He was friends with the poets gallus and virgil, and had with them as his patron maecenas, and through maecenas, the emperor sextus aurelius propertius was a latin elegiac poet who was born around 5045 bce in mevania though other cities of umbria also claim this dignityhespillus. Propertius s poetry offers a fascinating look into life in the augustan age, addressing social, political, and historical subjects. Provocative, engaging literature, nonfiction, and verse for the discerning reader. Sexti properti elegiarvm liber secvndvs 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 b 14 15 16 17 18a 18b 18c 19 20 21 22a 22b 23 24a 24b 25 26a 26b 27 28a 28b 28c 29a 29b 30b. The poet announces in the introductory elegy that he is entering new terrain by composing etiological poetry and, in fact, the bookat first sight, a curious but wellarranged mixture of love. The goal of this thesis is to provide a close analysis of specific poems in propertius elegies that contribute to and shape the development of characterization in the first book, as well as to show how propertius and cynthias characterizations interact with and build upon. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Shade of callimachus and sacred rites of philetas, last line. Book i is especially suitable for the reader wanting a representative selection of propertius poetry.
Elegies translation propertius sextus propertius oxford. Goold by sextus propertius book 4 editions published between 1990 and 1999 in english and held by 778 worldcat member libraries worldwide. Hide browse bar your current position in the text is marked in blue. Read all poems of propertius and infos about propertius. Click anywhere in the line to jump to another position. Goold solves some longstanding questions of interpretation and gives us a faithful and stylish prose translation. Sextus propertius, elegies, book 1, addressed to ponticus, an epic. Richardsons edition is distinguished for its manysided and detailed and independent and unpretentious commentary. A contemporary of virgil and horace, propertius has influenced scores of poetsfrom ovid to housman to pound. Sextus propertius, born 5543 bce, assisi, umbria italydied after 16 bce, rome, greatest elegiac poet of ancient rome. But the character and author are identified, the basic experience is seen as the authors experience in love. It contains poems composed probably between 20 and 16 bce.
Project muse the complete elegies of sextus propertius. Propertius surviving work comprises four books of elegies. Version 1 beautifully illustrated with images relating to propertius life and works features the complete extant works of propertius, in both english translation and the original latin. Book 1 propertius sextus propertius oxford scholarly. Who wouldnt bead with sweat at those words in the circumstances, whether from honest shame, or wishing to keep quiet his affairs. The poem the elegies of propertius, third book, by sextus propertius is presented. After sextus propertius, which is a free translation of propertius elegy iv 7. Propertius poems, quotations and biography on propertius poet page. About the poet1 propertius and roman elegy2 the manuscripts11.
This paper sets out in section i the most useful evidence we possess for the dating of propertius book 1, tibullus book 1, and propertius books 2a and 2b. Sextus propertius the elegies world public library. If you want to read roman poetry, propertius in particular, i highly reccommend this book. A commentary on propertius, book 3 bryn mawr classical. Propertius published a first book of love elegies in 25 bce, with cynthia herself as the main theme. His relationship with cynthia is also addressed in robert lowells poem, the ghost. And as cepheid andromeda succumbed to first sleep, nor freed from harsh rocks. Amor it was who lowered my gaze of endless disdain, and, feet planted, bowed my head, till he taught me, recklessly, to scorn pure girls and live without sense, and this madness has not left me for one whole year now, though i do attract divine hostility. Following catullus lesbia poems, propertius is the first of the latin erotic elegists proper and has a deep influence on ovid. While you tell of thebes and cadmus, ponticus, and the tragedy of fraternal warfare, and, if i may say, you contend with.
The complete elegies of sextus propertius the lockert library of. Sextus propertius, elegies, book 1, prologue poem, addressed to. Sextus propertius was a latin elegiac poet of the augustan age. The latin library the classics page the classics page.
