Latin texts exam

Identify this text:

Whether I am likely to accomplish anything worthy of the labour, if I record the achievements of the Roman people from the foundation of the city, I do not really know, nor if I knew would I dare to avouch it; [2] perceiving as I do that the theme¹ is not only old but hackneyed, through the constant succession of new historians, who believe either that in their facts they can produce more authentic information, or that in their style they will prove better than the rude attempts of the ancients. [3] Yet, however this shall be, it will be a satisfaction to have done myself as much as lies in me to commemorate the deeds of the foremost people of the world; and if in so vast a company of writers my own reputation should be obscure, my consolation would be the fame and greatness of those whose renown will throw mine into the shade. [4] Moreover, my subject involves infinite labour, seeing that it must be traced back [p. 5]above seven hundred years, and that proceeding from slender beginnings it has so increased as now to be burdened by its own magnitude; and at the same time I doubt not that to most readers the earliest origins and the period immediately succeeding them will give little pleasure, for they will be in haste to reach these modern times, in which the might of a people which has long been very powerful is working its own undoing. [5] I myself, on the contrary, shall seek in this an additional reward for my toil, that I may avert my gaze from the troubles which our age has been witnessing for so many years, so long at least as I am absorbed in the recollection of the brave [6] days of old, free from every care which, even if it could not divert the historian's mind from the truth, might nevertheless cause it anxiety.²

[7] Such traditions as belong to the time before the city was founded, or rather was presently to be founded, and are rather adorned with poetic legends than based upon trustworthy historical proofs, I purpose neither to affirm nor to refute. It is the privilege of antiquity to mingle divine things with human, and so to add dignity to the beginnings of cities; [8] and if any people ought to be allowed to consecrate their origins and refer them to a divine source, so great is the military glory of the Roman People that when they profess that their Father and the Father of their Founder was none other than Mars, the nations of the earth may well submit to this also with as good a grace as they submit to Rome's dominion. [9] But to such legends as these, however they shall be regarded and judged, I shall, for my own part, attach no great importance. Here are the questions to which I would have every reader [p. 7]give his close attention —what life and morals were like; through what men and by what policies, in peace and in war, empire was established and enlarged; then let him note how, with the gradual relaxation of discipline, morals first gave way, as it were, then sank lower and lower, and finally began the downward plunge³ which has brought us to the present time, when we can endure neither our vices nor their cure.

[10] What chiefly makes the study of history wholesome and profitable is this, that you behold the lessons of every kind of experience set forth as on a conspicuous monument;⁴ from these you may choose for yourself and for your own state what to imitate, from these mark for avoidance what is shameful in the conception and shameful in the result. [11] For the rest, either love of the task I have set myself deceives me, or no state was ever greater, none more righteous or richer in good examples, none ever was where avarice and luxury came into the social order so late, or where humble means and thrift were so highly esteemed and so long held in honour. [12] For true it is that the less men's wealth was, the less was their greed. Of late, riches have brought in avarice, and excessive pleasures the longing to carry wantonness and licence to the point of ruin for oneself and of universal destruction.

But complaints are sure to be disagreeable, even when they shall perhaps be necessary; let the beginning, at all events, of so great an enterprise have none. [13] With good omens rather would we begin, and, if historians had the same custom which poets have, [p. 9]with prayers and entreaties to the gods and goddesses, that they might grant us to bring to a successful issue the great task we have undertaken.

Livy, From the Foundation of the City, preface

Summarise Livys preface:

In the preface to Ab Urbe Condita ("From the Foundation of the City"), Livy expresses his intention to chronicle the history of Rome from its legendary founding through his own time. He acknowledges the vastness of the task and the potential for both praise and criticism. Livy aims to provide moral instruction by highlighting exemplary deeds and warning against moral decline. He laments the corruption and decadence of contemporary Rome, contrasting it with the virtues of earlier generations. His goal is to preserve Rome’s memory and inspire a return to traditional Roman values.

4o

Who wrote this text?

Author: Livy (Titus Livius)

When was it written?

Date: Written beginning around 27 BCE during the reign of Augustus.

