"Place me, then, among the lyric poets:
with my head in the heavens, I shall touch the stars.’’
The ode mentioned above was addressed to Maecenas, the patron who funded the author’s life and who made it possible for him to continue writing. The quote from above is put at the end of the ode, after the narrator analyzed the importance and value of poetry in comparison with other forms of entertainment. Poetry is described as something which can elevate the soul, which gives a person meaning and which has the power to help a person understand what is really important in life. Poetry, as mentioned in the last line, has the power to raise a person to the heavens, giving him or her the opportunity to touch the stars, or rather to come into contact which a normal person will never come into contact with. This quote also acts as a conclusion, being used by the narrator to show why a person should be attracted to poetry and why they should recognize their value.
"Ask not, O Leucono - to know is forbidden ‘’
The ode mentioned above deals with the constant desire many have to learn more about Gods and about what they want from the people they rule. The normal people naturally start asking questions, wanting to know why they should act or behave in a certain way. The narrator however urges against it, claiming that a servant does not need to know the master’s reasons for doing something. According to the narrator, the servants have an obligation to listen and nothing more, as knowing the true reason why they are asked to perform certain tasks and why they are asked to behave in a certain way is not something they need to bother themselves with. This quote is also used here to summarize the attitude many have towards religion, being told they do not have the right to question what is happening and that their only purpose and duty is to be obedient no matter the situation.
"She will approach more propitious,
after a victim has been sacrificed.’’
The two lines from above are mentions at the end of the ode, as a form of resolution to the poem in which the narrator describes an extremely beautiful woman named Glycera. The woman is described as an extraordinary predatorily woman who can have any woman she wants. The woman’s desire is described as being destructive and impossible to refuse. The last two lines took place after the woman "devoured’’ one of the victims and prepares to attack another person. This quote presents a common image present in many of the odes, namely women as being extremely dangerous and as wanting nothing more but to seduce and to destroy.
