Propertius, Sextus

Propertius, Sextus (sĕk`stəs prōpûr`shəs), c.50 B.C.–c.16 B.C., Roman elegiac poet, b. Umbria. He was a member of the circle of Maecenas. A master of the Latin elegy, he wrote with vigor, passion, and sincerity.

Bibliography

See translations by C. Carrier (1963) and J. Warden (1972); studies by M. Platnauer (1951) and D. R. S. Bailey (1956).

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Propertius, Sextus

(born 55/43, Assisi, Umbria—died after 16 BC, Rome) Roman poet. Very few details of his life are known. The first and best known of his four books of elegies (see elegy), Cynthia, was published in 29 BC, the year he met its heroine (his mistress, whose real name was Hostia). She emerges from his poems as beautiful, uninhibited, jealous, and irresistible. In Book II his main theme is still love, but he also contemplates writing an epic, is preoccupied with thoughts of death, and attacks the materialism of his time. Books III and IV demonstrate a bold command of language and various literary forms; among the subjects are Roman mythology and history.

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Propertius, Sextus 

Born circa 50 B.C., in Asisium, now Assisi; died circa 15 B.C., in Rome. Roman poet.

The basic theme of Propertius’ love elegies (there are 92, in four books) is an anguished, sorrowful passion for the beloved. The later concepts of the elegy and of what was elegiac developed under Propertius’ influence. The theme of love in his works was eventually replaced by mythological subjects and by idealization of a traditional way of life and of the valor of the ancient Romans. In addition, the theme of conjugal love and fidelity appeared in his love elegies.

Propertius’ style is marked by sharp shifts of thought and mood, deliberate ambiguity of expression, and an abundance of mythological details and allusions. His works influenced Ovid and many other Roman poets of the first century A.D. In the Middle Ages he was forgotten, and interest in him revived only in the age of Petrarch. In Russia, the poets K. N. Batiushkov, A. N. Maikov, and A. A. Fet were influenced by Propertius.

WORKS

Sexti Propertii elegiarum, vols. 1–4. Edited by M. Schuster. Leipzig, 1954.
In Russian translation:
In the collection Valerii Katull, Al’bii Tibull, Sekst Propertsii. Moscow, 1963.

REFERENCES

Istoriia rimskoi literatury, vol. 1. Edited by S. I. Sobolevskii [et al.]. Moscow, 1959.
Tronskii, I. M. Istoriia antichnoi literatury, 3rd ed. Leningrad, 1957.
Boucher, J. P. Etudes sur Properce: Problèmes d’inspiration et d’art. Paris, 1965.