172 RUURD R. NAUTA
grimed with Alban smoke and mark the day with chalk? Only now,
slow and sluggish, do I sing my vows? (tr. SB)The choice of Alban wine not only reflects its good quality, which
made it fitting for birthday celebrations, but also refers to Statius’
Alban estate.^84 The reference, however, is made in such a manner that
it would not necessarily be recognised by someone not familiar with
Statius’ circumstances, and this is suggestive of intimate communica-
tion between poet and addressee. The same is true of the unobtrusive
“we” with which Statius refers to the rites of Neapolitan mysteries,
implying that he is an initiate himself (51). Similarly, the exhortation
to Puteoli and Surrentum to rejoice assumes knowledge of Pollius
Felix’s links to these towns, and the references to Pollius’ wife, son
and grandchildren show Statius as even more of a friend of the family
than he appeared in Silvae 2.2. and 3.1.^85 For all its ‘public’ address to
te mples and towns, the poem conveys a private atmosphere.
The last poem in the book (4.9) is a Saturnalian joke addressed to
Plotius Grypus, written in hendecasyllables and inspired by Catullus
- Writing is thematised at the beginning and the end of the poem,
because Statius starts with complaining that Grypus has sent him a
little book in exchange for a little book (libellum ... pro libello) and
concludes with expressing his hope that Grypus will not now again
play him the same trick by sending hendecasyllables in exchange for
hendecasyllables. Statius is still ‘only the poet’^86 —the little book he
had sent to Grypus consisted of his own work (9)—, but also a con-
temporary Roman with a life outside poetry: when illustrating the
inappropriateness of symmetrical exchange, Statius mentions his at-
tendance at his patron’s salutatio and cena (46–52). Statius here ap-
proaches the themes, style and self-presentation of Martial, but has
also reached the furthest point of his experimentation. The panegyrical
poems included in Book 5 return to the manner of Silvae 1–3.
84 Horace’s ode on the birthday of Maecenas (Carm. 4 .11) begins Est mihi nonum
superantis annum / plenus Albani cadus (the combination Albanoque cadum in Statius
seems to signal an allusion, perhaps reinforced by sordentem ... fumo ~ sordidum ...
fumum (11–2)). For wine and smoke on Statius’ Alban estate cf. also 4.5.13–6.
85 Puteoli and Surrentum: 7–10 (the plaga ... Surrentina is called the materni litus
aui, but an outsider would need to know Silv. 2.2.96–7, 110, 135, 3.1.91–2 to see the
relevance of Puteoli). Wife: 13–4; son: 12 (not mentioned elsewhere); grandchildren:
10, 54–62. Statius also uses the word amare for his relationship to Menecrates (33).
86 The phrase ‘only the poet’ is A. Hardie’s (1983: 139).