Roman Lyric Poetry — Catullus, Horace and Ovid

Lyric Poetry: Features and Major Roman Poets

The Lyric

Features

• Expression of the author's feelings
• Everyday topics such as love or hate
• Conveys emotions to the reader
• Short compositions
• Mythological allusions

Catullus — Lyric Poet

Catullus

He is one of the greatest lyric poets. Two modes of poetry he wrote include:

• Iambic poems and short compositions, including epigrams in elegiac couplets.
• Narrative poems in which he does not refer to himself at all.

These works reflect personal feelings or impressions experienced by the poet himself, especially in relation to his beloved Lesbia.

Two circumstances mark his life and work: the infidelity of Lesbia and the death of his brother. In the poet's life are mixed feelings of happiness with moments of gloom and self-destruction.

Horace — Odes and Epodes

Horace

Epodes and Odes.

His Epodes use sarcasm and invective but are more moderate than those of their Greek predecessors. The Odes are modeled on Alcaeus, Sappho, and Anacreon and share an interest in the formal perfection of verse. Lyrical compositions are grouped into four books with poetry that attempts to rival the Greek.

Thematic Variety

• Political-national topics: focused on the educational value of war and the preaching of a serene life as a deterrent to ambition and anxiety caused by civil war.
• On the subjection of peoples to ensure Rome's peace; several poems are dedicated to Augustus.
• Religious themes: Horace often uses the gods as a literary device.
• Ethical and moral issues.

Ovid — Elegiac Lyric and Exile

Ovid

He was banished by Augustus because of an obscure episode related to the imperial family and died in exile on the Black Sea.

Highlights of his lyric poetry in the elegiac form:

• Amores: a set of love elegies, many addressed to Corinna. He says he abandoned his first intention to write an epic poem and instead wrote elegies of love after being struck by Cupid's darts.
• Heroides: passionate letters attributed to mythical heroines directed to their husbands or lovers.
• Tristia: 12 books. No addressees are appointed to avoid compromising others.
• Epistulae ex Ponto: four books of letters to his wife and friends asking them to intercede so that his exile might be lifted.