The Distorted Ode: On Horace, Carm. 4.8

Abstract

If emendated carefully Carm. 4.8 is fully worthy of Horace and indeed an exquisite example of his art. Its metapoetic (programmatic) outlook on the panegyric subgenre is one of the crucial factors for a positive appreciation. The poet's master hand shows in integrating the themes in the Pindaric manner. The ode is no exception to Meineke's Law, a claim safely to be deduced from Horace's metrical practice. Textual challenges are above all raised by the lines 13–24. Rejecting 14–17 (NB! not 18–19a), the author discusses Calabrae Pierides (20) as a reference to Ennius’ praise of Scipio Africanus; eo ipso Scipio is safeguarded against excision. The second Roman hero, Romulus (22b–24), should be seen both in relation to Ennius and in the light of early heroic song in Rome. Illi (dat.) is conjectured instead of eius (18) and attached to line 13. In his introduction, Horace makes Pindar's First Isthmian, typical of Pindar's kind of praise, applicable to the occasion. As to the partly Romanized Greek heroes (25–34), each example has its own stamp. Finally, a new version of the text is presented.