§626. Metres of Horace

The Odes of Horace include nineteen varieties of stanza. These are:—

• Alcaic, consisting of two Greater Alcaics (10), one Trochaic Dimeter with anacrusis, and one Lesser Alcaic (9)¹:—

  • iūstum ét tenā´cem || prō´positī´ virúm
  • nōn cī´viumā´rdor || prā´va iubéntiúm,
  • nōn vúltus ī´nstantís tyránnī
  • ménte quatít solidā´, nequeAúster.—Od. 3.3.

  (Found in Od. i. 9, 16, 17, 26, 27, 29, 31, 34, 35, 37; ii. 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 14, 15, 17, 19, 20; iii. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 17, 21, 23, 26, 29; iv. 4, 9, 14, 15.)

• Sapphic (minor), consisting of three Lesser Sapphics (7) and one Adonic (3):—

  • iám satís terrī´s || nivis átque dī´rae
  • grándinís mīsít || pater ét rubénte
  • déxterā´ sacrā´s || iaculā´tus árcīs
  • térruit úrbem.—Od. 1.2.

  (Found in Od. i. 2, 10, 12, 20, 22, 25, 30, 32, 38; ii. 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 16; iii. 8, 11, 141820, 22, 27; iv. 2, 6, 11; Carm. Saec.)

• Sapphic (major), consisting of one Aristophanic (2) and one Greater Sapphic (8):—

  • Lȳ´dia dī´c, per ómnī´s
  • tē´ deō´s ōrō´, Sybarín || cū´r properā´s amándō´.—Od. 1.8.

• Asclepiadean I (minor), consisting of Lesser Asclepiadics (5):—

  • éxēgī´ monuméntum|| aére perénniús
  • rē´gālī´que sitū´ || pȳ´ramidumáltiús.—Od. 3.30.
  • (Found in Od. i. 1; 3.30; 4.8.)

• Asclepiadean II, consisting of one Glyconic (1) and one Lesser Asclepiadic (5):—

  • nā´vis quaé tibi crē´ditúm
  • dē´bēs Vérgiliúm, || fī´nibus Átticī´s
  • réddās íncolumém, precór,
  • ét servē´s animaé || dī´midiúm meaé.—Od. 1.3.
  • (Found in Od. i. 3, 13, 19, 36; iii. 9, 15, 19, 24, 25, 28; iv. i, 3.)

• Asclepiadean III, consisting of three Lesser Asclepiadics (5) and one Glyconic (1):—

  • quís dēsī´deriō´ || sít pudor aút modús
  • tám cārī´ capitís? || praécipe lū´gubrī´s
  • cántūs, Mélpomenē´, || cuí liquidám patér
  • vō´cem cúm citharā´ dedít.—Od. 1.24.
  • (Found in Od. i. 6, 15, 24, 33; 2.12; 3.10, 16; iv. 5, 12.)

• Asclepiadean IV, consisting of two Lesser Asclepiadics (5), one Pherecratic (4), and one Glyconic (1):—

  • ō´ fōns Bándusiaé || spléndidiór vitrō´,
  • dúlcī dī´gne merō´, || nō´n sine flō´ribús,
  • crā´s dōnā´beris haédō´
  • cuí frōns túrgida córnibús.—Od. 3.13.
  • (Found in Od. i. 5, 14, 21, 23; iii. 7, 13; 4.13.)

• Asclepiadean V (major), consisting of Greater Asclepiadics (6):—

  • tū´ nē quaésierís, || scī´re nefā´s! || quém mihi, quém tibī´
  • fī´nem dī´ dederínt, || Leúconoē´, || néc Babylō´niō´s
  • téntārís numerō´s.—Od. 1.11.
  • (Found in Od. 1.11, 18; 4.10.)
• Alcmanian, consisting of Dactylic Hexameter (§ 615) alternating with Tetrameter (§ 617. a). (Od. i. 7, 28; Epod. 12.)
• Archilochian I, consisting of a Dactylic Hexameter alternating with a Dactylic Penthemim (see § 617. b). (Od. 4.7.)

• Archilochian IV, consisting of a Greater Archilochian (heptameter, § 622. 1), followed by Iambic Trimeter Catalectic (§ 618. d). The stanza consists of two pairs of verses:—

  • sólvitur ā´cris hiéms grātā´ vice || Vē´ris ét Favō´nī,
  • trahúntque síccās || mā´chinaé carī´nā´s;
  • ác neque iám stabulī´s gaudét pecus, || aút arā´tor ī´gnī,
  • nec prā´ta cā´nīs || álbicánt pruī´nī´s.—Od. 1.4.
• Iambic Trimeter alone (see § 618). (Epod. 17.)
• Iambic Strophe (see § 618. a). (Epod. 1-10.)

• Dactylic Hexameter alternating with Iambic Dimeter:—

  • nóx erat, ét caelō´ || fulgē´bat lū´na serē´nō
  • intér minō´ra sī´derá,
  • cúm tū, mā´gnōrúm || nūmén laesū´ra deō´rum,
  • in vérba iū´rābā´s meá.—Epod. 15. (So in Epod. 14.)

• Dactylic Hexameter with Iambic Trimeter (§ 618):—

  • áltera iám teritúr || bellī´s cīvī´libus aétās,
  • suī´s et ípsa Rō´ma || vī´ribús ruít.—Epod. 16.

