[1] Troiani belli scriptorem: Homer. scriptorem here meaning “poet,” despite it more commonly meaning simply “author” or “writer.”
Maxime Lolli: Lollius was a Roman soldier who served under Emperor Augustus. He later became a student of rhetoric and befriended Horace. Because of their friendship, Horace also feels comfortable chiding Lollius gently for his pursuits and acting like a teacher in his own right in this letter. Lollius is also the addressee of Ep. 1.18, where we learn more about his career. Chaucer seems to have made Lollius into a historian of the Trojan War in his own right in his Troilus and Cressida, but this is probably a misunderstanding of the Latin (perhaps he had a version in which this was in the accusative, putting his name in apposition with Troiani belli scriptorem).
[2] declamas: The study and practice of declamation was part of the training of the aspiring rhetorician. One can get a sense for such declamations in the collection of Suasoriae and Controversiae of Seneca the Elder.
Praeneste = Modern day Palestrina, a city about 35km from Rome. The Emperor Augustus (and other later emperors) vacationed in Praeneste. In referencing this known vacation spot, Horace is painting a contrasting image of work and leisure; he is in Praeneste, but rather than resorting to laziness, he is engaged in studying and other activities to prevent himself from slipping into vices.
[3] quid… quid…: indirect questions with the subjunctive A&G 574 . The repetition followed by the contrasting items in the list, i.e. pulchrum vs. turpe emphasizes the mastery and versatility of Homer. Horace is stating that the Greek poet is able to craft narration on not only life’s happier, beautiful moments, but also the ugly ones, thus creating a realistic depiction of life’s highs and lows.
[4] planius and melius are both comparative adverbs.
Chrysippo...Crantore: ablatives of comparison. Chrysippus of Soli was a Greek Stoic philosopher born in Soli, Cilicia. He lived from 279 to 206 BCE, Crantor was a Greek Philosopher from Soli, Cilicia. He was a follower of Plato and greatly admired Homer’s works. Horace’s invocation of the two philosophers may be in part because both utilized Homer in their philosophical works. If so, Horace is doing something similar in his Epistles.
[5] quid: after si, nisi, num, and ne all the ali-s drop away. The quid here is therefore actually aliquid.
crediderim: a perfect active subjunctive in an indirect question with cur (A&G 574).
audi = present active imperative. Horace is here priming the reader for his own interpretations of Homer’s epics, which he will use to prove to the reader the value that comes from reading Homer, while also showing off his own understanding of these works. The call to "listen" may also evoke the oral nature of Homeric poetry.
[6] fabula meaning the Iliad with special nod to Paris’ amorous actions in the Trojan War.
Paridis: genitive with amorem. Paris, also known as Alexandros, was the son of King Priam. His abduction of Helen from King Menelaus, brother to King Agamemnon, was the catalyst for the Trojan War.
[7] Graecia barbariae...collisa: "The Greek conflict against the barbarian". The Trojans are barbarae also at C. 2.4.9.
lento...duello : the Trojan war took 10 years, hence lento. Horace reuses this phrase at Ep. 2.2.98.
[8] stultorum regum...aestus = not just Agamemnon; Horace might imply that the other kings such as Priam and Achilles are foolish. aestus is accusative plural. While anger is the first word of the Iliad, this would seem to imply that maddened passions afflict all the men at Troy.
[9] Antenor: a high counselor to King Priam during the Trojan War. Numerous of his sons were mentioned throughout the Iliad and many died during the Trojan War. He advises the Trojans to give Helen back to Menelaus claiming bloodshed over her existence is not worthy enough for the Trojans (Il. 7.347-53).
praecidere: "to cut off", but here "to return" the cause of war (i.e. Helen).
[10] ut: introduces a purpose clause A&G 531. Take this with cogi in the following line (you should translate cogi posse negat first).
Paris denies he can live and rule "safely" and "happily" (without Helen). The adjectives should be taken adverbially.
[11]: Nestor: King of Pylos who is notable in the Iliad for his advice and being one of the oldest among the Greeks at Troy. litis: "argument, strife." A good word for the quarrel between Achilles and Agamemnon in the Iliad and, as early as Book 1, Nestor tries to keep the peace between the two (Il. 1. 245ff.).
componere: "to set right, pacify." Complementary infinitive with festinat in the following line (AG 456). Horace will repeat the construction at 1.2.38 below.
