Ovid and Russia

Ovid Nasus, the greatest poet of the Roman Empire, is believed to have been banished to the last border of the empire, the nation of the Getae, by the emperor Augustus.

His destination was Ovidiopal near Odessa, close to Kherson, on the banks of the Dnieper, the mouth of the Black Sea. It was believed that Constance was the last bastion of the empire where Latin was spoken.

However, the great Roman poet learned the language of the Getae, managing to speak and write it fluently. One of his books of verses, now lost, was written in that language.

For those of us who feel exiled, foreigners in our own country, Ovid with his Tristitiae Rerum and his Metamorphoses is a reference and a consolation because, as the Russians say, the raven cannot be blacker than its wings.

What moved the emperor to throw him out of Rome? Some satirical verses? Did he have any troubles at court with a lady of the imperial circle? Envy?

Nothing is known about this, but it is clear from his collection of poems "Remedia Amoris" and "Ars amandi" that the poet, who knew women, did not spare lewd or venustic advice on how to woo them in the market, in the circle, the forum or in the temples where incense was drunk in favour of Jupiter.

Tomi could have been Constanza, but he could also have been Sebastopol. In the Carmina Ponti Euxini, that typically Russian and moderately elegiac sadness is poured out.

Ovid pretends chimeras, his life seems a constant elegiac verse.

His work was revitalised throughout the Middle Ages, although we know little about his private life.

He was the son of a family of the equestrian order. His first two marriages were a failure, but the third, Corina, was the great love of his life.

He dedicated many of his compositions to her. Ovidio Naso, here are your spondees that alleviate my grief in the torrid summer of 2024 when so many Hispanics feel banished

Thursday, August 15, 2024