Minor Latin Poets, Volume II: Florus. Hadrian. Nemesianus. Reposianus. Tiberianus. Dicta Catonis. Phoenix. Avianus. Rutilius Namatianus. Others (Loeb Classical Library) [Hardcover]

Minor Latin Poets (Author), Avianus (Author), Hadrian (Author), Florus (Author), Nemesianus (Author), Reposianus (Author), Tiberianus (Author), Phoenix (Author), Rutilius Namatianus (Author), J. Wight Duff (Translator), Arnold M. Duff (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1934 | ISBN-10: 0674994787 | ISBN-13: 978-0674994782

This is the second volume of an anthology of Latin poetry. The two-volume anthology covers a period of four and a half centuries, beginning with the work of the mime-writer Publilius Syrus, who flourished ca. 45 BCE, and ending with the graphic and charming poem of Rutilius Namatianus recording a sea voyage from Rome to Gaul in 416 CE. A wide variety of theme gives interest to the poems: hunting in a poem of Grattius; an inquiry into the causes of volcanic activity by the author of Aetna; pastoral poems by Calpurnius Siculus and by Nemesianus; fables by Avianus; a collection of Dicta, moral sayings, as if by the elder Cato; eulogy in Laus Pisonis; and the legend of the Phoenix, a poem of the fourth century. Other poets complete the work.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 432 pages
• Publisher: Loeb Classical Library (January 1, 1934)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0674994787
• ISBN-13: 978-0674994782
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #437,111 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not So Minor Latin Poetry, January 9, 2006

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Johannes Platonicus (South Bend, Indiana) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

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This review is from: Minor Latin Poets, Volume II: Florus. Hadrian. Nemesianus. Reposianus. Tiberianus. Dicta Catonis. Phoenix. Avianus. Rutilius Namatianus. Others (Loeb Classical Library) (Hardcover)

The ambiguous title (Minor Latin Poets) heaped upon this motley caste of ancient writers deserves a short, specific definition. The appellation "minor" does not mean lesser, in the sense that these poems are of the poorest quality composed by classic hands. It is true that a handful of these poems lack high merit and their authorship is anonymous, questionable or spurious. Yet to counter this slight discrepancy, the reader will be graced with fourteen short poems by Florus that easily compare, and at times surpass, the beauty and profundity of his predecessors from the famed Augustan Age. Furthermore, the eclectic emperor Hadrian has left us a few clever compositions here to admire. The virtue laden proverbs of Publius Syrus, the urbane Dicta Catonis, and the charming poems attributed to a certain Tiberianus are--among others worthy of mention--what will be found in these two volumes. So "minor" is to be rendered as "various poets whose works are short", as these two volumes are an anthology of short poems, written at different eras by different hands. These works should not be overlooked by curious readers. Many treasures lie in wait for aspiring poets here as well.