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(Redirected from Propertius)
'Sextus Propertius' was a Latin elegiac poet born sometime around about 50-45 BCE in or near Assisi, and died a short time after 15 BCE. His surviving work consists of four books of ''Elegies.''
Very little information is known about Propertius outside of his own writing. His praenomen "Sextus" is mentioned by Donatus[1], and a few manuscripts give his name as "Sextus Propertius", but the rest of his name is unknown. From numerous references in his poetry[2] it is clear he was born and raised in Umbria; modern Assisi claims for itself itself the honor his birthplace. He mentions that as a boy his father died and the family lost land as part of a confiscation, probably the same one which reduced Virgil's estates when Octavian alloted lands to his veterans in 41 BCE[3]. Combining this with cryptic references in Ovid [4], which seem to imply he was younger that his contemporary Tibullus, a birthdate in the early 40's seems appropriate.
After his father's death, Propertius' mother set him on course for a public career[5]--indicating his family still had some wealth--and the abundance of obscure mythology present in his poetry indicates he received a good education. Frequent mention of friends like Tullus[6]--the nephew of Lucius Volcatius Tullus, consul in 33 BCE--and the fact that he lived on Rome's Esquiline hill[7] indicate he moved among the children of the rich and politically connected during the early part of the 20's decade. It was during this time that he met Cynthia, the older woman[8] who would inspire him to express his poetic genius.
Propertius published a first book of love elegies in 25 BCE, with Cynthia herself as the main theme; the book's complete devotion gave it the natural title ''Cynthia Monobiblos''. The ''Monobiblos'' attracted the attention of Maecenas, a patron of the arts who took Propertius into his circle of court poets. A second, larger book of elegies was published perhaps a year later, one that includes poems addressed directly to his patron and, as expected, praises for Augustus (Textual note: The 19th century classics scholar Karl Lachmann argued--based on the unusually large number of poems in this book and Propertius' mention of ''tres libelli''[9]--that the single book II actually comprised two separate books of poetry that had been mashed together in the manuscript tradition. Though some editors have previously numbered the poems accordingly, the idea has fallen out of favor in more recent times).
The publication of a third book came sometime after 23 BCE[10]. Its content shows the poet beginning to move beyond simple love themes, as some poems (e.g. III.5) use ''Amor'' merely as a starting point for other topics. The book also shows the poet growing tired of the demanding yet fickle Cynthia[11], and implies a bitter end to their torrid love affair. Book IV, published sometime after 16 BCE, displays more of the poet's ambitious agenda, and includes several aetiological poems explaining the origin of various Roman rites and landmarks.
Book IV--the last Propertius wrote--contains only half the poems of the next smallest book I. Given the change in direction apparent in his poetry, scholars assume only his death a short time after publication prevented him from further exploration; the collection may in fact have been published posthumously. It is also quite possible that Propertius had children, either with Cynthia or a later liason.[12] An elegy of Ovid dated to 2 BCE makes it clear that Propertius was dead by this time.
Propertius fame rests on his four books of elegies, totaling 92 poems (scholars over the centuries have divided and rearranged the poems enough that the exact number fluctuates). All his poems are written using the Elegiac couplet, a form in vogue among the Roman social set during the late 1st century BCE.
Like nearly all the elegists, Propertius' work is dominated by the figure of a single woman, one he refers to throughout his poetry by the pseudonym Cynthia. She is named in over half the elegies of the first book and appears indirectly in several others, right from the first word of the first poem in the ''Monobiblos'':
''Cynthia prima suis miserum me cepit ocellis,''
''contactum nullis ante cupidinibus.''
"Cynthia first captivated wretched me with her eyes,
I who had never before been touched by Cupid."
(I.1.1-2)
Apuleius[13] identifies her as a woman named ''Hostia'', and Propertius suggests[14] she is a descendent of the Roman poet Hostius. Scholars guess that she was probably a courtesan, though Propertius frequently compliments her as ''docta puella''[15], and like Sulpicia she was also a writer of verse[16]. Their affair seems to veer wildly between the extremes of emotion, and as a lover she clearly dominates his life at least thru the publication of the third book:
''cuncta tuus sepelivit amor, nec femina post te''
''ulla dedit collo dulcia vincla meo''
"Your love has buried all others, nor has any woman after you
put sweet fetters upon my neck."
