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Horace laments the moral failure of the Roman military in the
recent age (Crassus 53bc is the reference point). Soldiers have
forgotten the moral tradition of Rome and its military. In contrast
to this disgraceful (turpis, line 6) behavior, Horace draws on the
example of Regulus from the 1st Punic War who led the military
and was captured by the enemy. Rather than sacrificing his moral
sensibilities to regain his freedom, he sacrificed his family and his
life to spur Rome on to military success. Horace tells his readers
that when a man surrenders in battle, he will never regain his
former valor, a quality honored by Roman citizens under
Augustus. The poem begins by giving credence to the supremacy
of Jupiter and to the consideration of Augustus as a god based on
his military success.
Alcaic Meter
The stanza contains four lines of which the first two lines follow
the same metrical pattern. Line 3 has its own metrical pattern,
and the last line again has its own metrical pattern.
Lines 1-2:
Line 3:
Line 4:
X
| — u — — || — u u — | u X
X|—u———u—X
—uu—uu —u—X
Anacrusis
Anacrusis
Dactyl
Trochaic Choriamb
Trochaic
Dactyl
Trochaic
3.5
Caelo tonantem credidimus Iovem
regnare; praesens divus habebitur
Augustus adiectis Britannis
imperio gravibusque Persis.
Milesne Crassi coniuge barbara
turpis maritus vixit et hostium,
(pro curia inversique mores!)
consenuit socerorum in armis
sub rege Medo, Marsus et Apulus,
anciliorum et nominis et togae
oblitus aeternaeque Vestae,
incolumi Iove et urbe Roma?
5
10
Iambic
Hoc caverat mens provida Reguli
dissentientis condicionibus
foedis et exemplo trahentis
perniciem veniens in aevum,
15
si non periret inmiserabilis
captiva pubes. 'Signa ego Punicis
adfixa delubris et arma
militibus sine caede' dixit
20
'derepta vidi; vidi ego civium
retorta tergo bracchia libero
portasque non clausas et arva
Marte coli populata nostro.
Auro repensus scilicet acrior
miles redibit. Flagitio additis
damnum. Neque amissos colores
lana refert medicata fuco,
nec vera virtus, cum semel excidit,
curat reponi deterioribus.
Si pugnat extricata densis
cerva plagis, erit ille fortis
25
30
qui perfidis se credidit hostibus,
et Marte Poenos proteret altero,
qui lora restrictis lacertis
35
sensit iners timuitque mortem.
Hic, unde vitam sumeret inscius,
pacem duello miscuit. O pudor!
o magna Carthago, probrosis
altior Italiae ruinis!'
Fertur pudicae coniugis osculum
parvosque natos ut capitis minor
ab se removisse et virilem
torvus humi posuisse voltum,
40
donec labantis consilio patres
firmaret auctor nunquam alias dato,
interque maerentis amicos
egregius properaret exul.
Atqui sciebat quae sibi barbarus
tortor pararet. non aliter tamen
dimovit obstantis propinquos
et populum reditus morantem,
quam si clientum longa negotia
diiudicata lite relinqueret,
tendens Venafranos in agros
aut Lacedaemonium Tarentum.
45
50
55
Horace 3.5 Commentary
[1]
Ashley Keller
Keana Austin
caelo: ablative of place where
Iovem: Jupiter, Jove, chief of the Olympian gods and god of the sky.
[2]
praesens divus: “a present god” means a god on earth
divus: predicate nominative after habebitur and refers to Augustus
[3]
Augustus: name given to Octavius Caesar in 27 BC, signifying his power over
religious beliefs and authority which surpassed the constitutional definition
adiectis Britannis…gravibusque Persis: temporal ablative absolute, “since the
Britons and the burdensome Persians have been added”
[4]
imperio: dative, indirect object after adiectis
[5]
Crassi: Marcus Licinius Crassus. In 59 BC, he joined with Caesar and Pompey to
form the First Triumvirate. He became the governor of Syria and a Roman
military general. Thousands of Romans had been taken as prisoners after the
defeat of Crassus’ army by the Parthians at Carrhae in Mesopotamia in 53 BC.
