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Poems of Tibullus
English, Latin (translation)
176 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1968
About the author
Tibullus
329 books19 followersAlbius Tibullus (c. 55 BC – 19 BC) was a Latin poet and writer of elegies. His first and second books of poetry are extant; many other texts attributed to him are of questionable origins.
Tibullus's chief friend and patron was Marcus Valerius Messalla Corvinus, himself an orator and poet as well as a statesman and a commander. Messalla, like Gaius Maecenas, was at the centre of a literary circle in Rome. This circle had no relationship with the court, and the name of Augustus is found nowhere in the writings of Tibullus. About 30 BC Messalla was dispatched by Augustus to Gaul to quell a rising in Aquitania and restore order in the country, and Tibullus may have been in his retinue. On a later occasion, probably in 28, he would have accompanied his friend who had been sent on a mission to the East, but he fell sick and had to stay behind in Corcyra. Tibullus had no liking for war, and though his life seems to have been divided between Rome and his country estate, his own preferences were wholly for the country life.
The loss of Tibullus's landed property is attested by himself (i. I, 19 seq.), "Felicis quondam, nunc pauperis agri" ("Fields of one once prosperous, now impoverished" ;cf. 41, 42). Its cause is only an inference, though a very probable one. That he was allowed to retain a portion of his estate with the family mansion is clear from ii. 4, 53. Tibullus may have been Messalla's contubernalis in the Aquitanian War (Vita Tib. and Tib. i. 7, 9 seq., a poem composed for Messalla's triumph), and may have received militaria dona (Vita Tib.).
Tibullus died prematurely, probably in 19,[1] and almost immediately after Virgil. His death made a deep impression in Rome, as we learn from his contemporary, Domitius Marsus, and from the elegy in which Ovid (Amores, iii. 9) enshrined the memory of his predecessor.
Tibullus's chief friend and patron was Marcus Valerius Messalla Corvinus, himself an orator and poet as well as a statesman and a commander. Messalla, like Gaius Maecenas, was at the centre of a literary circle in Rome. This circle had no relationship with the court, and the name of Augustus is found nowhere in the writings of Tibullus. About 30 BC Messalla was dispatched by Augustus to Gaul to quell a rising in Aquitania and restore order in the country, and Tibullus may have been in his retinue. On a later occasion, probably in 28, he would have accompanied his friend who had been sent on a mission to the East, but he fell sick and had to stay behind in Corcyra. Tibullus had no liking for war, and though his life seems to have been divided between Rome and his country estate, his own preferences were wholly for the country life.
The loss of Tibullus's landed property is attested by himself (i. I, 19 seq.), "Felicis quondam, nunc pauperis agri" ("Fields of one once prosperous, now impoverished" ;cf. 41, 42). Its cause is only an inference, though a very probable one. That he was allowed to retain a portion of his estate with the family mansion is clear from ii. 4, 53. Tibullus may have been Messalla's contubernalis in the Aquitanian War (Vita Tib. and Tib. i. 7, 9 seq., a poem composed for Messalla's triumph), and may have received militaria dona (Vita Tib.).
Tibullus died prematurely, probably in 19,[1] and almost immediately after Virgil. His death made a deep impression in Rome, as we learn from his contemporary, Domitius Marsus, and from the elegy in which Ovid (Amores, iii. 9) enshrined the memory of his predecessor.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
April 13, 2024
"What am I to you, heartless being? Is it so much to boast of for a god - to have laid snares for a mortal?"
Tibullus was a Roman poet who lived in the age of Emperor Augustus and wrote, mostly, love poetry. My copy of this collection, by Penguin Classics, includes both his poetry and those of some other poets, including a female poet who goes by the name Sulpicia, who were also acquainted with Tibullus's patron, Messalla.
I did not expect much of this collection when I picked it up – I was mainly interested in reading some more Roman literature and some ancient poems with explicit queer themes. But I ended up actually really, really enjoying this collection. The translation, by Philip Dunlops, was very pleasant and easy to get into.
I liked the way Tibullus explored the beauty and brutality of love, how you should be in love, the sadness over being betrayed and what you should never do to your love. He writes to three named lovers of his – two ladies Delia and Nemesis, and a young man named Marathus – and the poems are filled with genuine passion, grief and yearning. One of the most intriguing things was how, in I think two or three poems, Tibullus talks about how you should never physically harm or abuse your beloved - he says that if he were to ever strike his Delia, he would happily have his hands cut off. It was quite refreshing to see this mentioned – I don't think I have ever seen any Roman poet, in any kind of substantial way, condemn violence between intimate partners. The poems are, for the most part, quite basic in terms of the gender roles explored: there are many a request for women to hold on to their chastity and save themselves for Tibullus alone, lots of talk about women being fickle and cheating on you, and of course the male object of Tibullus's affection is a younger, beautiful man. It's very typical for an ancient poet, but I still liked the poems quite a bit.
