Book I: Ode XXXI: Quid Dedicatum
What blessing shall the bard entreatThe god he hallows, as he poursThe winecup? Not the mounds of wheatThat load Sardinian threshing floors;Not Indian gold or ivory--no,Nor flocks that o'er Calabria stray,Nor fields that Liris, still and slow,Is eating, unperceived, away.Let those whose fate allows them trainCalenum's vine; let trader boldFrom golden cups rich liquor drainFor wares of Syria bought and sold,Heaven's favourite, sooth, for thrice a-yearHe comes and goes across the brineUndamaged. I in plenty hereOn endives, mallows, succory dine.O grant me, Phoebus, calm content,Strength unimpair'd, a mind entire,Old age without dishonour spent,Nor unbefriended by the lyre!
Words in this poem
- shall v. i.
- To owe; to be under obligation for. [OE. shal, schal, imp. sholde, scholde, AS. scal, sceal, I am obliged, imp. scolde, sceolde, inf. sculan; akin to OS. skulan, pres. skal, imp. skolda, D. zullen,]
- entreat v. t.
- To treat, or conduct toward; to deal with; to use. [OE. entreten to treat, request, OF. entraiter to treat of; pref. en- (L. in) + traitier to treat. See Treat.]
- sardinian a.
- Of or pertaining to the island, kingdom, or people of Sardinia. [L. Sardinianus.]
- sooth a.
- True; faithful; trustworthy. [OE. soth, AS. s, for san; akin to OS. s, OHG. sand, Icel. sannr, Sw. sann, Dan. sand, Skr. sat, sant, real, genuine, present, being; properly p. pr. from a root]
- mallows n.
- A genus of plants (Malva) having mucilaginous qualities. See Malvaceous. [OE. malwe, AS. mealwe, fr. L. malva, akin to Gr. mala`chh; cf. mala`ssein to soften, malako`s soft. Named either from its softening or relaxing properties, or f]
- succory n.
- A plant of the genus Cichorium. See Chicory. [Corrupted from chicory.]
- dine v. i.
- To eat the principal regular meal of the day; to take dinner. [F. dîner, OF. disner, LL. disnare, contr. fr. an assumed disjunare; dis- + an assumed junare (OF. juner) to fast, for L. jejunare, fr. jejunus fasting. See Jeju]
- phoebus n.
- Apollo; the sun god.
- dishonour n.
- Lack of honor; disgrace; ignominy; shame; reproach. [OE. deshonour, dishonour, OF. deshonor, deshonur, F. déshonneur; pref. des- (L. dis-) + honor, honur, F. honneur, fr. L. honor. See Honor.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Book I: Ode XXXI: Quid Dedicatum is in the public domain. This text is taken from The Odes and Carmen Saeculare, Project Gutenberg ebook #5432, the John Conington translation; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Horace, Book I: Ode XXXI: Quid Dedicatum, in The Odes and Carmen Saeculare (1863), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #5432, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/horace-odes/book-i-ode-xxxi-quid-dedicatum.html, id L13926.
Form and metre
Book I: Ode XXXI: Quid Dedicatum is 20 lines in a single stanza. The metre is iambic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 88%). 97% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 8.3 syllables. 1 line ends on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 45% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
See other poems in iambic tetrameter.
Measured by Laurel's pipeline, not copied from a handbook: how stress and metre are counted, how rhyme is lettered, how a drifted rhyme is found. Where the dictionary cannot confirm a rhyme the letter is withheld, not guessed.
Rhyme words, stanza by stanza
The word that ends each line, lettered by the rhyme it makes; a dash is a line whose rhyme the dictionary could not confirm.
- 1 ABABCDCDEFEFGHGHI-I- entreatA · poursB · wheatA · floorsB · noC · strayD · slowC · awayD · trainE · boldF · drainE · soldF · yearG · brineH · hereG · dineH · contentI · entire · spentI · lyre
Scansion, line by line
Each line with its syllable count and the stresses the words themselves fix: / stressed, ˘ unstressed, · a syllable the word leaves free and the metre decides. Read against iambic tetrameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| What blessing shall the bard entreat | 8 | ·/˘···˘/ |
| The god he hallows, as he pours | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| The winecup? Not the mounds of wheat | 9 | ········· |
| That load Sardinian threshing floors; | 9 | ··˘/˘˘/˘· |
| Not Indian gold or ivory--no, | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| Nor flocks that o'er Calabria stray, | 8 | ····˘/˘· |
| Nor fields that Liris, still and slow, | 8 | ········ |
| Is eating, unperceived, away. | 8 | ·/˘···˘/ |
| Let those whose fate allows them train | 8 | ····˘/·· |
| Calenum's vine; let trader bold | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| From golden cups rich liquor drain | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| For wares of Syria bought and sold, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Heaven's favourite, sooth, for thrice a-year | 10 | /˘········ |
| He comes and goes across the brine | 8 | ····˘/·· |
| Undamaged. I in plenty here | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| On endives, mallows, succory dine. | 9 | ·/˘/˘/˘˘· |
| O grant me, Phoebus, calm content, | 8 | ···/˘·˘/ |
| Strength unimpair'd, a mind entire, | 9 | ··˘/··˘/˘ |
| Old age without dishonour spent, | 8 | ····˘/˘· |
| Nor unbefriended by the lyre! | 8 | ········ |
The reader shows the same poem with its rhymes coloured and a stress row above each line, the notes beside their stanzas, and any word's definition on a tap; the analysis page takes the whole book apart. How every part of this site was made.