The Loves

Ovid. P. Ovidius Naso, Volume 1: Amores, Epistulae, Medicamina faciei femineae, Ars amatoria, Remedia amoris. Ehwald, Rudolf; Merkel, Rudolph; editors. Leipzig: B. G. Teubner, 1907.

Perseus Digital Library · CC BY-SA (per Perseus's terms)

Cloned and adapted by Humanitext, with ongoing edits.

This work is a collection of love elegies in three books by the ancient Roman poet Ovid, focusing on the theme of love. Opening with a humorous prologue where the poet explains that the collection was condensed from five books to three, it begins with Ovid's attempt to write an epic, only to be redirected into love poetry by the god Cupid. At the heart of the collection is his passionate, turbulent, and often humorous relationship with his beautiful and haughty mistress, Corinna. Throughout the poems, the narrator vividly depicts the various joys and anxieties of love, including secret signals under her husband's nose, intense jealousy, betrayals, and even her dangerous abortion. As the collection progresses, it touches upon deeply personal and witty subjects, such as an unexpected bout of sexual impotence, rivalry with wealthy suitors, and reflections on the power of poetry itself. Finally, after contemplating a shift to tragedy, the poet bids farewell to the elegiac muse and the god of love, preparing to embark on grander literary endeavors.