What was the purpose of the text?

Purpose: Livy outlines his intentions and challenges in writing a monumental history of Rome from its mythical foundations to his own time.

What are notable themes in the excerpt?

• Historical skepticism about legendary origins.

• Moral decline from early Roman virtue to contemporary corruption.

• Value of history as a moral guide.

• Humility in the face of a long historiographical tradition.

• This preface is one of the most famous introductions in Roman historiography and reflects Livy's dual concern with recording Roman greatness and warning about the moral dangers of empire.

Identify this text: If, gentlemen, anyone should happen to be present who is ignorant of our laws, our tribunals and customs, he would, in my opinion, wonder what special gravity there is in this case, in that this trial alone is being held amid festivities and public games, at a time when all legal business is suspendeda; and he would have no doubt that the defendant is guilty of a crime so heinous that, if it were treated with indifference, the constitution could not survive. The same person when he hears that there is a law, which, when seditious and wicked citizens have made armed onslaught against the Senate, have laid violent hands on magistrates, and have attacked the State, prescribes that an inquiry be held on any and every day,b while he would not disapprove of the law, he would seek to know the kind of charge that was before the court. When he hears that no crime, no reckless act, no deed of violence is being tried, but that a young man of brilliant intellect, remarkable application, and influential position, is accused by the sonc of a man whom he both is preparing to prosecute and has already prosecuted, and that above all he is being attacked by the wealth of a courtesan,a what will he think? that the accuser’s sense of duty is excusable, that woman’s passions must be checked, and that you, gentlemen, are worked too hard, since even on a public holiday there is no holiday for you.

Pro caelio 1.1

Who wrote the text?

Author: Cicero

What does pro Caelio mean?

(Latin for In Defense of Caelius)

When was the speech delivered?

Delivered in 56 BCE

What is the context of pro Caelio?

 This is Cicero’s speech in defense of Marcus Caelius Rufus, who was accused of several serious charges, including political violence and attempted poisoning.

Who was making these accusations?

Chiefly Clodia, a powerful Roman matron believed by many scholars to be the same Clodia referenced in the love poems of Catullus.

What tone did Cicero take in his speech?

Cicero undermines the charges by questioning the motives of the accusers, mocking Clodia, and portraying Caelius as a promising young man unfairly targeted.

What is the significane of this 1.1 excerpt?

This particular part of the speech emphasizes the strangeness and suspicious motivations behind the trial:

The case is being held during public holidays, when legal proceedings are usually suspended — suggesting political or personal motivations behind the urgency.

Cicero stresses the lack of a serious crime, implying that the trial is more about personal vendettas and **manipulation by a courtesan

What is invective?

• Mode of speech, a way of doign things istead of a genre 

• Recognised by the Roman speech writers as vituperatio 

• Vituperatio is a tool in the genus demonstrativum (‘eoideictic type’) of oratory 

• Extremely common in Roman (and Greek before) legal speeches 

• Vebal assault

Why would a roman lawyer use invective in their speeches?

• Possibly to attack the opposition 

• Establish a pattern of criminality 

• Elevate yourself as a speaker into a position of authority 

• Establish rapour/engage with the audience

Who was Cicero? (job and dates he lived)

• Lived: 106-43 BC 

• ‘Statesman’ lawyer 

• Philsopher, scholar 

• Very prolific authour:

What does Cicero say is his purpose in this speech?

He says he is doing a character support

What was the structure of the case?

Idenitfy this text:

In fact, if you wish to attend carefully, and to form a correct idea of this case as a whole, you will understand, gentlemen, that no one would ever have ventured to take up this case if he had been allowed any choice in the matter; nor, when he had thus demeaned himself, would he have expected a favourable result, unless he were supported by the intolerable passions and unnatural hatred of someone else.a As for myself, I pardon Atratinus, who is a most accomplished and excellent young man and a friend of mine; he can plead as an excuse either filial affection, or necessity,a or his age. If he was willing to bring the accusation, I put it down to affection; if he was under orders, to necessity; if he had any hopes, to his boyhood. The other accusers have no claim to indulgence; they deserve a most vigorous resistance.

