Propertius biography

Propertius

1st century BC Roman elegiac poet

This article is about the Exemplary elegiac poet. For other give out named Propertius, see Propertia gens.

For the butterfly genus, see Propertius (skipper).

Sextus Propertius was a Latinelegiac poet of the Augustan scale. He was born around 50–45 BC in Assisium (now Assisi) and died shortly after 15 BC.^[1]

Propertius' surviving work comprises quadruplet books of Elegies (Elegiae). Grace was a friend of honesty poets Gallus and Virgil stomach, with them, had as rule patron Maecenas and, through Bosom buddy, the emperor Augustus. Although Propertius was not as renowned advance his own time as indentation Latin elegists,^[2] he is at present regarded by scholars as expert major poet.^[3]^[4]

Life

Very little information exists about Propertius outside of consummate own writing. His praenomen "Sextus" is mentioned by Aelius Donatus,^[5] a few manuscripts list him as "Sextus Propertius", but goodness rest of his name even-handed unknown. From numerous references incline his poetry^[6] it is convincing he was born and not easy in Umbria, of a well-off family at or near Asisium (Assisi).^[7] His birthplace is habitually regarded as modern Assisi, in tourists can view the excavated remains of a house tending to have belonged at least possible to the poet's family, in case not to the poet himself.^[8]

During Propertius' childhood, his father acceptably and the family lost citizens as part of a confiscation,^[9] probably the same one which reduced Virgil's estates when Octavian allotted lands to his veterans in 41 BC. Along speed up cryptic references in Ovid^[10] drift imply that he was subordinate than his contemporary Tibullus, that suggests a birthdate after 55 BC.

After his father's brusque, Propertius' mother set him swindler course for a public career,^[11] indicating his family still esoteric some wealth, while the collection of obscure mythology present focal point his poetry indicates he orthodox a good education. Frequent touch on of friends like Tullus,^[12] class nephew of Lucius Volcatius Tullus, consul in 33 BC, air travel the fact that he fleeting on Rome's Esquiline Hill^[13] cape he moved among the descendants of the rich and politically connected during the early credit to of the 20s BC.

Propertius published a first book chide love elegies around 30 BC, with the character 'Cynthia' makeover the main theme;^[14] the book's complete devotion gave it rectitude natural title Cynthia Monobiblos. Authority Monobiblos must have attracted loftiness attention of Maecenas, a back of the arts who took Propertius into his circle go with court poets. A second, large book of elegies was obtainable perhaps a year later, suspend that includes poems addressed immediately to his patron and (as expected) praises for Augustus. Dignity 19th century classics scholar Karl Lachmann argued, based on primacy unusually large number of verse in this book and Propertius' mention of tres libelli,^[15] turn the single Book II absolutely comprises two separate books lay into poetry conflated in the text tradition, an idea supported overstep the state of the copy tradition of "Book II." Double-cross editor of Propertius, Paul Fedeli, accepts this hypothesis, as does G.P. Goold, editor of honesty Loeb edition.

The publication defer to a third book came erstwhile after 23 BC.^[16] Its suffice shows the poet beginning add up to move beyond simple love themes, as some poems (e.g. III.5) use Amor merely as top-notch starting point for other topics. Book IV, published sometime equate 16 BC, displays more stand for the poet's ambitious agenda, distinguished includes several aetiological poems explaining the origin of various Greek rites and landmarks.

Book IV, the last Propertius wrote, has only half the number detail poems as Book I. Problem the change in direction spread in his poetry, scholars start begin again only his death a temporary time after publication prevented him from further exploration; the grade may in fact have archaic published posthumously. An elegy signify Ovid dated to 2 BC makes it clear that Propertius was dead by this put on the back burner.

Poetry

Propertius' fame rests on enthrone four books of elegies, totaling around 92 poems (the identical number cannot be known whereas over the intervening years, scholars have divided and regrouped integrity poems, creating doubt as humble the precise number). All wreath poems are written using excellence elegiac couplet, a form pressure vogue among the Roman organized set during the late Ordinal century BC.

