The Spring of Bandusia

The Spring Of Bandusia, written by Horace in the Roman Era, is thought of as one of the classic Latin poems. It is the thirteenth ode from Horace's third book. The poem is thought to symbolise the simplicity for which Horace is well known. Horace is known to have adored the beauty of fountains. Furthermore, his poems emphasise his life of simplicity on his farm in the Sabine mountains.

The poem is shown below:

O fons Bandusiae splendidior uitro
dulci digne mero non sine floribus
cras donaberis haedo
cui frons turgida cornibus
primis et uenerem et proelia destinat.
frustra: nam gelidos inficiet tibi
rubro sanguine rivos
lasciui suboles gregis
te flagrantis atrox hora Caniculae
nescit tangere, tu frigus amabile
fessis uomere tauris
praebes et pecori uago
Fies nobilium tu quoque fontium
me dicente cauis impositam ilicem
saxis, unde loquaces
lymphae desiliunt tuae

Discussion of the Poem

The ode opens in an extremely emphatic way - with 'O'. As in English, the Romans used this as a sign of great emotion in the words which followed, and often preceded prayers. The religious theme is maintained throughout the first stanza, as Horace gives a description of the fountain, complementing it by comparing its clearness to glass, just as would be done in a prayer. He states that the spring deserves sweet wine, and flowers, with 'non sine' being a double negative ('not without'), stressing that it deserves both of these gifts. However, Horace does not leave this as the extent of his offering; he then describes the kid which he will sacrifice for it on the following day, which is presumably the Fontanalia (the festival of springs), on October 13th. By stating that its horns are only just beginning to penetrate its forehead, he is stressing how young the kid is (probably only a few days old); note that 'primis' (meaning 'tips of' here) is on a different stanza to 'cornibus' (horns), building emphasis before the reader discovers just how young the kid is. Horace seems to get carried away, describing the life which the kid would lead as it aged, engaging in fights for mates (note that, to the contrary of the above translation, 'et venerem et proelia' could be an example of hendiadys, meaning 'battles of love'); this is abruptly cut short though, as Horace states simply that this is in vain.

He contrasts the cold, clear water of the spring with the red blood of the kid which will flow through it; he describes the kid as coming from a playful flock, which introduces pathos, since this small, playful animal has been killed, thus showing the magnitude of his sacrifice.

The final two stanzas, again, take the form of a prayer, praising the spring's attributes; the use of anaphora in the repetition of 'tu' (as 'te' in the first line of the third stanza) is typical of a prayer addressing a deity. He explains how, when the dog-star is blazing (presumably in late July, the peak of summer), the coldness of the spring is not affected, and so provides rest for tired oxen and herds, with the latter being reminiscent of the 'frisky herd' of the sacrificed kid.

In the final stanza, as a great honour, Horace promises the spring immortality, stating that it will be amongst the famous fountains in history, (presumably the other springs being the Pierian and Castalian springs, both of which Horace has written about). He continues his description, explaining that an evergreen oak overhangs it, providing shade and keeping cool, and that the waters flow from 'hollow stones' - possibly a cave. The final two lines of the ode describe the sound of the waters babbling (literally, 'loquaces' means talkative or chatty), with the very final word being 'tuae', stressing the personification of the spring.

Considering the entire ode, the one feature which stands out from the rest is the sacrifice. In contrast to the calm beauty of the scene described by Horace, the kid's sacrifice is brutal, since it is the death of a free animal (whereas normally, at the Fontanalia, a wild animal would be sacrificed by its hunter), and is somewhat grotesque, with the warm blood 'tainting' (as is another translation for 'inficiet') the crystal-clear waters.

The spring of Bandusia probably was a little, obscure spring in Horace's country villa. It will gain immortality through the words of the poet, since poetry can defy time and oblivion: a theme Horace exposed in other famous lyrics, as "Exegi monumentum aere perennius" (Odes, III, 30).