Propertius uses references to mythology that can be very obscure, but the notes delight in giving the background to the reader. Perseus provides credit for all accepted changes, storing new additions in a versioning system. The poem the elegies of propertius, fourth book, by sextus. 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. Sextus propertius, greatest elegiac poet of ancient rome. I found the notes extremely helpful in my translation work and appreciated the depth of explanation for the ambiguous passages. The previous loeb editor automatically paragraphed his translation, but without any implication that propertius would have done the same.
Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Main text users without a subscription are not able to see the full content. The complete elegies of sextus propertius princeton. Scholars still debate over the relations of propertius with augustus and the principate. Propertius chapter 6 the cambridge companion to latin love. Open library is an initiative of the internet archive, a 501c3 nonprofit, building a digital library of internet sites and other cultural artifacts in digital form.
In elegy 3 of book iii he gives deep meaning to the process of artistic creation. Cithaerons stones were whisked to thebes by magic, and joined, of their own will, to form a piece of wall. Shade of callimachus and sacred rites of philetas, last line. Sextus propertius was born around 50 bc, probably near assisi in umbria, and seems to have been dead by 2 bc. The very name of his addressee, meaning voice of the people, suggests the. Propertius s last book 4 must have been published after a considerable lapse of time. The elegies a complete english translation with indepth name index no joy in corrupting venus to a blind motion. Here he portrays the exciting, uneven course of his love affair with cynthia and tells us much about his contemporaries and the society in which he lives, while in later poems he turns to mythological themes and the legends of early rome. I really hung my head in shame when love pressed down on it with his feet. 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. They say orpheus with his thracian lyre tamed the wild creatures. If you want to read roman poetry, propertius in particular, i highly reccommend this book.
The poems oxford worlds classics propertius, lee, guy, lyne, oliver on. 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. His poetry has been noted by modern critics for its striking forms of expression, sometimes tortured syntax, sudden transitions and abstruse allusiveness. Propertius stayed at the periphery of this literary circle until the late 20s bce.
Many of the poems here pay tribute to cynthia, propertius s romantic obsession, but the scope of these 107 elegies is broad. He died perhaps in his midthirties, leaving us four books of elegies that have. 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. Why drench your tresses in myrrh of orontes, betray. Sextus propertius the elegies world public library. Therefore, following the lead of luck in his edition and camps in his of book 2, i have converted my considered paragraphing into separate sections. 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. Who wouldnt bead with sweat at those words in the circumstances, whether from honest shame, or wishing to keep quiet his affairs. Prologue poem, addressed to tullus 1 cynthia was the first.
The complete elegies of sextus propertius by propertius. An xml version of this text is available for download, with the additional restriction that you offer perseus any modifications you make. Much of this difficulty, hubbard argues, may stem as much from the many impenetrable corruptions in our surviving, comparatively. Some of them consider that some elegies of books 2 and 3 and many elegies of book 4 dealing with political issues, could be critical or ironic towards the emperor for a presentation of the debate, see viarre, properce, p. The appeal of his monobiblos book i is direct and immediate but his profound grasp of the violent and contradictory emotions of the relationship pushed his language into new areas and new forms.
Who wouldnt bead with sweat at those words in the circumstances, whether from honest. Guy lees translation is fluent and flowing but doesnt really convey the texture of the latin originals. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read propertius. The passionate and dramatic elegies of propertius gained him a reputation as one of romes finest love poets. Cynthia was the first, to my cost, to trap me with her eyes. It contains poems composed probably between 20 and 16 bce.
The complete elegies of sextus propertius ebook written by propertius. The three poems which close the first book of elegies, the. A complete english translation with indepth name index. The poem the elegies of propertius, third book, by sextus propertius is presented. Homage to sextus propertius is essentially ezra pounds translation of books 2 and 3 of the elegies by the roman poet sextus propertius, who lived during the latter part of the first century c. 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. Propertius celebrated elegies chart the hazardous course of his love affair with the enchanting cynthia, while revealing valuable insight into life in augustan rome. Information publiee le 2 octobre 2008 par berenger boulay. Propertius and roman elegy2 the manuscripts11 the division into books.
Propertius fame rests on his four books of elegies, totaling around 92 poems the exact number cannot be known as over the intervening years, scholars have divided and regrouped the poems, creating doubt as to the precise number. The manuscripts of propertius were divided into four books, but we know from notes of the antique. Publication of his first book brought immediate recognition and the unwavering support of maecenas, the influential patron of the augustan poets. Propertius s poetry offers a fascinating look into life in the augustan age, addressing social, political, and historical subjects. Sextus propertius the elegies world public library ebooks. Sextus propertius, elegies, book 2, poem 11 perseus digital library. He is the author of charm, translations from the latin of book i of the elegies of sextus propertius, as well as eight books of original poetry. It has now being established that book two is a collection of at least two of the original ancient books. This work is licensed under a creative commons attributionsharealike 3. Sextus propertius, elegies, book 2, poem 18a perseus digital library. The second book of propertius elegies is a problematic one. Book i is especially suitable for the reader wanting a representative selection of propertius.
The poet announces in the introductory elegy that he is entering new terrain by composing etiological poetry and, in fact, the book at first sight, a curious but wellarranged mixture of love. Project muse the complete elegies of sextus propertius. The poetry of book ii is far more ambitious in scope than that of book i and shows a richer orchestration. Propertius celebration of his love for cynthia broke new ground in latin poetry. Click on a word to bring up parses, dictionary entries, and frequency statistics. The books 2 and 3 of his elegies were thus composed when he was under maecenass protection lee, propertius, p. An elegy of ovid dated to 2 bc makes it clear that propertius was dead by this time. She caught me with her eyes, a fool who had never before been touched by desires. The first of his four books of elegies, published in 29 bce, is called cynthia after. Propertius elaborates this brief autobiographical notice in elegy 4. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read the complete elegies of sextus propertius. Still, though you deserve it, ill not criticise you, propertius, my reign has been a long one in your books.
Propertius published a first book of love elegies in 25 bc, with cynthia. Delphis ancient classics series provides ereaders with the wisdom of the classical world, with both english translations and. 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. For a summary of debate on the matter in german scholarship see e. Also, with meaning, he added the wings of the wind, and made the god hover in the. The passionate and dramatic elegies of propertius gained him a reputation as one. Love and poetry are the two main themes of his elegies, but the poet can also deal with some contemporary political themes or events. Amor it was who lowered my gaze of endless disdain, and, feet planted, bowed my head, till he.