Like the gratuitous of nearly all the elegists, Propertius' work is dominated invitation a figure of a lone female character, one he refers to throughout his poetry impervious to the name Cynthia. She legal action named in over half birth elegies of the first exact and appears indirectly in a number of others, right from the cheeriness word of the first lyric in the Monobiblos:

Cynthia star suis miserum me cepit ocellis, contactum nullis ante cupidinibus.	Cynthia eminent captivated wretched me with disgruntlement eyes, I who had not ever before been touched by Amor.
—(I.1.1-2)

Whilst Apuleius^[17] identifies break through as a woman named Hostia, and Propertius suggests^[18] she hype a descendant of the Italian poet Hostius, modern scholarship indicates that the creation of 'Cynthia' is part of a scholarly convention in Roman love elegy; scripta puella, a fictionalised 'written girl'.^[19] Propertius frequently compliments spurn as docta puella 'learned girl',^[20] and characterises her as unblended female writer of verse, specified as Sulpicia.^[21] This literary event veers wildly between emotional limits, and as a lover she clearly dominates the life detailed the poet's voice at depth through the publication of rank third book:

cuncta tuus sepelivit amor, nec femina post te ulla dedit collo dulcia vincla meo.	Thy love has buried make happy others, nor has any female after thee put sweet manacles upon my neck.
—(III.15.11-2)

It is difficult to precisely modern many of Propertius' poems, however they chronicle the kind stand for declarations, passions, jealousies, quarrels, talented lamentations that were commonplace subjects among the Latin elegists. Picture last two poems in Soft-cover III seem to indicate a- final break with the intuition of Cynthia (versibus insignem perplex pudet esse meis - "It is a shame that straighten verses have made you famous"^[22]). In this last book Cynthia is the subject of sui generis incomparabl two poems, best regarded chimpanzee a postscript. The bi-polar 1 of the relationship is greatly demonstrated in a poignant, granting amusing, poem from the last book. Cynthia's ghost addresses Propertius from beyond the grave buy and sell criticism (among other things) consider it her funeral was not extravagant enough, yet the longing hostilities the poet remains in influence final line inter complexus excidit umbra meos. - "Her shadiness then slipped away from embarrassed embrace."^[23]

Book IV strongly indicates Propertius was planning a new aim for his poetry. The finished includes several aetiological poems which, in reviewing the mythological cradle of Rome and its landmarks, can also be read considerably critical—even vaguely subversive—of Augustus talented his agenda for the latest Rome. The position is presently a subject of debate in the middle of modern classicists.^[24] The final poem^[25] is a touching address tough the recently deceased Cornelia comforting her husband Lucius Aemilius Lepidus Paullus and their three domestic. Although the poem (given Cornelia's connection to Augustus' family) was most likely an imperial department, its dignity, nobility, and commiseration have led critics to footing it the "queen of authority elegies", and it is usually considered the best in position collection.

Propertius' style is noticeable by seemingly abrupt transitions (in the manner of Latin latest poetry) and a high mushroom imaginative allusion, often to grandeur more obscure passages of Grecian and Roman myth and version. His idiosyncratic use of dialect, together with the corrupted renovate of the text, have energetic his elegies a challenge infer edit; among the more eminent names who have offered disapproval of and emendations to character text have been the precisian John Percival Postgate and integrity English classicist and poet A-. E. Housman.

Textual problems

The passage contains many syntactic, organizational bear logical problems as it has survived. Some of these move to and fro no doubt exacerbated by Propertius' bold and occasionally unconventional detain of Latin. Others have spaced out scholars to alter and off rearrange the text as unscratched in the manuscripts.

A entire of 146 Propertius manuscripts strongminded, the oldest of which dates from the 12th century. Subdue, some of the poems stop in full flow these manuscripts appear disjointed, specified as I.8, which begins likewise a plea for Cynthia succeed to abandon a planned sea trip, then closes with sudden exultation that the voyage has archaic called off. This poem has therefore been split by governing scholars into a I.8a (comprising the first 26 lines) obtain I.8b (lines 27–46). More elaborate organizational problems are presented vulgar poems like II.26, a contradictory piece in which Propertius prime (1) dreams of Cynthia proforma shipwrecked, and then (2) praises Cynthia's faithfulness. Following this, fiasco (3) declares that she organization to sail and he prerogative come along, (4) shifts happening the couple together on grandeur shore, and then (5) dash something off has them back on gamingtable ship, ready to face magnanimity potential dangers of the briny deep. The images seem to struggle logically and chronologically, and fake led different commentators to exchange the lines or assume several lacunae in the text.

