Horace: Finished with love

summary

Horace declares that he has had enough of love and is dedicating his weapons in the 'war of love' to Venus.

the poem dramatically changes over the three stanzas from Horace's supposed retirement from his battles in love, to an invocation of Venus to inflict punishment on the woman who rejected him.

the lyre and 'weapons' Horace dedicates to Venus convey how Roman men approached finding a partner.

common theme = 'locked out lover' who must break into her house and avoid her husband/guards to claim his desire as a prize. theme of women as a prize to be won.

Horace's invocation of Venus, and his request that Chloe be punished, suggests that women were not respected as individuals with free choice.

themes

1. love
2. unrequited love
3. love as war
4. goddess of love

vixi puellis nuper idoneus (translation)

I have lived until recently attractive to girls

et militavi non sine gloria; (translation)

and I have served as a soldier not without glory.

nunc arma defunctumque bello /

barbiton hic paries habebit, (translation)

now my weapons, and my lyre finished with war, this wall will hold,

laevum marinae qui Veneris latus custodit. (translation)

which guards the left-hand side of sea-born Venus.

hic, hic pointe lucida /

funalia et vectes et arcus (translation)

here, here place the gleaming torches, the crowbars, and the bows

oppositis foribus minaces. (translation)

threatening barred doors.

o quae beatam diva tenes Cyprum et (translation)

o goddess, you who hold blessed Cyprus and

Memphin carentem Sithonia nive, (translation)

Memphis lacking in Thracian snow,

regina sublimi flagello (translation)

queen, with your whip lifted up

tange Chloen semel arrogantem. (translation)

strike Chloe for once stubborn.

vixi (style)

parody:

of epitaph for a deceased person. bidding goodbye to his exploits in love. encouraging us to feel sympathy for him.

idoneus (style)

word order:

placed at the end of the line for emphasis. shows his handsomeness and physical attraction to women.

militavi (style)

word choice:

common theme, love as war. strong word choice. past tense shows us he believes his time in this war is coming to an end.

non sine gloria (style)

metaphor:

continues the metaphor of war or love. highlights his success in his sexual exploits.

arma (style)

metaphor:

continues the metaphor. lying aside the tools he used to conduct his love affairs.

barbiton (style)

context:

lyre which was an instrument for a love poet to serenade a lover.

paries (style)

context:

customary to hand objects of value on the walls of a relevant god/goddess' temple. shows Horace's successes in love affairs and as a gesture that he is now done with them.

laevum marinae qui Veneris latus (style)

chiasmus:

acc. adj. - gen. adj. - gen. noun - acc. noun

brings focus on the temple where he will dedicate his offerings by enclosing the line with two accusatives.

hic, hic (style)

repetition:

adds a sense of urgency. Horace has made his decision and wants to get the dedication of his possessions over with.

ponite (style)

direct address:

Horace addresses his slaves who are carrying the items to the temple. adds vividness and urgency.

lucida /

funalia et vectes et arcus (style)

context:

not weapons of war but tools for secret love affairs (torches, crowbars to prise open doors, bow to threaten guards in his way).

et vectes et (style)

polysyndeton:

repetition emphasises how many tools he had for breaking into lovers' houses.

oppositis foribus minaces. (style)

word order/metaphor:

common theme in latin love poetry (locked-out lover) - Horace proves his desire for his lover by breaking into her house and evading the guards set to protect her virtue.

minaces at the end of the stanza reminds us this was a conquest.

o (style)

direct address:

invocation to Venus. (twist because he has just said he is done with love).

o quae beatam diva tenes Cyprum (style)

hyperbaton:

jumbled word order to reflect Horace's confusion (is he done with love or not?)

Cyprum /

Memphin carentem Sithonia (style)

context:

Cyprus is Venus' home island.

Memphis is an Egyptian city with a temple to Venus in her Egyptian form (Astarte).

Sithonia is Thrace (a place north of Greece with a cold climate).

nive (style)

metaphor:

Chloe is a Thracian girl and snow is a metaphor for her coldness towards Horace.

flagella (style)

word choice:

Horace asks Venus to strike Chloe with a harsh whip. he wants her to hurt as much as he does for her rejection of him.

tange (style)

direct instruction:

to Venus to show Horace's familiarity with Venus through his many love affairs.

arrogentem (style)

word order:

placed at the end of the poem to show how angry Horace is at Chloe's rejection of him. role reversal - she has the power, not the man. strength of statement shows Horace may not be finished with love.