The Gnat and Other Minor Poems of Virgil

by Virgil, Gordon Williams (Foreword), David R. Slavitt (Translator)

These delightful poems―by turns whimsical, beautiful, and vulgar―seem to have primarily survived because they were attributed to Virgil. But in David R. Slavitt’s imaginative and appealing translations, they stand firmly on their own merits. Slavitt brings to this little-known body of verse a fresh voice, vividly capturing the tone and style of the originals while conveying a lively sense of fun.

88 pages, Hardcover

First published December 31, 1966

About the author

born 15 October 70 BC
died 21 September 19 BC

Roman poet Virgil, also Vergil, originally Publius Vergilius Maro, composed the Aeneid , an epic telling after the sack of Troy of the wanderings of Aeneas.

Work of Virgil greatly influenced on western literature; in most notably Divine Comedy of Dante Alighieri.

Reviews

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars. A largely forgettable collection of minor poems attributed to Virgil, but certainly not written by him. The only one of any interest to me was the final poem, “Budding Roses,” which may have inspired Herrick to write “To the Virgins…” The Priapus Poems were also amusing in their vulgarity, but nothing very memorable beyond that.