Horace and Catallus

Truthfully, Catallus and Horace are extremely different poets. Horace seeks to be known as the greatest Greek poet of his time, while Catallus desires respect, but will not temper his emotions to gain it.  Therefore, his poetic language reflects his lofty ideas. Conversely, Catallus leaves nothing to the imagination in his poetry. Like Horace, Catallus desires respect, but unlike Horace, Catallus will not temper his emotions to gain it. No one, not even his friends and perhaps especially his friends, are safe from torment by Catallus. He rages, rebukes, and condemns openly. Though initially this seems vastly different from the restrained manner of Horace, The poets do express overlapping themes. Though Horace writes in an academic and modest way, Horace’s themes reveal a passionate character, just as Catallus’s themes do. Though many of their poem’s themes overlap, the reader clearly observes the poets’ ideas about poverty and pride in  Catallus’s poem Furius’s Poverty: to luventius and Horace’s Ne Sit Ancillae.

In both works, the poets attempt to convince a friend that they should not abandon a lover for lack of money or freedom. As we would expect, Horace uses gentle language to explores the theme of pride. To prove that his friend should “not be ashamed of your love for a slave girl” (Horace IV), Horace employs mythological references to Troy. The two most prominent figures in the Greek Army, Ajax and Achilles, both fell in love with slaves. Without these men, the Greeks would have failed to sack Troy. As a result, despite their love for slaves, they maintained respectability. By citing these brave warriors, Horace subtly rebukes Xanthus for his pride. He poses the question, who are you Xanthus to claim slaves are too lowly for him, when they suited noble Ajax and Achilles.

 Similarly, Catallus chastises a friend, Luventius, for being prideful. Unexpectedly, however, he does so in the same manner as Horace; mildly and through mythical reference. Catallus references Midas, the king who’s touch turned everything to gold, which ends in his starvation, for his food turns to gold as he attempts to eat it. Despite having immense fortune, Midas dies a sad, and painful death. Through this reference Catallus parallels the fate of Midas to that of his friend. Because his beloved has no money, Luventinus denies him, and thus denies himself of happiness. Just as Midas wealth cause him to die of lack of nuristment, so too will Luventius emphasis on wealth will leave him bereft of love’s spiritual nourishment. Thus Catallus, like Horace poses a question. He asks Luventius, who are you to rather squander a Midas sized fortune than to let yourself be loved by a slave.