BOOKTEXT7

GLYCERA

INTRODUCTION

The three odes to Glycera form a continuous theme in which Horace is seen to be, in turn, the seducer, the worn out lover and lastly, the jilted lover. In the first two odes he invokes Venus, firstly to lure Glycera into his arms then secondly, to help Glycera see him as a young, vigorous lover. In the third ode, he commiserates with his fellow poet, Tibullus, for being jilted in turn by Glycera while secretly enjoying the spectacle of his rival's misery. All of the odes are magnificently crafted but self mocking to some degree, the first two are quite irreverent while the third has an air of smugness and gloating.

In I, 19 Horace speaks of his love for Glycera and blames Venus for depriving him of his peace of mind and the turmoil that the onset of love has brought. He describes how her beauty has captivated him and of how her impudence has ensnared him. It has caused him to abandon the serious work of writing verse on historical and social commentary. In the final stanza he throws caution to the wind and sets up an altar to his love and asks Venus to bless it with her presence. It is, of course, all a magnificent cover to lure Glycera into a proper frame of mind for seduction.

In Ode I, 30 Horace implores Venus to abandon Cyprus and set up residence in Glycera's 'temple'. Not only that, she should bring Cupid, the Three Graces, the Nymphs, the Goddess of Youth and Mercury as well! A very powerful collection of divinities associated with love and virility. Although Horace pretends this is all for Glycera's sake, it is really on his own behalf that he pleads. He apparently needs all their combined powers to sustain him in his passion for Glycera.

In Ode I, 33 Horace speaks to his friend Albius Tibullus, the poet. Tibullus has been through Glycera's flame also and has been left, jilted.

Horace sympathises and although, by implication, he has been jilted also, seeks by example to show that it is happening all the time; he should not write mournful elegies but realise that it is Venus's way. However, it is clear that Horace is paying back his friend for supplanting him in the lady's favour. Horace manages to incorporate several barbed insults within the apparently sympathetic verse.

It would be wrong to take these Odes at face value and impugn them with conventional approaches to the Gods. They are so patently tongue–in–cheek and so cheerfully irreverent. Horace makes himself as much an object of fun as anyone else, taking as his theme, no doubt, the impudence he attributes to Glycera. Yet there are deeply felt references to age and time passing; Horace seemingly has no illusions any more, as to his own amorous abilities, attractiveness or endurance. Despite their innate flippancy there is a pragmatic inner core made very apparent.

ODES I, 19

Mactata veniet lenior hostia.

GLYCERA 1.

The Cupids' cruel mother,

With the son of Theban Semele, orders me

With wanton licentiousness

To return to loves long since forgotten.

Glycera's elegance burns me,

Shining more purely than white Parian marble;

It burns to behold her beloved face

That so easily slips into excessive impudence.

Venus falling upon me with

A vengeance leaves Cyprus, nor will allow verse

Of Scythians and bold Parthian

Cavalry, nor to say anything not germane to her.

Here for me a live altar, here

Youths, place foliage, incense and two year old

Wine in a libation bowl; a victim

Having been sacrificed, love will come more easily.

ODES I, 30

Mercuriusque.

GLYCERA 2

O Venus, queen of Cnidos and Paphos,

Transfer yourself to the decorous temple

Of Glycera, calling upon you with much incense

Leave beloved Cyprus!

And with you the lambent youth and the Graces

Hurrying with maidenly girdles unloosed, the Nymphs

And, much less obliging without you, the Goddess of

Youth and virile Mercury.

ODES I, 33

Curvantis Calabros sinus.

GLYCERA 3

Albius, you must not grieve any more, brooding

In remembrance of harsh Glycera, nor descant

Pitiful elegies why a younger man shines out

And faith has been broken for you.

Fair Lycoris with the fabulous profile languishes

With love for Cyrus, Cyrus turns away towards

Frigid Pholoe; but first she–goats will copulate

Together with Apulian wolves,

Than Pholoe may transgress with such an ugly lover.

Such the view of Venus who, with cruel brazen jest,

Is pleased to send incompatible hearts and minds

Toward the marriage yoke.

As for myself, Myrtal, a freedwoman, more frenzied

And stormier than the Adriatic rounding the cliffs

Of Calabria, has detained me in pleasant bondage

When a better love might call to me.

ANALYSIS & COMMENTARY

ODES I, 19

This Ode voices, ostensibly, the protestations of a middle–aged Horace against falling in love with a much younger woman. However, its obvious self congratulatory tone fails to convince one of its apparent intent, nor, do we suspect, is it meant to.

