Guy lees translation is fluent and flowing but doesnt really convey the texture of the latin originals. Still, if any part you wish to read is smeared, that blot will have been made by my tears. Publication of his first book brought immediate recognition and the. Amor it was who lowered my gaze of endless disdain, and, feet planted, bowed my head, till he. The historical context for propertius book 3 youtube. Book 3, published not before 23 bce, opens up to a wider spectrum of topicsin particular, reference to hellenistic models such as callimachus and philetas becomes more explicit. Elegies translation propertius sextus propertius oxford. 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. 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. A profound influence of horaces odes is also apparent.
Publication of his first book brought immediate recognition and the unwavering support of maecenas, the influential patron of. His relationship with cynthia is also addressed in robert lowells poem, the ghost. Nethercut untiversity of georgia the third book of elegies by propertius appeared about 23 b. Propertius published a first book of love elegies in 25 bc, with cynthia herself as the main theme. This paper gives a close reading of this poem of propertius, with detailed analysis of the text and its language, concentrating on the psychology of the lover. Prologue poem, addressed to tullus addressed to cynthia. Goold solves some longstanding questions of interpretation and gives us a faithful and stylish prose translation. An xml version of this text is available for download, with the additional restriction that you offer perseus any modifications you make. And as cepheid andromeda succumbed to first sleep, nor freed from harsh rocks. Gail trimble fellow and tutor in classics, trinity college, oxford discusses the historical context in which propertius composed book 3 of his elegies.
He was born around 5045 bc in assisium and died shortly after 15 bc propertius surviving work comprises four books of elegies latin. A complete english translation with indepth name index. Propertius fourth book is a spectacular, and bewildering, creation, unlike anything else in augustan poetry. You can hardly find rest for a single month, poor thing, and now therell be another disgraceful book about you. Love and poetry are the two main themes of his elegies, but the poet can also deal with some contemporary political themes or events. The poem the elegies of propertius, third book, by sextus propertius is presented. Yet the inclusion of so thorough a survey of the backgrounds to book 3 is not in vain, and it is of course better to have the information to. Propertius poems, quotations and biography on propertius poet page. Project muse the complete elegies of sextus propertius. His explanatory notes and glossaryindex offer steady guidance and a wealth of information. Roman poet whose works include the collection cynthia, which describes a troubled and intense love affair. Propertius surviving work comprises four books of elegies elegiae. After sextus propertius, which is a free translation of propertius elegy iv 7.
There is no substitution for reading books 1 and 2 in latin or at least carefully and slowly in good translation and taking a course in late republican history. Propertiuss poetry offers a fascinating look into life in the augustan age, addressing social, political, and historical subjects. M reading of the whole ms tradition m reading of part of the ms tradition. 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. Shade of callimachus and sacred rites of philetas, last line. Machine readable text of this edition was posted on the latin. The passionate and dramatic elegies of propertius gained him a reputation as one of romes finest love poets. As for goolds translation, it is often ludicrously wrong, even for the latin text he prints let alone for what propertius probably wrote. Nov 04, 2010 as with thessalian ship fleeing, languid ariadne lay on deserted shores. The most passionate, individual, and controversial of the latin love elegists, propertius in book 3 covers a broad range of subject matter and a vast geographical reach. To this uncertain and yet more orderly period belong many expressions of caution in latin literature. Propertius synonyms, propertius pronunciation, propertius translation, english dictionary definition of propertius. 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.
Sextus propertius was a latin elegiac poet of the augustan age. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Propertiuss last book 4 must have been published after a. Book i is especially suitable for the reader wanting a representative selection of propertius poetry. It stands on its own, having appeared in the first place as a separate collection. Many of the poems here pay tribute to cynthia, propertiuss romantic obsession, but the scope of these 107 elegies is broad. Many of the poems here pay tribute to cynthia, propertius s romantic obsession, but the scope of these 107 elegies is broad.
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. Goold by sextus propertius book 4 editions published between 1990 and 1999 in english and held by 778 worldcat member libraries worldwide. The last two poems in book iii seem to indicate a final break with her versibus insignem te pudet esse meis it is. The words limen,9 clausus,10and exclusus11are all intimately related to the theme and are fairly common.
Following catullus lesbia poems, propertius is the first of the latin erotic elegists proper and has a deep influence on ovid. The monobiblos must have attracted the attention of maecenas, a patron of the arts who took propertius into his circle of court poets. You who said that nothing could touch you now, youre caught. Propertius s poetry offers a fascinating look into life in the augustan age, addressing social, political, and historical subjects. The latin library the classics page the classics page. The civil wars now past, octavian had been hailed as augustus and was moving ahead slowly to consolidate romes people. Publication of his first book brought immediate recognition and the unwavering support of maecenas, the influential patron of the augustan poets. If our countrys graves, at perusia, are known to you, italy s graveyard in the darkest times, when rome s citizens dealt in war and, to my special sorrow, etruscan dust.
Aug 28, 2014 gail trimble fellow and tutor in classics, trinity college, oxford discusses the historical context in which propertius composed book 3 of his elegies. Propertiuss last book 4 must have been published after a considerable lapse of time. Publication of his first book brought immediate recognition and the unwavering support of. A commentary on propertius, book 3 bryn mawr classical. Read all poems of propertius and infos about propertius. Day lewiss translation of vergils eclogues and georgics. Perseus provides credit for all accepted changes, storing new additions in a versioning system. Mcculloch and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Propertius is the lyrical protagonist of joseph brodskys poem anno domini 1968, originally written in russian. 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. 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.
Book one 37 book two 101 book three 219 book four 307. He was born around 5045 bc in assisium and died shortly after 15 bc. A commentary on propertius, book 3 by sextus propertius book i, the poet. Any reader approaching propertius first book will discover a cynthia who has a unique presence in the text, who is a topic of conversation with friends, a modernday mythological 10 maria wyke 2002, mistress and metaphor in augustan elegy, in oxford readings in classical studies. Propertius stayed at the periphery of this literary circle until the late 20s bce. You ask, always in friendship, tullus, what are my household gods, and of what race am i.
After books focused on his mistress cynthia, he maintains his elegiac role but expands his range to provide a lovers commentary on life, discussing luxury, nudity, art, the empire, and the dangers of travel for profit and war. Sextus propertius the elegies world public library. Propertius surviving work comprises four books of elegies. 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. This work is licensed under a creative commons attributionsharealike 3. Propertius definition of propertius by the free dictionary.
James morwood the most passionate, individual, and controversial of the latin love elegists, propertius in book 3 covers a broad range of subject matter and a vast geographical reach. Provocative, engaging literature, nonfiction, and verse for the discerning reader. As with thessalian ship fleeing, languid ariadne lay on deserted shores. Sextus propertius, elegies, book 1, prologue poem, addressed to. Main text users without a subscription are not able to see the full content. Liber i liber ii liber iii liber iv the latin library the classics page. The books 2 and 3 of his elegies were thus composed when he was under maecenass protection lee, propertius, p. The elegies a complete english translation with indepth name index no joy in corrupting venus to a blind motion.
412 393 745 1048 1341 90 1011 1502 160 412 464 228 627 608 1084 1424 1376 1454 526 235 503 111 988 1085 244 1488 1490 690 670 1374 923