) rooftus, turis (n.) incensevolucer, -cris (adj.) flying, speeding

Marble of athlete resting. Palazzo Altemps, Museo Nazionale Romano, Rome

17

11 . LOUIS MACNEICE, ‘SOLVITUR ACRIS HIEMS’ Horace, Odes I.4

WINTER to Spring: the west wind melts the frozen rancour, The windlass drags to sea the thirsty hull; Byre is no longer welcome to beast or fire to ploughman, The field removes the frost-cap from his skull.

Venus of Cythera leads the dances under the hanging 5 Moon and the linked line of Nymphs and Graces Beat the ground with measured feet while the busy Fire-God Stokes his red-hot mills in volcanic places.

Now is the time to twine the spruce and shining head with myrtle, Now with flowers escaped the earthly fetter, 10And sacrifice to the woodland god in shady copses A lamb or a kid, whichever he likes better.

Equally heavy is the heel of white-faced Death on the pauper’s Shack and the towers of kings, and O my dear The little sum of life forbids the ravelling of lengthy 15 Hopes. Night and the fabled dead are near

And the narrow house of nothing past whose lintel You will meet no wine like this, no boy to admire Like Lycidas who today makes all young men a furnace And whom tomorrow girls will find a fire. 20

18

[MacNeice’s translation of Odes I.4] demonstrates his brilliance and sureness of touch when translating a congenial poet. He evokes with utmost delicacy the coming of spring sketched so vividly and economically by Horace … And he manages to endow the weighty Horatian commonplaces about the coming of death and the transitoriness of wordly pleasure with a resonance and an evocative melancholy that somehow combine the plangency of modem Romantic verse with the clarity and grave precision of classical antiquity.

From Louis MacNeice by John Press

Louis MacNeice. Photo by Howard Coster, 1942. National Portrait Gallery, London

19

One morning in May, 1914, when the trees in Cambridge were covered with blossom, he reached in his lecture Ode 7 in Horace’s Fourth Book, ‘Diffugere Nives, rodent iam gramina campis’. This ode he dissected with the usual display of brilliance, wit, and sarcasm. Then for the first time in two years he looked up at us, and in quite a different voice said, ‘I should like to spend the last few minutes considering this ode simply as poetry.’ Our previous experience of Professor Housman would have made us sure that he would regard such a proceeding as beneath contempt. He read the ode aloud with deep emotion first in Latin, and then in an English translation of his own …

‘That’, he said hurriedly, almost like a man betraying a secret, ‘I regard as the most beautiful poem in ancient literature’, and walked quickly out of the room.

Afterwards another undergraduate, a scholar of Trinity, commented: ‘I felt quite uncomfortable. I was afraid the old fellow was going to cry.’

From A. E. Housman, The Scholar Poet by Richard Perceval Graves

A. E. Housman. Photo by E.O. Hoppé, circa 1911. National Portrait Gallery, London

20

12 . A. E. HOUSMAN, ‘DIFFUGERE NIVES’ Horace, Odes IV.7

THE snows are fled away, leaves on the shaws And grasses in the mead renew their birth,The river to the river-bed withdraws, And altered is the fashion of the earth.

The Nymphs and Graces three put off their fear 5 And unapparelled in the woodland play.The swift hour and the brief prime of the year Say to the soul, Thou wast not born for aye.

Thaw follows frost; hard on the heel of spring Treads summer sure to die, for hard on hers 10Comes autumn with his apples scattering; Then back to wintertide, when nothing stirs.

But oh, whate’er the sky-led seasons mar, Moon upon moon rebuilds it with her beams;Come we where Tullus and where Ancus are 15 And good Aeneas, we are dust and dreams.

Torquatus, if the gods in heaven shall add The morrow to the day, what tongue has told?Feast then thy heart, for what thy heart has had The fingers of no heir will ever hold. 20

When thou descendest once the shades among, The stern assize and equal judgment o’er,Not thy long lineage nor thy golden tongue, No, nor thy righteousness, shall friend thee more.

Night holds Hippolytus the pure of stain, 25 Diana steads him nothing, he must stay;And Theseus leaves Pirithous in the chain The love of comrades cannot take away.

21

FURTHER READING

Eyres, Harry (2013), Horace and Me: Life Lessons from an Ancient Poet.

Bloomsbury

Harrison, Stephen (2017), Victorian Horace: Classics and Class. Bloomsbury

McClatchy, J. D., ed. (2005), Horace, The Odes: New Translations by Contemporary Poets. Princeton University Press

Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema, ‘A Roman Scribe Writing Dispatches’, 1865

22

Walter Crane, ‘Morn, Noon, Eve and Night’, 1891