ホラチウス第1諷刺詩の統一性

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It used to be argued that there were two subjects in the first satire of Horace: μεμψιμοιρια taken up in the opening section (1-22) and avavitia as the real theme of the main part (23-107) ; and various hypotheses were set up concerning the relation of these subjects, before H. Herter and E. Fraenkel proved, using historical materials, that avaritia was the cause of μεμψιμοιρια. The problem of the unity of the subject seemed then conclusively solved. Nevertheless the structural consistency of the poem itself is still regarded as problematical, though the colloquialism peculiar to the genre would justify some slight inconsistency. One finds a split after v. 22, because one immediately makes the connection between μεμψιμοιρια and avavitia. In fact Horace does not use Greek popular philosophy in its original form, but modifies it, as he often does, to this: "Because of avarice men work hard and because of their hard work they are discontented with their life." That is to say, he puts a new term, labor, between μεμψιμοιρια and avaritia, loosening the connection to some extent. Still avaritia is the real, though concealed, cause, labor being only a superficial reason or pretext. Having revealed the reality the poet can now easily connect cause and effect directly in the closing section (108-121). Theoretically then, the opening question must be as follows: "Why do men, without changing their course, continue their laborious life, though they are discontented with their situation and envy another's lot?" But such a long and complicated question would be inappropriate to satire. So the poet divides it into two parts and deals with them separately, as if they were both independent questions : first, man's discontent and envy, and then, the fact that he continues his toilsome work. The first question is followed by no real answer within the opening section, because it is by no means an independent one, and the second (v. 28) is not formed even as a question, because it is only a continuation of the same idea. Moreover the second question is already anticipated in the first section by the story of man's refusal to change his course of life. Thus the split is more apparent than real. When the answer finally comes -"Because they are avaricious" (v. 40) -it is not an answer to the second part of the question only, but to the whole question. So the opening part of the poem (1-40) cannot be divided into two by some rift at v. 22. The whole introduction is of a piece consisting of only one question and its answer.
日本西洋古典学会の論文
1973-03-20

著者

中山恒夫
共立女子大学

ホラチウス第1諷刺詩の統一性

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