25 suspecta Cyrum, ne male dispari et scindat haerentem coronam 25. suspecta: for rude Cyrus is jealous.―male dispari: a bad match, i.e. no match, cf. 1, 9, 24 male pertinaci and n. to minus 1, 2, 27. 26 ff. Tyndaris is to be in festal dress, which Cyrus would injure if he should find her. Cf. Propert. 18 2, 5, 21 ff. nec tibi periuro scindam de corpore vestem, | nec mea praeclusas fregerit ira fores, | nec tibi conexos iratus carpere crines | nec duris ausim laedere pollicibus. immeritam: the dress shares Tyndaris' innocence. In praise of wine. Thou shouldst before all, Varus, plant the vine about Tibur, for total abstainers find life hard. Wine drives away cares; but immoderate use brings quarrels, boasting, and bad faith.' The ode was suggested by a poem of Alcaeus, of which Horace has translated at least the beginning, Frg. 44 μηδὲν ἄλλο φυτεύσης πρότερον δένδριον ἀμπέλω. He has, however, after his usual manner given his verses an Italian setting. The date of composition is unknown. The Varus addressed was probably Quintilius Varus, whose death is lamented in 1, 24. Metre, 54. Nullam, Vare, sacra vite prius severis arborem I. sacra: as the vine is the gift of Bacchus. Cf. Ennius Trag. 107 f. R. Bacchus pater | . . . vitis inventor sacrae. The position of sacra implies that this gift is not to be abused, but enjoyed in proper fashion as coming from the gods. - severis: plant. Cf. Caecilius apud Cic. C. M. 24 serit arbores quae alteri saeclo prosint. —arborem: a generic term of wider our English 'tree.' scope than HOR. CAR. - 8 113 Plin. N. H. 14, 9 vites iure apud priscos magnitudine quoque inter arbores numerabantur. 2. circa: used in the same loose way as our English ‘about'; with solum it denotes the place where, with moenia it means 'near', 'in the neighborhood of.' mite: soft, and hence fertile. Cf. Verg. G. 2, 226 ff. for an account of the best soil for vines. Tiburis : for Horace's love of 5 Siccis omnia nam dura deus proposuit neque Quis post vina gravem militiam aut pauperiem crepat? Tibur, see 1, 7, 11 ff.moenia 3. siccis: total abstainers. For the opposite, udus or uvidus, cf. I, 7, 22; 4, 5, 39. nam: for the position, see Intr. 31.-dura: 'life's rough side.' 4. mordaces: carking. Cf. 2, 11, 18 curae edaces; and Verg. A. 1, 261 quando haec te cura remordet. aliter i.e. without the use of wine. 5. gravem militiam, etc.: the hardships of war or of petty estate. crepat: babbles, harps on. 6. pater in recognition of the god as giver of the vine and other blessings. Cf. 3, 3, 13; Epist. 2, 1, 5 Liber pater. Here he is named with Venus, as wine and love are boon companions. decens: comely, 'fair in face and figure.' Cf. 1, 4, 6 Gratiae decen i.e. equivalent to qui modum amat. 9. debellata: note the force of the prefix; the brawl ended in the destruction of the Centaurs. Sithoniis : a Thracian people non ΙΟ cum fas atque nefas exiguo fine libidinum sub divum rapiam. Saeva tene cum Berecynthio name of Bacchus formed from 10. exiguo fine, etc. with appetite's narrow bound alone; i.e. when men in their greed (avidi) make their passions the sole measure of right and wrong. In the following verses Horace expresses his thoughts, I will not abuse thy gift, fair Bacchus,' in the language of the Dionysiac mysteries. 11. non ego: the common personal note giving force and concreteness to the general statement. For the order of words, see Intr. 21. 30.-candide: used of brilliant youthful beauty, 'fair and young' (Wickham). Cf. Ovid Fast. 3, Bassareu: an epithet formed from the Greek βασσάρα, a foxskin. This was worn by the bacchanals, who are themselves called in the Orphic hymn 44, 2 A. Βασσάραι. 771 ff. 12. quatiam: arouse, Kɩvýσw, properly applied to the thyrsus and other symbols of the god. as by Catull. 64, 256 harum pars tecta quatiebant cuspide thyrsos. the variis obsita frondibus: sacred symbols (orgia) placed in baskets (cistae) and covered with ivy, grape, or fig leaves, etc. Cf. Catull. 64, 254 ff. and Theoc. 26, 3 ff. 13. sub divum: into the light of day; cf. 1, 1, 25 manet sub Iove frigido venator. saeva tene, etc.: 'And we pray thee, Bacchus, do not excite our minds unduly lest we fall into excess.'-saeva: of the sound, 'the wild din of.' Cf. Verg. A. 9, 651 saeva sonoribus arma, and Catull. 