[12] Peliden (son of Peleus) and Atriden (son of Attreus) used to refer to Achilles and Agamemenon. The patronymics give the line an epic feel, evoking the epithets that are used throughout the Iliad. The parallel structure and sound of the line also equates the two figures (which will come out in the following line as well).
[13] hunc: Achilles, because of his love of Briseis.
amor, ira: Horace boils down the driving forces of the epic to the two powerful emotions of amor and ira. While Achilles' anger (Gr. menis) begins the epic, Agamemnon also expresses anger throughout the epic.
urit: There seems to be a slight undertone through the use of urere that the love and anger of the two men influences the rest of the epic and spreads like a fire (foreshadowing the fire that will engulf Troy, see Epod. 14.13-15). Cf. C.1.6.19 and 1.19.5 for the use of urere of love and Sat. 1.9.66 for burning anger.
[14] Nice one-liner summing up that when leaders disagree, it is the people that suffer.
plectuntur: Present passive verb emphasizes that
these folks have no real control over what is inflicted upon them.
[15] Horace had a similar catalogue of vices at Ep. 1.1.38. These ablatives of cause (A&G 404) underscore the dark and evil nature of the deeds being done in the Iliad, letting the reader know this may be the reality of war. These grim characteristics take the focus away from these epic people and their “heroic” deeds.
[16] peccatur: “wrong is done” (Mayer ad loc.) an impersonal 3rd person singular present passive indicative stresses the ubiquity of such troubles inside and outside the walls of Troy. In addition, it may be connected to the Stoic view of all actions as unavoidable and predetermined. Cicero uses this verb in the passive excessively in Paradox III of his Paradoxa Stoicorum, so it may be a standard verb used in Latin discussion of Stoic thought. Horace uses this sentiment to express his earlier point that reading Stoic texts themselves are not necessary, as the Iliad itself contains these ideas on its own.
[17] rursus: turning to the Odyssey now.
quid: introduces an indirect question with subjunctive A&G 574.
virtus et...sapientia: sapientia is often attributed to Ulysses, but virtus perhaps less often. However, various schools of philosophy have their own views on his merits. Regarding a Stoic perspective, Montiglio writes that “Some figures of Odysseus… were indeed bound to appeal to a stoically minded subject to Rome. His endurance in particular was fitting to illustrate how to survive the “blows of fortune”— a universal condition, to be sure, but one that must have been poignantly felt under the sway of Roman rule,” but that “in the surviving evidence the Stoic engagement with Odysseus dates almost entirely to the Imperial period” (p.66-7). As for the Epicurean view, Epicurus
allegedly “applauded Odysseus for ‘praising the condition of a state at peace where life is spent in feasting and song’” by citing Book 9 of the Odyssey, in which Odysseus states that
“For, I say, no attainment is more delightful than when joy possesses all the people And banqueters in the halls listen to a bard, seated in order, and the tables beside them are laden, with bread and meats, and the wine bearer, drawing wine from the mixing bowl, brings it around and pours it into the cups” (Ody. 9.5-10), although many other scholars, such as Heraclitus and Atheneaus, argue that these lines are taken out of context (Montiglio p.95).
[18] Ulixen: A Greek accusative, used here because Ulysses is a Greek name A&G 82. Ulysses is the Latin form of Odysseus, the protagonist of the Odyssey, a King of Ithaca who incurred the wrath of Poseidon with the result that it took him 10 years to return to Greece after the end of the Trojan
War, facing many obstacles along the way.
[19-22] these lines feature a translation of Odyssey 1.2-5, which reads:
πλάγχθη, ἐπεὶ Τροίης ἱερὸν πτολίεθρον ἔπερσεν:
πολλῶν δ᾽ ἀνθρώπων ἴδεν ἄστεα καὶ νόον ἔγνω,
πολλὰ δ᾽ ὅ γ᾽ ἐν πόντῳ πάθεν ἄλγεα ὃν κατὰ θυμόν,
ἀρνύμενος ἥν τε ψυχὴν καὶ νόστον ἑταίρων,
A rough translation is:
"He was turned about, after he sacked the citadel filled with Trojans:
He saw the towns and came to know the minds of many men,
He suffered in his heart many pains at sea,
Fighting for both his life and the homeward return of his comrades."
