Properce ( Sextus Propertius in Latin, but one often read, wrongly, Sextus Aurelius Propertius , resulting from a confusion) is a Latin poet born with the neighborhoods from 47 av. J. - C. in Ombrie, undoubtedly near the current city of Assise.

Biography

Properce is born in a plebeian, but easy family. His/her father, close reaching the equestrian class, dies rather young person, probably towards 43/42 av. J. - C. At the time of the redistribution of the grounds to the veterans, in 41 av. J. - C., the fields of the family of Properce are confiscated. That does not prevent it from making solids studies of right to Rome, but it gives up well quickly the bar for poetry with the considerable support of Mécène, close which it lives on the Esquilin.

He attends the men of letters of his time, whose Ovide, and sings its passion for Cynthia (“Cynthie”), connected, according to Apulée, in Hostia, grand-daughter of the Hostius poet or, according to recent studies, in Roscia, grand-daughter of the actor Quintus Roscius Gallus. She was, in any case, an young girl of a cultivated medium.

Its poetry evolves to an inspiration more religious and more centered on Rome, when he dies rather brutally at the 32/33 years age towards 16/15 av. J. - C.

Work

He is the author of four books of elegies of which it is reasonable to think that only first was published of alive sound. The three others are posthumous.

The first book ( Cynthia Monobiblos ) uses the Greek process of “ the epistle with the friends ”, who are benevolent or on the contrary jealous of this passion. This one develops until a provisional rupture (the discidium ).

In the second book, it applies to better representing the various aspects (artistic but also psychological) of this love.

Book III is inspired the least and the paragraphs devoted to Cynthie do not concern that a little less than half of the book, the remainder consists of funeral lamentations and praises (with Ælia Galla, Mécène and Auguste).

In book IV dominate the elegies over Latin or Roman legends. Undoubtedly is necessary it to see there the influence of Patron who pushes it towards great national poetry. It approaches some with precaution although one feels at his place a desire of emulation with Virgile. The 6th part of this book IV is devoted to the victory of Actium, the other elegies transporting the reader at the first times of Rome, where the poet does not hesitate to give life to odd and sometimes forgotten gods (Vertumne, Jupiter Férétrien) or to episodes little known, but always impressed the romantic one (Hercules and Bona Dea). It thus opens a way in which Ovide will engage more frankly with its Fastes .

This fourth book, finally, is more clearly inspired still style by the poets alexandrines, whose Properce was often made the follower.