Horace used the Alcaic Strophe in thirty-seven odes (see also Horatian meters). Named after the Greek poet Alcaeus of Mytilene, it consists of four verses: two Alcaic hendecasyllables, an enneasyllable, a decasyllable; the first and last syllables of lines 1 -3 and the last syllable of line 4 may be long or short (anceps).
Distinguished by its spondaic opening and the rapidity of its fourth line, Stanza 1 of the Cleopatra Ode is scanned below and can be heard listen here:
- - ∪ - - || - ∪ ∪ - ∪ -
- - ∪ - - || - ∪ ∪ - ∪ ∪
    - - ∪ - - - ∪ - -
        - ∪ ∪ - ∪ ∪ - ∪ - -


 

Notes to Horace, Camina 1.37

nunc adverb
now, at this time. What is the effect of the anaphora in this line? Note that each iteration of nunc introduces a different verbal construction: bibendum, pulsanda tellus, tempus erat.
bibo, -ere, bibi, --
drink; the neuter of the gerundive form with est is a passive periphrastic construction. A Dionysiac procession is pictured in the SPQR.
liber, -era, -erum
unrestrained, free, bold; modifies pede. While the adjective suggests the old Italian god Liber, identified with Bacchus, it also suggests the narrowly avoided alternative condition servus.
pulso (1)
strike, beat; passive periphrastic construction (understand est) with tellus as its subject.
tellus, telluris f.
earth, land, ground;poetic form of terra.
Saliaris, -e
Salian, of the Salii (patrician priesthood of the god Mars, established by King Numa); the adjective modifies dapibus. Click SPQR for drawing of the Salii carrying the shields of Mars.
orno (1)
adorn, decorate;complementary infinitive after tempus erat, imperfect indicative. What difference does the final verbal construction make?
pulvinar, pulvinaris n.
cushioned draped seat;special seat of honor for the gods (in the lectisternium, temple, or circus) or persons receiving divine honors (click on SPQR).
daps/dapis, dapis f.
solemn feast for religious purposes; banquet. The feasts of the Salii were noted for their lavishness.
sodalis, sodalis m./f.
companion, friend, accomplice; vocative plural.
antehac adverb
before; formerly; previously
nefas indeclinable
wickedness; sin; violation of divine law; supply erat.
depromo, -ere, -psi, depromptum
bring, draw out.
Caecubum, -i n.
the wine of Caecubum, a choice wine grown on the plain of Latium, south of Rome (click SPQR).
cella, -ae f.
storeroom; chamber; temple chapel; ablative after depromere.
avitus, -a, -um
ancestral; belonging to a grandfather.
Capitolium, -i n.
Capitol, symbol of Roman government and religion, the Capitolium consists of the Capitoline hill and arx with the temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus (click SPQR); dative of reference after paro. For Cleopatra's vow that she would dispense justice from the Capitol, see Dio 50.5.4; Propertius 3.11.45; Ovid, Metamorphoses 15.827.
regina, -ae f.
queen, i.e., Cleopatra, who is not named in the poem. This reference is doubly charged with Roman hostility to monarchy and female power (click SPQR for coin image).
demens, -mentis
mad, out of one's mind; poetic accusative plural; though modifying ruinas, it refers to regina by the rhetorical figure transferred epithet (hypallage).
ruina, -ae f.
catastrophe, fall, ruin, downfall.
funus, -eris n.
funeral, death; placed first in the line after ruinas for emphasis (translate et first). Cicero used funus to mean national disaster (de Provinciis Consularibus 45).
imperium, -ii n.
empire; command; dative of reference after paro.
contaminatus, -a, -um
defiled, corrupted, polluted; modifies grege.
grex, gregis m.
flock, herd; crowd; translate with virorum, an ironic reference to Cleopatra's eunuchs (click SPQR for a relief of an Isiac festival).
turpis, -e
shameful, unseemly, foul, base; predicative adjective with virorum, followed by ablative of specification (morbo).
morbus, -i m.
disease, sickness, disorder; ablative of specification after turpium.
quilibet, quaelibet, quidlibet
anyone, anything; object of sperare.
impotens, -entis
powerless; modifies regina, who lacks the self-control Romans admired in a leader.
spero (1)
hope for, expect; complementary infinitive after impotens.
dulcis, -e
sweet, kind; ablative of cause, it modifies fortuna.
ebrius, -a, -um
drunk; modifies regina, whose affair with Caesar from 48 to his death brought her to Rome (46-44 CE).
minuo, -ere, minui, minutum
lessen, minimize; the subject is navis in the next stanza.
furor, -oris m.
madness, frenzy; a Vergilian echo suggestive of disorder and godlessness.
sospes, -itis
safe, unharmed; the event is the Battle of Actium in 31 BCE. Horace exaggerates the loss of her fleet: Cleopatra returned to Alexandria with 60 ships (click SPQR for a view of one of Antony's ships, all of which were destroyed by fire during the battle).
lymphatus, -a, -um
deranged; frantic; distracted; followed by an ablative of cause Mareotico.
Mareoticus, -a, -um
Mareotic : understand vino. The Lake district around Alexandria (click on SPQR for map) was noted for the sweet wines it produced (see Wine Festival).
redigo, -ere, -degi, -actum
drive, lead back; reduce; the subject is Caesar, whose opposition leads to veros timores.
Caesar, -aris m.
Caesar Octavianus, Julius Caesar's nephew and adopted heir (click on SPQR).