Pro Caelio 1.2

What happens in this passage?

In this passage, Cicero strategically undermines the prosecution by claiming the case is weak and only brought forward due to someone else’s personal vendetta—namely, Clodia’s. He excuses Atratinus, a young and respectable prosecutor, by attributing his actions to filial duty, coercion, or youthful naivety, thus disarming him as a threat.

How does Cicero target the accusers in this section?

At the same time, Cicero targets the other accusers for harsh criticism, setting them up as driven by malice and passion. This move:

• Divides the prosecution team,

• Redirects blame to Clodia, and

• Shifts the trial’s focus from legal facts to moral character and social values, where Cicero is strongest.

It's a key moment that frames the defense as both reasonable and morally superior.

Identify this text:

I think, gentlemen, that the defence of a young man like Marcus Caelius can best be introduced if I begin by answering what his accusers have said to disgrace my client and to strip him and despoil him of his good name. His father has been made a matter of reproach to him in differing ways, either as himself not living in suitable style,b or as having been treated with insufficient respect by his son. In regard to the position he holds, Marcus Caelius,d to those who are known to him and to men older among us, without any defence of mine, and without his saying a word, easily makes answer by being himself; but as for those who are not so well acquainted with him, since his age has for a long time now prevented him from associating with us either in the Forum or privately, let them be assured, that whatever high position a Roman Knight may possess—and it certainly can be very high—that has always been found in the highest degree in Marcus Caelius, and is found there at the present time, not only by his friends but also by all to whom he may for some reason or other have become known.

Pro Caelio 1.3

What happens in this text?

This passage marks the beginning of Cicero’s character defense of Marcus Caelius. He directly addresses attacks on Caelius's family background, particularly criticisms of his relationship with his father and his social status.

How does Cicero deflect personal attacks?

Reframing Caelius's character as self-evidently honorable to those who know him.

Minimizing accusations about his father by asserting Caelius's conduct and reputation stand on their own merit.

Elevating his social standing, emphasizing that Caelius embodies the highest qualities of a Roman knight.

This introduction sets the tone for a defense based on character, respectability, and public perception, rather than legal technicalities.

Identify this text:

And so, beginning with slander against morals, you gentlemend have glided into creating prejudice in the matter of the Conspiracy. For you have alleged—although indeed with hesitation and hints—that Caelius’ friendship for Catiline had made him a partner in the Conspiracy; and as to that, so far from any charge holding good, the speech of our talented young friend hardly held together. Was Caelius such a mad revolutionary, was he so maimed either in character and nature, or in position and fortune? When, in fact, the suspicion was abroad, where was the name of Caelius heard? I am wasting words on a matter where there is not the slightest doubt; but none the less I say this: if Caelius had been privy to the Conspiracy, or even if he had not been bitterly

Pro Caelio 15

What happened in this section?

his section is Cicero’s rebuttal to the accusation that Marcus Caelius was involved in the Catilinarian Conspiracy—a serious charge by association with the notorious traitor Catiline.

Analyse the text (what does Cicero emphasise):

Cicero dismisses the claim as baseless and weakly argued, emphasizing:

• Caelius’s respectable character and social standing, which contradict any notion of him being a radical or conspirator.

• The lack of any mention of Caelius during the actual conspiracy, showing the accusation is a fabrication meant to create prejudice.

• That even entertaining the charge is a waste of time, highlighting its absurdity.

This reinforces Cicero’s strategy of portraying the prosecution as relying on innuendo and fear, rather than evidence.

Identify this text:

A second generation is ground down by civil wars,

  and Rome is falling, ruined by the might of Rome.

What Marsian neighbours never could destroy,

  nor hostile armies of Etruscan Porsena,

nor Capua's ambitious courage, nor the bravery 5

  of Spartacus, nor false, rebellious Allobrox,

nor savage blue-eyed warriors of Germany,

  nor Hannibal, so hated by our ancestors,

this city we, this doomed and godless generation, shall destroy,

  wild beasts will soon take back the land,           10

barbarian conquerors will stand upon the smouldering ash,

  their cavalry will pound the earth with sounding hooves,

and, jeering, scatter to the winds and suns—the sin is ours—

  the hallowed bones of Romulus.

