Stylistic Features 1-13 Flashcards
(12 cards)
Diffugere
+
Nives, gramina, comae
Three long syllables remind us of slow winter months
As we read on, spring approaches and metre starts to skip along accordingly
Shortened from perfect tense (diffugerunt) - after this most are HISTORIC PRESENT
Together with use of plural adjectives (nives + gramina + comae) this contributes to excitement and abundance/completeness off the approaching spring
iam gramina campis
alliteration of m - almost hear poet sighing ‘mmm’ with pleasure
gramina campis arboribusque comae
Chiasmus nom-dat-dat-nom = precision and predictability of nature’s season changes
descrentia ripas flumina
Winter ,with its extra rain and snow, causes rivers to swell and sometimes break their banks but now with spring approaching, this is becoming a thing of the past
Gratia cum Nymphis geminisque sororibus
3 graces = personification of all meant by ‘grace’ beauty, youth, modest, graceful etc.
Daughters of Zeus; euphrosyne, aglaia, Thalia
audet ducere nuda choros
Emphatically at end of line (audet) - reader expects something significant - just a bit a bit of dancing
Light hearted, brief and evocative description
Enjambment - graceful moment
immortalia ne speres
Heart of poem - phrase to become a recurring concept.
Long syllables of spondees strike sombre note, previous optimism turns to pessimism
Alliteration of m and n in whole line - nasal note of solemnity
Almum quae rapit hora diem
Other words: time passes so quickly that hours eat up days and days eat up years and we get closer to death
ver…aestas…autumnus…bruma
Back to revolving seasons - enjambment - free flowing - new found noticeable bitterness however
Each season overtakes the previous - summer clearly becomes subject as it brutally tramples on spring ( strong +violent vocab choice) PERSONIFICATION
Summer immediately about to perish (interitura) clear sound echo of proterit INTERNAL RHYME
bruma recurrit iners
speed of winter - running back.
next to recurrit is iners (lifeless) seems to be something of paradox, but nevertheless an effective juxtaposition.
Iners = epithet for winter = clever touch and completing this 4 line section is extremely forceful
Effuderit
Hyperbolic verb
Pour out = abundant
damna tamen celeres reparant caelestia lunae
Damna reparant = interesting turn of phrase as it has a financial ring to it being language of merchants.
Horace is talking about phases of the moon - ideal image for perpetual recurrence and self renewal of the annual seasons