Horace makes note of Odysseus’ renowned perspicacity, whereas Homer does not - though Homer has the rest of the Odyssey to do this. By employing a close translation of these lines , Horace here demonstrates his mastery over Homeric texts and the Greek and Latin languages. The textual prioritization of Odysseus over Achilles also reflects Horace’s opinion on the heroic model of Odysseus, the “intelligent” hero, as preferable to that of Achilles, whose strength lies more in the realm of the physical. This is particularly relevant to the poem’s theme of bettering oneself through reading, a more Odyssean than Achillean pursuit.
immersabilis: meaning “unsinkable,” this word contains both a literal and allegorical meaning. Note the similar use of unda at Ep. 1.1.16.
[23] Sirenum: The Sirens, from Ody. 12.166-200. Monstrous inhabitants of an island en route to Ithaca whose songs (voces) are said to cause sailors to lose control and crash their ships. When passing the island, Odysseus plugs his crew’s ears with beeswax before they tie him to the ship’s mast; thus he can hear their powerful song without fear of killing himself and his crew in a shipwreck.
Circae: Circe, introduced at Ody. 10.136. The divine queen of the island Aeaea with the power to turn men into beasts. Her cups (pocula), served to Odysseus’ companions, contain a poison which turns them to swine (Ody. 10.239-243). She later warns Odysseus of the Sirens (among other dangers) before he departs for Ithaca (Ody. 12.39-54).
nosti: “You have learned,” 2nd person singular active perfect indicative of nosco. Contracted form (from novisti, see A&G 181.b) allows for final spondaic foot. Referring to the addressee, Lollius Maximus, as well as the general reader.
[24] quae: Circe’s cups. pocula is the antecedent of quae, as both are neuter accusative plural.
si...bibisset: protasis of past-contrary-to-fact conditional; introduced by si and indicated by pluperfect subjunctive form of bibo (see A&G 514.c.2)
[25] fuisset: pluperfect subjunctive form of sum; indicates apodosis of past-contrary-to-fact conditional (see A&G 514.c.2).
excors: ex+cordis, literally “without heart.” Predicate nominative of Odysseus, the implied subject.
[26] vixisset: pluperfect subjunctive form of vivo, indicated second apodosis clause in past-contrary-to-fact conditional.
amica: this adjective takes the dative, luto. It modifies the nominative sus.
[27] numerus: literally “number,” but here with a sense of "a mere number, cipher" (in the words of Lewis and Short ad loc. "opp. to quality, worth"). Predicate nominative of nos.
fruges consumere: Horace evokes Iliad 6.142-144: “But if you are a man, of mortals who eat the fruit of worked land, / draw near, so that you may more swiftly arrive at death’s border” (tran. Caroline Alexander). The line is spoken by the Achaean Diomedes to the Trojan Glaukos during battle. Thus, the consumption of earthly fruit-opposed to heavenly ambrosia-becomes a signifier for the humanity of Horace’s speaker and the numerus he identifies with.
[28] Penelope's suitors who ate and drank and partied are equated to the Phaeacian princes.
nebulones: "scoundrels" often with a sense of those who shun the light with etymological play on nebula "darkness".
[29] plus aequo also appears in Ep.1.18 (also addressed to Lollius). Because of the stress throughout the Epistles of acting aequus (e.g. 1.11.30), this phrase shows the excessive nature of the behavior of these youths.
in cute curanda...operata: curanda is gerundive. “occupied with looking after their physical appearance”. Take operata with iuventus.
[30] cui pulchrum fuit: the antecedent of cui is iuventus.“in whose opinion”, dative of the Person Judging A&G 378.
in medios...dies: "until midday”.
[31] ad strepitum citharae: A cithara is a stringed musical instrument in ancient Greek and Roman similar to the lyre primarily played to accompany dance, epic recitations, odes, and lyric songs. It was primarily played by professional musicians on ceremonial occasions.
Horace is contrasting this hedonistic lifestyle with the lifestyle he’s proposing (vivere recte), thus emphasizing the value of reading Homer.
[32] ut iugulent = purpose clause (A&G 529).
de nocte: "at the start of night" (A&G 221.10).
latrones: “brigands”.
[33] ut te ipsum serves: purpose clause (A&G 529). The repeated syntax with line 32 helps to hammer home the message.
