Status of the poet and question of eternity in the Odes of Horace, between greek heritage and romanity ; Statut du poète et question de l’éternité dans les Odes d’Horace entre héritage grec et romanité

Several reflexive odes (Odes I, 1, II, 20, III, 30 and IV, 3) are the mirror of Horace’s poetic project. The poet clearly defines his aim : to be recognized as the first poet in Rome to have adapted into Latin the lesbian lyric of the 6th century B.C. and to see his own name inscribed in the eternal chain of uates lyrici, of inspired lyric poets. Imitation is an inevitable gesture in Rome : any author wishing to excel in a particular genre has to confront his Greek predecessors according to the double principle of imitatio-aemulatio. However, Horace’s project is an ambitious one : archaic Greek lyric is a poetry of occasion, of performance, contexts that Augustan Rome is not familiar with. What’s more, Horace knows this lyric through its Hellenistic, more book-based reception. But what does the poet precisely tell us about his models ? And how does he manage to combine the imitation of various heritages and influences with a profoundly Roman inspiration, imbued with morality and rooted in the saeculum augustum ? The creation of such a lyric – which has acquired legitimacy as civic poetry – will enable Horace to bring into eternity not only the humblest objects, but also the summi uiri of Rome. But how can he turn the most important of them, Augustus, the princeps, into a fragment of eternity ? And what’s in it for the poet – who claims in a way never heard before that his verses will bring immortality to their creator ? It is to these questions that we propose, in our thesis, to provide some answers. ; Plusieurs odes réflexives (Odes I, 1, II, 20, III, 30 ou encore IV, 3) se font le miroir du projet poétique d’Horace. Le poète y définit clairement son dessein : être reconnu comme le premier poète de Rome à avoir adapté en latin la lyrique lesbienne du VIe siècle avant J.-C. et voir son nom inscrit dans la chaîne éternelle des uates lyrici, des poètes lyriques inspirés. L’imitation est un geste incontournable à Rome : tout auteur qui souhaite s’illustrer dans un genre particulier doit se mesurer à ses ...