Several generations of Roman lyric poets are brought together here, freshly translated into modern English verse. What links them is the theme of love in all its variations, as much in the air then and there as it is here and now. These great poets knew each other, were conversant with one anothers work, which they echoed, parodied, and paid homage in the forms and figures they deployed. It’s a classic case of influence, the process by which poetry propagates itself through all ages and cultures.
Bawdy, delicate, offbeat, and often sublime, love is represented here in all its modes, thanks to the craft and tact of the translator. Catullus passionate intensity, Horaces worldly wisdom, Propertius metaphysical wit, and Ovids stylish flippancy are all on display in a disciplined English verse that might have been--and was--written yesterday. If, at school, you found Latin an affliction, here is your remedy. If you loved for its austere simplicity, here is your chance to take up with it again at a reunion banquet. If youve never studied it, its time to make its acquaintance.
The full scope of love poetry is here on view in the work of these Roman masters, and their background and technique explored in their translators vivid introduction. His point is simple: the more things change, the more they stay the same.
