The Forest and the Trees: Pattern and Meaning in Horace, Odes 1

Abstract

The first book of Horace's Odes features a pattern, similar to that of the Parade Odes, in which tree names are introduced without repetition. This pattern is not simply a formal feature but contributes to a motif, which begins in Book I of the Odes but continues into Books 2 and 3, in which the relationship between humans and trees is depicted as a symbol of poetic mastery. By demonstrating his ability to create and arrange a poetic grove, Horace thus announces his command of the lyric genre.