Horace science of poetry of divine origin. "The Science of Poetry", Quintus Horace

HORACE

Epistle to the Pisonians (“The Science of Poetry”)

(19 -14 years BC.)

If a woman's head to the neck of a horse painter

I decided to put it in place and, having collected various members from everywhere,

Spread them with feathers so that the beautiful woman on top

Ended at the bottom with an ugly fish - looking at such

Exhibition, friends, could you stop yourself from laughing?

Believe, Pizons! It should look like this picture

A book in which all thoughts are like the delirium of someone with a fever.

Where is the head, where is the foot - without the consent of the whole composition!

I know: the poet and the painter dare everything - and everything is possible for them,

Whatever they want. We ourselves are not averse to such freedom,

And they are ready to allow it to another; but with the condition,

So that wild animals are not together with tame ones,

Snakes in the community of birds, and fierce tigers with lambs!

To a magnificent, loudly promising beginning

Often a purple flap that shines from afar is sewn on,

Or Diana's altar is described, or a playful spring,

Winding between flowering meadows, or the majestic Rhine,

Or a colorful rainbow in a cloudy rainy sky,

But are they there? Perhaps you can do it very well

Cypress write? But why, where was the broken one ordered?

A ship in a storm with a hopeless swimmer? You worked an amphora

And you turned and turned the wheel, but the mug worked!

Know, artist, that simplicity and unity are needed in everything.

For the most part, Pisons, father and worthy children!

We poets are deceived by external brilliance.

Whether I want to be brief, I express myself in a dark way; do I want to

To be gentle makes me seem weak; to be tall -

I'm getting pouty!

This one is timid and, fearing the storm, crawls down;

This one, loving miracles, introduces us to a dolphin in the forest,

A boar swimming in the waves! - And believe me, without knowing art,

Having avoided one mistake, you are exposed to more!

Close to Emilia's school there was an artist who could

Nails and soft hair are excellent to sculpt in bronze.

On the whole, he was unsuccessful, unable to embrace unity.

If I write anything, I wouldn’t want to be like him;

Just as I don’t want to be an ugly nose, having

Black eyes or beautiful black curls.

Every writer, choose a subject appropriate to the strength;

Look at it for a long time, try how you wear it, see if your shoulders lift.

If someone chooses an object by himself, there is neither order nor clarity

They will not abandon him: expression will be free.

The strength and beauty of order, I think, is that the writer

I knew exactly where I had to say it, and everything else came after,

Where does it go; so that the creator of the poem knows what to take, what to throw away

Also, so that he is not generous with his words, but also stingy and picky.

If a known word, skillful with another combination

If you make it new, great! But if with a new speech

It is necessary to name something hitherto unknown, then you have to

To find such a word would be unheard of by Cethegams.

This freedom, when you are careful in your choice,

You can afford: the new expression is true

It will be accepted when its source is euphonious -

Greek is a wonderful language. What did the Roman Plautus allow?

Or Cecilia - how can I forbid you, Virgil and Varius?..

Why do they reproach me if I find expressions again?

Ennius and Cato, after all, new things named Richly

The ancestors were endowed with language; has always been allowed, and now

We were also permitted, and will always be permitted.

Introduce a new word, designating it with a modern stamp.

How the leaves on the branches change with the years,

The old ones will all fly around - so are the words in the language.

Those, having grown old, die, and the new ones, born again, will blossom and grow stronger.

We and all ours are a tribute to death! Is it the sea, compressed into a pier?

(A feat worthy of a king!), protects ships from storms,

Or a barren swamp, once fit for oars,

He feeds the neighboring towns, dug up by a heavy plow,

Or the river will change its course to a comfortable and better one,

Previously dangerous for the harvest: everything that is mortal must

die!

Well, is it really that the honor of words and their pleasantness live forever?

Many fallen will be reborn again; others, now

Taking advantage of honor, they will fall, only the imperious custom demands,

In whose will everything is - both the laws and the rules of speech!

Homer showed us all what measure to use to describe

Terrible battles, deeds of kings and famous leaders.

Previously, in unequal verses there was only a complaint of the heart,

Afterwards there is a feeling of delight and the fulfillment of sweet desires!