Perhaps you all are asking, or the best of you,           15

  how we can free ourselves from this harsh fate?

One course alone there is—just as

  Phocaeans swore an oath and left

their fields and gods and shrines to be the homes

  of ravening wolves and boars,                         20

so let us go where our feet take us, where

  south wind and fierce southwester call across the waves.

Agreed? Is any better course proposed?

  Then let's aboard while omens still allow.

But let us swear that we shall not return till rocks           25

  rise from the bottom of the sea and float,

we shall not turn our sails for home until the River Po

  washes the summits of the Matine hills,

and soaring Apennines rush down into the sea;

  till monstrous couplings join wild beasts in lusts           30

unheard-of, until tigress ruts with stag

  and doves commit adultery with hawks;

till trusting cattle cease to fear the tawny lion's roar,

  and goats grow scales and swim the salty seas

These oaths now let us swear, and any others that cut off           35

  fond hopes of our return. Let us all go, or those at least

above the ignorant and common herd. The weak and hopeless

  let them stay and burden their doomed beds.

But you, who have some manhood in you, do not wail

  like women, rather fly along the Etruscan coast.                     40

The Ocean wandering round the earth awaits us now.

  So let us seek the Blessed Fields and Wealthy Isles,

where every year the land unploughed gives grain,

  and vines unpruned are never out of flower,

and olive shoots unfailing bud, and set their fruit,           45

  and dusky fig ungrafted graces its own tree,

the honey flows from hollow ilex, and from hills

  the streamlet lightly leaps with sounding footfall.

There to the milking pails unbidden come the goats,

  and friendly flocks their swollen udders bring.           50

When evening comes no howling bear patrols the pens,

  no viper heaves its mound of earth.

Enchanted, we shall wonder at it all—how rainy easterlies

  do never scour the fields with storms of rain,

and how our juicy seeds are never scorched in dried-up earth—           55

  the king of heaven tempers both extremes.

Here Argo's oarsman never drove the pine,

  nor unchaste Colchian ever set her foot,

and to this land Sidonian sailors never turned their yards

  nor toiled Ulysses' crew.           60

No plague infects the flocks, no star

  scorches the herds with raging heat.

These shores were set apart by Jupiter for righteous men

  when he debased the Golden Age

with bronze, then hardened it with iron. From these ills           65

  the righteous can escape, and I shall be their prophet.

Horace epode 16

Who is the author of this text?

Quintus Horatius Flaccus (Horace)

When was this text written?

Likely written around 40 BCE, during the aftermath of Julius Caesar’s assassination and during the ongoing Roman civil wars.

What type of poetry is this epode?

Iambic poetry (epodic meter), characteristic of Horace’s Epodes, which are often invective or satirical.

What are themes in this poem?

• Despair over Rome's self-destruction in civil war.

• A nostalgic and idealized vision of a new, untouched land—a kind of Roman utopia or escape fantasy.

• Condemnation of moral decay and prophetic warning.

How does Horace begin the epode?

Horace begins by lamenting Rome’s downfall, not at the hands of foreign enemies like Hannibal or Spartacus, but by its own citizens.

What does horace propose?

• He proposes a mythic exile—similar to the story of the Phocaeans, who abandoned their city to avoid submission—to escape the moral and political ruin.

What does this poem contrast

The poem contrasts the violence and corruption of Rome with an idyllic, fertile, and unspoiled land reserved for the righteous—a poetic version of the Blessed Isles.

What do the final lines of the poem present Horace as?

The final lines position Horace not just as a poet, but as a prophet for those willing to leave Rome’s moral collapse behind.

What is this epode a reflection of?

This epode is a powerful reflection of the deep pessimism and disillusionment felt by many Romans during the late Republic, and it remains one of Horace’s most politically charged and evocative works.

Who did Horace fight against?

Horace fought against Octavian (Augustus). Horace hasnt always been on the winning side of history, there is a sense of victimhood

epode: what is invective poetry?