Horace begins by claiming that it is all the fault of Venus and Bacchus, Mater saeva Cupidinum Thebanaeque ... Semelae puer ... finitis animum 'The inexorable mother of Cupid, in league with the son of Theban Semele, will put an end to the aesthetic life.' The indirect reference to Venus is not intended just as poetical licence but to reinforce the fact that she is notably the mother of cupidity and desire. The indirect reference to Bacchus merely follows on the pattern. The aesthetic lifestyle is most likely a reference to his work as a poet or possibly to a self imposed celibacy. Horace details her orders to him, iubet et lasciva Licentia finitis animum reddere amoribus 'and with wanton loves, she is ordering me to restore Licentia.' The import seems clear, Horace is changing his lifestyle, from a poet living as a recluse to the social whirl of dinner parties, drinking to excess and torrid, if short lived, love affairs. We can only assume that Horace may be on the rebound, having taken time to recover from the affair with Lydia.

Horace declares his passion, urit me Glycerae nitor, splendentis Pario marmore purius 'The elegance of Glycera burns me, glittering more brightly than Parian marble.' Reinforcing it with, urit grata protervitas et vultus nimium lubricus aspici 'the smooth countenance and pleasing impudence burns too intensely to be looked upon.' He comments upon the sudden onset of love and how it is affecting him. In ... tota ruens Venus Cyprum deseruit, 'In hastening away, Venus has deserted Cyprus altogether.' Me ... nec patitur Scythas et versis animosum equis Parthum dicere 'nor will allow me to tell of Scythian and Parthian cavalry sweeping around, courageous in flight'. Nec quae nihil attinent, 'nor of anything, not pertinent to the matter in hand'.

Horace now apparently prepares for the onset of his love for Glycera by preparing an altar for the Goddess Venus with incense, wine and a sacrifice. However, bearing in mind the allegorical nature of the Ode, where sudden love is made the province of Venus and Bacchus, its onset and consequential effect on Horace's work the responsibility of Venus having left Cyprus to torment Horace in person, we should also be prepared to assume that this sacrifice is to be regarded likewise. Since it is all happening out of doors, might it not be in order for us to deduce that he is preparing something in the nature of a barbecue or picnic; certainly something special for his new love! ! Hic vivum mihi caespitem, hic verbenas, pueri, ponite turaque bimi cum patera meri 'O slaves, here a living altar, here leafy foliage, place incense and two year old wine with a libation saucer.' One can imagine Horace, in mock solemnity, directing the scene for seduction. When all is complete, the observation, mactata veniet lenior hostia. 'When a victim has been sacrificed, she (Venus = love) will come more easily.'

This is a wickedly amusing and cynical Ode, beautifully constructed and contrived with mock solemnity, tongue in cheek, satirising the Roman habit of sacrificing to the Gods on every possible occasion. That it is serious in intent is surely hard to sustain; it is almost certainly of the same genre as Horace's Satires. Horace is here undoubtedly matching the impudence he so much admires in Glycera and writing especially for her. Fraenkel is prepared to accept it as genuine and generally to relegate Glycera to the background, however in a footnote to Ode I, 30, also about Glycera, he comments, 'in Odes i. 19, which is in more than one way related to i. 30, Glycera and Horace's love for her are given their full share' (Fraenkel, Horace, 198, n. 1). Quinn acknowledges that the Ode is born of levity mixed with surprise at being in love again. 'The mockery of conventional forms and attitudes, and the self mockery ... are both evident. The language of the ode is as exaggerated as H.'s reaction ... to the discovery that he still has it in him'. but Quinn still appears to accept the observation of the conventions to some degree, 'a direct appeal to the Goddess, complete with propitiatory offering, ...' (Quinn, Horace The Odes, 161)

ODES I, 30

The apparent intent of this Ode is an invocation to Venus, by Horace, on behalf of Glycera and on the surface appears to be conform to the accepted structure of such a genre. However there are puzzling aspects. Horace begins with a standard approach, O Venus, regina Cnidi Paphique 'O Venus, queen of Cnidos and Paphos'. Sperne dilectam Cypron et ... Glycerae ... transfer in aedem 'scorn beloved Cyprus and take up residence in the decorous temple of Glycera', vocantis ture te multo 'calling upon you with much incense'. An innocent sounding invocation? Glycera is not divinity; why a temple or a shrine? Glycera is, or has been, Horace's mistress so is it to be regarded as a temple of love? In other words how a besotted lover might regard the residence of his mistresses? In which case an invocation to Venus to take residence there, rather than her official residence, is by nature of a romantic hyperbole.