Learned people argue about who invented the type of elegies,

But to this day their dispute remains unresolved.

The furious iambic was invented by Archilochus, - and low soccas,

Together with the high buskin, we adopted a new foot.

Capable of conversation, loud, as if born

It is for the action of life, for overcoming the noise of the people.

The immortal Muse gave the sonorous strings of the lyre

Praise the Gods and their sons, fighters crowned with victory,

Scolding horses, and the joy of wine, and young worries!

If I cannot observe all the shades in a poem,

All her colors, why call me a poet?

Isn't ignorance shameful? Are you ashamed to just study?

The comedian finds tragic verse indecent to the subject;

Fiesta dinner - equally unworthy to tell simply

Conversational verse, language suitable for comedy.

Every thing has its proper place given by nature!

So an irritated Khremet condemns his crazy son

With a speech full of power - often a sad tragedian

The groan makes complaints in a language both simple and humble.

So Telephus and Peleus are both in exile and poverty,

Having abandoned the pompous speeches, they touch the heart with a complaint!

No! not enough with verses of beauty: but to delight the spirit

And wherever the poet wanted, they carried him away!

Human faces laugh with those who laugh, and cry with those who cry.

If you want me to cry too, then be moved yourself:

Only then did Telephus and Peleus and the misfortune of their family

They touch me; Otherwise, I’ll either fall asleep out of boredom.

Or I'll start laughing. Sad speeches are decent

To a sad face, to a menacing face - anger, and to a cheerful face - jokes;

Important speeches also lead to an important and stern appearance:

For this is how nature internally arranges us in advance.

To change fate, so that we all express on our faces -

It makes us happy, or it makes us angry, or it brings us to the ground with sadness,

Does your heart ache, or does your soul pour out its delight in words!

If the poet’s tongue does not agree with the fate of the person,

In Rome, both the horseman and the foot people will be ridiculed mercilessly!

There is a difference in this: Dove speaks or the famous hero,

An old man, or a husband, or a young man, boiling with blossoming life,

A noble matron or nurse: also

Assyrian, Colchian, plowman or peddler,

Whether a resident of Greek Thebes or a Greek - a pet of Argos.

Follow the legend, poet, or invent something similar to the truth!

If your hero is Achilles, so famous in song,

Ardent, not oblique, and quick, and unyielding in his anger,

He who does not want to recognize the law except his sword.

Medea must be proud and fierce; Ino is deplorable;

Io is a wanderer; Orestes is gloomy; Ixion is treacherous.

If you trust the stage what's new, if you dare

With the creative power to create a face unknown before,

Then try to support him to the end as such,

As you showed him at the beginning, he agreed with himself.

It is difficult, however, to give the general personality; rather in the Iliad

The action is to find again, than to present an unfamiliar object.

The common will be yours by right, as soon as you do not

Together with the mediocre crowd you are spinning in the usual circle,

If, following in the footsteps, you are not a timid imitator,

Lead word by word, you will escape the tightness from which

It’s a shame, and the very rules prohibit going back.

Be afraid to begin, like the cyclical poet of old times:

“I sing the fate of Priam and the glorious war of Troy! ”

How can you fulfill your promise with your mouth open so wide?

The mountain was tormented, but what was born? Only the mouse is funny!

It’s better a hundred times, who doesn’t want to start something beyond their strength:

"Muse! tell me about the man who, having destroyed Troy,

I saw many people of the city and customs during my travels!”

He didn't want to blow smoke out of the flames, but out of the smoke

Take out the flame so that you can see the wonderful thing in its brilliance:

Antiphata and Scylla or with Cyclops Charybdis!

He will not begin Diomedes' return from Meleager's death,

Neither the Trojan War from two eggs, the offspring of Leda.

He hurries straight to the point; narrating the familiar, quickly

He carries the ears of those who listen past those incidents;

What others have sung, one will not undertake to decorate;

He mixes truth with fable in such a skillful way,

What is the middle to the beginning, the end answers to the middle! < ...>

The text is printed according to the edition: Horace K. Complete. collection cit. - M. - L., 1936. - P. 341 - 345.