Invective poetry- poetry that wants to wound you, hurt you, insult you.

What is iambic poetry?

Iambic poetry- 5 beat verse. The iambic genre come from iam its the way the beats work. Its used in greek tragedy as well. Imabic poetry emerges in ancient greek poetry (horace is trying to bring us back to this)

Who is Horace the son of?

Horace was the son of a freedman, Horace received a good education but isnt high on the social pecking order

Who is Horaces patron?

His patron is Maecenas, he is an equestrian. Asymmetrical relationship between Horace and his patron.

What type of poem is horace epodes 16?

 Horace’s Epodes 16 is a pessimistic and despairing poem that reflects on the destruction and hopeless future of Rome due to civil war. The speaker, addressing the Roman people, declares that there is no hope left for the city—Rome is doomed because of its own internal strife, and there is no chance for peace.

What does Horace suggest in the epode?

Instead of trying to fix Rome’s problems, Horace ironically suggests that the only solution is for the Romans to abandon their homeland entirely and sail away to find a new paradise, free from war and corruption. He envisions a mythical golden land, untouched by suffering, crime, or aging, where they can start over. This utopian escape, however, seems unrealistic, making the poem feel both satirical and tragic.

What does the poem reflect?

The poem reflects deep disillusionment with Rome’s political instability during the late Republic and echoes themes of moral decay and lost ideals. The tone shifts between mock-earnestness and genuine lament, making Epodes 16 one of Horace’s most striking critiques of Roman society.

Identify this text:

Chronicle of Volusius, shitty sheets, discharge a vow on behalf of my love; for she vowed to holy Venus and to Cupid that if I were restored to her love and ceased to dart fierce iambics, she would give to the lamb-footed god and choicest writings of the worst of poets, to be burnt with wood from some accursed tree: and my lady perceived that these were the “worst poems” that she was vowing to the merry gods in pleasant sport.1 Now therefore, O thou whom the blue sea bare, who inhibitest holy Idalium and open Urii, who dwellest in Ancona and reedy Cnidus and in Amathus and in Golgi, and in Dyrrhachium the meeting-place of all Hadria, record the vow as received and duly paid, so surely as it is not out of taste nor inelegant. But meanwhile, into the fire with you, you bundle of rusticity and clumsiness, chronicle of Volusius, shitty sheets!

Carmina 36

Who wrote this text?

Catullus

When does the text date to?

1st century BCE

What is the style of this poem?

Satirical, invective, playful

What is the tone of the poem?

Mock-solemn and ironic

Why does Catullus write this poem?

Catullus writes this poem as a mock fulfillment of a lover's vow. His lover (commonly thought to be Lesbia) promised to the gods of love (Venus and Cupid) that if Catullus stopped writing angry iambic verses and returned to her, she would offer the worst poetry she could find—specifically, the works of Volusius, a poet Catullus detested.

What is catullus referring to when he says shitty sheets?

He refers to Volusius's poems as “cacata carta” (literally “shitty sheets”), a scathing insult that became one of Catullus’s most famous phrases.

What is this poem (it is both a )?

The poem is both a literary joke and a satirical critique of bad poetry, mocking Volusius’s style as crude and unrefined.

What else does he ridicule in this poem?

He also uses the opportunity to ridicule ritualistic vows and poke fun at poetic and religious seriousness by pairing them with bathroom humor.

What is this poem a good example of?

Catullus 36 is an excellent example of Catullus’s wit, irreverence, and sharp literary rivalry, blending personal emotion with high satire.

What is iambos?

• A greek word that literally means poems made up of imabic/iams  

• Its a genre of poetry concerned with abuse 

• But imabos does not have to be written in iambs 

• Other metres e.g. Attic tragedy were written in iambs

When was Catullus writing?

Wrote in the late republic, in contemporary with Cicero, he is younger than Cicero (born after Cicero but dies before at the age of thirty)

Where was Catullus from?

From Verona, his Veronese identity appears in some of the poems (local tradition of subtype abuse poetry that is specific to Vernoa) (Catull. 39.13), but lived in Rome

Wat types of poetry does Catullus write?

