Masterpieces of Roman Poetry and Latin Lyric Literature

Ovid: The Erotic Chronicler of Rome

Ovid (43 BC – 18 AD) was a learned man who lived in a frivolous society. He was an erotic chronicler of his time through his poems and eventually left the judiciary.

Major Works of Ovid

• Heroides: Letters in verse from mythical heroines to their lovers.
• Ars Amatoria: The art of seducing men and women.
• Remedia Amoris: How to get rid of the pains of love.
• Metamorphoses: Considered a didactic epic, this is a compendium of stories about the origin of the world and the transformations of various beings in mythology.
• Fasti: A work regarding Roman festivals.

Martial and the Roman Epigram

Martial (40–104 AD) was born in Bilbilis (Calatayud). He wrote Epigrams about everyday life, depicting its defects and virtues. His style was sometimes delicate, tender, and loving toward country life, and at other times, bold and satirical.

The Genre of Elegy

Elegy is a genre of lyric poetry that expresses funeral laments, punishment by exile or love, praise, and patriotism. In his works Tristia (Sorrows) and Epistulae ex Ponto (Letters from the Black Sea), Ovid regrets his situation in exile in Tomis and asks for the forgiveness of the emperor. He died in exile.

Tibullus and Propertius

Tibullus (50–19 BC) wrote four books in which he recalls his love for Delia, nature, and rural life, expressing an anti-war sentiment. Propertius (47–15 BC) sang to the heroes and events of Roman history and legends at the request of Maecenas.

The Development of Latin Lyric Poetry

This genre grew in the Hellenistic world with figures such as Pindar, Archilochus, Sappho, and Theocritus. It transmits personal experiences and subjectivism. It began in Rome at the end of the 1st century BC, introduced to the circle of Lutatius Catulus and the Neoteric movement, which was characterized by its Alexandrianism, its erudition, and its focus on formal beauty rather than social ideals or reactionary political issues.

Catullus: The Neoteric Master

The most genuine representative of this type of poetry was Catullus (87–54 BC). He lived an elitist and frivolous youth with a comfortable economy. His works include Epigrams of everyday life and heart-wrenching, beautiful poems describing his tormented love affair with Lesbia, a high-society woman who was his lover.

Horace: Philosophy and Perfection of Style

Horace (65–8 BC) is known for his perfection of style and his philosophical, often ironic, meaning of life, popularized through the concepts of Aurea mediocritas and Carpe diem.

Major Works of Horace

• Epodes: Known for their violent tone.
• Satires: Personal satire and philosophy.
• Odes: Epicurean philosophy, personal feelings, everyday life, and patriotic exaltation.

Virgil: Pastoral and Didactic Poetry

Virgil (70–19 BC) produced significant lyrical works, including the Eclogues (or Bucolics). These are pastoral poems modeled on the Idylls of Theocritus, where characters talk about their loves and sorrows.

Didactic Poetry

In The Georgics, a treatise on agriculture in verse, Virgil aims to rekindle the love for the land and pristine Roman virtues. The tone is more sober and less artificial than that of the Eclogues.