The Science of Poetry

If a woman's head to the neck of a horse painter

I decided to put it in place and, having collected various members from everywhere,

Spread them with feathers so that the beautiful woman on top

Ended at the bottom with an ugly fish - looking at such

Exhibition, friends, could you stop yourself from laughing?

Believe, Pizons! It should look like this picture

A book in which all thoughts are like the delirium of someone with a fever.

Where is the head, where is the foot - without the consent of the whole composition!

I know: the poet and the painter dare everything - and everything is possible for them,

10 Whatever they want. We ourselves are not averse to such freedom,

And they are ready to allow it to another; but with the condition,

So that wild animals are not together with tame ones,

Snakes in the community of birds, and fierce tigers with lambs!

To a magnificent, loudly promising beginning

Often the l_o_skut, shining from a distance, is sewn on purple,

Or Diana's altar is described, or a playful spring,

Winding between flowering meadows, or the majestic Rhine,

Or a colorful rainbow in a cloudy and rainy sky.

But is she there? Perhaps you can do it very well

20 Cypress write? But why, where was the broken one ordered?

A ship in a storm with a hopeless swimmer? You worked an amphora

And you turned and turned the wheel, and the mug worked!

Know, artist, that simplicity and unity are needed in everything.

For the most part, Pisons, father and worthy children!

We poets are deceived by external brilliance.

Do I want to be brief? I express myself darkly, whether I want to

To be gentle makes me seem weak; be tall

I'm getting pouty!

This one is timid and, fearing the storm, crawls down;

This one, loving miracles, introduces us to a dolphin in the forest,

30 Boar sailing in the waves! - And believe me, without knowing art,

Having avoided one mistake, you are exposed to more!

Close to Emilia's school there was an artist who could

Nails and soft hair are excellent to sculpt in bronze.

On the whole, he was unsuccessful, unable to embrace unity.

If I write anything, I wouldn’t want to be like him;

Just as I don’t want to be an ugly nose, having

Black eyes or beautiful black curls.

Every writer chooses a subject appropriate to his strength;

Look at it for a long time, try how you wear it, see if your shoulders lift.

40 If someone chooses an object by himself, there is neither order nor clarity

They will not abandon him: expression will be free.

The strength and beauty of order, I think, is that the writer

I knew exactly what I should say where, and everything else came after,

Where does it go; so that the creator of the poem knows what to take, what to throw away,

Also, so that he is not generous with his words, but also stingy and picky.

If a well-known word is skillfully combined with another,

Make it new - great! But if with a new speech

It is necessary to name something hitherto unknown, then you have to

To find such a word would be unheard of by Cethegams.

50 This freedom, when you are careful in your choice,

You can allow yourself: the new expression is true

It will be accepted when its source is euphonious

Greek is a wonderful language. What did the Roman Plautus allow?

Or Cecilia - how can I forbid you, Virgil and Varius?..

Why do they reproach me if I find expressions again?

Ennius and Cato are rich in names of new things

The ancestors were endowed with language; has always been allowed, and now

We were also permitted, and will always be permitted.

Introduce a new word, designating it with a modern stamp.

60 As the leaves on the branches change with the years,

The old ones will all fly around - so are the words in the language. Those, having grown old,

They die, and new ones, born again, will blossom and grow stronger.

We and all ours are a tribute to death! Is it the sea, compressed into a pier?

(A feat worthy of a king!), protects ships from storms,

Or a barren swamp, once fit for oars,

He feeds the neighboring towns, dug up by a heavy plow,

Or the river will change its course to a comfortable and better one,

Previously dangerous for the harvest: everything that is mortal must perish!

Well, is it really that the honor of words and their pleasantness belong to those who live forever?

70 Many who have fallen will be reborn again; others, now

Taking advantage of honor, they will fall, only the imperious custom demands,

In whose will everything is - both the laws and the rules of speech!

Homer showed us all what measure to use to describe

Terrible battles, deeds of kings and famous leaders.

Previously, in unequal verses there was only a complaint of the heart,

Afterwards there is a feeling of delight and the fulfillment of sweet desires!

Learned people argue about who invented the type of elegies,

But to this day their dispute remains unresolved.