(III.15.11-2)
It is difficult to precisely date many of Propertius' poems, but they chronicle the kind of declarations, passions, jealousies, quarrels, and lamentations that were commonplace subjects among the Latin elegists. The last two poems in book III seem to indicate a final break with her (''versibus insignem te pudet esse meis'' - "It is a shame that my verses have made you famous"[17]), and Cynthia died some time before the publication of the final book IV, where she is the subject of only two poems. The bi-polar complexity of the relationship is amply demonstrated in an amusing poem from book IV: Cynthia's ghost addresses Propertius from beyond the grave with criticism (among other things) that her funeral was not lavish enough, yet the longing of the poet remains in the final line ''inter complexus excidit umbra meos.'' - "Her shade then slipped away from my embrace."[18].
As noted, book IV strongly indicates Propertius was embarking on a new direction for his poetry. The book includes several aetiological poems which, in reviewing the mythological origins of Rome and its landmarks, can also be read as critical--even vaguely subversive--of Augustus and his agenda for the new Rome. The position is currently a subject of debate among modern classics scholars[19]. The final poem[20] in the book is a touching address by the recently deceased Cornelia to console her husband Paullus and their three children. Although the poem (given Cornelia's connection to Augustus' family) was most likely an imperial commission, its dignity, nobility, and pathos have led critics to call it the "queen of the elegies", and it is commonly considered the best in the collection.
Propertius' style is marked by seemingly abrupt transitions (in the manner of Latin neoteric poetry) and a high and imaginative allusion, often to the more obscure passages of Greek and Roman myth and legend. His idiosyncratic use of language, together with the corrupted state of the text, have made his elegies a challenge to edit; among the more famous names who have offered criticism of and emendations to the text have been the classicist John Percival Postgate and the English poet A. E. Housman.
★ Emil Baehrens, Bibliotheca Teubneriana, 1880
★ John Percival Postgate, Cambridge, 1894
★ E.A. Barber, Oxford Classical Text, 1953 (2nd ed., 1960)
★ W.A. Camps, Book 1, Cambridge, 1961
★ L. Richardson, Jr., Lawrence, 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, Cambridge, 2005
★ Giancarlo Giardina, Rome, 2005
★ Simone Viarre, Collection Budé, 2005
★ Gregory Hutchinson, Book 4, Cambridge, 2006
★ Propertius, 'The Poems' (Oxford World's Classics) - see especially Lyne's introduction
★ D.Feeney, 'Literature and Religion at Rome: Cultures, Contexts, and Beliefs'
★ M.Beard, J.North & S.Price, 'Religions of Rome'
★ J.North, 'Religion and Politics: from Republic to Principate' in Journal of Roman Studies 76
★ J.Hallett, 'Queens, princeps and women of the Augustan elite: Propertius' Cornelia elegy and the Res Gestae Divi Augusti' in R.Winkes (ed.) 'The Age of Augustus'
1. ''Vita Vergiliana'', V
2. e.g. I.22.9-10; IV.1.63-6 and 121-6; unless otherwise noted numerical references refer to Propertius' collections
3. IV.1.127
4. e.g. ''Tristia'' IV.10.41-54
5. IV.1.131
6. e.g. I.1.9, 6.2, 14.20, and 22.1
7. III.23.24
8. cf. II.18.19
9. II.13.25
10. See III.18, a poem which mentions the death of Marcellus in 23 BCE
11. See e.g. III.21 and III.24
12. Cf. Pliny ''Epistles'' VI.125, where Pliny says a Roman knight Passennus Paulus ''scribit elegos...atque etiam inter maiores suos Propertium numerat.'' (writes elegies...and even numbers among his ancestors Propertius); though this may be nothing more than a tall tale
13. ''Apologia'', ch. X
14. III.20.8
15. I.7.11; II.131.6; II.13.11
16. I.2.27-8: ''cum tibi praesertim Phoebus sua carmina donet/Aoniamque libens Calliopea lyram'' - "While Apollo grants you above all his power of song, and Calliope willingly an Aonian lyre"
17. III.24.4
18. IV.7.96
19. Micaela Janan, The Politics of Desire: Propertius IV. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2001. Pp. 255. ISBN 0-520-22321-7
20. IV.11
★
★ The ''Elegies'' of Propertius at The Latin Library
★ Propertius, The Elegies
★ English translations of Propertius with introductory essay and notes by Jon Corelis
Auguste Jean Baptiste Vinchon, ''Propertius and Cynthia at Tivoli''
'Sextus Propertius' was a Latin elegiac poet born sometime around about 50-45 BCE in or near Assisi, and died a short time after 15 BCE. His surviving work consists of four books of ''Elegies.''
