What Mean, You by a Poem?
Poema.—A poem is not alone any work or composition of the poet’s in many or few verses; but even one verse alone sometimes makes a perfect poem. As when Æneas hangs up and consecrates the arms of Abas with this inscription:—
“Æneas hæc de Danais victoribus arma.” 136a
And calls it a poem or carmen. Such are those in Martial:—
“Omnia, Castor, emis: sic fiet, ut omnia vendas.” 136b
And—
“Pauper videri Cinna vult, et est pauper.” 136c
Horatius.—Lucretius.—So were Horace’s odes called Carmina, his lyric songs. And Lucretius designs a whole book in his sixth:—
“Quod in primo quoque carmine claret.” 136d
Epicum.—Dramaticum.—Lyricum.—Elegiacum.—Epigrammat.—And anciently all the oracles were called Carmina; or whatever sentence was expressed, were it much or little, it was called an Epic, Dramatic, Lyric, Elegiac, or Epigrammatic poem.