The furious iambic was invented by Archilochus, - and low soccas,

80 Together with the high buskin, they adopted a new foot.

Capable of conversation, loud, as if born

It is for the action of life, for overcoming the noise of the people.

The immortal Muse gave the sonorous strings of the lyre

Praise the gods and their sons, the fighters crowned with victory,

Scolding horses, and the joy of wine, and young worries!

If I cannot observe all the shades in a poem,

All her colors, why call me a poet?

Isn't ignorance shameful? Are you ashamed to just study?

The comedian finds tragic verse indecent to the subject;

90 Fiesta Dinner - equally unworthy to tell simply

Conversational verse, language suitable for comedy.

Every thing has its proper place given by nature!

So an irritated Khremet condemns his crazy son

Speech full of power; often a sad tragedian

The groan makes complaints in a language both simple and humble.

So Tel_ef_f and Peleus are both in exile and poverty,

Having abandoned the pompous speeches, they touch the heart with a complaint!

No! not enough with the poems of beauty; but to delight the spirit

100 And wherever the poet wanted, they carried him away!

Human faces laugh with those who laugh, and cry with those who cry.

If you want me to cry too, then be moved yourself:

Only then did Telephus and Peleus and the misfortune of their family

They touch me; Otherwise, I’ll either fall asleep out of boredom,

Or I'll start laughing. Sad speeches are decent

To a sad face, to a menacing face - anger, and to a cheerful face - jokes;

Important speeches also lead to an important and stern appearance:

For this is how nature internally arranges us in advance.

To change fate, so that we can express everything on our faces

110 What makes us happy, or makes us angry, or brings us to the ground with sadness,

Does your heart ache, or does your soul pour out its delight in words!

If the poet’s tongue does not agree with the fate of the person,

In Rome, both the horseman and the foot people will be ridiculed mercilessly!

There is a difference in this: Dove says, or the famous hero,

An old man, or a husband, or a young man, boiling with blossoming life,

A noble matron, or nurse; Also

Assyrian, Colchian, plowman, or peddler,

Is he a resident of Greek Thebes, or is the Greek a pet of Argos?

Follow the legend, poet, or invent something similar to the truth!

120 If your hero is Achilles, so famous in song, let him be

Ardent, not oblique and quick, and unyielding in his anger,

He who does not want to recognize the law except his sword.

Medea must be proud and fierce; Ino - deplorable;

Io is a wanderer; gloomy - Orestes; Ixion is treacherous.

If you trust the stage what's new, if you dare

With the creative power to create a face unknown before,

Then try to support him to the end as such,

As you showed at the beginning, you agree with yourself.

It is difficult, however, to give the general personality, or rather in the Iliad

130 The action of finding again, than presenting an unfamiliar object.

The common will be yours by right, as soon as you do not

Together with the mediocre crowd you are spinning in the usual circle,

If, following in the footsteps, you are not a timid imitator,

Lead word by word, you will escape the tightness from which

Quintus Horace Flaccus

The Science of Poetry

If a woman's head to the neck of a horse painter

I decided to put it in place and, having collected various members from everywhere,

Spread them with feathers so that the beautiful woman on top

Ended at the bottom with an ugly fish - looking at such

Exhibition, friends, could you stop yourself from laughing?

Believe, Pizons! It should look like this picture

A book in which all thoughts are like the delirium of someone with a fever.

Where is the head, where is the foot - without the consent of the whole composition!

I know: the poet and the painter dare everything - and everything is possible for them,

10 Whatever they want. We ourselves are not averse to such freedom,

And they are ready to allow it to another; but with the condition,

So that wild animals are not together with tame ones,

Snakes in the community of birds, and fierce tigers with lambs!

To a magnificent, loudly promising beginning

Often the l_o_skut, shining from a distance, is sewn on purple,

Or Diana's altar is described, or a playful spring,

Winding between flowering meadows, or the majestic Rhine,

Or a colorful rainbow in a cloudy and rainy sky.

But is she there? Perhaps you can do it very well

20 Cypress write? But why, where was the broken one ordered?

A ship in a storm with a hopeless swimmer? You worked an amphora

And you turned and turned the wheel, and the mug worked!