[34]
hydropicus = medical terminology for dropsy. This condition is said to be caused by living a decadent lifestyle and one had to "dry out" (by running) to cure it.
ni = nisi + the future in the future more vivid condition (posces/intendes...torquebere).
[35] librum: here probably is Homer, who Horace has been reading. Reading before dawn and constant attention to one’s studies will help one escape from certain vices. lucubratio is the technical term for studying/reading by lamplight.
[36]intendes animum: "pay attention to".
studiis et rebus honestis: Horace writes something similar at Ep. 1.81. Horace will repeat language throughout the Epistles to both underscore important concepts or develop interpretations with various addressees.
[37] invidia: with amore, both ablative of means (A&G 409). torquebere: alternative form (A&G 190).
cur: Take festinas with cur.
[38] quae: translate this relative clause second and supply an ea before quae.
demere = complementary infinitive with festinas (A&G 456).
[39] est: from edo not sum.
curandi tempus: tempus is the direct object of differs. For the use of the gerund curandi here see A&G 502.
in annum: “for a year”.
[40] qui coepit: is the subject of habet. You are half-way through a task by beginning it.
sapere: “to be wise” or “to be a sapiens” (which is a lofty expectation if it has Stoic overtones). The imperatives stress Horace’s call to action to Lollius. This famous tag has a long afterlife.
[41] incipe: Horace reiterates the need to start living this way now.
vivendi ...recte...horam: take together. Although acting recte was stressed in Epistle 1.1.60-66, this is the first time that we see vivere recte emphasized (as it will be repeated at Ep. 1.6.29, 1.8.4, and 1.16.17). It is, arguably, the primary concern of the Epistles as a whole. For the position of recte, see Ep. 2.2.213: vivere si recte nescis.
[42] rusticus: “like a country bumpkin”. Some idiots wait for a river to run by, thinking it will go dry after a while. (A&G 553 for dum + subjunctive).
ille: the amnis.
[43] labitur...labetur: the polyptoton stresses that this action will continue ad infinitum.
volubilis: also used of water at Lucretius’ De Rerum Natura 3.190 and Horace uses it later at C. 4.1.40.
[44] quaeritur: the position of the verb stresses the active seeking-out of these "goods".
beata: in the sense of "rich".
puerisque...creandis: gerundive of purpose. Children were expected to be produced in any “good” Roman marriage.
[45] pacantur: The land is “pacified” or “reclaimed” by the plow. Hughes 2014: 71-72 discusses deforestation for agricultural purposes in ancient Greece and Rome.
[46] quod satis est: one should only hope for what is enough (satis est).
contingit: "befalls, be granted to one (+dat.)".
optet: jussive subjunctive (A&G 439).
[47] Riches do not help the sick man, and they will not help one’s emotional state either. A similar thought is expressed at C. 3.1.41-44.
fundus: “estate”.
[48] aegroto ...corpore: ablative of separation (A&G 401).
febris: febres (acc. plural). Horace stresses such medical connections and analogies often in the Epistles.
deduxit: A gnomic perfect (A&G 475).
[49] animo curas: supply deduxit.
oportet: the impersonal verb takes the subjunctive with without ut (A&G 565).
valeat: The position of valeat stresses the actual health of the individual who has “enough”.
[50] comportatis rebus: ablative because utor takes the ablative (A&G 410).
bene: take with uti.
[51] sic...ut (52): "just as...so" = nothing pleases (iuvat) one who fears or desires too much.
domus: looks back to 47 as res glances back to line 50.
[52] lippum = a man who is “bleary-eyed” or “half-blind”. Supply iuvant with these clauses.
fomenta: Apparently such compresses did not actually help those that suffered from gout (podagrum).
[53] auriculas...dolentis: dolentis is accusative agreeing with auriculas.
citharae: nom. plural. If before the cithara was used to help the rich man lessen his cares (31), here it will not please those who have blocked ears (cf. the clean ears of someone who is open to advice at Ep. 1.7). This may evoke Odysseus with his ears blocked from the Sirens’ song.
[54] analogy of body as vessel (vas).Vas as a metaphor for the body also found in Lucretius (see DRN 3.434ff.).
acescere = “to turn sour”.
[55] sperne voluptates: the first of many sententiae. These short, pithy sayings act as direct encouragement to Lollius. While the opening salvo sounds very Stoic, the idea that certain pleasures are harmful would also evoke Epicurean thought.
empta: perfect passive participle with dolore as the ablative of means.