| Contents |
| Life |
| Poetry |
| Latin editions |
| Sources |
| Notes |
| External links |
Life
Very little information is known about Propertius outside of his own writing. His praenomen "Sextus" is mentioned by Donatus[1], and a few manuscripts give his name as "Sextus Propertius", but the rest of his name is unknown. From numerous references in his poetry[2] it is clear he was born and raised in Umbria; modern Assisi claims for itself itself the honor his birthplace. He mentions that as a boy his father died and the family lost land as part of a confiscation, probably the same one which reduced Virgil's estates when Octavian alloted lands to his veterans in 41 BCE[3]. Combining this with cryptic references in Ovid [4], which seem to imply he was younger that his contemporary Tibullus, a birthdate in the early 40's seems appropriate.
After his father's death, Propertius' mother set him on course for a public career[5]--indicating his family still had some wealth--and the abundance of obscure mythology present in his poetry indicates he received a good education. Frequent mention of friends like Tullus[6]--the nephew of Lucius Volcatius Tullus, consul in 33 BCE--and the fact that he lived on Rome's Esquiline hill[7] indicate he moved among the children of the rich and politically connected during the early part of the 20's decade. It was during this time that he met Cynthia, the older woman[8] who would inspire him to express his poetic genius.
Propertius published a first book of love elegies in 25 BCE, with Cynthia herself as the main theme; the book's complete devotion gave it the natural title ''Cynthia Monobiblos''. The ''Monobiblos'' attracted the attention of Maecenas, a patron of the arts who took Propertius into his circle of court poets. A second, larger book of elegies was published perhaps a year later, one that includes poems addressed directly to his patron and, as expected, praises for Augustus (Textual note: The 19th century classics scholar Karl Lachmann argued--based on the unusually large number of poems in this book and Propertius' mention of ''tres libelli''[9]--that the single book II actually comprised two separate books of poetry that had been mashed together in the manuscript tradition. Though some editors have previously numbered the poems accordingly, the idea has fallen out of favor in more recent times).
The publication of a third book came sometime after 23 BCE[10]. Its content shows the poet beginning to move beyond simple love themes, as some poems (e.g. III.5) use ''Amor'' merely as a starting point for other topics. The book also shows the poet growing tired of the demanding yet fickle Cynthia[11], and implies a bitter end to their torrid love affair. Book IV, published sometime after 16 BCE, displays more of the poet's ambitious agenda, and includes several aetiological poems explaining the origin of various Roman rites and landmarks.
Book IV--the last Propertius wrote--contains only half the poems of the next smallest book I. Given the change in direction apparent in his poetry, scholars assume only his death a short time after publication prevented him from further exploration; the collection may in fact have been published posthumously. It is also quite possible that Propertius had children, either with Cynthia or a later liason.[12] An elegy of Ovid dated to 2 BCE makes it clear that Propertius was dead by this time.
Poetry
Propertius fame rests on his four books of elegies, totaling 92 poems (scholars over the centuries have divided and rearranged the poems enough that the exact number fluctuates). All his poems are written using the Elegiac couplet, a form in vogue among the Roman social set during the late 1st century BCE.
Like nearly all the elegists, Propertius' work is dominated by the figure of a single woman, one he refers to throughout his poetry by the pseudonym Cynthia. She is named in over half the elegies of the first book and appears indirectly in several others, right from the first word of the first poem in the ''Monobiblos'':
''Cynthia prima suis miserum me cepit ocellis,''
''contactum nullis ante cupidinibus.''
"Cynthia first captivated wretched me with her eyes,
I who had never before been touched by Cupid."
(I.1.1-2)
Apuleius[13] identifies her as a woman named ''Hostia'', and Propertius suggests[14] she is a descendent of the Roman poet Hostius. Scholars guess that she was probably a courtesan, though Propertius frequently compliments her as ''docta puella''[15], and like Sulpicia she was also a writer of verse[16]. Their affair seems to veer wildly between the extremes of emotion, and as a lover she clearly dominates his life at least thru the publication of the third book:
''cuncta tuus sepelivit amor, nec femina post te''
''ulla dedit collo dulcia vincla meo''
"Your love has buried all others, nor has any woman after you
put sweet fetters upon my neck."
