HORACE - omens good and bad Flashcards
impios
Line 1: impios parrae recinentis omen
usually a propempticon (sending-off poem) would start with good wishes. Horace is subverting this by wishing bad omens upon the wicked
parrae
Line 1: impios parrae recinentis omen
an ill-omened nocturnal bird, probably an owl
ducat
Line 2: ducat et praegnans canis aut ab agro
- here a jussive subjunctive, the verb duco would usually suggest a protective escort
- by using it alongside the ill omens, it sounds mocking
rava decurrens lupa Lanuvino
Line 3
the interwoven words add interest to the lines, and also start us on a very specific journey
praegnans canis… rava lupa… fetaque volpes
Lines 3-5
- the animals in this series are all supposed ill omens
- all female - women more closely linked to magic in the ancient world than men
- two mentioned being pregnant - in the ancient world there was a pollution or stain associated with birth, similar to that surrounding death
- list of three (tricolon)
- string of conjunctions (polysyndeton) adds to the impression of the negative omens piling up
rumpat
Line 5: rumpat et serpens iter institutum
- the subjunctive again suggests Horace imagining ill omens befalling others, especially those who did not heed the earlier signs and actually continued their story
- the verb rumpat is violent and suggests not a polite interruption but an aggressive halt
- the emphatic position at the beginning of the line and sentence mirrors the sudden ‘jumping in’ which the snake is doing in the text
serpens
Line 5: rumpat et serpens iter institutum
- whether a snake was a good or a bad omen depended in large part on what it was doing and where
- they were considered protective, and often featured on lararia (shrines to the household spirits)
- here, however, it is clearly less favourable as it is causing problems for the traveller
what did an auspex do?
Line 8
- they performed a similar role to an augur
- they watched for bird signs, but they also did so for private occasions such as weddings (the augur carried out the duties for public ceremonies such as a general leaving for battle)
providus auspex
Line 8
- the providus seems a little redundant, but stresses the ability of the auspex to see the future
- the phrase is clearly meant to be humourous: Horace does not want us to really imagine he is able to tell the future, he is still teasing Galatea and her superstitions
stantes… paludes
Line 9: antequam stantes repetat paludes
- the poem continues to follow Galatea’s route towards Brundisium
- the Pomptine Marshes are described as stantes (‘standing’), still and stagnant.
- the gloomy place is a suitable location for gloomy omens
imbrium…imminentum
Line 10: imbrium divina avis imminentum
- according to Cicero and others, when birds whose habitat was the sea or marsh splashed into water it was a sign of impending storms
- the hyperbaton (inverted or discontinuous word order) and rhyming of imbrium and
imminentum draw attention, whilst the delay of the participle also mirrors the fact that rains are awaited in real life also
oscinem corvum
Line 11: oscinem corvum prece suscitabo
the adjective oscinem means ‘prophetic through cries’. Its sounds were observed as well as its flight. The repetition of ‘c’ in these words suggest the ‘caw’ of this prophetic bird.
te…vetet ire
Line 15: teque nec laevus vetet ire picus
- accusative and infinitive construction - vetet is subjunctive, expressing a wish
- te: emphatically placed at the start of the line to emphasise the contrast between the ill omens for the wicked, and the good omens which you (Galatea) will have
nec…nec
Lines 15-16: teque nec laevus vetet ire picus
nec vaga cornix
the emphatic negative stresses the contrast again between the luck Galatea will have and the bad omens which befall others
laevus…picus
Line 15: teque nec laevus vetet ire picus
- this ill-omened woodpecker is described as being laevus (‘on the left’).
- Horace is following the Greek tradition of the left being unlucky
