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.

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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?

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More Poems by Horace

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