1. Love poetry directed at: 

• Lesbia, Juventius, Ipstilla

2. Abuse poetry (iambos) full of obscenity

3. Longer epic-y poetry

Catullus plays all the time with metre and genre 

• Catullus’ poems are typically called carmina (singular is carmen)

Who receives catullan invective?

Everyone but especially people who have rejected him romantically, male rivals (especially poets), and the audience

Analyse Catullus 36?

Paper crap means ive shat out paper. 

Interesting that a girl shows up asking him to stop being obscene and threatens to burn them. But by the end he is saying its not his poetry being put onto the fire but Volusius’ Annals

Identifty this text: What bad thinking, wretched Ravidus, Drives you straight into my iambics? What God

unluckily invoked Involves you in a stupid feud? You want to live on vulgar lips, Notorious

at any cost? You shall be, as you've chosen to love My love and pay the long-term price.

Carmina 40

Who is Carmina 40 adressed to?

Ravidus, an otherwise unknown figure, likely a rival in love.

What is the tone of this poem?

Mocking, threatening, and satirical

What is the significance of this poem?

In this poem, Catullus addresses Ravidus, a man who has somehow earned the poet's wrath—most likely by pursuing Lesbia, Catullus's beloved. The poem is essentially a threat, warning Ravidus that he has now become the target of Catullus's iambics, a reference to sharp, abusive verse modeled on Greek iambic poetry (notably Archilochus), often used for personal attacks.

What are the key themes in this poem?

• Poetic vengeance: Catullus warns that Ravidus's desire for fame will be fulfilled—but infamously, through harsh satire.

• Love and rivalry: The conflict seems motivated by jealousy and romantic competition.

• Reputation and legacy: Catullus mocks Ravidus for craving attention, implying that he’ll get it only in the form of poetic ridicule.

What does this poem exemplify?

This poem exemplifies Catullus’s biting invective style and his tendency to merge personal grievances with literary craft.

Identify this text:

Lesbius is handsome. Of course, for Lesbia prefers him To you and all your clan, Catullus.

But Handsome is welcome to sell Catullus and his clan as slaves If he can get three kisses

from those who know him.

Carmina 79

Who is this poem focused on?

Lesbius, who is likely a veiled reference to Lesbia’s lover—possibly Clodius Pulcher, a prominent Roman politician and rumored rival of Catullus.

What is the tone of this poem?

Sarcastic, bitter, and mocking

How does catullus react in this poem and what does the first line tell us?

In this short poem, Catullus reacts with jealous scorn to the fact that Lesbia prefers "Lesbius" over him. The opening line, "Lesbius est pulcher" (“Lesbius is handsome”), is mockingly flat, setting the tone for irony.

Analyse the poem:

• Yes, Lesbius is preferred, but that doesn’t make him truly superior.

• He mocks Lesbius’s supposed value by saying he couldn’t even "earn three kisses" if he tried to sell Catullus and his whole family as slaves.

• The line about “those who know him” (noti) suggests Lesbius is despised by those familiar with him, underscoring his moral or social worthlessness.

What are the literary features of this poem?

• Concise and biting: A hallmark of Catullus’s invective poetry.

• Use of irony and contrast: Between outward attractiveness (pulcher) and inner worth.

• Personal attack: Aimed at both Lesbia and her new lover.

• This poem is a sharp example of Catullus’s personal and emotional poetry, where jealousy and wit merge into poetic vengeance.

