This poem turns on the statement in the middle that “the more a man denies himself gain, the more he will get from the gods.” The first half is devoted to examples of wealth and the desire for it bringing trouble: the second asserts that the benefits of a (comparatively, in Horace’s case) frugal life outweigh those of riches and the greed and worry they inspire. If that much seems clear, some of the messages are surprising. The good but frugal life that Horace claims to live is spent on the Sabine farm that was famously given to him by his patron Maecenas, to whom the poem is addressed, and who could be excused for feeling that the generosity of his gift is being understated. Commentators suggest that there is an implied compliment to Maecenas, who was known for his modesty in remaining a Knight rather than taking Senatorial rank: if so, it seems pretty oblique. The solution to the puzzle must lie somewhere in the detail of the personal relationship between the two men, which was certainly close and affectionate.
Danäe was possessed by Jupiter in the form of a shower of gold and became the mother of Perseus: Horace humorously uses a word that can mean a sex-worker’s price to describe Jupiter in his golden transformation. The attempts of various academic commentators to work out the practical details of the transaction seem unnecessary and naïve. Amphiaraus’s wife was bribed with a necklace to persuade him to join the legendary campaign of the Seven against Thebes, in which he was killed. The “man from Macedon” was the father of Alexander the Great. “Laestrygonian jars” is an indication that the wine was from Formiae, a good appellation. Alyattes was a Lydian King and father of the legendarily wealthy Croesus. Mygdon was a Homeric hero with a kingdom somewhere in north-eastern Greece or western Asia Minor.
Metre: Asclepiad.
See the illustrated blog post here.
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