Dal verso eolico all’adattamento dattilico: una particolare Rezeption di Orazio nella sperimentazione metrica di Ausonio

This paper explores Ausonius’ distinctive reception of Horace by analysing the reuse of Aeolic lyric structures in different metrical contexts, especially the elegiac distich and the hexameter. Selected examples show that Ausonius engages in a conscious prosodic recomposition of lyric segments, notably hemiepes, adapting them to new metrical schemes. Rooted in late-antique metricological traditions, this practice points to an active use of derivationist principles and a possible dialogue with the doctrine of the μέτρα πρωτότυπα, portraying Ausonius as a poet deeply embedded in fourth-century grammatical culture.