Crassus died at this battle, and the battle standards lost here would later be
recovered by Augustus.
coniuge Barbara: causal ablative which explains turpis (line 6). Some of the
Romans defeated and captured by the Parthian army married Parthian women and
served in the Parthian armies. barbara refers to anything “foreign.”
[6]
turpis: It was considered in Rome a disgrace to marry a foreigner because Roman
marriages were largely an affair that joined two families for certain social and
political advantages. Foreign marriages would not provide these social
advantages.
maritus: take as predicate to vixit, “endured to live as a disgraceful husband”
et: what does et conjoin?
[7]
pro: interjection “o!” or “ah!”
curia: Senate House
inversi…mores: A foreign marriage went against Roman custom and was
considered a disgrace, turpis (line 6). In marrying a foreigner, a Roman would be
“turning over” his own customs.
[8]
socerorum in armis: It was Roman custom that once captured by a foreign enemy
to never serve in the enemy’s army. However, contrary to Roman mores, the
soldiers of Crassus served in the enemy’s (Parthian) army, which is reflected in
line 7 with inversi mores, “customs turned over.”
[9]
Medo: The Persian king, perhaps referring to the rule of the Persian empire over
much of Asia Minor extending to India and towards the Black Sea. The Medes
were originally a population ruled over by the Persians. Later, the Medes and
Persians became synonymous.
Marsus: Italic people who lived in Latium
Apulus: inhabitants of the southeastern extremity of the Italian peninsula, where
Horace is from
[10]
anciliorum: Sacred shields that protected the Roman State, safeguarded by the
Salii priests of Mars (god of War).
anciliorum et nominis et togae…Vestae: genitives after oblitus.
nominis: refers to Roman citizenship or identity as a citizen of Rome
togae: refers to Roman aristocratic national dress, thus Roman culture and Roman
pride
[11]
Vesta: keeper of the hearth and domestic life and goddess of the Vestal Virgins.
The Temple of Vesta in Rome guarded a hearth that symbolized the perpetuity of
the Roman state.
[12]
incolumi: take with both Iove and urbe Roma as temporal ablative absolute,
“when Jupiter and the Roman city were safe”
Iove: reference to the Temple of Jupiter on the Capitoline Hill, Jupiter
Capitolinus.
[13]
hoc: refers back to the action of the miles in forgetting, oblitus, Roman customs
and ideals
Reguli: A Roman consul in 256 who after his defeat by the Carthaginians in the
1st Punic War, was asked by the Carthaginian government to negotiate the return
of prisoners (captiva pubes, line 18), and if he failed at this, he would have to
return to Carthage. Regulus urged the Roman Senate to continue the fight against
the Carthaginians, and honorably, Regulus returned to Carthage and was killed as
a prisoner. This legend is commonly referred to in Roman propaganda. The
legend portrays the Roman ideal of not accepting a shameful surrender (turpis,
line 6).
[14]
dissentientis: modifies Reguli.
condicionibus: “agreements,” dative case after dissentientis
[15]
et: what does it conjoin?
exemplo: dative of purpose after trahentis
[16]
perniciem veniens in aevum: This phrase implies a future destruction, “a
destruction for the coming time,” if Rome does not follow the example of
Regulus.
[17]
periret inmiserabilis: A metrical irregularity occurs in this line. The -et of periret
is scanned as a long syllable. There is a natural pause between the words periret
and inmiserabilis which allows the poet to hold the syllable longer than it should
be.
periret: imperfect subjunctive in a conditional clause translated as “if the captured
youths were not dying.” The conditional clause reflects an original future more
vivid condition.
[18]
signa: battle standards. These standards represented the pride of Roman armies
and legions, and in battle they aided in keeping legions together. To lose these
standards in battle was considered a disgrace, turpis (line 6). When Crassus was
defeated by the Carthaginians at Carrhae, the battle standards were lost. Augustus
recovered these standards, namely the eagle standard which was the most
important legionary standard. The recovery of these standards greatly increased
Augustus’ popularity and aided in his propaganda.
ego: refers to Regulus and his experience in captivity.