Know, artist, that simplicity and unity are needed in everything.

For the most part, Pisons, father and worthy children!

We poets are deceived by external brilliance.

Do I want to be brief? I express myself darkly, whether I want to

To be gentle makes me seem weak; be tall

I'm getting pouty!

This one is timid and, fearing the storm, crawls down;

This one, loving miracles, introduces us to a dolphin in the forest,

30 Boar sailing in the waves! - And believe me, without knowing art,

Having avoided one mistake, you are exposed to more!

Close to Emilia's school there was an artist who could

Nails and soft hair are excellent to sculpt in bronze.

On the whole, he was unsuccessful, unable to embrace unity.

If I write anything, I wouldn’t want to be like him;

Just as I don’t want to be an ugly nose, having

Black eyes or beautiful black curls.

Every writer chooses a subject appropriate to his strength;

Look at it for a long time, try how you wear it, see if your shoulders lift.

40 If someone chooses an object by himself, there is neither order nor clarity

They will not abandon him: expression will be free.

The strength and beauty of order, I think, is that the writer

I knew exactly what I should say where, and everything else came after,

Where does it go; so that the creator of the poem knows what to take, what to throw away,

Also, so that he is not generous with his words, but also stingy and picky.

If a well-known word is skillfully combined with another,

Make it new - great! But if with a new speech

It is necessary to name something hitherto unknown, then you have to

To find such a word would be unheard of by Cethegams.

50 This freedom, when you are careful in your choice,

You can allow yourself: the new expression is true

It will be accepted when its source is euphonious

Greek is a wonderful language. What did the Roman Plautus allow?

Or Cecilia - how can I forbid you, Virgil and Varius?..

Why do they reproach me if I find expressions again?

Ennius and Cato are rich in names of new things

The ancestors were endowed with language; has always been allowed, and now

We were also permitted, and will always be permitted.

Introduce a new word, designating it with a modern stamp.

60 As the leaves on the branches change with the years,

The old ones will all fly around - so are the words in the language. Those, having grown old,

They die, and new ones, born again, will blossom and grow stronger.

We and all ours are a tribute to death! Is it the sea, compressed into a pier?

(A feat worthy of a king!), protects ships from storms,

Or a barren swamp, once fit for oars,

He feeds the neighboring towns, dug up by a heavy plow,

Or the river will change its course to a comfortable and better one,

Previously dangerous for the harvest: everything that is mortal must perish!

Well, is it really that the honor of words and their pleasantness belong to those who live forever?

70 Many who have fallen will be reborn again; others, now

Taking advantage of honor, they will fall, only the imperious custom demands,

In whose will everything is - both the laws and the rules of speech!

Homer showed us all what measure to use to describe

Terrible battles, deeds of kings and famous leaders.

Previously, in unequal verses there was only a complaint of the heart,

Afterwards there is a feeling of delight and the fulfillment of sweet desires!

Learned people argue about who invented the type of elegies,

But to this day their dispute remains unresolved.

The furious iambic was invented by Archilochus, - and low soccas,

80 Together with the high buskin, they adopted a new foot.

Capable of conversation, loud, as if born

It is for the action of life, for overcoming the noise of the people.

The immortal Muse gave the sonorous strings of the lyre

Praise the gods and their sons, the fighters crowned with victory,

Scolding horses, and the joy of wine, and young worries!

If I cannot observe all the shades in a poem,

All her colors, why call me a poet?

Isn't ignorance shameful? Are you ashamed to just study?

The comedian finds tragic verse indecent to the subject;

90 Fiesta Dinner - equally unworthy to tell simply

Conversational verse, language suitable for comedy.

Every thing has its proper place given by nature!

So an irritated Khremet condemns his crazy son

Reading diary. Horace. Science of Poetry.

