The ''Carmen Saeculare'' (

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

for "Secular Hymn" or "Song of the Ages") is a

hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' ...

in Sapphic

meter The metre (British spelling) or meter (American spelling; see spelling differences) (from the French unit , from the Greek noun , "measure"), symbol m, is the primary unit of length in the International System of Units (SI), though its prefi ...

written by the Roman poet

Horace Quintus Horatius Flaccus (; 8 December 65 – 27 November 8 BC), known in the English-speaking world as Horace (), was the leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus (also known as Octavian). The rhetorician Quintilian regarded his ' ...

. It was commissioned by the Roman emperor

Augustus Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian, was the first Roman emperor; he reigned from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. He is known for being the founder of the Roman Pri ...

in 17 BC. The hymn was sung by a chorus of twenty-seven maidens and the same number of youths on the occasion of the ''

Ludi Saeculares The Saecular Games ( la, Ludi saeculares, originally ) was a Roman religious celebration involving sacrifices and theatrical performances, held in ancient Rome for three days and nights to mark the end of a and the beginning of the next. A , sup ...

'' (Secular Games), which celebrated the end of one ''

saeculum A is a length of time roughly equal to the potential lifetime of a person or, equivalently, the complete renewal of a human population. Originally it meant the time from the moment that something happened (for example the founding of a city) unt ...

'' (typically 110 years in length) and the beginning of another. The

mythological Myth is a folklore genre consisting of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society, such as foundational tales or origin myths. Since "myth" is widely used to imply that a story is not objectively true, the identification of a narrat ...

and religious song is in the form of a prayer addressed to

Apollo Apollo, grc, Ἀπόλλωνος, Apóllōnos, label=genitive , ; , grc-dor, Ἀπέλλων, Apéllōn, ; grc, Ἀπείλων, Apeílōn, label=Arcadocypriot Greek, ; grc-aeo, Ἄπλουν, Áploun, la, Apollō, la, Apollinis, label= ...

and Diana; it especially brings to prominence Apollo, functioning as a surrogate for and patron of the princeps (

), for whom a new temple on the

Palatine A palatine or palatinus (in Latin; plural ''palatini''; cf. derivative spellings below) is a high-level official attached to imperial or royal courts in Europe since Roman times.

had recently been consecrated. A marble inscription recording the ceremony and the part played by Horace still survives. The ''Carmen Saeculare'' is the earliest fully preserved lyric poem for which there is definite information about the circumstances of its public performance.Michael C J Putnam, ''Horace's "Carmen Saeculare": Ritual Magic and the Poet`s Art'', Yale University Press, 2000

References

External links

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The text of the ''Carmen Saeculare'' in LatinLatin Text of ''Carmen Saeculare'' at the Latin Library Commentary on Latin text by Paul Shorey
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The ''Carmen Saeculare'' recited in Latin by Thomas Bervoets. 17 BC 1st-century BC Latin books Ancient Roman culture Poetry by Horace Occasional poetry Apollo Diana (mythology) Hymns Augustus {{Poetry-stub

See also

References

External links