Love and its various expressions have always been at the center of both public and private life in Rome. It is no coincidence, after all, that the word ROMA can be rearranged to spell AMOR (= love).
The Roman poets, in their effort to prove themselves worthy successors of their Greek predecessors, systematically cultivated and expanded the field of erotic writing, conquering new expressive methods, exploring new themes, and embarking on bold new ventures. Latin love poetry is filled with color, surprises, twists, and contradictions. It is characterized by imagination, sensitivity, boldness, irony, and, not infrequently, biting humor. It is a realm of countless shades, where the most subtle flutterings of a loving heart can coexist with the vengeful fury of a betrayed love.
As is the case with any anthology, the selection of texts was made based on our aesthetic criteria. All poems were translated by us for the needs of this anthology. We included as many poetic genres as possible (epic, elegy, lyrical poetry, epigram), aiming to showcase the variety of erotic Latin poetry. Emphasis was mainly placed on the poets of the Augustan era (Virgil, Horace, Propertius, Tibullus, Sulpicia, and Ovid), one of the most significant periods of Roman literary and artistic history, although poets from both the Republican period (Catullus) and the imperial years (Martial, Priapeus) were also anthologized.
This anthology is aimed at any reader who wishes to become acquainted with Latin poetry, as well as those who want to deepen their understanding of it. Brief biographical notes on each poet help the reader to gain at least a rough picture of the circumstances (historical, political, intellectual, and others) surrounding the creation of each work, in order to better appreciate each creator's contribution. Short interpretive footnotes are provided to facilitate understanding of the text.
Excerpts from the Introduction of the Translators - Commentators.