(III.15.11-2)
It is difficult to precisely date many of Propertius' poems, but they chronicle the kind of declarations, passions, jealousies, quarrels, and lamentations that were commonplace subjects among the Latin elegists. The last two poems in book III seem to indicate a final break with her (''versibus insignem te pudet esse meis'' - "It is a shame that my verses have made you famous"[17]), and Cynthia died some time before the publication of the final book IV, where she is the subject of only two poems. The bi-polar complexity of the relationship is amply demonstrated in an amusing poem from book IV: Cynthia's ghost addresses Propertius from beyond the grave with criticism (among other things) that her funeral was not lavish enough, yet the longing of the poet remains in the final line ''inter complexus excidit umbra meos.'' - "Her shade then slipped away from my embrace."[18].
As noted, book IV strongly indicates Propertius was embarking on a new direction for his poetry. The book includes several aetiological poems which, in reviewing the mythological origins of Rome and its landmarks, can also be read as critical--even vaguely subversive--of Augustus and his agenda for the new Rome. The position is currently a subject of debate among modern classics scholars[19]. The final poem[20] in the book is a touching address by the recently deceased Cornelia to console her husband Paullus and their three children. Although the poem (given Cornelia's connection to Augustus' family) was most likely an imperial commission, its dignity, nobility, and pathos have led critics to call it the "queen of the elegies", and it is commonly considered the best in the collection.
Propertius' style is marked by seemingly abrupt transitions (in the manner of Latin neoteric poetry) and a high and imaginative allusion, often to the more obscure passages of Greek and Roman myth and legend. His idiosyncratic use of language, together with the corrupted state of the text, have made his elegies a challenge to edit; among the more famous names who have offered criticism of and emendations to the text have been the classicist John Percival Postgate and the English poet A. E. Housman.
Latin editions
★ Emil Baehrens, Bibliotheca Teubneriana, 1880
★ John Percival Postgate, Cambridge, 1894
★ E.A. Barber, Oxford Classical Text, 1953 (2nd ed., 1960)
★ W.A. Camps, Book 1, Cambridge, 1961
★ L. Richardson, Jr., Lawrence, 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, Cambridge, 2005
★ Giancarlo Giardina, Rome, 2005
★ Simone Viarre, Collection Budé, 2005
★ Gregory Hutchinson, Book 4, Cambridge, 2006
Sources
★ Propertius, 'The Poems' (Oxford World's Classics) - see especially Lyne's introduction
★ D.Feeney, 'Literature and Religion at Rome: Cultures, Contexts, and Beliefs'
★ M.Beard, J.North & S.Price, 'Religions of Rome'
★ J.North, 'Religion and Politics: from Republic to Principate' in Journal of Roman Studies 76
★ J.Hallett, 'Queens, princeps and women of the Augustan elite: Propertius' Cornelia elegy and the Res Gestae Divi Augusti' in R.Winkes (ed.) 'The Age of Augustus'
Notes
1. ''Vita Vergiliana'', V
2. e.g. I.22.9-10; IV.1.63-6 and 121-6; unless otherwise noted numerical references refer to Propertius' collections
3. IV.1.127
4. e.g. ''Tristia'' IV.10.41-54
5. IV.1.131
6. e.g. I.1.9, 6.2, 14.20, and 22.1
7. III.23.24
8. cf. II.18.19
9. II.13.25
10. See III.18, a poem which mentions the death of Marcellus in 23 BCE
11. See e.g. III.21 and III.24
12. Cf. Pliny ''Epistles'' VI.125, where Pliny says a Roman knight Passennus Paulus ''scribit elegos...atque etiam inter maiores suos Propertium numerat.'' (writes elegies...and even numbers among his ancestors Propertius); though this may be nothing more than a tall tale
13. ''Apologia'', ch. X
14. III.20.8
15. I.7.11; II.131.6; II.13.11
16. I.2.27-8: ''cum tibi praesertim Phoebus sua carmina donet/Aoniamque libens Calliopea lyram'' - "While Apollo grants you above all his power of song, and Calliope willingly an Aonian lyre"
17. III.24.4
18. IV.7.96
19. Micaela Janan, The Politics of Desire: Propertius IV. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2001. Pp. 255. ISBN 0-520-22321-7
20. IV.11
External links
★
★ The ''Elegies'' of Propertius at The Latin Library
★ Propertius, The Elegies
★ English translations of Propertius with introductory essay and notes by Jon Corelis
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