Quem tu, Melpomene: the poet’s lowered voice (C. IV 3)

Abstract

Odes IV 3 is characterized by a number of features which may be classed under the joint heading: suppression of the personal and descriptive understatement of the poet’s world. These are detectable in the peculiar structure of the opening priamel and antithesis and the following corroborative exemplum; in the complete absence of indices of personal effort on the poet’s part, including reference to his rise from humble origins; his preference for a public landscape, in contrast to the totally private nature of the poet’s initiation; the absence of typical mythological and symbolic accoutrements and other topoi of poetic landscape and the poet’s career —all generally in keeping with the spirit of Odes IV and in contrast to the poetry odes of the earlier books.