Identify this text:

Maecenas, sprung from an ancient line of kings,

my stronghold, my pride, and my delight,

some like to collect Olympic dust

on their chariots, and if their scorching wheels

graze the turning-post and they win the palm of glory,

they become lords of the earth and rise to the gods;

one man is pleased if the fickle mob of Roman citizens

competes to lift him up to triple honours;

another, if he stores away in his own granary

the sweepings from all the threshing-floors of Libya;

the man who enjoys cleaving his ancestral fields

with the mattock, you could never move, not with the legacy

of Attalus, to become a frightened sailor

cutting the Myrtoan sea with Cyprian timbers;

the merchant, terrified at the brawl of African gale

with Icarian waves, is all for leisure and the countryside

round his own home town, but he is soon rebuilding

his shattered ships—he cannot learn to endure poverty;

there is a man who sees no objection to drinking

old Massic wine or taking time out of the day,

stretched out sometimes under the green arbutus,

sometimes by a gently welling spring of sacred water;

many enjoy the camp, the sound of the trumpet merged

in the bugle, the wars that mothers

abhor; the huntsman stays out under a cold sky,

and forgets his tender wife the moment

his faithful dogs catch sight of a hind

or a Marsian boar bursts his delicate nets.

As for me, it is ivy, the reward of learned brows,

that puts me among the gods above. As for me,

the cold grove and the light-footed choruses of Nymphs

and Satyrs set me apart from the people

if Euterpe lets me play her pipes, and Polyhymnia

does not withhold the lyre of Lesbos.

But if you enrol me among the lyric bards

my soaring head will touch the stars.

Odes 1.1

Who is the author?

 Quintus Horatius Flaccus (Horace)

Who is the adressee in this poem?

Maecenas, Horace’s patron and friend, a wealthy Roman statesman and cultural figure.

What form of poem is this text?

Lyric poetry, in the Alcaic stanza, typical of Horace’s Odes.

What are the themes in this poem?

• Different types of success and values: athletic glory, political honors, wealth, rustic life, military glory.

• Horace’s personal preference for poetic achievement and intellectual/spiritual rewards over material wealth or political power.

• Celebration of the arts (music, poetry) as the highest form of excellence.

What does horace contrast in this poem?

Horace contrasts various human ambitions and lifestyles — athletic, political, mercantile, rural, martial — with his own aspiration to literary immortality.

Who does he praise in this poem?

He praises Maecenas as a symbol of noble ancestry and cultural refinement.

What does ivy symbolise in the poem?

The poem elevates poetic and artistic pursuits (symbolized by ivy, the traditional crown of poets) above earthly wealth and fame.

What does this poem reflect?

It reflects Horace’s philosophy of the cultivation of art and intellect as the path to true greatness.

What is lyric?

• Personnel 

• Set to a lyre (antiquity), lyrics are now related to music 

• Written or constructed for a particular context or occasion 

• The poetic creation of an event or occasion from the perspective of an ego (an individual or collective)

What is the purpose of lyric poems?

• Most of the poems are short (or at least shorter than epic and tragedy) 

• Often poems are anchored in the present, structured around a strong ‘I’ or ‘we’ 

• Poems are non-myhtical in content (though they may include short mythical narratives) 

• Many lyric pieces do not just narrate but aim to achieve something: they prat, they exhort, they teach, they flirt and so on 

• Like early epic, lyric is composed for performance, but unlike epic, it can point to its own performance, readily mentioning the dancersm singers or instruments that form part of its execution. Drawing attention to the performance  

• Lyric poems often bear signs of being composed for a specific occasion or at east type of occasion (symposium, competition, religious procession etc)

Identify this text:

Harsh winter is melting away in the welcome change to spring and zephyrs,

    winches are pulling down dry-bottomed ships,

the cattle no longer like the steading, the ploughman does not hug the fire,

    and meadows are not white with hoar-frost.

Venus of Cythera leads on the dance beneath a hanging moon,

    and the lovely Graces, linking arms with Nymphs,

shake the ground with alternate feet, while burning Vulcan

    visits the grim foundries of the Cyclopes.

Now is the time to oil the hair and bind the head with green myrtle

    or flowers born of the earth now freed from frost;

now too is the time to sacrifice to Faunus in shady groves

    whether he asks a lamb or prefers a kid.

Pale death kicks with impartial foot at the hovels of the poor

    and the towers of kings. O fortunate Sestius,

the brief sum of life does not allow us to start on long hopes.

    You will soon be kept close by Night and the fabled shades

in Pluto's meagre house. When you go there

    you will no longer cast lots to rule the wine,

nor admire tender Lycidas, whom all the young men

    now burn for and for whom the girls will soon be warm.

