Silvae
The Silvae is a collection of Latin occasional poetry in hexameters, hendecasyllables, and lyric meters by Publius Papinius Statius (c. 45 – c. 96 CE).
The subjects of the poetry are varied and provide scholars with a wealth of information on Domitian's Rome and Statius' life.
'[3] Silva was used to describe the draft of a poet's work which was composed impromptu in a moment of strong inspiration and which was then revised into a polished, metrical poem.
This suggests that the Silvae are revised, impromptu pieces of occasional poetry which were composed in the space of a few days' time; Statius describes his method of composition in the preface to Book 1, saying mihi subito calore et quadam festinandi voluptate fluxerant cum singuli de sino meo prodiderint ('[they] streamed from my pen in the heat of the moment, a sort of pleasurable haste, emerging from my bosom one by one').
[6] As remarked above, the similarity in title suggests that Statius may have modeled his Silvae on a collection of Lucan's poetry, however the loss of that work makes comparisons difficult.
There was a strong tradition of Latin panegyric poetry and prose which is mostly lost today, but can still be seen in works such as the Laus Pisonis and the Elegiae in Maecenatem.
On the Greek side, we learn from the lament for his father 5.3 that Statius was familiar with the canonical nine lyric poets, Callimachus, and the Alexandrian Pleiad.
Discussion of the situation in the forum, comparison with mythological exempla, the imagined reactions of Roman historical personages to the statue.
Venus travels to Rome and admires Domitian's palace before giving advice to Roman maidens and Violentilla to seek marriage.
The preface dedicates the book to Atedius Melior and summarizes the poems in it which focus on loss, object descriptions, and end with a genethliakon.
The weeping poet describes the funeral and explains the difficulty of the theme; Glaucias' birth, rearing, and death at the hands of the Parcae are recounted.
2.6 Consolatio ad Flavium Ursum de Amissione Pueri Delicati ("A Consolation to Flavius Ursus on the Death of his Favorite Slave") Praise of the boy's independent spirit and appearance, and description of the lavish funeral with the assurance of his place in Elysium.
The poet describes a picnic he attended with Pollius and the downpour that forced them to shelter in a dilapidated shrine to Hercules.
The poet invokes Pietas and describes Etruscus' grief, the father's career, his service to earlier emperors as accountant, his wife Etrusca, and his prosperity.
As a boy, Venus prophesied Earinus' service to Domitian and carried him to Rome after his operation to make him a eunuch.
Marcellus' military skills, administration, and achievements are praised, and the poet closes by announcing his new project, the Achilleid.
The history of the statue is given, owned by Alexander, Hannibal, and Sulla, and the poem closes with the praise of Vindex' peaceful lifestyle.
This final book of Statius' Silvae is dedicated to Flavius Abascantus who is praised for his love of his wife Priscilla.
The poet asks him to forgive his mother who was accused of trying to poison him and praises his devotion to his friend in political trouble.
An inventory from a library in the Constance area, made in the second quarter of the 9th or 10th centuries, lists one work as "Ovidii Metamorfoseon Sili et Stacii volumen I".
To this genre, Julius Caesar Scaliger added the ancient convention of formalizing subgenres, such as epithalamia and propemptica.
The literary scholar Hugo Grotius in the early 17th century composed laudatory sylvae which engage strongly with Statius' poetry and produced his own edition with commentary.
Domitian's presence fills the collection, and Statius commemorates his construction projects, administration, and circle of courtiers.
The content of the Silvae is primarily dictated by the needs of Statius' patrons, and many of the addressees come from the wealthy, privileged class of landowners and politicians.
[11] Others have argued that we cannot judge the standards of Roman panegyric by modern taste and urge a reading of the Silvae as individual pieces that respond to specific circumstances with their own unique viewpoints.
[12] Statius' style has been described as extremely elaborate ("mannerist") and has been connected with a specific bi-lingual, Greek cultural circle in Naples.
Mythological examples, standard features (topoi), and elaborate description all enhance his praise of his patrons' lives and possessions.
His use of mythological speakers at times has been interpreted subversively, as a device to both flatter clients and absolve the author of responsibility for the extreme praise the characters give.
[13] Many scholars have noted the tension between Statius' hasty mode of composition and the polished style of the pieces and have remarked on the poet's use of book arrangement and metrical choice to convey subtle meanings.
