Elegies of Love

by Ovid, Christopher Marlowe (Translator)

• Ovid's matchless love poems in a glittering translation by the young Christopher Marlowe, illustrated by Rodin's astonishingly free and improvisatory woodcuts, made in his later years Never reprinted since their first, posthumous appearance in 1935, these woodcuts were the only printed versions of his work to receive Rodin's full approval. Mostly self-educated, Rodin was a passionate re-reader of his favorite books, and Ovid's Love Elegies occupied a special place in his imagination. These woodcut illustrations were taken from the astonishingly free and improvisatory life drawings he made in his later years. For many people these are the most entrancing manifestation of his genius. Privately published in 1939 in a very strictly limited edition, these 31 beautiful images are very rarely seen. This edition marries Rodin's illustrations to Christopher Marlowe's glittering translation, which was ceremonially burnt by the Archbishop of Canterbury in 1599.

Genres: Poetry

64 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1963

About the author

Publius Ovidius Naso (20 March 43 BC – AD 17/18), known in English as Ovid was a Roman poet who lived during the reign of Augustus. He was a younger contemporary of Virgil and Horatius, with whom he is often ranked as one of the three canonical poets of Latin literature. The Imperial scholar Quintilian considered him the last of the Latin love elegists. Although Ovid enjoyed enormous popularity during his lifetime, the emperor Augustus exiled him to Tomis, the capital of the newly-organised province of Moesia, on the Black Sea, where he remained for the last nine or ten years of his life. Ovid himself attributed his banishment to a "poem and a mistake", but his reluctance to disclose specifics has resulted in much speculation among scholars.
Ovid is most famous for the Metamorphoses, a continuous mythological narrative in fifteen books written in dactylic hexameters. He is also known for works in elegiac couplets such as Ars Amatoria ("The Art of Love") and Fasti. His poetry was much imitated during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, and greatly influenced Western art and literature. The Metamorphoses remains one of the most important sources of classical mythology today.

Reviews

[Sophie · Rating 1 out of 5]

The description of this book says it was burned and banned previously…. It should have stayed that way
I only finished this book because I refused to be beaten by a 63 paged book…

[Roisin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful and lively book, with beautiful, sensitive woodcut illustrations by Rodin. This translation was originally banned and publicly burnt in 1599 by then Archbishop of Canterbury. Read and enjoy!