Odes 1.4

What are the themes in this ode?

• The arrival of spring and renewal of nature

• The inevitability of death and the brevity of life

• A meditation on mortality, addressed to a friend named Sestius

• A call to live fully in the present because death comes to all, regardless of status

What does the ode contrast?

This ode contrasts the joyful, renewing energy of spring with the somber reality of human mortality.

What does the poem urge?

The poem urges acceptance of death’s inevitability while celebrating the pleasures and cycles of life.

What recurring theme does this ode reflect?

It reflects Horace’s recurring theme of carpe diem (“seize the day”), emphasizing the transient nature of life and the futility of long hopes.

What does the mention of Lycidus show?

The mention of Lycidas (likely a young man admired for his beauty) and social pleasures highlights the fleeting nature of youth and popularity.

What is this ode a classical example of?

This ode is a classic example of Horace’s lyrical blend of natural imagery, philosophical reflection, and personal address.

Identify this ode:

We pray, if ever we have relaxed with you in the shade

and played a melody that may live a year

or more, come, my Greek lyre,

  and sound a Latin song.

You were first tuned by a citizen of Lesbos,

fierce in war, who, whether he was where the steel

was flying or had tied up his battered ship

  on the spray-soaked shore,

would still sing of Bacchus and the Muses,

of Venus and the boy who is always by her side,

and of Lycus with his jet-black eyes

  and jet-black hair.

O glory of Phoebus, lyre welcome at the feasts

of Supreme Jupiter, O sweet easer of my labours,

grant me your blessing whenever

  I duly call upon you.

Ode 1.32

What is the subject of this poem?

The poet’s invocation of the lyre and poetic inspiration

What are the themes in the poem?

• The connection between Greek poetic tradition and Latin poetry

• The power of the lyre as a symbol of poetic art and inspiration

• Reference to the ancient poet Alcaeus of Lesbos (the “citizen of Lesbos”)

• Praise for Apollo (Phoebus), god of music and poetry, as the divine patron of poetr

What does Horace call upon?

Horace calls upon his lyre to bring forth a “Latin song” inspired by the rich Greek poetic heritage.

What does the poem acknowledge about greek culture?

The poem acknowledges the influence of Greek culture on Roman poetry.

What does it celebrate poetry as?

It celebrates poetry as a means to honor the gods, especially Apollo, and to ease the labors of life.

What does this ode exemplify?

This ode exemplifies Horace’s blend of humility and ambition as a poet, seeking divine favor for his art.

Identify this text:

For mighty wars I thought to tune my lute,

And make my measures to my subject suit.

Six feet for ev'ry verse the muse design'd,

But Cupid laughing, when he saw my mind,

From ev'ry second verse a foot purloin'd.

"Who gave thee, boy, this arbitrary sway,

On subjects, not thy own, commands to lay,

Who Phoebus only, and his laws obey ?

'Tis more absurd, than if the queen of love

Should in Minerva's arms to battle move;

Or manly Pallas from that queen should take

Her torch, and o'er the dying lover shake.

In fields as well may Cynthia sow the corn,

Or Ceres wind in woods the bugle-horn;

As well may Phoebus quit the trembling string,

For sword and shield; and Mars may learn to sing.

Already thy dominions are too large;

Be not ambitious of a foreign charge.

If thou wilt reign o'er all, and ev'ry where,

The god of music for his harp may fear.

Thus when with soaring wings I seek renown,

Thou pluck'st my pinions, and I flutter down.

Could I on such mean thoughts my muse employ,

I want a mistress, or a blooming boy."

Thus I complain'd; his bow the stripling bent,

And chose an arrow fit for his intent.

The shaft his purpose fatally pursues;

" Now, poet, there's a subject for thy muse,"

He said: (too well, alas, he knows his trade,)

For in my breast a mortal wound he made.

Far hence ye proud Hexameters remove,

My verse is pac'd, and tramell'd into love.

With myrtle wreaths my thoughtful brows enclose,

While in unequal verse I sing my woes.

Amores 1.1