Odes 1.29

Iccius goes soldiering

by Horace

Horace is ribbing Iccius for dropping philosophy to seek his fortune as a soldier: how friendly the humour was meant to be isn’t possible to say. Both the reference to the girl’s late husband and the prettification of the boy to serve wine at a party carry some implication of sexual availability. Some modern readers might be tempted to read this poem as critical of militarism, conquest and slavery, but that would be a mistake. Here and generally, Horace takes them all as much for granted as other Romans of his time. The point is purely personal: you, a soldier, Iccius? Don’t make me laugh!

See the illustrated blog post here.

To listen, press play:

To scroll the original and English translation of the poem at the same time - tap inside one box to select it and then scroll.

Icci, beatis nunc Arabum invides
gazis et acrem militiam paras
non ante devictis Sabaeae
regibus horribilique Medo

nectis catenas? quae tibi virginum
sponso necato barbara serviet,
puer quis ex aula capillis
ad cyathum statuetur unctis

doctus sagittas tendere Sericas
arcu paterno? quis neget arduis
pronos relabi posse rivos
montibus et Tiberim reverti,

cum tu coemptos undique nobilis
libros Panaeti Socraticam et domum
mutare loricis Hiberis,
pollicitus meliora, tendis?

Are you, Iccius, really now turning envious eyes on the treasures of Araby, getting ready for some hard soldiering, and already making fetters for frightful Persians and, once you’ve overthrown them, the Kings of the Yemen? What barbarian maiden will be your slave, when you’ve killed her husband, what well-born boy will be stationed by the ladle with his hair perfumed [to measure out wine for you], though he was trained for firing Eastern arrows from the bow of his fathers? Well, who can deny that tumbling rivers can flow back up high mountains and the Tiber can reverse its course, when you are seriously intending to swap the Socratic school, and the works of worthy Panaetius [the philosopher] that you bought up wherever you could find them, for Spanish armour – when you promised us something better?

`

More Poems by Horace

  1. Horace rests from his labours
  2. Pyrrha
  3. Unrequited love
  4. Locked out
  5. Mourning for a good man
  6. Roman values for the new age
  7. Poscimur
  8. Horace’s reverence to Bacchus
  9. Luxury versus the simple life
  10. Courage and decadence: the Regulus ode
  11. Housman and Horace
  12. Pindar and Augustus
  13. Last love
  14. A prayer to Venus
  15. Horace’s monument
  16. Licymnia
  17. Gyges’s constancy
  18. Horace the swan
  19. Postumus, the years slip by
  20. Horace welcomes his army comrade
  21. Nereus prophesies the Trojan War
  22. Carpe diem, Sestius
  23. An oath to Maecenas
  24. Soracte
  25. The Golden Mean
  26. Pollio’s histories of civil war
  27. Lalage is too young
  28. Here’s to Murena!
  29. Rome: disaster and salvation
  30. The country is best
  31. Horace’s Chloe
  32. Celebrating Neptune’s feast day
  33. A garland from the Muses
  34. Lydia’s tragedy
  35. Some advice for Dellius
  36. Horace’s wine
  37. Glycera
  38. Wealth should be used, not hoarded
  39. Romulus becomes a God
  40. Horace returns to lyric poetry
  41. The fleeting years slip by
  42. A prayer to Mercury
  43. Tibur or Tarentum: a poet’s dilemma?
  44. Don’t trust Barine
  45. Love a slave-girl? Oh, Xanthias!
  46. What Roman youth should be
  47. Numida’s back
  48. The pleasures and dangers of wine
  49. Horace’s Cleopatra ode
  50. Romulus in Heaven
  51. Jupiter’s authority, and Caesar’s
  52. Horace, the wolf and the upright life
  53. Fortuna
  54. Augustus, master of the world
  55. Horace the peacemaker
  56. A Farewell to arms
  57. A plea for burial
  58. Diffugere nives
  59. Jealousy
  60. An invitation to Maecenas
  61. A change of mind
  62. Neobule
  63. Gathering rosebuds: carpe diem
  64. Horace’s limitations
  65. The consolations of wine
  66. New temples, new morals
  67. Curse you, tree!
  68. Love lost and found
  69. Lovely mother, lovelier daughter
  70. Don’t worry, be happy
  71. Awe for the Gods
  72. A Prayer to the poetry-God
  73. Stormy seas
  74. O Fons Bandusiae
  75. Horace’s prayer to a wine-jar
  76. Give me comfort, not riches
  77. Relief from care
  78. Diana and Apollo: a hymn
  79. The final ode
  80. Horace’s first Ode
  81. The tug-of-war for Nearchus
  82. Valgius and Mystes
    83. View Latin Poems
Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.