[19]
delubris: dative case with the compound verbal adfixa
[20]
militibus: dative of separation after derepta NB: The militibus are Roman
[21]
civium: “Roman citizens”
[22]
retorta tergo...libero: “bound behind their free backs,” tergo...libero is a
transferred epithet, in which an adjective that grammatically modifies goes with
another noun semantically. Here, libero actually refers to the citizens. These
words are a form of sunchysis, an interlocked word order in which four or more
structural elements form the pattern ABAB. The interlocking pattern represents
in a word picture the physical binding of these prisoners as well as their trapped
freedom.
[23]
portas: gates of Carthage
non clausas: litotes, the use of a double negative to verify something by rejecting
its opposite, “the gates not closed” therefore, the gates were open
[24]
Marte: metonymy for “warfare.” Metonymy is a rhetorical figure of speech in
which one word is used in place of another which it suggests.
Marte...nostro: hyperbaton, two words which syntactically go together are
separated by several words
coli populata: oxymoron, which consists of two outwardly contradictory words
combined to form one expression. Here, the “fertility” and “cultivation” from the
word coli stands in stark contrast to the “destruction” and “devastation” meant by
the word populata.
[25]
repensus: “having been ransomed,” literally means “to weigh back again,” but
here with auro, means “having been ransomed for gold”
acrior: “more keen,” for battle, refers to being more valorous. However, its
juxtaposition with scilicet (line 25) makes it an oxymoron or sarcastic in meaning.
Also, acrior functions as a predicate adjective to redibit, referring to the miles.
[27]
neque amissos colores lana refert medicata fuco: Horace here suggests that valor
in battle cannot be regained once it is lost in an act of cowardice just as when
wool is dyed to a fake color it will never again recover its original color.
medicata: refers to the dyeing of wool
[28]
fuco: ablative of means after medicata
[30]
deterioribus: dative with reponi. This adjective is used as a substantive indicating
the now inadequate “parts” of the soldier once courage is removed, “to be placed
back to the poorer parts.”
[31]
si pugnat extricata densis cerva plagis: metaphor comparing the soldier, ille, to a
young doe, cerva, implying the soldier’s timidity in battle, and after being
“caught” will only have the strength to fight. Horace alludes to his previous
metaphor with the sheep wool that once courage in battle is lost, it cannot be
redeemed.
[32]
plagis: ablative of separation after extricata
[33]
hostibus: dative after credidit
perfidis...hostibus: hyperbaton, in which two words which syntactically go
together are separated by several words; datives after credidit
[34]
Marte: see line 24
Poenos: Carthaginians, Rome’s North African enemy
[35]
lacertis: ablative absolute with restrictis
[36]
iners: “helpless” or implies “doing nothing”
[37]
hic: pronominal
sumeret: subjunctive in indirect question after inscius
[38]
pacem duello miscuit: “mixed peace with war.” Here the soldier has forgotten,
oblitus, to keep his soldiery life, the life of war, separate from the life outside of
war, pacem. In mixing the two, he disgraces Roman customs, pudor (line 38).
[40]
ruinis: ablative of comparison after altior
[41]
fertur: “it is said,” introduces indirect statement, removisse (line 43) and posuisse
(line 44)
[42]
ut: indicative, “as”
capitis minor: Here capitis means “status” or “importance,” and its meaning refers
to the “head” of the Roman family claiming the rights of paterfamilias.
[44]
torvus: adverb, “grimly” or “savagely”
humi: locative
[45]
labentis: –is accusative ending for 3rd declension in the Augustan period is
common. Take with patres.
consilio: ablative explaining labantis, “wavering in wisdom”
patres: refers to the members of the Roman Senate. Regulus was asked by the
Carthaginian government to persuade the Senate to release prisoners. Regulus,
however, urged the Senate to continue the fight against Carthage.