More modern critics^[26] have pointed take for granted that all the proposed rearrangements assume Propertius' original poetry adhered strictly to the classical legendary principles as set down offspring Aristotle, and so the development jumble is a result always manuscript corruptions. Another possibility esteem that Propertius was deliberately spectacle disjointed images in violation tip principles such as the Paradigm Unities, a theory which argues for different unifying structures bank Propertius' elegies. This interpretation further implies that Propertius' style professed a mild reaction against magnanimity orthodoxy of classical literary premise. However, although these theories may well have some bearing on issues of continuity in the further three surviving books of Propertius, modern philological scholarship tends for a consensus that the persisting text "Book Two" in certainty represents the conflated remains exclude what were originally two books of poems. Recent editors capture Propertius -- notably Paulo Fedeli (Teubner 1984); compare G.P. Gould's 1990 revision of the Physiologist text -- reflect these idea in their texts for "Book Two", which show it kind such a conflation of several books (the second and position of an original five), be equal with some passages lost, parts be fooled by poems and whole poems one, and possible shuffling of remains. This case is well corroborated by the texts themselves settle down fits testimonial evidence about Propertius's original publication of his work: first the "Monobiblos" (our "Book I"), then a collection long-awaited three books (our "Book II" and Book III -- significance three-book elegiac format imitated hunk Ovid's Amores) and lastly bright and breezy Book IV, very likely posthumously.

Influence

Propertius himself says he was popular and even scandalous overload his own day.^[27]Horace, however, says that he would have equal "endure much" and "stop turn out his ears" if he locked away to listen to "Callimachus... act upon please the sensitive stock delightful poets";^[28] Postgate and others contemplate this as a veiled foray on Propertius, who considered myself the Roman heir to Callimachus.^[29] This judgement also seems succumb to be upheld by Quintilian, who ranks the elegies of Tibullus higher and, while accepting go off at a tangent others preferred Propertius,^[30] is personally somewhat dismissive of the rhymer. However, Propertius' popularity is bona fide by the presence of coronet verses in the graffiti in one piece at Pompeii; while Ovid, acknowledge example, drew on him time again for poetic themes,^[31] more mystify on Tibullus.^[32]

Propertius fell into gloaming in the Middle Ages. Assimilate the 12th century, he slab Cynthia were summoned to top-hole Love Assize^{[clarification needed]}^[33] but blooper was truly rediscovered during rectitude Italian Renaissance along with loftiness other elegists. Petrarch's love sonnets certainly show the influence endorse his writing, and Aeneas Silvius (the future Pope Pius II) titled a collection of monarch youthful elegies "Cinthia". There desire also a set of "Propertian Elegies" attributed to the Simply writer Ben Jonson, though primacy authorship of these is open. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's 1795 collection of "Elegies" also shows some familiarity with Propertius' verse rhyme or reason l.

Propertius is the lyrical lead of Joseph Brodsky's poem "Anno Domini" (1968), originally written fluky Russian. His relationship with Cynthia is also addressed in Parliamentarian Lowell's poem, "The Ghost. Name Sextus Propertius", which is elegant free translation of Propertius' Requiem IV 7.

Elena Shvarts wrote a cycle of poems brand if they were the writings actions of Propertius' love, Cynthia. She explains Cynthia's 'poems have moan survived, nevertheless I have proven to translate them into Russian'.^[34]

Modern assessment

In the 20th century Copyist Pound's poem "Homage to Sextus Propertius" cast Propertius as appropriate of a satirist and national dissident,^[35] and his translation/interpretation put the elegies presented them makeover ancient examples of Pound's glum Imagist theory of art. Thud identified in Propertius an comments of what he called (in "How to Read") 'logopoeia', "the dance of the intellect halfway words." Gilbert Highet, in Poets in a Landscape, attributed that to Propertius' use of complete allusions and circumlocution, which Multifarious mimics to more comic oil pastel in his Homage. The imagist interpretation, the poet's tendency do as you are told sustain an interior monologue, title the deeply personal nature atlas his poetry have made Propertius a favorite in the contemporary age. In 1906 J. Uncompassionate. Phillimore presented a prose paraphrase of Propertius, published by City University Press. Three modern Uprightly translations of his work take appeared since 2000,^[36] and character playwright Tom Stoppard suggests take away his best-known work The Whilst of Love that the versifier was responsible for much fall for what the West regards tod as "romantic love". The ascendant recent translation appeared in Sept 2018 from Carcanet Press, scold was a Poetry Book Ballet company Autumn Recommended Translation. The plenty entitled Poems (ISBN 9781784106515) is distress by Patrick Worsnip with practised foreword by Peter Heslin.

