In Praise :: Quem Virum aut Heroa :: I:12

Porphyrio in his ancient commentary says it all about this ode in his introductory remarks:

Hoc a Pindaro sumpsit. Continet autem haec ode 

laudes deorum ac principum Romanorum.

He took this from Pindar. This ode has 

in it praise for the gods and Roman leaders.

In reading this ode, I was struck by the sounds, perhaps for the first time. Up to now I have not appreciated the long and short syllables that make up Latin and Greek meter. This is because I am used to poetry based on stress.  It is also because English poetry often rhymes. Latin poetry does not, ever, I guess, in classical times. However, in this ode, there is a repetition of sounds that seems like rhyming. Look at the end words for these lines:

2, 4       Clio - imago

7, 8       insecutae - silvae

10, 12    ventos - quercus

13, 16    parentis - horis

14, 15    deorum - mundum

21, 22    silebo - virgo

23, 24    certa - sagitta.

And so forth, throughout the ode. What is interesting is that I have not noticed this before. Yet, now, as I scan the end words of various odes, I sometimes see a similar phenomen:

ventos, arbutos (lines 4-5, I:17)

saxa, mea, copia (lines 12-14, I:17)

levis, nitendtis (lines 18-19, I:14)

but not as much as I do in today’s ode.  I don’t know the reason for the high occurrence of rhyming, but because of the endings in Latin, a Roman poet has to work pretty hard not to rhyme. I have been using the word ‘rhyme,’ but these are not ‘full’ rhymes. Horace, I don’t think, ever pairs up words like imago and virago, horis and temporis, or ventis and mentis, as we might do in English.

Another interesting thing about this poem from a linguistic stand point is the expression parum castis  in line 59. Parum castis means ‘unchaste, polluted.’ Literally, it means ‘little chaste.’ Apparently, parum can turn castus into its antonym, although there exists a bona fide antonym that Horace could have used: incestus. At this point, I don’t know if there are other antonyms made with parum, but this construction certainly found its way into French, cf. peu profond, peu intelligent, peu épais. Interestingly, not all of French adjectives have ‘trilogies,’ like intelligent—peu intelligent—stupide. Some have only two components, such as profond—peu profond. There is no word for ‘shallow.’ I wonder if there are any such examples in Latin. Would we need a real live native speaker to tell us?  If so, it’s a bit too late.

Putting the last few lines under the microscope has brought up another point: what do they really mean?

tu parum castis inimica mittes

fulmina lucis 

Nial Rudd translates this as ‘you will hurl your bolts of wrath upon groves that are ritually polluted.’ A French translation has: ‘et tu enverras les foudres vengeresses à qui profanera les bois sacrés.’ The Delphin Ordo has ‘tu infesta in contaminatos lucos tonitrua vibrabis.’ When you line up the translations with Horace’s words, you can see how difficult these lines are, how much the translator has had to explain.

TU you, tu, tu

PARUM CASTIS that are ritually polluted, à qui profanera, contaminatos

INIMICA of wrath, vengeresses, infesta

MITTES will hurl, enverras, vibrabis

FULMINA your bolts, les foudres, tonitrua

LUCIS upon groves, les bois sacrés, lucos.

I’m sure I’ve said this before: I am not convinced that explanation is a good thing in translation. There is no explanation in the translation of the Bible. There are cadres of priests and preacher and tele-evangilists to do the explaining. Why not just translate Horace’s words and let professors of Latin have at it?  Isn’t it true that modern poetry in English sometimes begs interpretation and explanation, yet none is provided by the poet. It is the same with all art forms: music, painting, sculpture. The artist/poet/composer speaks to others through the medium he or she has chosen. The result is either confused, subtly nuanced, or brilliantly clear.

translation:

What man or hero by lyre or by shrill 

pipe are you choosing to celebrate, Clio?

What god? Whose name will echo the joyful sound

either in the shady slopes of Helicon

or on top of Pindus or cold Haemus, where 

the woods rashly followed Orpheus calling,

delaying by his mother’s art the rapid 

rivers’ flow and the swift winds and coaxing

with singing lyre the oaks to perk up their ears?

First what, with the usual praise, shall I say 

of the Father, who by the changing seasons,

rules the things of men and gods, sea, land, and sky,

from whom springs not one thing greater than himself,

nor thrives anything like him or comes close to him?

And yet, next to him Pallas holds the honors,

battle bold; and I’ll not keep silent about 

you Liber and the Virgin, foe of wild beasts, 

and you, Phoebus, dreaded for your sure arrow.

I shall talk of Alcides and Leda’s sons,

one famous for his horses, the other with 

his fists. As soon as their gleaming star has shone 

for sailors, water flows from the rocks stirred up,

the winds die down, the clouds fly away and the 

threatening wave, as wished, settles down on the sea.

Should I speak of Romulus after them or 

the quiet reign of Pompilius, Tarquin’s 

proud rods, I’m not sure, or Cato’s noble death?

Of Regulus, of the Scauri, of Paulus,

careless of great life, when the Carthaginian 

won, I shall sing grateful for Camena, 

and of Fabricius, long-haired Curius,

and Camillus. Poverty, the ancestral 

land with a fitting home, made each fit for war

Grows like a tree in time, secretly, the fame 

of Marcellus: shines among all, the Julius 

star like the moon among lesser fires.

Father of the human race and protector, 

Saturn born, may you, entrusted by fate with 

the great Caesar’s care, rule with him beside you. 

He (whether the Persians threatening Latium

he drives conquered in just triumph or the Chinese 

and Hindus bordering the rising sun)

will rule fairly the happy world next to you.

You’ll shake Olympus with heavy chariot.