This work of Horace is also called “The Art of Poetry” or “On the Art of Poetry.” He is another asset of the poet and all ancient literature (and all literature in its broad sense). The work is written in the form of a letter addressed to the Piso. It reveals the features of poetry: the difficulties of its creation and teaching, features and personal perception, the need for analysis and other tricks perpetrated by Horace himself. This letter is written in poetic form, so the poet speaks about poetry in verse (again “peeling carrots with carrots”). These letters reveal the laws of literature, but in great contradiction: some see this as Hellenistic poetry, and others - classical. However, in general, this is a lively dialogue with the reader, or rather with the recipients, on the topic of the peculiarities of literature and poetic experience. I will present the theses of the letter and try to interpret them.

1. “Simplicity and unity are needed in everything.” Horace begins his work with a rather interesting reflection. He imagines that some work of art will gradually transform and take on a different, even opposite appearance. This will certainly disrupt the original harmony and may even lead to such absurdity that it will cause laughter and even disgust among viewers or readers. Therefore, it is important not to change, or rather not to be clever when creating a work. It is necessary that all its parts correspond to the overall design. The plot must be simple and understandable to everyone, otherwise it may be misinterpreted by critics. The composition must be unified, because only unity reflects the complete picture of the inventor’s worldview.
2. “Every writer choose a subject appropriate to his strength.” The author sees one of the keys to success in the proportionality of forces to the chosen work. The degree of complexity of what is created is not as important as its skill, and skill is noticeable only when you can cope with the task. Otherwise, distrust among the audience and further disinterest in the work of this “daredevil” may again arise. To begin work, Horace believes, you need time to think about its theme, idea and execution technique. Long searches, inevitable mistakes, torment and tossing - this is the state of a real, thinking, creator.
3. “In whose will everything is - both the laws and the rules of speech.” We are talking about the need to saturate your work with beautiful, literate speech, because its true charm is not in sophistication, wisdom and phrases, but again in its simplicity and correctness. It is important not to distract the reader from its content, from the very subject of reflection, with errors and inaccuracies. This will lead not only to a violation of that semantic and stylistic unity, but also to the loss of the authority of the author himself. For Horace, the rules of speech are everything; By mastering speech, you master the statement, and therefore the conviction.
4. “The complaint of the heart, followed by feelings of delight and the fulfillment of sweet desires.” However, the work cannot be devoid of the author’s personal perception. His experiences, doubts, sorrows and jubilation should be clearly manifested in the text. You cannot limit yourself to monotonous, insensitive, empty speech, although correct and uniform. One should be filled with the most sincere emotions, only then will it become lively and interesting, able to attract the reader and tie him to herself. Moreover, each genre of literature has its own characteristics that need to be correctly revealed, without mixing them up or missing them. Lyrics are characterized by melody, and therefore sincerity of intonation; for epic - straightforwardness (moderate), for drama - entertainment and energy - that is, passion and excitement.
5. “Observe all the shades, all its colors.” Without neglecting personal feelings, the poet must depict the true color of reality. The writer means not only the colors of the surrounding world, but also the colors of speech, that is, visual means. You can influence the reader only with beautiful speech, which incorporates not only impeccable literacy, but also those means (skillfully selected and useful in this work) that are capable of conveying the palette of feelings overwhelming the author.
6. “Follow the legend, poet, or invent something similar to the truth.” The ingenuity and sensuality of the creator should in no case overshadow the truth, history, reality. Everything a writer says must be true, otherwise his work will become an empty outpouring of his soul on an unthinkable object. Speech should be rich not only in interesting images, but also in facts, titles, names. Only then will she become closer to the people, which means she will be able to bring them closer to her.
7. “Try to present the morals of all ages decently.” When depicting reality, one must count on those who listen to the story and respect their views and beliefs. Accordingly, one cannot talk about what is unacceptable to the older generation, although beloved by the younger, and vice versa. Respect for the opinions of both sides of time, of both ages is the path to winning the love of the people. To touch on important problems of our time and not deprive one side or the other is a real talent and even a feat of the creator of literature.
8. “I would compose my syllable from expressions familiar to everyone, so that at first it would seem easy to everyone.” This idea is very close to the first one - simplicity and unity are important. But here we are talking not only and not so much about the content of the conclusion, but about the construction of speech. Despite the importance of correctness, beauty and imagery of the syllable, we must not forget about the simplicity of speech structures that are easily perceived when reading.
9. “Syllable after short - in poetry it is called iambic”. Anyone who masters the art of literature must have mastery of tact, size and tempo of speech. He understands the significance of every emphasis in his phrase. Therefore, such concepts as iambic, trochee, etc. he must not only distinguish, but also use it competently, conveying not only the essence of the thought being expressed, but also its meaning with one or another rhythmic pattern.
10. “Before you start writing, learn to think decently!” According to Horace, a true writer is a talented philosopher. It is important not only to share thoughts - it is important to share smart thoughts that are significant for a particular time and people and are convincingly proven. Wisdom must come to the fore. Only then will a work be of interest, captivate, when it touches the strings of the reader’s soul and brain, touches their consciousness and shakes it. Philosophy is the engine of progress and life; you cannot talk about what does not exist or what is presented incorrectly. The author turns his students to famous philosophers, and in essence he himself shares wisdom and experience with them. And works should reflect not empty thoughts, but thoughts about what has been lived. That is why Horace turns us to actions, experiences and even suffering as the foundation of a real person who has faced adversity and persevered through it: “I advise studying morals by observing life.”
11. “I don’t see why our teaching would be good without the gift and the gift without science.” For Horace, a true master of literature is one who is naturally talented, but also one who at the same time learns and strives for improvement, for the desire for knowledge is a desire for truth and ideal. He says that talent in itself, raw, untrained, means nothing, just like empty stubborn teaching, for which there is no ability.
12. “It’s hard to understand why he constantly writes poetry.” The main thing for every aspiring literary figure should be the desire for personal knowledge. He cannot stop at simply expressing his will and presenting his views and interests to the public. Even if they are built according to all the above rules, but if a person is satisfied with his work and writes another only for the next pleasure, or even does not write at all, then he has no right to call himself a writer. His self-digging must last endlessly. Poems flow from the soul, the mind works tirelessly, the heart beats from every invasion of otherworldly forces and phenomena - these are the signs of a true creator, whose memory will never die.

