Ode I.38: A Poetic Analysis

As the Western world gears up to fully embrace the summer months, many of us have felt our workload lighten and the possibilities of escaping monotonous reality awaken. Much like Horace's Ode I.38, the summer months ask practically nothing of us. They are, for those of us saddled with unfortunate school and work schedules, merely 8 fleeting, dream-like weeks that pressure us only to be.

Too often, however, the summer season brings with it mounting pressure to embark on massive adventures or host elaborate get-togethers that suck the very essence of a carefree summer away. With a message as relevant today as it was for those sweltering away in Ancient Rome, in Ode I.38, Horace urges us to savor the simplicity of a warm summer day. To find an aesthetic clarity that exists only in the still, contemplative moments. To stop chasing and, finally, to rest.

The Poem Itself

*The English version is a translation by Latin professor David West.

Latin Text:

Persicōs ōdī, puer, apparātūs;

displicent nexae philyrā corōnae;

mitte sectārī rosa quō locōrum

sēra morētur.

Simplicī myrtō nihil allaborēs

sēdulus cūrō; neque tē ministrum

dēdecet myrtus neque mē sub artā

vīte bibentem.

English Translation

I don't need your Persian luxuries, my lad.

I dislike these garlands held together with lime tree bark.

Don't bother to track down the last rose of summer

to her lingering place.

Plain myrtle is good enough. Don't trouble

to do anything elaborate with it. Myrtle suits you

serving wine, and suits me drinking it

under the dense shade of this vine.

Part I: Theme & Voice

This poem, especially to readers of Horace's other works such as Ars Poetica, is immediately noticable for its size, namely how short it is. Though seemingly a casual aside, the poem's length is one of its principal strengths, serving to illuminate Horace's main theme: pleasure exists only in the absence of excess.

In this poem, Horace rejects not simply "Persian luxuries," but what they represent in Roman society: ostentation and an uncouth display of status. Indeed, "persicōs apparātūs" was, to the Romans, a shorthand for indulgence. In his rejection, Horace aligns himself instead with traditional Roman values, only accentuated by his anti-Eastern stance (the singling out of Persia, a relatively newer addition to the empire). This poem can therefore serve as a microcosm for intra-Empire relations, making the case that Roman citizens retained their provincial identity and regarded those outside of it as foreign, often with a xenophobic undertone.

Ode I.38 is also an excellent example of Horace's characteristic persona: content and composed. He purposefully chose to leave out a scornful undertone because, to Horace, his job as a poet is to be a moralist and educate his readers (tying back to his belief that poems should both "educate and delight"). Importantly, Horace avoids preaching to his audience, perhaps recognizing that dictation is not the most effective way of communicating his message. Even when he instructs the "puer" (boy), his instruction reads as gentle and affectionate, as if he is smiling while waving away the garlands rather than chastising the boy for bringing them.

Part II: Meter

Horace, like all of his fellow infamous Latin poets, never makes arbitrary formal choices, especially regarding his meter. This poem specifically is written in Sapphic stanza, a commonly used meter associated with emotional intimacy (garnering its namesake from Greek poetess Sappho, who used it to express her internal turmoil). By choosing this meter, Horace reaffirms his moralistic intentions to provide guidelines for one's personal choices, yet also adds emotional depth to his work. Indeed, the Adonic line of each stanza reads like a tapering breath at the end of a speech, a soft retreat mirroring Horace's messaging. In the hands of Sapphic meter, his instruction does not feel cold and sterile but warm, layered, and inviting.

Part III: Rhetoric

The Triple Threat: Alliteration, Assonance, & Anaphora

In Ode I.38, Horace combines alliteration, assonance, and anaphora to mirror his gentle yet instructive messaging. He uses alliteration as a tool to reinforce the Sapphic metrical pattern. His repetition of the harsh p and s sounds, especially in the first line, further underscores his rejection of the Persian luxuries by referring to them in a clipped, almost dismissive tone.