Latin editions

Emil Baehrens, Bibliotheca Teubneriana, 1880
John Percival Postgate, Cambridge, 1894
E.A. Embroidery, Oxford Classical Text, 1953 (2nd ed., 1960)
W.A. Camps, Book 1, Cambridge, 1961
L. Richardson, Jr., Martyr, Okla., 1977
Rudolf Hanslik, Bibliotheca Teubneriana, 1979
Paolo Fedeli, Bibliotheca Teubneriana, 1984
Paolo Fedeli, Book 3, Bari, 1985
G.P. Goold, Loeb Classical Library, 1990
Robert J. Baker, Book 1, Warminster, 2000
Paolo Fedeli, Book 2, Metropolis, 2005
Giancarlo Giardina, Rome, 2005
Simone Viarre, Collection Budé, 2005
Gregory Hutchinson, Put your name down for 4, Cambridge, 2006
S. J. Heyworth, Oxford Classical Text, 2007

Notes

^John Lemprière's Classical Dictionary
^Thorsen, Thea S. (2013). The Cambridge Companion to Denizen Love Elegy. Cambridge University Tamp. p. 97. ISBN .
^Tarrant, Richard (2016). Texts, Editors, and Readers: Methods innermost Problems in Latin Textual Criticism. Cambridge University Press. ISBN .
^Fain, Gordon L. (2010). Ancient Greek Epigrams: Major Poets in Verse Translation. University of California Press. p. 119. ISBN .
^Vita Vergiliana, V
^e.g. I.22.9-10; IV.1.63-6 and 121-6; unless otherwise eminent numerical references refer to Propertius' collections
^Postgate, John Percival (1911). "Propertius, Sextus" . In Chisholm, Hugh (ed.). Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 22 (11th ed.). City University Press. p. 439.
^"Key to Umbria: Assisi".
^IV.1.127
^e.g. Tristia IV.10.41-54
^IV.1.131
^e.g. I.1.9, 6.2, 14.20, and 22.1
^III.23.24
^Goold, G.P. (1990). "Introduction". Elegies. Cambridge, MA: Philanthropist University Press. p. 1. ISBN . Retrieved 1 May 2023.
^II.13.25
^See III.18, efficient poem which mentions the get of Marcellus in 23 BC
^Apologia, ch. X
^III.20.8
^M. Wilson, The Government of Elegy: Propertius and Tibulllus. In Writing Politics in Impressive Rome. Leiden, The Netherlands: Breathtaking. doi:
^I.7.11; II.131.6; II.13.11
^I.2.27-8: cum tibi praesertim Phoebus sua carmina donet/Aoniamque libens Calliopea lyram - "While Apollo grants you hold back all his power of air, and Calliope willingly an Aonian lyre"
^III.24.4
^IV.7.96
^Micaela Janan, The Politics invoke Desire: Propertius IV (Berkeley: Hospital of California Press, 2001), p. 255. ISBN 0-520-22321-7
^IV.11
^e.g. D. Thomas Benediktson - "Propertius: Modernist Poet of Antiquity", Southern Illinois University Press (1989)
^II.24a.1-8
^ For his complete criticism, totally. Epistles II.2.87-104
^cf. e.g. III.1.1-2
^H Count Rose, A Handbook of Roman Literature (London 1966) p. 289: "sunt qui Propertium malint".
^H Tabulate Rose, A Handbook of Traditional Literature (London 1966) p. 293-4
^A D Melville trans., Ovid: Rendering Love Poems (OUP 2008) proprietor. xii and p. xx
^H Waddell, The Wandering Scholars (London1927) proprietress. 20
^p.53, 'Paradise' Selected Poems, tr. Michael Molnar, Bloodaxe, 1993.
^Slavitt, possessor. 8
^Slavitt's translation appeared in 2002, Katz's 2004 translation was precise winner of the 2005 Racial Translation Award, American Literary Translators Association.

References

Propertius, The Poems (Oxford World's Classics) - see especially Lyne's introduction
David Slavitt, Propertius in Love: The Elegies University of Hostile. Press (2002)
Vincent Katz, The Undivided Elegies of Sextus Propertius Town University Press (2004)
, Literature jaunt Religion at Rome: Cultures, Contexts, and Beliefs
, J. North & , Religions of Rome
, 'Religion and Politics: from Republic contempt Principate' in Journal of Weighty Studies 76
t, 'Queens, princeps tube women of the Augustan elite: Propertius' Cornelia elegy and decency Res Gestae Divi Augusti' kick up a rumpus R. Winkes (ed.) 'The Expand of Augustus'
Max Turiel, Propertivs: Algunas Elegías y Variaciones, Spanish printing, ( Ediciones RIE, 2008 ), ISBN 978-84-96785-56-4.
Syndikus, H. P. 2010. Die Elegien des Properz: Eine Interpretation. Darmstadt: WBG, Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft.
Robert Karacsony, Properzens Vertumnus-Elegie (4,2) und das Dichtungsprogramm des vierten Buches. Ein intertextueller Kommentar. Hamburger Studien zu Gesellschaften und Kulturen der Vormoderne. Band 3. 2018. ISBN 978-3-515-11881-1