Introduction to Roman Literature
2. Literature to Please
Key questions:

How did the tradition of love poetry develop in Rome during the first century BC?
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What was the relationship between Roman love poetry and Roman politics?
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Which aspects of literature were, and still are, thought to be pleasurable?
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N.B. – All Roman literature was written to please (compare Historiography lecture)
1A. Catullus: The Cultural Revolution
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Political power gravitating towards powerful individuals (e.g. Caesar & Pompey)
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Diminishing civic consciousness within Roman upper classes – a time for pleasure:
At leisure, Licinius, yesterday, we had much fun with my writing-tablets, as we’d agreed to be
light-hearted. Each of us writing little verses, played now with this metre, now with that, going
back and forth with jokes and drinks. And I left there on fire from your charm, Licinius, and
your witty humour, so food gave poor me no pleasure and sleep did not gently touch my eyes, but
I tossed and turned, wildly excited, over the bed, longing to see daylight, so I might be with you
and talk.
(Catullus 50.1-13)
1B. Catullus the Love Poet:
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Catullus names his mistress Lesbia, with reference to the Greek lyric poet Sappho.
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The following poem is Catullus' translation of Sappho fragment 31:
That man seems to me to be equal to a God – or, if it may be said, the Gods' superior – who sitting
opposite again and again watches and hears you sweetly laughing, which dispossesses poor me of
all my senses. For no sooner, Lesbia, do I look at you than there's no power of speech left in my
mouth, my tongue's paralysed, invisible flame courses down through my limbs, with din of their
own my ears are ringing and twin darkness covers the light of my eyes.
(Catullus 50.1-12)
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Introduction to Roman Literature 2/3: Literature to Please
1C. The Roman Mistress: Fantasy and Reality

Catullus conflicted between an idealised fantasy of Lesbia, and reality of her betrayals:
Furius and Aurelius, Catullus’ comrades, whether he’ll push on to furthest India, where the shore
is pounded by far-resounding Eoan rollers, to Hyrcania or effeminate Arabia, the Sacians or the
arrow-bearing Parthians or those levels to which the seven-double Nilus gives colour… (etc. etc.)
… All this, whatever the will of Heaven above may bring, ready as you are to brave together,
simply deliver to my girl a brief discourteous message: farewell and long life with her
adulterers, three hundred together, whom hugging she holds, loving none truly but again and
again rupturing all their groins.
And let her not as before expect my love, which by her fault has fallen like a flower on the
meadow’s margin after a passing ploughshare has touched it.
(Catullus 11)
2A. Cornelius Gallus: The Founder of Roman Love Elegy
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Only 10 lines of Gallus' poetry survive: 9 on a papyrus discovered in Egypt in 1970s.
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A trusted lieutenant of Octavian at Actium; but later disgraced as Prefect of Egypt.
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The protagonist in Virgil’s Eclogue 10: certain passages borrowed from Gallus?
‘Here are cool springs, Lycoris, here are soft meadows, here groves; here with you I would waste
away only with old age. But now the insensitive love of Mars detains me in arms in the midst
of cruel weapons and between opposing enemies. Alas (and it is hard to believe such a thing) in
the Alpine lands you are far from home! Endure the snow and the Rhine's chill you see all alone
without me. Alas, the cold doesn't please you! Ah, may the harsh ice cut not your delicate soles!
I will depart and play on the pipe of a Sicilian shepherd the songs which I have made in
Chalcidian verse. For sure, in the woodlands between wild animals' caves I will endure my love
and carve with a hammer my loves in the young trees' bark; as they grow, so will you, love…
… As if these things were a cure for my passion, as if that god would learn to be gentle
towards mortal's sufferings. Now neither wood-nymphs, not even songs shall provide solace to
me again; the woods themselves mean nothing. No ordeal I can suffer is able to change Love's
mind… Love conquers all; and we fall to Love.’
I.D.Fielding@warwick.ac.uk
(Virgil, Ecl. 10.42-69)
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Introduction to Roman Literature 2/3: Literature to Please
3A. Tibullus: Love and the Countryside
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Tibullus accompanied his patron Messalla Corvinus on various military expeditions.

