The Choliambs of the satires of Persius

THE CHOLIAMBS OF THE SATIRES OF PERSIUS ANA PÉREZ VEGA UNIVERSIDAD DE SEVILLA Some doub has been exp essed as o whe he he p ologus o he wo k o Pe sius, o , as some manusc ip s' would ha e i , he epilogus, adi ionally asc ibed o he sa i es, is genuine. Howe e , hese choliambs a e aimed a he same a ge as he sa i es o which hey a e a ached, and while appea ing o be a s a emen o li e a y p inciples, can be seen as a mo al and poli ical denuncia ion o co up ion in Ne o's Rome. Righ om he s a , we eel he ull bi e o Pe sius' a . His lips (lab a,, " hick lips"), he says, ha e no made o (p olui) wi h he ough (lab a„ " ough, ba h") o he col Pegasus (caballino), dis espec ul e ms which he applies no only o Ne o's poe as e s and o he Empe o himsel , no has he d unk om i . Bu i mus be concluded ha ue poe s a e i s bo n and hen con i med by endea ou , bu no by misapp op ia ing d eams and poe ic wa e s o om some sudden illuso y sp ing. In pallidam one can de ec he sexual c i icism wi h which Pe sius sa i ically inges his w i ings, in he o m o pe e sion, as does he Ma quis de Sade hough some dis ance emo ed. The adjec i e is ans e ed he e om epic and elegy, whe e i is o en applied o ea ( ha o cowa ds o women) as opposed o he manly i ues o he ui . Imagines, lambun and sequaces hi ou agains he ampan se ili y o Ne o's cou : awne s, ake i y, di y ga lands, ashes, exp essed in une a y o m (imagines) o show ha his sluggish poe y will no su i e, being al eady dead, he wo s possible c i icism o a . Thence comes he happy and deco ous o ce o nos um, he accu a e poe ic plu al. Ou song is ha o Pe sius and o he sac ed sages, he 'I am ollowing Clausen's ex , OCT, 1992 2 . C . J. Coning on and H. Ne leship, The Sa i es o Pe sius Flaccus, Hildeshei n, 1967 (=1893), 138-141. I am e y g a e ul o Ca iona Zol owska and o Rosa io Mo eno Solde ila o hei aid. Exempla ia 3, 1999, 175-176. © Uni e sidad de Huel a Uni e sidad de Huel a 2009 176 ANA PÉREZ VEGA holy poe s, o whose li u gy (sac a) he young Pe sius comes wi h humili y (semipaganus) o o e (ad e o) no a y o opulen sac i ices bu his pal y, meag e lou , his insomniac obol, he lau el o his ounded ibu e, his su age o g ea poe y, one and e e nal. The pa o s and magpies who cou Ne o also de ine Ne o himsel (he is " he" mos igno an o hem all) bu en e seems o be ese ed o he Empe o alone, in Hesiodic ashion bu wi h less clemency: "Ne o, all belly", o pe haps "A de o med belly, Ne o, which you ha e da ed o use and ole a e om you sequaces and nega as oices." Fo o he wise man poe y is uly econdi e, mys e ious, quia, in e mundane. Bu poe y om he man who knows no wha he is doing o saying (co uos, picas) is an insul , a blasphemy, a sac ilege, whiche e is eckoned ashes o mos exec able. Voces nega as e e s o g ea poe y wi h espec while showing up Ne o's abysmal igno ance wi h g ea audaci y. The poem concludes (can a e) g o esquely in ing ashion. These imbeciles (pallidam), hese ools (sequaces), hese alse poe s (co uos, picas) wish o subs i u e hei insigni ican ga gling (as indica ed by he usion o he al eady an icipa ed can a e nec a wi h mana e, he lowing oice o he singing oun ain) o he clea wa e s o he ini ial s eam ( on e caballino) which is uly he pu e, in iolable, lucid and sac ed oun o inspi ed, di ine, poe ic knowledge. And so in he end, his double image o he clea cou se o sup eme knowledge enables us o unde s and he enigma ic epi he , he mys e ious de ini ion o he ci y some lines below: u bida Roma (I 5). Tu bid mi e, s inking sewe , no only when he a duous cou se o sup eme beau y is spied om he aeces below, bu also seen om he dizzying heigh s a soli a y iewe can each: Ne o's Rome, so blind and cowa dly (pallidam) when con on ed wi h g ea disg ace, so igid, so e il and abominable. This is, I belie e, wha can be unde s ood in Pe sius when he seems me ely o be speaking o he wa e o inspi a ion, o pa o s and magpies: ha is -appa en ly- o poe ic c i icism; o awne s, o sla es o u gen necessi y (uen e , also in he sca ological, exc emen al sense) and o he a a ous ambi ion (spes nu;nmi) o ools who belie e hey ha e ga gled wi h he newly- disco e ed, sel -inspi ed, di ine nec a o poe y. One migh well ask how Pe sius was e en allowed o each he age o wen y-eigh .The poe , he young isiona y, was igh : how u bid was he bale ul look o his inquisi o , how jus ly was he s eeped in he mi e, hen and o e e mo e. Uni e sidad de Huel a 2009