• Verse of Four Lesser Ionics (§ 609. c.2):—

  • miserārumest | nequeamōrī | dare lūdum | neque dulcī
  • mala vīnō | laver eaut ex|animārī | metuentīs.—Od. 3.12.

• Iambic Trimeter (§ 618); Dactylic Penthemim (§ 617. b); Iambic Dimeter:—

  • Pettī´, nihíl mē || sī´cut ánteā´ iuvát
  • scrī´bere vérsiculō´s || amō´re pérculsúm gravī´.—Epod. 11.

• Dactylic Hexameter; Iambic Dimeter; Dactylic Penthemim (§ 617. b):

  • hórrida témpestā´s || caelúm contrā´xit, et ímbrēs
  • nivē´sque dē´dūcúnt Iovém; || núnc mare, núnc silüaé ...
  • —Epod. 13.
• Trochaic Dimeter, Iambic Trimeter, each catalectic (see § 620. c).

Index to the Metres of Horace

LIB. I

• Maecēnās atavīs: 4.
• Iam satis terrīs: 2.
• Sīc tē dīva: 5.
• Solvitur ācris hiems: 11.
• Quis multā: 7.
• Scrībēris Variō: 6.
• Laudābunt aliī: 9.
• Lȳdia dīc: 3.
• Vidēs ut altā: 1.
• Mercurī fācunde nepōs: 2.
• Tū nē quaesieris: 8.
• Quem virum: 2.
• Cum tū Lȳdia: 5.
• ō nāvis: 7.
• Pāstor cum traheret: 6.
• ō mātre pulchrā: 1.
• Vēlōx amoenum: 1.
• Nūllam Vāre: 8.
• Māter saeva: 5.
• Vīle pōtābis: 2.
• Dīānam tenerae: 7.
• Integer vītae: 2.
• Vītās īnuleō: 7.
• Quis dēsīderiō: 6.
• Parcius iūnctās: 2.
• Mūsīs amīcus: 1.
• Nātīs in ūsum: 1.
• Tē maris: 9.
• Iccī beātīs: 1.
• ō Venus: 2.
• Quid dēdicātum: 1.
• Poscimur: 2.
• Albī nē doleās: 6.
• Parcus deōrum: 1.
• ō dīva: 1.
• Et tūre: 5.
• Nunc est bibendum: 1.
• Persicōs ōdī: 2.

LIB. II

• Mōtum ex Metellō: 1.
• Nūllus argentō: 2.
• Aequam mementō: 1.
• Nē sit ancillae: 2.
• Nōndum subāctā: 1.
• Septimī Gādēs: 2.
• ō saepe mēcum: 1.
• ūlla sī iūris: 2.
• Nōn semper imbrēs: 1.
• Rēctius vīvēs: 2.
• Quid bellicōsus: 1.
• Nōlīs longa: 6.
• Ille et nefāstō: 1.
• ēheu fugācēs: 1.
• Iam pauca: 1.
• ōtium dīvōs: 2.
• Cūr mē querellīs: 1.
• Nōn ebur: 19.
• Bacchum in remōtīs: 1.
• Nōn ūsitātā: 1.

LIB. III

• ōdī profānum: 1.
• Angustam amīcē: 1.
• Iūstum et tenācem: 1.
• Dēscende caelō: 1.
• Caelō tonantem: 1.
• Dēlicta mâiōrum: 1.
• Quid flēs: 7.
• Mārtiīs caelebs: 2.
• Dōnec grātus: 5.
• Extrēmum Tanain: 6.
• Mercurī nam tē: 2.
• Miserārum est: 16.
• ō fōns Bandusiae: 7.
• Herculis rītū: 2.
• Uxor pauperis: 5.
• Inclūsam Danaēn: 6.
• Aelī vetustō: 1.
• Faune nymphārum: 2.
• Quantum dīstet: 5.
• Nōn vidēs: 2.
• ō nāta mēcum: 1.
• Montium cūstōs: 2.
• Caelō supīnās: 1.
• Intāctīs opulentior: 5.
• Quō mē Bacche: 5.
• Vīxī puellīs: 1.
• Impiōs parrae: 2.
• Fēstō quid: 5.
• Tyrrhēna rēgum: 1.
• Exēgī monumentum: 4.

LIB. IV

• Intermissa Venus: 5.
• Pindarum quisquis: 2.
• Quem tū Melpomenē: 5
• Quālem ministrum: 1.
• Dīvīs orte bonīs: 6.
• Dīve quem prōlēs: 2.
• Diffūgēre nivēs: 10.
• Dōnārem paterās: 4.
• Nē forte crēdās: 1.
• ō crūdēlis adhūc: 8.
• Est mihī nōnum: 2.
• Iam vēris comitēs: 6.
• Audīvēre Lycē: 7.
• Quae cūra patrum: 1.
• Phoebus volentem: 1.
• Carmen Saeculāre: 2.

EPODES

• ībis Liburnīs: 13.
• Beātus ille: 13.
• Parentis ōlim: 13.
• Lupīs et āgnīs: 13.
• At ō deōrum: 13.
• Quid immerentīs: 13.
• Quō quō scelestī: 13.
• Rogāre longō: 13.
• Quandō repostum: 13.
• Malā solūta: 13.
• Pettī nihil: 17.
• Quid tibi vīs: 9.
• Horrida tempestās: 18.
• Mollis inertia: 14.
• Nox erat: 14.
• Altera iam: 15.
• Iam iam efficācī: 12.