64, 261 ff. plangebant aliae proceris tympana palmis | aut tereti tenues tinnitus aere ciebant | multis raucisonos efflabant cornua bombos | barbaraque horribili stridebat tibia cantu. - Berecynthio cornu: cf. 3, 19, 18 f. cur Berecynthiae cessant flamina tibiae. This is properly the horn used in the orgiastic cult of Cybele on Mt. Berecynthus in Phrygia; by extension applied to the horns employed in the worship of Bacchus. 14 f. quae subsequitur, etc.: i.e. in the train of mad ecstasy inspired by the god follow all too readily self-love (amor sui), boasting (gloria) and faithlessness (arcani fides 15 et tollens vacuum plus nimio gloria verticem prodiga).- plus nimio: over much, se 16. Drunkenness causes men to babble secrets. Cf. 3, 21, 15 f. (to 19 a wine jar) tu . . . arcanum iocoso | consilium retegis Lyaeo; and the proverb in the scholia to Plato, p. 96o Οr. τὸ ἐν καρδίᾳ νήφοντος, ἐπὶ τῇ γλώσσῃ τοῦ μεθύοντος. — fides prodiga: the faith that is lavish. 'I thought my days of love were over, but Venus and her allies will not let me go. Glycera inflames me; Venus forbids me sing of aught but love. Bring turf and let me build an altar to the goddess. offer of a victim will soften her attack.' The This dainty poem should be compared with the thirtieth ode of this book. Possibly its place here was determined by the decens Venus v. 6 of the preceding ode. The date is wholly uncertain. Metre, 71. 5 Mater saeva Cupidinum Thebanaeque iubet me Semeles puer et lasciva Licentia finitis animum reddere amoribus. Vrit me Glycerae nitor splendentis Pario If. Mater saeva Cupidinum: repeated years later in 4, 1, 5. Cf. Philod. Anth. Pal. 10, 21 Kúπρι, πόθων μῆτερ ἀελλοπόδων. — Cupidinum: the plural is not infrequent in Hellenistic and Roman literature. Semeles puer: for Bacchus' association with Venus, see v. 6 of the preceding ode. Cf. also the Anacreontic fragment 2 to Dionysus ὦναξ, ᾧ δαμάλης Ερως . . . πορφυρέη τ' Αφροδίτη συμπαίζουσιν. 3 f. lasciva: wanton, as lasciva marmore purius; puella, Verg. E. 3, 64.-Licentia: "Yẞpis.-finitis: predicate to amoribus-to loves I thought were past. -animum reddere: here not as in 1, 16, 28, but almost equivalent to me reddere. 5 ff. urit . . . urit: Intr. 28 c. nitor: brilliant beauty; so niteo in 2, 5, 18 f. albo sic umero nitens. — Pario so Pindar celebrates the brilliancy of Parian marble N. 4, 81 εἰ δέ κελεύεις στάλαν θέμεν Παρίου λίθου λευκοτέραν. 15 urit grata protervitas et voltus nimium lubricus adspici. In me tota ruens Venus Cyprum deseruit, nec patitur Scythas Parthum dicere nec quae nihil attinent. mactata veniet lenior hostia. 7f. grata protervitas: her pretty, provoking ways. Prudent. praef. Io has a reminiscence of this ode in his repetition of the phrase lasciva protervitas. — lubricus aspici : ὑγρὸς βλέπεσθαι. Intr. 109. 9. tota: 'with all her power.'Cyprum deseruit: Cyprus was one of the chief centers of the worship of Aphrodite; on its shores the goddess is said to have been born from the foam of the sea. Cf. Alcman Frg. 21 KÚTроv iμeртàv λιποῖσα καὶ Πάφον περιρρύταν. 10 f. nec patitur Scythas, etc. : the goddess of love will not allow Horace to sing of serious subjects, the dangers that threaten the empire, or even of subjects to which she is wholly indifferent (quae nihil attinent). Love must be his only theme. II f. versis . . . Parthum: the famous maneuver of the Parthians, in which they pretended to flee and then, turning on their horses, shot at their pursuers, is frequently mentioned by the Romans. Cf. e.g. 2, 13, 18; Verg. G. 3, 31 fidentemque fuga Parthum versisque sagittis; also Ovid A. A. 3, 786 ut celer aversis utere Parthus equis. Plut. Crass. 24 vπéþeνyov yàp åμa βάλλοντες οἱ Πάρθοι, καὶ τοῦτο κράτιστα ποιοῦσι μετὰ Σκύθας. 13 f. hic... hic: the anaphora expressed the poet's mock haste. He will build an altar on the spot, of fresh turf (vivum caespitem), and propitiate the goddess with sacrifice. verbenas: defined by the ancients as anything green, whether branches of laurel, bay, or olive, or even grass, used for sacred purposes. Here branches to decorate the im provised altar. Cf. 4, 11, 6 f. ara | castis vincta verbenis. pueri : the common address to slaves. 15. meri: pure wine unmixed with water was alone used in libation. - hostia: ordinarily only bloodless sacrifices were offered to Venus; but this is not to be taken too literally. — lenior: with gentler sway; in contrast to in me tota ruens above. |