He died perhaps in his midthirties, leaving us four books of elegies that have attracted admirers. This comprehensive ebook presents propertius complete extant works, with illustrations, informative introductions and the usual delphi bonus material. His family were welltodo farmers who lost land after the perusine war, but neither the confiscation of estates nor the early death of propertiuss father reduced its equestrian standing. The monobiblos must have attracted the attention of maecenas, a patron of the arts who. His family were welltodo farmers who lost land after the perusine war, but neither the confiscation of estates nor the early death of propertius s father reduced its equestrian standing. The complete elegies of sextus propertius ebook written by propertius. The introduction of sixty pages covers all bases, with subsections on propertius and cynthia which introduces book 1, historical context, propertius, liber ii, and the augustan regime, book 3, metre, scansion, and versification, text and transmission, glossary, and paraphrase, images, and. Amor it was who lowered my gaze of endless disdain, and, feet planted, bowed my head, till he. The complete elegies of sextus propertius the lockert library of poetry in translation 128 propertius, katz, vincent on. Main text users without a subscription are not able to see the full content. No less than as, tired from endless dance, a bacchant falls asleep in apidanan grass, even so cynthia seemed to me to breathe gentle, quiet, head rested on shaking hands when. Propertius, though his works are small in volume, is one of the foremost poets of the augustan age, and his writing has a certain appeal to modern tastes witness the admiration of ezra pound.
Propertiuss poetry offers a fascinating look into life in the augustan age, addressing social, political, and historical subjects. Propertiuss last book 4 must have been published after a considerable lapse of time. In this place it is freely permitted for me to pour forth my hidden pain. Cynthia was the first, to my cost, to trap me with her eyes. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read the complete elegies of sextus propertius. Publication of his first book brought immediate recognition and the unwavering support of maecenas, the influential patron of. Propertius uses references to mythology that can be very obscure, but the notes delight in giving the background to the reader. Born in assisi about 50 bce, sextus propertius moved as a young man to rome, where he came into contact with a coterie of poets, including virgil, tibullus, horace, and ovid. Prologue poem, addressed to tullus addressed to cynthia. The first of his four books of elegies, published in 29 bce, is called cynthia after its heroine his mistress, whose real name was hostia. Propertius is the lyrical protagonist of joseph brodsky s poem anno domini 1968, originally written in russian. I found the notes extremely helpful in my translation work and appreciated the depth of explanation for the ambiguous passages. Guy lees translation is fluent and flowing but doesnt really convey the texture of the latin originals. In recent years, teachers of propertius were able to share with their students camps commentaries on individual books book 4 in 1965, then richardsons useful commentary covering all four books 1978.
Publication of his first book brought immediate recognition and the unwavering support of. Propertius surviving work comprises four books of elegies elegiae. Publication of his first book brought immediate recognition and the unwavering support of maecenas, the influential patron of the augustan poets. Of all the great classic love poets, propertius, alive around 5010 bce. Sextus propertius wrote in the poetic genre known as the roman love elegy, a form first developed and made famous by gallus of whose work only one line survives, tibullus, ovid, and propertius.
Much of this difficulty, hubbard argues, may stem as much from the many impenetrable corruptions in our surviving, comparatively. The complete elegies of sextus propertius by propertius. His poetry has been noted by modern critics for its striking forms of expression, sometimes tortured syntax, sudden transitions and abstruse allusiveness. Sextus propertius sextus propertius biography poem hunter. Book i is especially suitable for the reader wanting a representative selection of. Born in assisi about 50 bce, propertius moved as a young man to rome, where he came into contact with a coterie of poets, including virgil, tibullus, horace, and ovid. As with thessalian ship fleeing, languid ariadne lay on deserted shores. He was born around 5045 bc in assisium and died shortly after 15 bc.
1211 1270 1488 844 812 1266 706 1485 190 1440 208 889 1048 1102 396 1243 1301 878 1431 291 689 329 631 1358 981 517 5 292 565 491 169 409 88 1313 441 743