volo (1)
fly; speed; present active participle agreeing with unexpressed reginam, the object of adurgens in the next stanza.
remus, -i m.
oar; synecdoche for ships (of Octavian); ablative of means.
adurgeo, -ere
press to, press against; present participle modifying Caesar. In fact, Octavian returned to Italy after the battle to suppress a mutiny of veterans, returning to Egypt in 30 BCE.
accipter, accipitris m.
hawk; bird of prey; the subject of unexpressed adurget.
velut adverb
even as, just as; introduces an epic simile (see Iliad 22.139-44). What is the effect of the imagery in this simile that represents Caesar as agressive and Cleopatra as pitiable?
mollis, -e
gentle, soft, tender; accusative plural modifying columbas.
columba, -ae f.
dove.
lepus, -oris m.
hare.
citus, -a, -um
swift, fast.
venator, -oris m.
hunter; the subject of unexpressed adurget.
nivalis, -e
snowy, snow-covered; modifies Haemoniae.
Haemonia, -ae f.
Haemonia, the poetic name for Thessaly, a mountainous region that included Mount Olympus in northern Greece (click SPQR) .
do, dare, dedi, datum
give, allow, dedicate; subjunctive after ut in a clause of purpose. The subject is Caesar, the object is in the next stanza (fatale monstrum).
catena, -ae f.
chain, fetter; ablative of description.
fatalis, -e
deadly, dangerous; of/belonging to fate; destined; object of daret.
monstrum, -i n.
omen, portent; monster; note the switch in gender and category of being from regina to monstrum, giving Octavian's victory epic status.
quae = illa, referring to Cleopatra.
generosus, -a, -um
noble, eminent, honorable; comparative adverb.
pereo, -ire,-ii, -itum
perish, die; be lost; complementary infinitive after quaerens.
quaero, -ere, -sivi/-ii, situm
seek, search for; desire; present participle modifying quae.
muliebriter adverb
like a woman; womanly.
expavesco, -ere, -pavi
to be terrified; dread; subject is quae.
ensis, ensis m.
sword; a poetic term for gladius (click on SPQR for an example).
latens, -entis
hidden; secret; accusative plural modifying oras. See Plutarch's description (Antony 69).
classis, classis f.
fleet; army; political class; ablative of means. Scansion confirms that the a in cita is long and therefore modifies classe and not the subject of reparavit.
reparo (1)
retrieve, recover, restore, acquire; subject is quae.
ora -ae f.
shore, coast, boundary; Plutarch suggests she sought refuge on coasts outside of Egypt on the Arabian Gulf.
audeo, -ere, ausus/a sum
dare, be bold; supply est, the subject is quae.
iaceo, -ere, iacui
lie in ruins; lie dead; the present participle modifies regiam.
viso -ere, visi, visum
look at, gaze upon; Et and its correlative in the following line join the two complementary infinitives visere and tractare.
regia, -ae f.
palace; the reference is to her royal residence in Alexandria (see city plan in SPQR).
vo/ultus, us m.
expression; face; look; ablative of manner with sereno.
serenus, -a,-um
tranquil, bright; joyous; Cleopatra's self-possession in the face of disaster would have seemed admirable to the Romans.
fortis, -e
brave, courageous; et is in a postpositive position. The adjective describes Cleopatra.
asperus, -a, -um
harsh, vicious; modifies serpentes.
tracto (1)
handle, manage; click on SPQR to see the queen's dynastic connection to the Egyptian serpent.
serpens, -ntis m. f.
snake, serpent; note the sound painting of t/s in three verses of the stanza (click on SPQR for a relief of the Egyptian serpent crown).
ater, atra, atrum
dark, black; modifies venenum in the line below.
combibo, -ere, -bibi
drink completely, absorb; imperfect subjunctive in a purpose clause following ut. The subject is Cleopatra, whose poisoning ends the poem's theme of drinking.
venenum, -i n.
drug; potion; poison; venum.
delibero (1)
resolve upon, determine; consider; take counsel; perfect passive participle, it is an ablative of cause with morte after ferocior.
ferox, -ocis
fierce, bold; comparative adjective, parallel to fortis above, referring to Cleopatra.
saevus, -a, -um
raging; fierce; cruel.
Liburnus, -a, -um
Liburnian; supply navibus, indirect object of invidens. The Liburnians are the ships of Octavian's fleet, saevis to Cleopatra because of their swiftness in battle (click on SPQR for an image).
scilicet adverb
certainly, obviously; of course.
invideo, -ere, -vidi, -visum
envy, begrudge; cast an evil eye on; Cleopatra remains the subject.
privo (1)
deprive of office; strip of something; scansion reveals the perfect passive participle is in the nominative case: with defeat, Cleopatra is no longer a queen (click on SPQR for an unroyal portrait).
deduco, -ere, -duxi, -ductum
lead off; present passive infinitive, its subject is mulier.
superbus, -a, -um
proud, magnificent, splendid; modifies triumpho.
humilis, -e
lowly; humble; insignificant; small.
mulier, -eris f.
woman, female; wife.
triumphus, -i m.
triumph; victory parade; ablative after deduci. The last two lines conclude with words that embrace the defeated enemy and resound with Roman victory (superbo . . . triumpho). Octavian had to be content with a statue of the queen in his parade (click on SPQR for a coin image).


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