[56] Greed is unquenchable for the greedy man.
certum voto...finem: one must have limits for one’s prayers. voto is dative.
[57] macrescere: a rare verb = “to grow thin”.
rebus opimis: resounds with previous mentions of res and is an ablative of cause (A&G 404).
[58] Sicilian tyrants as exempla of cruelty because of the bronze bull of Phalaris.
Invidia: an ablative of comparison with maius tormentum in the following line (A&G 406).
[59] moderabitur irae: the verb takes the dative, should we think of Achilles? Screeds against anger were not uncommon and Seneca’s De Ira gives advice on how to temper one’s anger. Horace himself will claim to be quick to anger at Ep. 1.20.25.
[60] You will wish “undone” infectum that which you did out of anger! Dolor and mens (which must mean something like “impulse” here) stand as surrogates for anger here, but with slightly different valence. Note the preface of Anne Carson’s Grief Lessons, “Why does tragedy exist? Because you are full of rage. Why are you full of rage? Because you are full of grief.” (7).
[61] odio...inulto: Dative case = “from/on the unpunished object of his hatred” (Mayer ad loc.). For the speed of anger’s impulse, Cucchiarelli (ad loc.) gives the parallel in Seneca’s De Ira: cetera vitia impellunt animos, ira precipitate (De Ira 3.1.4). per vim: “forcibly”.
[62] nice sententia that sounds very Stoic (ira furor brevis est), cf. Sen. De Ira. 1.1.2.
furor brevis = predicate nominative.
qui: antecedent is animum. The animus is the seat of all passions. One's reason (ratio) should be in control, especially if one adheres to Stoic thought.
[63] hunc… hunc: look back to animum, but there is almost the sense that the animus is split like a two-horse chariot, and each horse needs a separate method of control, i.e. frenis and catena (A&G 146). The horse metaphor is a very Platonic idea, with emotions leading part of the soul. With this Platonic sentiment following the previously noted Stoic sentiment, Horace repeats the structure created earlier in the poem with invocations of Chrysippus and Crantor (see line 4) and advances his earlier relating of Homer to these two schools of philosophy.
[64] continuing with the analogy/metaphor.
docilem: takes the complementary infinitive ire in the following line.
[65] viam: here is an internal accusative, rather than the antecedent of qua (which refers to the tenera cervice).venaticus: a hunting dog. For a nice description of a hunt involving such dogs, see Sen. Phaed. 1-84.
[66] The exposure of a young dog to a deer hide in order to direct its predatory instincts in the desired direction is a analogy for directing the human heart to react to its surroundings with the “proper” emotional response. Horace is drawing a parallel to the capability of all humans to better themselves using the correct tools, i.e. Homer’s texts, relating back to the image of the book being read before dawn in line 35.
aula: here means “yard” (poetic), which is taken from the Greek meaning of the word αὐλά.
[67] militat: the connotation of military service might appeal to Lollius who had been a soldier under Augustus. Horace is crafting an image of the dog as a soldier and referring back to the poem’s themes of guiding natural instincts (see note 66 above).
adbibe: present active imperative, often meaning "drink", but here meaning “listen (intently) to.”
[68] puer: Horace here uses the term puer (boy) to address Lollius. In using a word which contains a connotation of youth, as with the images of the colt and puppy above, Horace is encouraging Lollius to “train himself” using Homer’s (and others’) texts. This reinforces the overarching theme of the poem’s ending section that is concerned with utilizing one’s innate abilities towards a specific purpose by engaging with the appropriate tools or people, in this case one's "betters" (melioribus).
offer: note the irregular imperative form.
[69] Horace here compares Lollius to a terracotta jar, a metaphor which refers back to the previously mentioned motifs of molding specific characteristics and imbuing oneself with long-lasting qualities via exposure to various influences.
[70] testa diu: supply servabit odorem.
Horace ends the letter by stressing his reaction to Lollius’ actions. The idea of life being a journey is strong in Greek and Roman philosophy.
quodsi is a construction meaning “but if".
[71] insto: takes the dative.
Horace maintains his own pace, once again elevating himself above Lollius by implying that he has established and maintained an ideal pace at which to live one’s life, whereas Lollius has been unsuccessful in doing so.
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