You’ll send hostile thunderbolts to unclean woods.

translation © 2011 by James Rumford

notes:

Clio: a muse

Helicon:  Greek mountain sacred to Apollo 

Pindus:  Greek mountain range

Haemus: Greek mountain

Orpheus:  Apollo’s son by a muse  

Pallas:  Athena’s title

Liber:  Bacchus

Virgo:  Diana

Alcides: Hercules

Leda: mother of Castor and Pollux

Phoebe: Apollo

Pompilus: second king of Rome

Tarquinius: last king of Rome, a tyrant

Cato: consul 195 BC, a venerated Roman statesman

Regulus: captured in the First Punic War and died a noble death

Scaurus: either M. Aemilius Scaurus, who drove his son to suicide around 100 BC, or M. Aurelius Scaurus, consul in 108 BC, who showed honor in defeat.

Paulus: noble who married Augustus’ cousin

Carthaginian: Hannibal

Camena: muse

Fabricius: 3rd century soldier and statesman 

Curius: 3rd century soldier, honest and frugal

Camillus: dictator 396 BC

Marcellus: consul and general during the third century BC

Julius star: refers to Augustus but comes from the comet sighted in 44 BC, when Julius Caesar was assassinated.

commentarii: http://www.horatius.ru/index.xps?2.1.112

in prose:

Quem virum aut Heroa 

lyrā vel tibiā acri 

sumis celebrare, Clio?

Quem divum?

Cuius imago iocosa nomen recinet—

aut in oris umbrosis Heliconis,

aut super Pindo gelidove in Haemo [aut in Haemo gelido],

unde silvae Orphea [Orpheum] vocalem temere insecutae [est],

arte maternā lapsus rapidos fluminum ventosque celeris morantem,

et blandum quercūs auritās fidibus canoris ducere?

Quid prius dicam—[quid] parentis laudibus solitis,

qui res hominum ac deorum,

qui mare ac terras mundumque horis variis temperat—

unde nil maius ipsō generatur

nec Pallas (proeliis audax) quicquam simile aut secundum proximos honores illi tamen occupavit? 

Neque te, Liber, silebo,

et virgo inimica belvis saevis,

nec te, Phoebe metuende, sagittā certā.

Et dicam—Alciden puerosque Ledae

hunc (nobilem) equis illum (nobilem) pugnis superare;

quorum nautis simul stella alba refulsit,

umor agitatus saxis defluit,

venti concidunt

nubesque fugiunt

et unda minax, qui sic voluere, ponto recumbit.

Dubito 

an Romulum quietum post hos prius memorem regnum Pompili,

an fascis superbos Tarquini,

an letum nobile Catonis:

Regulum et Scauros animaeque magnae

Paulum prodigum, Poeno superante,

[ego] gratus Camena insigni Fabriciumque referam.

Et paupertas saeva et fundus cum lare aptō

hunc et Curium capillis incomptis utilem bello tulit.

Fama Marcelli velut arbor aevo occulto crescit;

sidus Iulium inter omnis micat—

velut luna inter ignis minores.

Pater gentis humanae atque custos, orte Saturno, 

tibi cura Caesaris magni fatis data,

tu Caesare secundo regnes.

Ille, 

seu Parthos Latio imminentis

sive Seras et Indos subiectos orae Orientis,

domitos triumpho iusto egerit,

te minor,

orbem laetum aequos reget:

tu curru gravi Olympum quaties,

tu fulmina inimica lucis parum-castis mittes. 

original ode:

Quem uirum aut heroa lyra uel acri
tibia sumis celebrare, Clio?
Quem deum? Cuius recinet iocosa
     nomen imago

aut in umbrosis Heliconis oris               5
aut super Pindo gelidoue in Haemo?
Vnde uocalem temere insecutae
     Orphea siluae

arte materna rapidos morantem
fluminum lapsus celerisque uentos,               10
blandum et auritas fidibus canoris
     ducere quercus.

Quid prius dicam solitis parentis
laudibus, qui res hominum ac deorum,
qui mare ac terras uariisque mundum               15
     temperat horis?

Vnde nil maius generatur ipso
nec uiget quicquam simile aut secundum;
proximos illi tamen occupabit
      Pallas honores.               20

Proeliis audax, neque te silebo,
Liber, et saeuis inimica uirgo
beluis, nec te, metuende certa
     Phoebe sagitta.

Dicam et Alciden puerosque Ledae,               25
hunc equis, illum superare pugnis
nobilem; quorum simul alba nautis
     stella refulsit,

defluit saxis agitatus umor,
concidunt uenti fugiuntque nubes               30
et minax, quod sic uoluere, ponto
     unda recumbit.

Romulum post hos prius an quietum
Pompili regnum memorem, an superbos
Tarquini fasces, dubito, an Catonis               35
     nobile letum.

Regulum et Scauros animaeque magnae
prodigum Paulum superante Poeno
gratus insigni referam Camena
      Fabriciumque.               40

Hunc et incomptis Curium capillis
utilem bello tulit et Camillum
saeua paupertas et auitus apto
     cum lare fundus.

Crescit occulto uelut arbor aeuo               45
fama Marcelli; micat inter omnis
Iulium sidus, uelut inter ignis
     luna minores.

Gentis humanae pater atque custos,
orte Saturno, tibi cura magni               50
Caesaris fatis data: tu secundo
     Caesare regnes.

Ille seu Parthos Latio imminentis
egerit iusto domitos triumpho
siue subiectos Orientis orae               55
     Seras et Indos,

te minor laetum reget aequus orbem:
tu graui curru quaties Olympum,
tu parum castis inimica mittes
      fulmina lucis.               60