XXXIII
Albi, ne doleas plus nimio memor
inmitis Glycerae neu miserabilis
descantes elegos, cur tibi iunior
laesa praeniteat fide.
Insignem tenui fronte Lycorida 5
Cyri torret amor, Cyrus in asperam
declinat Pholoen: sed prius Apulis
iungentur capreae lupis
quam turpi Pholoe peccet adultero.
Sic uisum Veneri, cui placet imparis 10
formas atque animos sub iuga aenea
saeuo mittere cum ioco.
Ipsum me melior cum peteret Venus,
grata detinuit compede Myrtale
libertina, fretis acrior Hadriae 15
curuantis Calabros sinus.
Tibullus, may you not suffer too much excessive pain
Remembering cruel, faithless Glycera and do not proclaim miserable
Elegies: " Why have you been hurting because a youth
outshines thee?"
See delicately browed Lycoris as she burns up
with love for Cyrus, as Cyrus cruelly declines
Pholoe: But sooner in the Apullian region
Would roe deer and wolves come together,
Than would Pholoe commit disgraceful adultery.
Thus, having seen Venus, she is made merry
To send forms and minds alike
under her cruel copper yoke.
For me, love might aim at better things,
My beloved Myrtale detained me in shackles from
Being a freedman, more sharp than the Adriatic Sea
Curving to fold around Calabria
The poem's title is Horace's "Odes 1.33"
The theme is that love is a cruel sport, making us follow those that flee and flee those that follow. This theme is indirectly stated, mostly from the second and third stanzas.
The poem is not closely linked to a specific time or place, but Horace does tell of the Apulia and Calabria in Italy.
The narrator is Horace, as he is writing a letter to Tibullus, and he is implicit. Horace speaks from the first person, and this is constant throughout the poem. The poem does invite one to equate the narrator with the author.
The poem has an internal addressee, whose name is Albius Tibullus. Tibullus is a Latin poet and writer of elegies (mournful poems).
The poem does contain other characters than the narrator (Horace) and his audience (Tibullus). These are: Glycera (Hor. Odes 1.33.2), Lycoris (Hor. Odes 1.33.5), Cyrus (Hor. Odes 1.33.6), Pholoe (Hor. Odes 1.33.7+9), Venus (Hor. Odes 1.33.10), and Myrtale (Hor. Odes 1.33.14). These characters do not have agency, as Horace reports on their actions.
There is a sad, depressing mood in the beginning, and then an uplifting mood in the last stanza.
The antecedent scenario is that Glycera broke Tibullus' heart by swooning over a younger man. After the poem has ended, it is expected that Tibullus will move on with his life, and stop fretting over faithless Glycera.
There are multiple allusions in this poem, all of which reinforce the explicit meaning. There are allusions to: Cyrus [(Founder of the Persian monarchy)(Hor. Odes 1.33.6)], Pholoe [(The centaur)(Hor. Odes 1.33.7+9)], Apulia [(A region in southeastern Italy)(Hor. Odes 1.33.7)], Myrtale [(A freed woman, a friend of Horace's)(Hor. Odes 1.33.14)], the Adriatic Sea [(Sea touching both Apulia and Calabria)(Hor. Odes 1.33.15)], and Calabria [(Region in southern Italy located on the "toe" of the peninsula)(Hor. Odes 1.33.16)].
Odes 1.33 is a letter written to Albius Tibullus on love. Tibullus is a writer of elegies. Horace is trying to help Tibullus and talk him through the loss of his Glycera. Horace wants to stop Tibullus from writing his elegies and to move on.
Horace speaks to Tibullus about his love life, telling him to calm down. He speaks of love as a fickle thing, and how it can destroy some people. For Horace, love has better meanings and intentions.
There is a pattern of proper nouns at the beginning and end of lines. This occurs in lines 1, 5, 6, 7, 13, 14, 15. Also, in each stanza in line 2 or 3, there is punctuation to break up the stanza. Horace also divided up the stanzas, with the first stanza speaking of Tibullus' love troubles, the second and third stanza speaking of the cruel sport of love, and the last stanza telling Horace's situation on love.
"Praeniteat" (Hor. Odes 1.33.4) connotates that loss of love and misery when a lover turns to like another. "Adultero" (Hor. Odes 1.33.9) has the connotation of all scandalous things about love, and that sometimes, adultery happens. The connotation behind "iuga" (Hor. Odes 1.33.11) is hard labor, like that found in making love work, like that found in working under a copper yoke.
"Tenui fronte" (Hor. Odes 1.33.5) represents youth, as a low forehead was thought to be a mark of youth and beauty. "Venus" (Hor. Odes 1.33.10) represents the fickle mind of love, toying with those who dare to get entangled in it. "Compede" (Hor. Odes 1.33.15) represents the restraints that love puts on a person, making life more difficult. "Curuantis" and "sinus" (Hor. Odes 1.33.16) represent the twists and turns that love takes.
There are allusions to: Cyrus, Pholoe, Apulia, Myrtale, the Adriatic Sea, and Calabria. The allusion to Cyrus shows that love's game does not just apply to those meel elegy writers, but also to royalty. The reference to Pholoe the centaur shows that not only humans have these problems, but so do other animals. The allusion to Myrtale shows that even Horace, in all this wisdom, has love life problems. Love is like the undulating, ever-changing Adriatic Sea.
Horace chose to break each stanza into four lines, the first three lines having twelve syllables, the fourth line having eight syllables. Horace also made sure to open up the poem with "Albi" (Hor. Odes 1.33.1), showing how much he cares for Tibullis. In line eight, "iungentur capreae lupis", he shows the contrast between docile creatures and cruel predators, and how love can get nasty. He also ends the poem with "sinus" (Hor. Odes 1.33.16), showing the curved path of life and love.
In the end, Horace wants Tibullus to realize that troubles are what love is all about, and overcoming them makes love great, and succumbing makes one sad. Love really is a game, in this poem.