Horace says he spent a lot of time on his farm in rural Latium (just outside Rome).
I do not require the fortune or the profit that the harvest brought my grandfather of old. Enough is
a small crop, enough is sleeping in a bed and lightening the limbs on the familiar couch. How
pleasant lying there at night to listen to wild winds and contain my mistress in tender embrace!
… It is right that you, Messalla, campaign by land and sea to adorn your town-house with
the spoils of war. But I am held a prisoner, fettered by a lovely girl, and take my post as keeper
at her cruel door.
(Tibullus 1.1.41-46; 53-56)
3B. The Locked-Out Lover
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Tibullus pioneers the paraclausithyron, or 'song of the closed door': e.g. Tib. 1.2, 1.5.

Influential portrayal of lovers' secret tricks: inspiration for Ovid's Ars Amatoria?
Your nets are spread against me, Love, now that devious Delia in the secrecy of night embraces
another man. True, she denies it strongly, but it is hard to believe her; she makes the same
denials to her husband about me.
It was I, alas, who taught her how to fool the guard, and now I am the victim of my own
device. She learnt to find excuses then for sleeping on her own, to open creaking doors without a
sound and use the herbs and potions that I gave her to remove marks imprinted by the teeth of
passion.
… But you, sir, careless husband of a deceitful girl, keep watch on both of us to stop her
playing false. Take care she does not talk too much with young admirers or at dinner wear a dress
that shows her breast or fool you with a nod or dip her finger in the wine and trace a secret
message on the table top.
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(Tibullus 1.6.5-20)
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4A. Propertius’ Mythical Mistress
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Contemporary (even rival?) of Tibullus; strong contrast in styles.
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Named debut collection after mistress Cynthia (from Mt. Cynthus, birthplace of Apollo).
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Propertius from a well-off equestrian family; servitium amoris and social degradation.
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Use of Greek myths to find expression for his dreams of an ideal love and an ideal lover:
As the girl from Knossos, while Theseus’ keel receded, lay limp on a deserted beach, and as
Cephean Andromeda in first sleep rested, from hard rocks freed at last, and as a Maenad, no less
tired by the ceaseless dance, swoons on grassy Apidanus, so Cynthia seemed to me to breathe
soft peace, leaning her head on relaxed hands, when I was dragging footsteps drunken with much
Bacchus...
Not yet bereft of all my senses I prepared to approach her, gently, pressing the couch. But, though
a prey to double passion, under orders (from Love on this flank, Bacchus on that, both ruthless
Gods) to edge an arm beneath her, reconnoitring, and kiss, with hand at work, and stand to arms,
still I dared not disturb my lady’s peace, fearing the fierce abuse I knew so well…
Whenever, rarely moving, you drew a sigh, I froze in superstitious dread that dreams were
bringing you strange fears and some man forced you to be his – until the moon, passing the
window opposite, the busy moon with lingering light opened those calm closed eyes with
weightless beams. ‘So!’ (and she dug an elbow into the couch) ‘At last, humiliation brings you
back to our bed, thrown out from another woman’s door! Where have you wasted the long
hours of my night, limp, alas, now the stars are set?’
(Propertius 1.3.1-38)
4B. Propertius and the Visual Arts
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Were Propertius’ mythical images inspired by paintings or works of visual art?
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Ecphrasis: set-piece description, typically of an artwork or place (see also Prop. 2.12).

In 2.31, Propertius describes Augustus' Temple of Apollo on the Palatine, opened 28 BC:
You ask why I have kept you waiting? Phoebus’ golden portico was opened by great Caesar,
ranged to spectacular effect on Afric pillars... I saw there, truly, a Phoebus finer than himself,
in marble, mouthing song to a muted lyre; and round an altar stood Myron’s cattle, four oxen
by the sculptor, which seemed to be alive.
Then in the midst arose a temple of bright marble dearer to Phoebus than his native Ortygia.
Above its pediment stood the Sun-God's chariot and its noble doors were Libyan ivory... Beyond,
between his mother and sister, the God himself as Pythian in long robe is making music.
(Propertius 2.31)
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4C. Propertius and Society
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Propertius part of Maecenas’ circle when he writes Books 2 and 3 of his poetry.
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Seems to resist pressure to write an epic poem in praise of Augustus (see Prop. 2.1).

