Аncient Roman Poet

In the first century B. C. he was respected the a poet to whom Emperor Augustus himself showed kindness, and his works were studied at Roman schools. With the coming of Christianity, the prophecy of the birth of Jesus Christ was found in his «Aeneid» and the poet himself was called the greatest prophet. In the Middle Ages he was regarded as a powerful magician who described in detail the ceremony of magic and the «descent into the realm of the dead».

For more than two thousand years now whenever the talk is about Roman poets the name of Virgil is called first.

The creator of the epic poems Publius Virgil Maro was born in the October Ides, the year of 70 B.C. According to the legend, his mother gave birth to her child right on the road on her way to the village neighboring with the town of Mantuya. There is evidence that still in the 11th century curious travelers were shown the road ditch where the author of the famous «Aeneid» was born.

To keep up the tradition, a poplar tree was planted in honor of the newly-born. The tree grew quickly and this was interpreted as a sign of luck, happiness and special patronage of gods.

The prediction came true very soon: the son of a potter’s workshop owner of modest means succeeded in entering the school of rhetorics in Rome where youths from noble families studied. One of Virgil’s classmates was the future emperor Octavian Augustus.

Virgil composed verses as early as in his childhood. So, Guy Svetony Tranquill ascribed to him a funny couplet about a school teacher, Ballista by name, who was beaten with stones having been suspected of robbery:

Here, under a heap of stones, lies the buried Ballista;

Traveler, your journey became safe by day and night.

Friendly relations established in his youth helped Virgil enter the higher circles of Roman society. The poet enlisted the aid of the rich Roman, Guy Cilni Maecenas. This friendship glorified Maecenas for ages: his family name became common and now it means a beneficent person, a patron of the arts helping disinterestedly people of arts and science. And thanks to Maecenas, Virgil was able to live comfortably in his own estate not far from Naples, to occupy oneself with agriculture, philosophy and poetry.

In his book «On Poets» Svetony wrote: «Virgil was pure in his speech and thought all his life».

The poet worked slowly and thoroughly. According to his biographers, in the morning he wrote and dictated poetry, and then during the rest of the day he shortened and changed what he had written earlier. For seven years he wrote the poem about the joy of rural life under the title of «Georgics»; a small collection «Bucolics» or «The Shepherd»s Songs» took three years to write and eleven years were spent on the heroic epos «Aeneid».

Virgil took the myth about the legendary Aenei of Troy, the son of the goddess Venus, to be the ancestor of Romans, as the basis for «Aeneid». The poet deserved reproaches for using not only the plot but also separate lines from the works of his predecessors, skillfully entwining them in his own narrative. Virgil invariably replied to such accusations: «Let them try to commit such a theft and then they will understand that it is easier to steal the stick of Hercules than the verse of Homer».

The poet presented excerpts from «Aeneid» to the emperor»s judgment. Virgil could recite poems in such a manner that professional orators envied the expressiveness of his intonation and accuracy of gestures. Augustus lent a favorable ear to the enthusiastic lines about his victories and triumphs. Further, Virgil, in an attempt to retell the story thoroughly, together with his character, carried his noble listener away to the nether world: in the sixth book Aenei descends to the world of the dead:

The waters of the subterranean rivers are guarded by a terrible

ferryman.

The dismal and dirty Haron. All his face is overgrown

with a Shaggy grey beard – only his eyes blaze on his stony face.

The cloak on his shoulders is tied in a knot and hangs hideously.

He is steering the boat with a pole and proceeding under sail himself

Ferrying the dead on his frail boat across the dark stream….

Perhaps, it was the 6^th book of «Aeneid» that 14 centuries later inspired Dante to create his «Divine Comedy» in which Virgil was given the part of a sage and a guide through the Hades and Purgatory.

Virgil was 52 years old when he set off traveling. But on the way he fell ill and on board the ship belonging to Augustus whom he had met in Athens, made for home. But he was not destined to return to his homeland. On September 20, 19 B.C. Virgil passed away. The epitaph on the poet»s gravestone ends up with the words: «I sang pastures, villages and chiefs».

Svetony described that before his death Virgil demanded that a casket with «Aeneid» be burnt as he considered the poem unfinished. But his will was not executed and the heroic epos of the Roman poet started its triumphant march through ages.

Many solemn poems imitating Virgil appeared in the course of two thousand years: «Petriad» by M. Lomonosov, «Henriad» by Voltaire… Even two «Aeneids» appeared, turned inside out. «Aeneid» turned by I. Kotlyarevsky into the Ukrainian language began with the words:

Aenei was a hell of a lad and a youth, a Cossack to compete….

So, the power of talent of the great Roman poet of the 1^st century B.C. caused the appearance of numerous imitations.

Дата добавления: 2015-10-28