Horace, epode 3: garlic.

Next to Horace’ four books of odes, there is a fifth book with epodes or Iambi, as he called it. Iambic poems were an invention of the Greek poet Archilochus (7^th century BC) and Horace not only used the iambic structure of Archilochus’ verses, but also their content:  personal attacks, mockery and persiflage, though Horace is by far not that angry as his example.

Maecenas once offered Horace a meal with lots of garlic. It was may be food eaten by reapers (l. 4), whose favourite dish consisted mainly of garlic. I like garlic, but not as dominant substance of a dish and I wonder whether it had some apotropaic function.  It was not to Horace’ taste, to say the least, and he wrote a joking poem on garlic. It is also a crash course in the use of venom in mythology.

Horace, Epode 3.

Parentis olim siquis inpia manu

      senile guttur fregerit,

edit cicutis alium nocentius.

      o dura messorum ilia.

quid hoc veneni saevit in praecordiis?

      num viperinus his cruor

incoctus herbis me fefellit? an malas

      Canidia tractavit dapes?

ut Argonautas praeter omnis candidum

      Medea mirata est ducem,

ignota tauris inligaturum iuga

      perunxit hoc Iasonem,

hoc delibutis ulta donis paelicem

      serpente fugit alite.

nec tantus umquam Siderum insedit vapor

      siticulosae Apuliae

nec munus umeris efficacis Herculis

      inarsit aestuosius.

at siquid umquam tale concupiveris,

      iocose Maecenas, precor,

manum puella savio opponat tuo,

      extrema et in sponda cubet.

senile guttur parentis

olim: one day (referring to the future)

guttur, uris (n.): neck, throat

frango fregi fractum: to break

edo edi esum edere/esse: to eat (edit is subjunctive `let him eat’. Edo and to eat are from the same PIE  root  pie. *h<sub>1</sub>ed- `to eat’. This word can easily be confused with edere `to give out’. The infinitive esse is not common.)

cicuta: hemlock (used in ancient Athens for the death penalty, as it was a poisonous plant)

alium: garlic

noceo nocui: to be harmful

messor oris (m).: reaper

durus: hard, harsh, stubborn

ilia: stomach

venemum: poison

saevio saevii saevitus: to rage

praecordia: midriff

viperinus: of a serpent

cruor oris (m.): blood

incoctus: uncooked

fallo fefelli falsum: to escape notice (note that cruor is the subject: in Latin the construction is `the blood has escaped me’’

Canidia: a sorceress often mentioned by Horace

tracto (-are): to handle, prepare

daps dapis (f.): banquet, meal

praeter (+ acc.): above

Medea: daughter of the king of Colchis and sorceress who fell in love with Jason, leader of the Argonauts. When after a couple of years Jason rejected her, she killed their two children and the new bride of Jason. Euripides’ Medea is a must read.

Candidus: bright, shining

miror miratus: to admire (in Vulgar Latin compounds were preferred over simplex forms, hence miror, but English admire from admire.)

ignota tauris inligaturum iuga      perunxit hoc Iasonem: she anointed Jason with this (hoc: instrumental ablative!), who was about to put (inligaturum) the yoke on the bulls, unused to it. (The bulls were blazing flames and had copper legs.)

delibuo –ui –utum: to besmear, anoint

ulciscor ultus: to avenge (she avenged herself on the concubine with gifts besmeared with this)

donis: Medea gave clothes to Jason’s concubine (paelex). These clothes would inflame as soon as they were worn.

serpente alite: with a winged serpent (collective singular: Medea was the granddaughter of the sun god Helios: he sent a carriage with fiery dragons to help her escape.)

Siderum vapor: the heat of the stars (sidus sideris , n. i.e. the dog stars. The star Siderius is visible in the early morning from ca July 20 – August 20, the hottest period of the year.)

siticulosus: dry, arid

Apulia: in Southern Italy

nec munus umeris efficacis Herculis  inarsit aestuosius: nor was (such) a hot gift burning on the shoulders of mighty Hercules. (The centaur Nyssus had raped Hercules’ wife Deianira and Hercules killed him with a poisoned arrow. Before Nyssus passed away, he gave Deianira a cloak, secretly drenched in his poisoned blood, telling that she would for ever be sure of Hercules’ love when he would wear this. Hercules does,  but immediately this mantle causes such a pain that he has no other option but to commit suicide.)

tale: such food

concupio  –ivi –itum: desire (concupiveris: perfect subjunctive)

precor: I pray, please!

oppono (-are): to ward off, to put against

puella: some love of Maecenas

savium: kiss

extrema et in sponda = et in extrema sponda (bed)

cubo –ui –itum: to lie down

Translation by A.S. Kline (2005, Kline has tried to keep the iambic structure.)

Epode III – Garlic!

If any man, with impious hand, should ever

Strangle an aged parent,

Make him eat garlic, it’s deadlier than hemlock,

O you strong stomachs that cull it!

What poison is this that’s burning my entrails?

Has viper’s blood mixed with these herbs

Betrayed me? Or has Canidia been tampering

With this unfortunate dish?

Medea, intoxicated with her Jason,

That most handsome of Argonauts,

Smeared him all over with this, while he tried to yoke

Those bulls unused to the harness:

She took revenge on her rival with gifts of this,

Before mounting her winged dragon.

Never did such a vapour from any dog-star

Settle on parched Apulia:

Nessus’ gift burnt Hercules’ shoulders with no less

Effective a fiery heat.

If ever, my dear Maecenas, you aspire

To repeat the jest, I just pray

That your girl with her hands obstructs your kisses,

And takes the far side of the bed!