HORACE: Finished with love

(Not done yet)

vixi puellis nuper idoneus

Translation:
"I lived, recently attractive to girls”

Stylistic Point:

• First-Person Perspective:: The use of vixi (I lived) makes this a personal reflection, emphasizing the speaker's self-awareness and experience.

• Mood of Nostalgia: The past tense (vixi) and the reflection on youthful pursuits suggest a tone of wistful remembrance. “vixi” is also used on a tombstone

et militavi non sine gloria;

Translation:
"and I served as a soldier, not without glory”

Stylistic Point:

• Metaphor: militavi (I served as a soldier) is metaphorical for the struggles and "battles" of love, likening romantic pursuits to military campaigns—a common trope in Roman poetry.

• Heroic Undertone: The military imagery elevates the speaker’s romantic experiences, associating them with valor and achievement.

nunc arma defunctumque bello

Translation:
“now, arms and myself, done with war”

Stylistic Point:

• Metaphor: arma (arms) and bello (war) extend the military metaphor for love. The speaker’s tools of "war" (youthful charm, passion) are now figuratively retired.

• Euphemism for Aging: defunctum (done with) hints at the speaker’s aging or waning vigor without stating it explicitly, adding a layer of dignity to the reflection.

barbiton hic paries habebit,

Translation:
“this wall will hold my lyre”

Stylistic Point:

• Focus on a wall: hic paries (this wall) localizes the action, emphasizing the physical and symbolic act of leaving behind a former life for a quieter, more static existence.

• Euphemism for Aging: defunctum (done with) hints at the speaker’s aging or waning vigor without stating it explicitly, adding a layer of dignity to the reflection.

• Declarative statement: This creates a definite acceptant with a definitive, almost solemn tone, underscoring the speaker’s acceptance of the end of an era.

• Euphemism for War: Euphuism for war is here because a soldier also hangs up his weapons and dedicates them to the god of war: Mars

laevum marinae qui Veneris latus

Translation:
“which (the wall) the left side of sea-born Venus…”

Stylistic Point:

• F

custodit. hic, hic ponite lucida

Translation:
“…guards. Here, here place the gleaming…”

Stylistic Point:

• F