[46]
firmaret: Imperfect subjunctive because subordinate clauses inside indirect
statement require verbs in the subjunctive. The subordinate clause here is
introduced by donec.
alias: “previously”
[47]
-que: what does it conjoin?
maerentis: see above note on line 45 for labentis
[48]
properaret: imperfect subjunctive introduced by donec in subordinate clause; see
above note on firmaret line 46
[49]
barbarus: derogatory term meaning “foreign”
[50]
tortor: refers to the Carthaginian government as a metaphor. When Regulus
returned to Carthage after failing to gain the release Carthaginian prisoners, he
was killed as a prisoner.
pararet: imperfect subjunctive in indirect question introduced by the head verb
sciebat and interrogative quae
[51]
obstantis: see above note on line 45 for labentis; modifies propinquos
[52]
et: what does it conjoin?
reditus: accusative from the noun reditus, reditus (m). reditus serves as the direct
object of morantem.
morantem: modifes populum, “the people delaying”
[53]
quam si: “as if”
clientum: genitive after negotia, “long business of clients”
longa: “tedious”
[54]
lite: ablative absolute with diiudicata, “when the dispute was decided”
relinqueret: imperfect subjunctive in subordinate clause introduced by quam si
[55]
Venafranos…Lacedaemonium Tarentum: well-known summertime resorts in
Italy. Venafrum is an ancient town of Campania, Italy, where Augustus founded a
colony, and Tarentum is a coastal town of Southern Italy. Horace lets the readers
know, by applying the adjective Lacedaemonium, that Tarentum was founded by
Sparta.
3.5 Vocabulary
ab (+abl)
acer, -cris, -cre
addo, addere, addidi, additum
adfigo, -figere, -fixi, -fixum
adicio, -icere, -ieci, -iectum
aeternus, -a, -um
aevum, -i (n)
ager, agri (m)
alias
aliter
alter, altera, alterum
altus, alta, altum
amicus, amici (m)
amitto, -mittere, -misi, -missum
ancile, -is (n)
Apulus, -a, -um
arma, -orum (n)
arvum, i (n)
atqui
auctor, auctoris (m)
Augustus, -i (m)
aurum, -i (n)
aut
barbarus, -a, -um
brachium, -i (n)
Britanni, -orum (m pl.)
caedes, -is (f)
caelum, -i (n)
captivus, -a, -um
from, away from
sharp, cutting, keen, bitter, fierce
to add, join
to fasten to, affix, attach
to add
eternal, everlasting
eternity, time, lifetime
land, territory, field
at another time, previously
otherwise, in another way, different
the one, the other, other
high, lofty
friend
to send away, let go, lose
sacred shield
Apulian
armor, weapons
ploughed land, field, arable land
nevertheless, but in fact, indeed, certainly
originator, causer, doer, supporter, author
Augustus
gold
or
foreign, strange
the forearm, branch, limb, arm
the inhabitants of Briton, Britons
killing, slaughter
the heavens, sky
captured, taken; as subst., a prisoner, captive
caput, capitis (n)
Carthago, Carthaginis (f)
caveo, cavere, cavi, cautum
cerva, cervae (f)
civis, -is (m)
claudo, claudere, clausi, clausum
cliens, clientis (m)
colo, colere, colui, cultum
color, -oris (m)
condicio, -onis (f)
coniunx, -iugis (f)
consenesco, -senescere, -senui
the head, a person
Carthage
to be on one’s guard, beware
hind, deer, doe
citizen
to close, shut up, make inaccessible
client, vassal, ally
to cultivate, till, tend
color, tint, hue
arrangement, agreement, condition
wife, spouse
to become old, lose one’s strength, decay,
grow old
consilium, consilii (n)
Crassus, -i (m)
credo, credere, credidi, creditum (+dat)
cum
curia, -ae (f)
curo, curare, curavi, curatum
damnum, i (n)
delubrum, -i (n)
