The article dwells upon the antiquity as one of the most important components M. Amelin’s poetry. The Russian contemporary poet and well-known interpreter of Pindar’s and Catullus’s poems, Maxim Amelin is known for his passion for the classical culture which as well as the Russian verse tradition of the XVIII century is a basis of his creative work. The article analyses the specifics of the poetic theory and practice of Horace in the first Amelin’s book «Cold Odes».