Prefers to do things his own way; does he come into conflict with Augustan regime?
Caesar the God plans war with wealthy India…
(Propertius 3.4.1)
Love is the God of peace; we lovers venerate peace: enough for me tough battles with my
mistress…
… But when the heavy years have interrupted Venus and white old age has speckled my
black hair, then be it my delight to learn the ways of Nature, what God controls this household
of the world, how rising moons appear, how they wane, whence every month with horns conjoined
to return to full, how winds prevail on the salt sea, what Eurus’ blast intends and whence clouds of
unfailing water…
… For me life’s outcome shall be this, but you to whom wars are more welcome, bring
Crassus’ standards home.
(Propertius 3.5)

Book 4: Maecenas now out-of-favour; Propertius’ focus on mythology more than love.

A pro-Augustan Propertius? (see Prop. 4.6 on victory over Cleopatra at Actium).
5A. Ovid's Literary Loves
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Ovid a highly self-conscious poet – comes at the end of a rich literary tradition:
Tibullus was successor to you, Gallus, and Propertius to him; I came after them, fourth in the
order of time.

(Ovid, Tristia 4.10.53-4)
Influence of rhetorical composition – Ovid plays with poetry's relation to real life:
‘… I’d got off to a flying start, clean paper, one magnificent opening line. Number two brought
me down with a bump. I haven’t the theme to suit your frivolous metre, Cupid: no boyfriend,
no girl with a mane of coiffured hair – ’ When I’d got so far, presto, he opened his quiver,
selected an arrow to lay me low, then bent the springy bow in a crescent against his knee, and let
fly. ‘Hey, poet!” he called, ‘you want a theme? Take that!’ His shafts – worse luck for me –
never miss their target: I’m on fire now, Love owns freehold of my heart.
(Amores 1.1.17-26)
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Introduction to Roman Literature 2/3: Literature to Please
5B. Corinna: The Fictitious Mistress?

Ovid's mistress, Corinna, eventually makes her entrance in Amores 1.5:
When at last she stood naked before me, not a stitch of clothing, I couldn’t fault her body at any
point. Smooth shoulders, delectable arms (I saw, I touched them), nipples inviting caresses, the
flat belly outlined beneath that flawless bosom, exquisite curve of a hip, firm youthful thighs. But
why catalogue details? Nothing came short of perfection, and I clasped her naked body close
to mine. Fill in the rest for yourselves! Tired at last, we lay sleeping.

(Amores 1.5.13-25)
But Ovid likes to tease his readers, who want to know who Corinna really is:
I know a girl who puts it about that she's Corinna. What wouldn't she give to make it so?
(Amores 2.17.29-30)
5C. Ovid's Writing for Women

Ovid also writes Heroides: imagined letters from mythological heroines to their lovers.

Heroides among works Ovid advises women to read in his Art of Love Book 3:
You should be able to read a poem of tender Propertius or something of Gallus or of you,
Tibullus... Perhaps too my name will be joined to theirs, nor will my writings be given to Lethe's
waters; and someone will say, 'Read the elegant poems of our master, wherein he instructs the
rival parties [i.e. men and women in the Art of Love]; or from the three books marked by the title
of Amores choose what you may softly read with docile voice; or let one of his Letters be sung
by you with practised delivery. (Ars Amatoria 3.333-345)
Literature to Please: a Summary of Key Points

Roman love poetry distinguished by certain conventions – e.g. character of the mistress.

Elegists sought to oppose themselves to popular morality – but ultimately impossible.

Poetry in itself the main source of pleasure – achieved in a number of different ways:

Through learned cultural and mythological references.

Through vivid visual description and emotional characterisation.
I.D.Fielding@warwick.ac.uk
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