densus, densa, densum
deripio, -ripere, -ripui, -reptum
deterior, -ius
dico, dicere, dixi, dictum
diiudico, diiudicare, diiudicavi,
diiudicatum
dimoveo, dimovere, dimovi, dimotum
dissentio, -sentire, -sensi, -sensum
consultation, plan, advice, wisdom
Crassus
to entrust, commit, believe
when
the curia, the meeting-place of the senate
to care for, pay attention to
loss, damage, injury
shrine, temple
thick, close, dense, tightly woven
to tear down, snatch away
lower, poorer, worse
to speak, say
to judge between parties, decide, determine
et
excido, excidere, excidi, excisum
exemplum, i (n)
exsul, exsulis (m)
extrico, extricare, extricavi, extricatum
fero, ferre, tuli, latum
firmo, firmare, firmavi, firmatum
flagitium, -i (n)
foedus, -a, -um
fortis, fortis, forte
fucus, -i (m)
gravis, -e
habeo, -ere, -ui, -itum
hic, haec, hoc
hostis, hostis (m)
to part, divide, separate, remove, take away
to be of different feeling or opinion, to be
opposed to, not to agree
god
to offer, give, grant
until, while
war, fighting
I, me
uncommon, excellent, extraordinary,
splendid
and
to fall out, fall away, be lost
example, sample
banished person, exile
to disentangle, to unravel
to bear, bring, carry, to display, it is said
to strengthen, encourage
disgraceful action, shame, disgrace
foul, filthy, horrible, disgusting
strong, powerful, robust
red or purple dye
heavy, important, stern, burdensome
to have, hold, consider
this, these
foe, opponent, enemy
humus, humi (f)
ground, earth, soil
ille, illa, illud
immiserabilis, -e
that, those
unpitied
divus, -i (m)
do, dare, dedi, datum
donec
duellum, duelli (n)
ego, mei
egregius, egregia, egregium
imperium, -i (n)
in
incolumis, -e
iners, inertis
inscius, inscia, inscium
inter (+acc)
inverto, -vertere, -verti, -versum
Italia, Italiae (f)
Iuppiter, Iovis (m)
labor, labi, lapsus sum
Lacedaemonius, Lacedaemonia,
Lacedaemonium
lacertus, lacerti (m)
lana, -ae (f)
liber, -era, -erum
lis, litis (f)
longus, longa, longum
lorum, lori (n)
maerens, maerentis
magnus, magna, magnum
maritus, -i (m)
Mars, Martis (m)
Marsus, -a, -um
Medi, -orum (m)
medico, -are, -avi, -atum
mens, mentis (f)
miles, -itis (m)
minor, minus
misceo, miscere, miscui, mixtum
moror, morari, moratus sum
mors, mortis (f)
mos, moris (m)
natus, nati (m)
-ne
nec
negotium, negotii (n)
neque
nomen, -inis (n)
non
the right to order, power, mastery,
command, empire, authority
(+abl) in, on (+accus) into, onto, towards
uninjured, safe and sound
untrained, unskillful, inactive
ignorant, not knowing, unaware
between, among, amid
to turn over, turn about, overturn
Italy
Jupiter
to flow, to glide, slide
Lacedaemonian
the upper arm, arm
wool
free
legal controversy, action, suit, dispute
long
a strap or thong of leather; plur. reins,
bridle
grievous
great, large
husband, lover
Mars, war, battle, fight
Marsian
the Medes, the Persians
to drug, to dye
mind
soldier
smaller
to mix, mingle, to combine, unite
to delay, to linger
death
custom, rule, conduct, morals, plur.
character
child, son
interrogative, enclitic particle, indicates a
question,
and not, nor
business, occupation, employment
and not, nor
name
not
noster, nostra, nostrum
numquam
o
obliviscor, oblivisci, oblitus
obsto, obstare, obstiti, obstaturum
osculum, osculi (n)
paro, parare, paravi, paratum
parvus, parva, parvum
pater, patris (m)
pax, pacis (f)
pereo, -ire, -ii, -itum
perfidus, perfida, perfidum
pernicies, -ei (f)
Persae, -arum (m)
plaga, plagae (f)
our, ours
never
o!
