![]() ![]() Perhaps he had to compromise: Epicurean in the countryside but a pragmatist in the town! He also shared in a genuine sense of relief that the Italian countryside was no longer war-torn. However, as we have seen, in return for property and (eventually) financial independence, Horace was happy to contribute to a sense of material and cultural revival under Augustus. Being a bon viveur did not invariably entail short-term hedonism for Horace, as the Epicurean guide to rational living was more about a detached perspective upon all human activity - particularly politics and power games. Horace's poems on the pursuit of happiness tend to dovetail nicely with aspects of Epicurean philosophy. The villa life was one of otium (leisure) characterised as far as the educated Roman was concerned by good food and drink (served up by slaves, naturally) and stimulating conversations amongst friends. The Sabine farm was where Horace spent quality time. Carpe diem - or maybe carpe viam?Īs he proved his worth and loyalty, Horace received a country estate near Tivoli from Maecenas - a gift that the poet treasured to the end of his days. Horace penned elegant Odes to commemorate imperial triumphs and other grand occasions but this genre (and other literary forms he experimented with) also gave him space to produce poems upon a wide range of themes from the ethical to the aesthetic. Poets like Horace were encouraged to spend at least some of their creative energies celebrating the emperor and portraying his regime as the beginning of a Golden Age of peace and prosperity. ![]() In the meantime, Horace found favour with Maecenas, Octavian's rich and influential ally, who was fostering and patronising a talented literary circle in the emperor's interests. Octavian took the title of Augustus and the rest is history. ![]() The young Octavian established himself as the leading citizen, princeps, in other words, Emperor at Rome, enjoying the monopoly of power in all its territories throughout the world. The Odes were published from 30 to 23 BC, a decade following the battle of Actium where Octavian, the heir of Caesar, and Caesar's armies defeated Antony and Cleopatra. The poet suffered property confiscation after fighting on the losing side of Brutus and Cassius in the Civil Wars but at least a timely amnesty saved him from permanent exile or death. Seize the day was likely to be sound advice when fortunes could rise rapidly and fall just as fast. The phrase has been bandied about in a fair few cultures over time as it seems to summarise the human condition – a sense of mortality matched with a response of frivolity. "Even while we talk," writes Horace, "a span of envious time has flown by best to be savvy, strain the wine and don't trust too much to the future." Carpere, a versatile verb, also suggests plucking, grasping, devouring. "Live for the moment!" is one way of translating the compact little command carpe diem that forms part of the final flourish in Horace's Ode to Leuconoe (the eleventh poem in Book One.) We don't know anything about the girl in question or whether this poem urging her literally to seize the day is a nifty strategy for seduction ("Gather ye rosebuds while ye may" springs to mind here): "Don't ask the astrologers how many years you have left – but this might be the last winter you will see!" His lyrical, satirical, and sometimes mildly perplexing verse continues to inspire creative poets like Maureen Almond, who appeared in conversation with Stephen Harrison on BBC Radio 3's series The Essay: Greek and Roman Voices. Quintus Horatius Flaccus (Horace) and his reflections upon the world around him have - perhaps surprisingly - stayed in tune with human experience through many centuries. ![]()
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