Source edition
Ovid. P. Ovidius Naso, Volume 3: Tristia, Ibis, Ex Ponto Libri, Fasti. Ehwald, Rudolf; Merkel, Rudolph; editors. Leipzig: B. G. Teubner, 1889.
Source data
Perseus Digital Library · CC BY-SA (per Perseus's terms)
Cloned and adapted by Humanitext, with ongoing edits.
Summary
This work is an elegiac invective poem in which the exiled poet unleashes a torrent of curses against a persistent enemy who continues to persecute him. Addressing his anonymous adversary by the pseudonym "Ibis," the poet abandons his former peaceful style and summons the gods and Furies to witness his vow of relentless vengeance. The core of the poem consists of a dizzying catalog of mythological and historical precedents of tragic deaths, betrayals, and disasters. Drawing on figures such as Socrates, Laocoon, and Procrustes, the poet prays that every imaginable calamity befall his enemy both in life and after death. Finally, the poet concludes by warning that this poem is merely a preliminary threat, promising a more formal accusation in the future where the enemy's real name will be revealed.