to forget
to oppose, stand in the way
a little mouth, a kiss
to set, put, provide, prepare
little, small, slight, weak
father, sire, senators (in plural)
peace
to go to waste, be ruined, perish, die
faithless, treacherous
destruction, disaster, ruin
Persians
a net for hunting, a snare, a trap
Poenus, Poeni (m)
pono, ponere, posui, positum
populo, -are, -avi, -atum
populus, populi (m)
porta, -ae (f)
praesens, -entis
pro
probrosus, probrosa, probrosum
propero, properare, properavi,
properatum
propinquus, propinqui (m)
protero, proterere, protrivi, protritum
providus, -a, -um
Carthaginian, Punic
to put, place, to put aside, lay down
to lay waste, devastate, plunder, spoil, ruin
people, public
gate
present, at hand
oh! ah!
shameful, disgraceful, infamous
to hasten, accelerate
pubes, -is (f)
pudicus, pudica, pudicum
pudor, pudoris (m)
pugno, pugnare, pugnavi, pugnatum
Punicus, -a, -um
quam
-que
qui, quae, quod
redeo, -ire, -ii, -itum
reditus, reditus (m)
refero, referre, rettuli, relatum
regno, regnare, regnavi, regnatum
Regulus, -i (m)
kinsman
to trample underfoot, tread down
foreseeing, cautious, prudent,
provident
youth, population
modest, chaste, virtuous
feeling of shame, bashfulness, decency,
shame
to fight, to struggle
Punic, Carthaginian
than
and
who, which, what
to go back, come back, return
going back, return, reconciliation
to carry back, bring back
to reign, to be a master, to be a tyrant, to rule
Regulus
relinquo, relinquere, reliqui, relictum
removeo, removere, removi, remotum
rependo, -pendere, -pendi, -pensum
tortor, tortoris (m)
torvus, torva, torvum
to leave behind, abandon
to move back, remove
to weigh back again, to ransom, repay,
requite
to lay back, put aside, place,
put back
to bind back, draw back
to twist back, bend back
ruler, king
Rome
ruin, destruction, debris
evidently, certainly, of course
to know, understand
once, a single time, for the first time
to feel, perceive, to experience, feel the
force
if
sign, mark, token, banner, battle standards
without
father-in-law
under
himself, herself, itself, themselves
to be
to take, choose, obtain, put on, take up
however, yet, nevertheless
Tarentum (a coastal town of Southern Italy)
to stretch, extend, spread
the back
to be afraid, to fear, dread
toga
to thunder, to make a loud noise, to thunder
forth
torturer, tormentor
savage, grim, fierce, turned, slight
traho, trahere, traxi, tractum
turpis, -e
unde
urbs, urbis (f)
ut
Venafrus, Venafra, Venafrum
venio, venire, veni, ventum
verus, vera, verum
Vesta, -ae (f)
to drag, to draw out, take, bring
ugly, foul
from where, whence
city
as
Venafrian
to come
true, real, genuine
Vesta
repono, reponere, reposui, repositum
restringo, restringere, restrinxi, restrictum
retorqueo, -torquere, -torsi, -tortum
rex, regis (m)
Roma, -ae (f)
ruina, ruinae (f)
scilicet
scio, scire, scivi, scitum
semel
sentio, sentire, sensi, sensum
si
signum, -i (n)
sine (prep. with abl.)
socer, -eri (m)
sub (prep. with abl.)
sui, sibi, se, se
sum, esse, fui
sumo, sumere, sumpsi, sumptum
tamen
Tarentum, Tarenti (n)
tendo, tendere, tetendi, tentum
tergum, -i (n)
timeo, timere, timui
toga, -ae (f)
tono, -are, -ui, -itum
video, videre, vidi, visum
virilis, virile
virtus, virtutis (f)
vita, vitae (f)
vivo, vivere, vixi, victum
voltus, voltus (m)
to see
manly, male, virile
manliness, excellence, virtue, courage
life
to live, be alive
expression of the face, countenance, look,
face