Horace continues to intensify the hyperbole, tecum ... properentque 'with you, may they also hasten', fervidus ... puer et solutis Gratiae zonis Nymphae 'the passionate youth, the Three Graces hastening with girdles unloosed and the Nymphs', Et parum comis sine te Iuventas Mercuriusque 'and, less obliging without you, the Goddess of Youth and Mercury'. This seems to go well beyond the bounds, even of hyperbole; there must surely be some other motive behind this request for such formidable allies in the battle for love. Horace is plainly in need of help, either to incline Glycera in his favour or, more likely, to reinstate him in her favour. Not only does he need Venus and her helpers but he needs the Goddess of Youth on his side also. Mercury, or Hermes in the Greek, is needed also as the inventor of the Lyre, the God of luck and the God of fertility and presumably, thereby, virility. Horace is apparently in the unenviable position of an older man seeking to satisfy a younger woman and finding it difficult.

Fraenkel has a great deal to say about this Ode, principally because he detects a similarity in form and content to an epigram by Poseidippus, written in the third century BC. However, unlike the original, Fraenkel is not prepared to accept the amorous intent of Horace towards Glycera or her overt, if implied, presence in the work. 'In Horace's ode, on the other hand, Glycera remains completely in the background; it does not matter who she is or what the poet may feel for her. His interest is entirely concentrated on the goddess,' (Fraenkel, Horace, 198). However, Fraenkel agrees that Horace regards the divinities he calls upon in their Greek context but fails to inform us why so many are required and of such diverse talent; Poseidippus was apparently content with just the one. Quinn has doubts about the total validity of the invocation, 'It all still sounds somewhat mysterious' (Quinn, Horace The Odes, 180), but he concentrates upon Glycera as making the plea directly, not Horace doing so on her behalf. There is a subtle distinction here. Certainly Glycera may be the one with a problem, Horace's amorous shortcomings. However,Horace is surely the one that, indirectly perhaps, pleads for help, asking that Glycera, with the help of the divinities called upon, will see him as a more youthful, virile and energetic lover. In short, he is asking Venus and the others to throw over Glycera their magical powers of love that takes away reality and replaces it with an amorous mirage.

ODES I, 33

This Ode commiserates with a friend and fellow poet, Tibullus, over his rejection by Glycera in favour of a younger man, so we must presume that Horace is now over his own infatuation. Whether we can also assume that Tibullus is also the one who supplanted Horace in her affections, must be largely speculative. However, Horace does seem to 'over–egg the cake' rather in his effusive commiserations and there is surely a little smugness in the last stanza!

Horace begins kindly enough, Albi, ne doleas plus nimio memor immitis Glycerae 'Albius Tibullus, you must not grieve too much in memory for harsh Glycera.' Horace has changed his view of Glycera obviously. Neu miserabiles decantes elegos 'and not descant lamentable elegies,'. It would be best not to put too much emphasis on the word miserabiles; from one poet describing the work of another it is altogether too double–edged. Horace explains the reason gleefully, cur tibi iunior laesa praeniteat fide 'why for you, faith having been broken, a younger man outshines you'.

Horace now catalogues a list of broken faiths, insignem tenui fronte Lycorida Cyri torret amor 'love consumes distinguished Lycoris, with the fine forehead, for Cyrus.' Cyrus in asperam declinat Pholoen 'Cyrus turns away towards frigid Pholoe.' Sed prius Apulis iungentur capreae lupis, quam turpi Pholoe peccet adultero 'but first she–goats will copulate with Apulian wolves than Pholoe might trangress with so unsightly a paramour.' We note with amusement that the only man mentioned in this catalogue is turpi (foul, unsightly, filthy, at worst – shameful, base, dishonourable at best.) So much for friendship! Also the application of the intellectual knife; as Glycera turned from Horace to Tibullus, so she has turned from Tibullus to another. Never mind, he says, let us blame Venus, Sic visum Veneri, cui placet impares formas atque animos sub iuga aenea saevo mittere cum ioco 'so the view of Venus, who is pleased to propel incompatible bodies and minds toward the marriage yoke'. Once again there is a possible double meaning here. Does the incompatibility refer to hopeless love or to eventual consummated love? In other words was Tibullus out of his league? Horace now turns the screw further. He boasts, Ipsum me melior cum peteret Venus, grata detinuit compede Myrtale libertina, fretis acrior Hadriae curvantis Calabros sinus. 'As for me, when a better love might call, Myrtale a freedwoman more stormier than the seas of the Adriatic rounding the cliffs of Calabria, detains me in pleasant bondage.'

Fraenkel does not mention this Ode. Quinn is of the opinion that the commiserations on Horace's part are not wholly genuine but attributing Tibullus's grief to the conventions of poetry and that this Ode reveals them ad absurdum as well as containing Horace's own light–hearted view on the matter.