Horace’s Lyric Meters 2: Sapphic (Odes 1.2)

This is the second in a series dealing with Horace’s lyric meters. The previous installment covered Asclepiadeans. This one discusses the Sapphic stanza, so named because of its association with Sappho, the famous Greek lyric poet. Odes 1.2 is summarized as follows by Nisbet and Hubbard: God has sent enough ill-omened weather. We begin to be afraid that the age of the Flood might return. We have seen the avenging Tiber make for the temple of Vesta; our descendants will hear that we fought each other instead of the Parthians. To which of the gods will the people and Vestals turn for succour? Who will expiate our sin? Come and save us, Apollo, or Venus, or Mars. Or perhaps Mercury is already here on earth in the guise of a young man, condescending to be known as Caesar’s avenger. May you live long amongst us, and take vengeance on the Parthians–Caesar. A translation can be found here. There is an excellent article on Sapphics by Andrew Becker of Virginia Tech that I heartily recommend to anybody interested in Latin metrics or performance: “Listening to Lyric: Accent and Ictus in the Latin Sapphic Stanza,” Classical World 103.2 (2010), 159-182. It’s not freely available on the internet, but very much worth tracking down (more info. about Classical World is here). I follow his approach closely. The English Sapphics I quote come from John Greene, “A Practical method of Presenting the Lyric Meters of Horace,” Classical Journal 4.3 (1909), 116-123, at p. 120. Horace, Odes 1.2 Iam satis terris nivis atque dirae grandinis misit pater et rubente dextera sacras iaculatus arces terruit urbem, terruit gentes, grave ne rediret 5 saeculum Pyrrhae nova monstra questae, omne cum Proteus pecus egit altos visere montis piscium et summa genus haesit ulmo, nota quae sedes fuerat columbis, 10 et superiecto pavidae natarunt aequore dammae. vidimus flavom Tiberim retortis litore Etrusco violenter undis ire deiectum monumenta regis 15 templaque Vestae, Iliae dum se nimium querenti iactat ultorem, vagus et sinistra labitur ripa Iove non probante u- xorius amnis. 20 audiet cives acuisse ferrum, quo graves Persae melius perirent, audiet pugnas vitio parentum rara iuventus. quem vocet divum populus ruentis 25 imperi rebus? prece qua fatigent virgines sanctae minus audientem carmina Vestam? cui dabit partis scelus expiandi Iuppiter? tandem venias precamur 30 nube candentis umeros amictus augur Apollo; sive tu mavis, Erycina ridens, quam Iocus circum volat et Cupido; sive neglectum genus et nepotes 35 respicis auctor, heu nimis longo satiate ludo, quem iuvat clamor galeaeque leves acer et Marsi peditis cruentum vultus in hostem; 40 sive mutata iuvenem figura ales in terris imitaris almae filius Maiae patiens vocari Caesaris ultor, serus in caelum redeas diuque 45 laetus intersis populo Quirini, neve te nostris vitiis iniquum ocior aura tollat: hic magnos potius triumphos, hic ames dici pater atque princeps, 50