Another major theme that Tibullus explored is the beauty of a simple life on the country compared to the life of a soldier a politician or something like that. He writes beautifully about how he wants to grow old, surrounded by his family, instead of die fighting in some cruel war that means nothing in the end. He has a delightfully anti-war stance and talks quite a abit about how life used to be beautiful and peaceful, how it is much more fulfilling to spend your time on this earth with the people you love, surrounded by nature, and how needless wars and battles needlessly cut off already short lives. One quote from the translation that stuck with me was this one, after he has discussed life as a soldier and spending a lifetime killing and chasing glory:"How much more laudable to get your family and let old age creep over you in your cottage." I loved that aging is not portrayed as something inherently horrifying - there are mentions of how courting your beloved is more difficult when old, you might need to bribe them more to love you and your white hair - but there is also beauty to be found in aging, being able to see your kids grow up and dying peacefully. All this was especially interesting, considering that Tibullus is a Roman poet and Rome is famously very militaristic society.
As a huge mythology geek, I was living for all the mythological references in these poems. They are absolutely littered with mentions of gods, monsters, heroes and other mythical creatures. Venus, quite naturally, has the center stage as this is a poetry collection that features, for the most part, poems of love and desire. Venus is depicted as both horrifying and kind, someone who can bestow you with the glory of love but also the horror of unrequited feeling. Bacchus is also quite present, as his gift of wine can ease any lover's pain and deliver blissful forgetfulness. And since Bacchus/Dionysos is my favorite god of the Greek/Roman pantheon, I was thrilled by how much he appeared on the pages.
The poems of the other authors in this book were also nice. I especially enjoyed the poems of Sulpicia, which focus mostly on her struggles with love, loneliness and jealousy.
I am so happy I found this book and took a chance on it. So worth it. It's definitely my favorite ancient poetry collection I have ever read.
Tibullus was a Roman poet who lived in the age of Emperor Augustus and wrote, mostly, love poetry. My copy of this collection, by Penguin Classics, includes both his poetry and those of some other poets, including a female poet who goes by the name Sulpicia, who were also acquainted with Tibullus's patron, Messalla.
I did not expect much of this collection when I picked it up – I was mainly interested in reading some more Roman literature and some ancient poems with explicit queer themes. But I ended up actually really, really enjoying this collection. The translation, by Philip Dunlops, was very pleasant and easy to get into.
I liked the way Tibullus explored the beauty and brutality of love, how you should be in love, the sadness over being betrayed and what you should never do to your love. He writes to three named lovers of his – two ladies Delia and Nemesis, and a young man named Marathus – and the poems are filled with genuine passion, grief and yearning. One of the most intriguing things was how, in I think two or three poems, Tibullus talks about how you should never physically harm or abuse your beloved - he says that if he were to ever strike his Delia, he would happily have his hands cut off. It was quite refreshing to see this mentioned – I don't think I have ever seen any Roman poet, in any kind of substantial way, condemn violence between intimate partners. The poems are, for the most part, quite basic in terms of the gender roles explored: there are many a request for women to hold on to their chastity and save themselves for Tibullus alone, lots of talk about women being fickle and cheating on you, and of course the male object of Tibullus's affection is a younger, beautiful man. It's very typical for an ancient poet, but I still liked the poems quite a bit.
Another major theme that Tibullus explored is the beauty of a simple life on the country compared to the life of a soldier a politician or something like that. He writes beautifully about how he wants to grow old, surrounded by his family, instead of die fighting in some cruel war that means nothing in the end. He has a delightfully anti-war stance and talks quite a abit about how life used to be beautiful and peaceful, how it is much more fulfilling to spend your time on this earth with the people you love, surrounded by nature, and how needless wars and battles needlessly cut off already short lives. One quote from the translation that stuck with me was this one, after he has discussed life as a soldier and spending a lifetime killing and chasing glory:"How much more laudable to get your family and let old age creep over you in your cottage." I loved that aging is not portrayed as something inherently horrifying - there are mentions of how courting your beloved is more difficult when old, you might need to bribe them more to love you and your white hair - but there is also beauty to be found in aging, being able to see your kids grow up and dying peacefully. All this was especially interesting, considering that Tibullus is a Roman poet and Rome is famously very militaristic society.
As a huge mythology geek, I was living for all the mythological references in these poems. They are absolutely littered with mentions of gods, monsters, heroes and other mythical creatures. Venus, quite naturally, has the center stage as this is a poetry collection that features, for the most part, poems of love and desire. Venus is depicted as both horrifying and kind, someone who can bestow you with the glory of love but also the horror of unrequited feeling. Bacchus is also quite present, as his gift of wine can ease any lover's pain and deliver blissful forgetfulness. And since Bacchus/Dionysos is my favorite god of the Greek/Roman pantheon, I was thrilled by how much he appeared on the pages.
The poems of the other authors in this book were also nice. I especially enjoyed the poems of Sulpicia, which focus mostly on her struggles with love, loneliness and jealousy.
I am so happy I found this book and took a chance on it. So worth it. It's definitely my favorite ancient poetry collection I have ever read.
March 30, 2017
Lamentablemente hoy estoy con mucho laburo y no me puedo poner a hacer la merecida review de este autor.
June 29, 2023
Read for my summer course: roman love poetry.
Tibullus poems are very melancholy.
Tibullus poems are very melancholy.
July 5, 2023
better than ovid and virgil.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews