4.) Horace Epistles 1.8: Intro
1 Leave a comment on paragraph 1 0 This letter is addressed to Celsus Albinovanus, who was a member of Tiberius’ staff (see the intro to Epistles 1.3). Horace complains that he is unable to find contentment no matter where he is – Romae Tibur amem ventosus, Tibure Romam (12). His inability to find happiness and his general changeability would seem to indicate that he is more similar to the crowd and various denizens of Epistle 1.1 than he wants us to believe at first. This will continue throughout the first book of Epistles and is an important motif of the work – that is, his general malaise, contradictions, and aspirations to find balance in the midst of life (one may think of the Walt Whitman quote “Do I contradict myself? Very well, then I contradict myself, I am large, I contain multitudes.”). Similar sentiments will be found later (e.g. Ep. 1.11.27: caelum, non animum, mutant qui trans mare currunt). This poem is addressed to the Muse, which is interesting to investigate – it is not an epic poem, although it shares that meter; the Muse is relaying epistolary information and asking about Celsus’ well-being. Celsus is a poet in his own right and the Muse might be a worthy go-between for this tête-à-tête between these poets. It also feels at times like a “Dear Diary” entry with the Muse standing in for the action of journaling one’s emotions and self-destructive behaviors (quae nocuere sequar, fugiam quae profore credam, 11). This short poem ultimately acts to give us a portrait of a despondent Horace who seems to know that he is acting in an unhealthy manner, but can’t seem to correct it. Its riffs on epistolary conventions (ut valeat) strongly indicate the conversational nature of epistolary exchange — as pseudo-Libanios says, it is a “written conversation…one will say in it just what one would say if face to face with the addressee”, De forma epistolari 2 (trans. Trapp 2003)–, and it shows pronounced ring-composition (similar language appears at the opening and close of the poem). The poem features Horace’s own self-portrait in the center of the letter as well as a warning to Celsus near the conclusion to behave in a manner that will not evoke envy and to question if he is really living recte (15, cf. 4). If Horace doesn’t listen to those trying to help him, we may wonder if Celsus will take his advice (or is this a case of “do as I say, not as I do”?). The portrait of Horace as flawed teacher may also make him a more honest teacher (like Seneca’s persona as proficiens in his Moral Epistles), who speaks from experience about the difficulty of maintaining the mental balance that he hopes Celsus will attain.