page_title: Epodes (Horace)
section_title: Contents
hierarchical_section_title: Epodes (Horace) / Contents
caption_attribution_description: മലയാളം: Garlic
context_page_description: The Epodes are a collection of iambic poems written by the Roman poet Horace. They were published in 30 BC and form part of his early work alongside the Satires (Horace). Following the model of the Greek poets Archilochus and Hipponax, the Epodes largely fall into the genre of blame poetry, which seeks to discredit and humiliate its targets.
  The 17 poems of the Epodes cover a variety of topics, including politics, magic, eroticism and food. A product of the turbulent final years of the Roman Republic, the collection has been noted for its striking depiction of Rome's socio-political ills in a time of great upheaval. Due to their recurring coarseness and explicit treatment of sexuality, the Epodes have traditionally been Horace's least regarded work. However, the last quarter of the 20th century saw a resurgence in scholarly interest in the collection.
context_section_description: Epode 1 is dedicated to Horace's patron, Maecenas, who is about to join Octavian on the Actium campaign. The poet announces that he is willing to share the dangers of his influential friend, even though he is unwarlike himself. This loyalty, the poem claims, is not motivated by greed but rather by genuine friendship for Maecenas.
  Epode 2 is a poem of exceptional length (70 verses) and popularity among readers of Horace. It envisions the tranquil life of a farmer as a desirable contrast to the hectic life of Rome's urban elite. Each season holds its own pleasures and life is dictated by their agricultural calendar. At the end of the poem, a money-lender named Alfius is revealed as the speaker of the epode, leaving the reader to ponder its sincerity.
  In Epode 3, Horace reacts to an excessive amount of garlic he has consumed at one of Maecenas' dinner parties: its strong taste has set his stomach on fire. Comparing the ingredient to the poison used by witches such as Medea, he playfully wishes that his host be stricken by the same condition.
  Epode 4 criticises the pretentious behaviour of a social climber. The main charge levelled at the man is that he used to be a slave and has now risen to be a military tribune, thereby offending those who traditionally occupied such positions. The poem also imagines the heckling of passers-by on the Via Sacra. It has been noted that the target of the epode resembles Horace's own biography.
  Epode 5 details the encounter of a young boy with the witch Canidia. Together with a group of fellow witches, she plans to use his bone marrow and liver to concoct a love potion. Unable to escape from his entrapment, the boy utters a vow to haunt the witches in his afterlife. The poem is the longest in the collection and is particularly notable for its powerful portrayal of witchcraft.
  In Epode 6, Horace envisions himself as the successor of the Greek iambographers Archilochus and Hipponax. Should someone be brave enough to provoke him, he will bite back with the fervour of his Greek models.
  Epode 7 is addressed to the citizens of Rome. Set in the context of Octavian's civil war, the poet scolds his fellow citizens for rushing to shed their own blood instead of fighting foreign enemies. The poem and its opening line (Quo, quo scelesti ruitis?) are famous for their desperate attempt to prevent renewed civil warfare.
  Epode 8 is the first of two 'sexual epodes'. In it, Horace lambasts a repulsive old woman for expecting sexual favours from him. Although she is wealthy and has a collection of sophisticated books, the poet rejects her ageing body.
  Epode 9 extends an invitation to Maecenas to celebrate Octavian's victory in the Battle of Actium. Octavian is praised for having defeated Mark Antony, who is portrayed as an unmanly leader because of his alliance with Cleopatra.
  Epode 10 strikes a more traditionally iambic note. In the style of Hipponax' Strasbourg Epode, the poet curses his enemy Mevius. Horace's wishes that the ship carrying Mevius will suffer shipwreck and that his enemy's corpse be devoured by gulls.
  In Epode 11, the poet complains to his friend Pettius that he is mad with love for a boy named Lyciscus. The poem is a variation on the idea that love may make the lover's life unbearable. It thus has much in common with Roman love elegy.
  Epode 12 is the second of two 'sexual epodes'. Like in poem 8, the poet finds himself in bed with an ageing woman. This time, Horace is criticised for his impotence — which he blames on the woman's repulsive body. The poem is noted for its obscene sexual vocabulary.
  Epode 13 is set at a symposium, an all-male drinking party. Drinking with one's friends is presented as an antidote to both bad weather and worries. In the poem, Chiron gives the same piece of advice to his pupil Achilles.
  Epode 14 return to the theme of poem 11: the inhibiting effects of love. Horace apologises to Maecenas for not having completed as promised a set of iambics. The reason for this failure, he adds, is the powerful grip of love.
  Epode 15 continues the motif of love by commenting on th
caption: Epode 3 comments on the health effects of garlic
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