Elegies

Description

'Delia, when flames engulf my bier you'll weep for me,
and then you'll mix your kisses with sad tears.'

Tibullus (?55-18 BC) was one of a group of poets known as the Latin elegists, whose number included Ovid and Propertius. Living in the age of Augustus, his poems reflect Augustan ideals, but they are above all notable for their emphasis on the personal, and for their subject-matter, love. Tibullus' elegies are addressed to two different mistresses, Delia and Nemesis, and a boy, Marathus. His pious and idealistic love for Delia is replaced by a more tortured affair with the cruel Nemesis, and the poet's elegies to Marathus give a broader perspective to his treatment of the subject. Anguish and betrayal characterize Tibullus' depiction of love's changing fortunes, in poetry that is passionate, vivid, and sometimes haunting.

In this parallel text edition, A. M. Juster's eloquent translations are accompanied by an introduction and notes from Robert Maltby which discuss Tibullus' work in its literary and historical context. Together they demonstrate the achievements of this fine Roman poet.
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About the author

Tibullus

Translated by A. M. Juster and introduction and notes by Robert Maltby, Emeritus professor of Latin philology, University of Leeds

A. M. Juster is a poet and translator. His books include Longing for Laura (Birch Brook Press, 2001), The Secret Language of Women (University of Evansville Press, 2003), and Horace's Satires (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2008). He has won the Richard Wilbur Award, and the Howard Nemerov Sonnet Award three times.

Robert Maltby taught at Sheffield before moving to the University of Leeds, where he held the Chair of Latin Philology until his retirement in 2010. His books include Latin Love Elegy (Bristol Classical Press, 1980), and Tibullus, Elegies: Text, Introduction and Commentary (Francis Cairns, 2002). His Introduction to Latin (Wiley/Blackwell USA)is forthcoming 2011.