The Erotic Poems

by Ovid, Peter Green (Translator)

Overview

This collection of Ovid's poems deals with the whole spectrum of sexual desire, ranging from deeply emotional declarations of eternal devotion to flippant arguments for promiscuity. In the Amores, Ovid addresses himself in a series of elegies to Corinna, his beautiful, elusive mistress. The intimate and vulnerable nature of the poet revealed in these early poems vanishes in the notorious Art of Love, in which he provides a knowing and witty guide to sexual conquest - a work whose alleged obscenity led to Ovid's banishment from Rome in AD 8. This volume also includes the Cures for Love, with instructions on how to terminate a love affair, and On Facial Treatment for Ladies, an incomplete poem on the art of cosmetics.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780141913940
Publisher:	Penguin UK
Publication date:	04/29/2004
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	464
Sales rank:	851,785
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Publius Ovidius Naso was born in 43 BC at Sumo in Central Italy. He was expelled from Rome by the emperor Augustus in AD 8 for some unknown offence. He published poetry throughout his life.

Peter Green is the Dougherty Centennial Professor of Classics in the University of Texas, Austin. He has translated Ovid and Juvenal for the Penguin Classics.

Read an Excerpt

The Art of Love
Should anyone here in Rome lack finesse at love-making,
Aid my enterprise, Venus! Respectable ladies, the kind who Wear hairbands and ankle-length skirts,
While you are fancy-free still, and can drive at leisure,
Here's what to do. When the sun's on the back of Hercules'
(Continues…)

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Excerpted from "The Erotic Poems"
by .
Copyright © 1983 Peter Ovid.
Excerpted by permission of Penguin Publishing Group.
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Table of Contents

The Erotic PoemsList of Abbreviations
Preface and Acknowledgments
Introduction

The Amores
The Art of Love
Cures for Love
On Facial Treatment for Ladies

Notes and References
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