On the contrary, as the poem progresses, softer assonance begins to appear. In “simplicī myrtō” and “sub artā vīte,” the repetition of long vowels ī and ā helps to slow the poem's pace and give it a more relaxed quality, mirroring the philosophy of embracing uncluttered stillness.

More subtly, Horace uses anaphora to frame the poem's moral instruction. For example, he repeatedly employs negative imperatives such as "ōdī" to reject excess luxuries. By choosing to employ gentle negation instead of affirmation, Horace illustrates his educational philosophy of guiding, not telling. Specifically in the first stanza, Horace does not urge an embrace of the quiet so much as rejects the outlandish, allowing the reader to conclude what specifically he affirms on their own.

• NOTE: This negation-instead-of-affirmation is also an example of litotes.

Establishing Intimacy: Apostrophe

Horace uses an apostrophe in his direct address to the enslaved boy ("puer"). This address immediately forms an intimate bond between Horace and the elusive boy who, due to his lack of lines or character development, can serve as a stand-in for a younger reader. Alternatively, this apostrophe can be read as positioning the reader in the role of an eavesdropper who stumbled upon a private moment of wisdom and is welcomed by the instructor himself.

Building & Releasing Tension: Enjambment

Horace deliberately uses line breaks throughout Ode I.38 to build rhetorical tension and advance his meaning. In the line “mitte sectārī rosa quō locōrum / sēra morētur," the first line ends with the image of the rose, providing a visual representation for a flower lingering on too long. Indeed, the prepositional phrase associated with sectārī (answering the question of where we are pursuing said rose) is pushed to the next line, underscoring just how tiresome and ultimately unnecessary this pursuit is. Additionally, this enjambment purposefully delays the completion of ideas to keep the reader engaged, adjacent to a minute cliff-hanger.

Layering Meaning: Metonymy & Synecdoche

Horace uses metonymy and synecdoche together to allude to meaning beyond the literal sense of his words. As mentioned previously, the “persicōs apparātūs” refers to the larger stereotype of Eastern indulgent values (an example of synecdoche). Horace, moreover, purposefully separates "persicōs" and "apparātūs" with "odi, puer" (his first direct address to the boy) to physically depict how these Persian luxuries are the subjects of his dislike and teachings.

In another instance, Horace uses synecdoche to suggest a broader meaning. The "philyrā corōnae" ("lime-barked garlands) take on a meaning beyond their literal one, serving as a stand-in for every product deemed indulgent that Horace is rejecting.

Part IV: Audience Reception

It is important to note that Horace is writing to an elite Roman audience who had the wealth to purchase Odes and the education necessary to read it. Yet, though he is writing to the urban Roman elite, Horace does not live amongst them, instead residing on his farm in the Sabine Hills. Therefore, his rejection of decadence can be read as an affirmation of his rural way of life, subtly encouraging the urban Romans to find solace in traditional countryside values.

Horace, however, takes care to emphasize that this is encouragement, not chastisement. By making the principal conflict/conversation occur between the speaker and his slave, Horace positions the instructor as a member of the upper class, drawing a connection between him and a privileged reader-- stroking said reader's ego. Additionally, the values espoused by the poem are not subversive but widely accepted by the Roman elite at this time. Emperor Augustus himself publicly promoted a return to the Roman values of simplicity and restraint Ode I.38 espouses.

In Conclusion...

Horace's Ode I.38 carries just as much weight today as it did in ancient Rome. Though what we consider indulgences today vastly differs from the indulgences of two thousand years ago, Horace's philosophy of mindful pleasure remains poignant. In a world that seems to run on a constant wave of consumerism and performative luxury, every reader can benefit from a taste of Horace's simple moralism. As the summer days lengthen and responsibilities slightly fade, I implore you: reject the garland and embrace the myrtle.

We hope you enjoyed this poetic analysis of Horace's Ode I.38. Please leave any comments, questions, or concerns below, and be sure to recommend future poems for us to dive into!