Horace Quintus

The Science of Poetry

Quintus Horace Flaccus

The Science of Poetry

If a woman's head to the neck of a horse painter

I decided to put it in place and, having collected various members from everywhere,

Spread them with feathers so that the beautiful woman on top

Ended at the bottom with an ugly fish - looking at such

Exhibition, friends, could you stop yourself from laughing?

Believe, Pizons! It should look like this picture

A book in which all thoughts are like the delirium of someone with a fever.

Where is the head, where is the foot - without the consent of the whole composition!

I know: the poet and the painter dare everything - and everything is possible for them,

10 Whatever they want. We ourselves are not averse to such freedom,

And they are ready to allow it to another; but with the condition,

So that wild animals are not together with tame ones,

Snakes in the community of birds, and fierce tigers with lambs!

To a magnificent, loudly promising beginning

Often the l_o_skut, shining from a distance, is sewn on purple,

Or Diana's altar is described, or a playful spring,

Winding between flowering meadows, or the majestic Rhine,

Or a colorful rainbow in a cloudy and rainy sky.

But is she there? Perhaps you can do it very well

20 Cypress write? But why, where was the broken one ordered?

A ship in a storm with a hopeless swimmer? You worked an amphora

And you turned and turned the wheel, and the mug worked!

Know, artist, that simplicity and unity are needed in everything.

For the most part, Pisons, father and worthy children!

We poets are deceived by external brilliance.

Do I want to be brief? I express myself darkly, whether I want to

To be gentle makes me seem weak; be tall

I'm getting pouty!

This one is timid and, fearing the storm, crawls down;

This one, loving miracles, introduces us to a dolphin in the forest,

30 Boar sailing in the waves! - And believe me, without knowing art,

Having avoided one mistake, you are exposed to more!

Close to Emilia's school there was an artist who could

Nails and soft hair are excellent to sculpt in bronze.

On the whole, he was unsuccessful, unable to embrace unity.

If I write anything, I wouldn’t want to be like him;

Just as I don’t want to be an ugly nose, having

Black eyes or beautiful black curls.

Every writer chooses a subject appropriate to his strength;

Look at it for a long time, try how you wear it, see if your shoulders lift.

