Synopses & Reviews
The writings of Horace have exerted strong and continuing influence on writers from his day to our own. Sophisticated and intellectual, witty and frank, he speaks to the cultivated and civilized world of today with the same astringent candor and sprightliness that appeared so fresh at the height of Rome's wealthy and glory.
In 23 B.C., when he published the first three books of his lyrics, Horace was 42 years old, secure in the favor of the emperor Augustus, and living in ease and comfort as a country gentleman on his Sabine farm. Serenity is reflected in these lyrics, certainly, but so are other experiences, for Horace had lived through three major political crises in a society that was the center of the world, that was sophisticated, refined—and beginning to decay. A worldly, high-spirited, cultivated man, Horace responds in his poetry to the myriad elements of Roman life he knew so well.
The Odes and Epodes of Horace collects the entirety of his lyric poetry, comprising all 103 odes, the Carmen Saeculare ("Festival Hymn"), and the earlier epodes. Joseph P. Clancy has achieved a mirroring of the originals that is worthy in its own right as English verse, and his introductions to each book of lyrics are both lively and informed.
Review
“Clancy’s versions are characterized by modern colloquialisms within a framework of formal dexterity. They well deserve this re-appearance. . . . Horace . . . remains indispensable.”
Synopsis
In 23 B.C.E., when he published the first three books of his lyrics, Horace was 42 years old, secure in the favor of the emperor Augustus, and living in ease and comfort as a country gentleman on his Sabine farm. Serenity is reflected in these lyrics, but so are other experiences, for Horace had lived through three major political crises in a society that was the center of the world: sophisticated, refined-and beginning to decay.
The Odes and Epodes collect the entirety of Horace's lyric poetry, with Joseph P. Clancy achieving a mirroring of the originals that is worthy in its own right as English verse. Together with the University of Chicago Press's edition of the Satires and Epistles, this volume offers the reader a complete and modern Horace.
About the Author
Joseph P. Clancy is a professor emeritus of English and theatre arts at Marymount Manhattan College. His poetry has appeared in such publications as New World Writing, Epoch, Commonweal, and Spirit.
Table of Contents
General Introduction
Odes
Introduction to Books One, Two, and Three
Book One
Book Two
Book Three
Introduction to Book Four and "Hymn for the Centennial"
Book Four
Hymn for the Centennial
Epodes
Introduction to the Epodes
Epodes
Notes
Glossary