Horace 2.19 - Ode to Bacchus скачать в хорошем качестве

Horace 2.19 - Ode to Bacchus

Not sure if this is technically Dithyrhambic or a Thryambic but in any case it's a riotous romp to Bacchus-Dionysus- god of Wine and insanity. Horace's shifts of tone are almost comically extreme, oscillating between the burlesque and high seriousness. English reading begins at (2:03) (1-4) Opening with a poet's personal vision of a god is a respectable literary pose, but his parenthesis ('credite posteri!') hints at upcoming sillyness. (5-8) Teasing Bacchus can give way to possession (think stages of intoxication). This can, of course bring about poetic inspiration that many enjoy, or it can bring destruction-- so the god must be placated! "EUHOE!" is his traditional orgiastic chant and the Thyrsus is the ivy-tipped wand which induces frenzy among the Maenads. (9-12) 'fas mihi cantare'... lit. 'it is permitted for me to sing' -- Horace is anxious not to reveal the forbidden rites, but the god's possession gives him poetic license. The images in this stanza are all well-known Bacchic descriptions. (13-16) 'beatae coniugis' refers to Ariadne- after she had been dumped by Theseus on Naxos, she was befriended by Bacchus, who gave her a crown of 7 stars which later became a constellation. Pentheus was a king of Thebes who prohibited the worship of Bacchus, and was subsequently ripped to shreds by the Maenads (the main subject of Euripides' Bacchae). Lycurgus likewise was a king of Thrace who also outlawed wine. In a fury he put his own son to death and cut off his own legs- mistaking them for vine branches. (17-20) referring to the 'power of Bacchus' in agriculture-- the diversion of rivers for irrigation, and 'taming of the seas' i.e. wine trade. Being a super ancient late-neolithic to very-early bronze age thing, naturally the Bacchanals were also a serpent cult. (21-24) in some versions of the war against the giants, Bacchus participated in the form of a lion. Rhoetus was one of the giants. (25-28) This is pretty straightforward. Bacchus enhances art, comedy, and courage in battle. (29-32) in his journey to the underworld to rescue his mother Semele, Cerberus fawns on Bacchus both coming and going. Meter: Alcaic! (4 line stanzas, w/ syllables: 11, 11, 9, 10) Bacchum in remotis carmina rupibus vidi docentem, credite posteri, Nymphasque discentis et auris capripedum Satyrorum acutas. Euhoe, recenti mens trepidat metu plenoque Bacchi pectore turbidum laetatur. Euhoe, parce Liber, parce, gravi metuende thyrso. Fas pervicacis est mihi Thyiadas vinique fontem lactis et uberes cantare rivos atque truncis lapsa cavis iterare mella; fas et beatae coniugis additum stellis honorem tectaque Penthei disiecta non leni ruina, Thracis et exitium Lycurgi. Tu flectis amnes, tu mare barbarum, tu separatis uvidus in iugis nodo coerces viperino Bistonidum sine fraude crinis. Tu, cum parentis regna per arduum cohors Gigantum scanderet inpia, Rhoetum retorsisti leonis unguibus horribilique mala; quamquam, choreis aptior et iocis ludoque dictus, non sat idoneus pugnae ferebaris; sed idem pacis eras mediusque belli. Te vidit insons Cerberus aureo cornu decorum leniter atterens caudam et recedentis trilingui ore pedes tetigitque crura. Here's an English "sort of metrically-equivalent to Alcaic stanzas" translation: (Iambic pentameter, with one or two lines in each quatrain having 1-2 fewer syllables..) I’ve just spied Bacchus on a lonely crag conducting a music master-class (you’d better believe!) to an audience of Nymphs and goat-footed Satyrs, eager to receive! Aiee! Possession by the god inspires A sudden rush of fear and joy. Aiee! O deity of the dread thyrsus, O God of liberation, spare me! So I may tell of riotous maidens, Of fountains spouting wine, of rivers filled With frothing milk, and rightly tell of Honey from hollow trees distilled! that I may tell of Ariadne honored by her constellation, or the broadcast strewing Of Pentheus’ ruined palace, or the Thracian king Lycurgus’ undoing! You divert rivers, tame the savage seas, On far-flung mountain tops newly bathed in wine you interweave the vipers worn by Bacchanals among their locks unscathed! And when the impious troop of Giants scaled The heights, imperiling your father’s cause, In lion’s shape you hurled back mighty Rhoetus with your fearsome teeth and claws Although less fit for warfare than the arts Of dance and comedy (so mote your fame), Yet in the thick of battle, as in peace, Your mighty presence proves the same. In all your golden glory, Cerberus Eyed you submissive, and meekly flicked his tail; and as you pass back up, your ankles with his triple tongues he licked.