Pyrrha's Roman
Pages

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first page Virgil : Eclogue IV, 18 - 20 (Flowers everywhere!)
Horace : Satires II 6, 80 - 81 (Town Mouse and Country Mouse)
Catullus 64, 112 - 115 (Theseus leaving the labyrinth)
Virgil Aeneid II, 203 - 211 (Sea serpents)

Pyrrha      Horace's Ode I v

My favourite Latin poem! When I was a student I read a commentary which described this ode as 'one of Horace's rare failures' because of the unnecessary and unnatural complication of its word-order.

(I have not been able to find the book since, and would be grateful if anyone can help me with this.)
I shall only deal with its first three lines here.

     quis multa gracilis te puer in rosa
     perfusus liquidis urget odoribus
     grato, Pyrrha, sub antro?
A picture is gradually built up of an idyllic love scene :

     Which elegant boy, drenched with liquid
     perfumes, is kissing you among many roses,
     Pyrrha, in a pleasant grotto?


Who is the most important character in the poem?
    Pyrrha
Which Latin words refer to her?
    te, (you)   Pyrrha
Are these words in an emphatic position in their lines?
    middle of lines

Exactly where is the young man in relation to Pyrrha?
    has his arms round her
Which words refer to him in line 1?

[ quis multa gracilis te puer in rosa ]

    gracilis (elegant)
     puer (boy) - adjective and noun either side of te.



Look at the position of the words describing the roses.

[ quis multa gracilis te puer in rosa ]

     multa (at the beginning of the line) = many,
    in rosa (at the end of the line) = among roses
Where does this suggest they might be growing?
    all round the lovers - even above, and petals on the floor?



Where is all this taking place?

[ grato, Pyrrha, sub antro ]

    grato .. sub antro   in a pleasant grotto -
      encompasses the whole scene.