40 If someone chooses an object by himself, there is neither order nor clarity

They will not abandon him: expression will be free.

The strength and beauty of order, I think, is that the writer

I knew exactly what I should say where, and everything else came after,

Where does it go; so that the creator of the poem knows what to take, what to throw away,

Also, so that he is not generous with his words, but also stingy and picky.

If a well-known word is skillfully combined with another,

Make it new - great! But if with a new speech

It is necessary to name something hitherto unknown, then you have to

To find such a word would be unheard of by Cethegams.

50 This freedom, when you are careful in your choice,

You can allow yourself: the new expression is true

It will be accepted when its source is euphonious

Greek is a wonderful language. What did the Roman Plautus allow?

Or Cecilia - how can I forbid you, Virgil and Varius?..

Why do they reproach me if I find expressions again?

Ennius and Cato are rich in names of new things

The ancestors were endowed with language; has always been allowed, and now

We were also permitted, and will always be permitted.

Introduce a new word, designating it with a modern stamp.

60 As the leaves on the branches change with the years,

The old ones will all fly around - so are the words in the language. Those, having grown old,

They die, and new ones, born again, will blossom and grow stronger.

We and all ours are a tribute to death! Is it the sea, compressed into a pier?

(A feat worthy of a king!), protects ships from storms,

Or a barren swamp, once fit for oars,

He feeds the neighboring towns, dug up by a heavy plow,

Or the river will change its course to a comfortable and better one,

Previously dangerous for the harvest: everything that is mortal must perish!

Well, is it really that the honor of words and their pleasantness belong to those who live forever?

70 Many who have fallen will be reborn again; others, now

Taking advantage of honor, they will fall, only the imperious custom demands,

In whose will everything is - both the laws and the rules of speech!

Homer showed us all what measure to use to describe

Terrible battles, deeds of kings and famous leaders.

Previously, in unequal verses there was only a complaint of the heart,

Afterwards there is a feeling of delight and the fulfillment of sweet desires!

Learned people argue about who invented the type of elegies,

But to this day their dispute remains unresolved.

The furious iambic was invented by Archilochus, - and low soccas,

80 Together with the high buskin, they adopted a new foot.

Capable of conversation, loud, as if born

It is for the action of life, for overcoming the noise of the people.

The immortal Muse gave the sonorous strings of the lyre

Praise the gods and their sons, the fighters crowned with victory,

Scolding horses, and the joy of wine, and young worries!

If I cannot observe all the shades in a poem,

All her colors, why call me a poet?

Isn't ignorance shameful? Are you ashamed to just study?

The comedian finds tragic verse indecent to the subject;

90 Fiesta Dinner - equally unworthy to tell simply

Conversational verse, language suitable for comedy.

Every thing has its proper place given by nature!

So an irritated Khremet condemns his crazy son

Speech full of power; often a sad tragedian

The groan makes complaints in a language both simple and humble.

So Tel_ef_f and Peleus are both in exile and poverty,

Having abandoned the pompous speeches, they touch the heart with a complaint!

No! not enough with the poems of beauty; but to delight the spirit

100 And wherever the poet wanted, they carried him away!

Human faces laugh with those who laugh, and cry with those who cry.

If you want me to cry too, then be moved yourself:

Only then did Telephus and Peleus and the misfortune of their family

They touch me; Otherwise, I’ll either fall asleep out of boredom,

Or I'll start laughing. Sad speeches are decent

To a sad face, to a menacing face - anger, and to a cheerful face - jokes;

Important speeches also lead to an important and stern appearance:

For this is how nature internally arranges us in advance.

To change fate, so that we can express everything on our faces

110 What makes us happy, or makes us angry, or brings us to the ground with sadness,

Does your heart ache, or does your soul pour out its delight in words!

If the poet’s tongue does not agree with the fate of the person,

In Rome, both the horseman and the foot people will be ridiculed mercilessly!

There is a difference in this: Dove says, or the famous hero,

An old man, or a husband, or a young man, boiling with blossoming life,

A noble matron, or nurse; Also

Assyrian, Colchian, plowman, or peddler,

Is he a resident of Greek Thebes, or is the Greek a pet of Argos?