Ovid was an ancient Roman poet who lived from 43 BCE to 17 or 18 CE. His work spans various genres, but he is best known for his lyric poetry, epic poems, and treatises on love and mythology. His major works include the "Metamorphoses" — a systematic collection of 300 myths, "Ars Amatoria" (The Art of Love), and "Amores" (Love Poems).
In his didactic poem "Ars Amatoria" (The Art of Love), Ovid provides advice first to men and then to women on how to find, conquer, and maintain the object of their affection. He aims to persuade his reader that success in love is possible with imagination, activity, perseverance, and patience.
See, the knowing bed receives two lovers:
halt, Muse, at the closed doors of the room.
Flowing words will be said, by themselves, without you:
and that left hand won’t lie idle on the bed.
Fingers will find what will arouse those parts,
where love’s dart is dipped in secrecy.
Hector did it once with vigour, for Andromache,
and wasn’t only useful in the wars.
And great Achilles did it for his captive maid,
when he lay in his sweet bed, weary from the fight.
You let yourself be touched by hands, Briseis,
that were still dyed with Trojan blood.
The collection "Amores" consists of a cycle of elegies dedicated to the poet's beloved. In this collection, traditional motifs are explored, such as vows of fidelity to the god of love, Cupid, the joy of the beloved's approval, and the suffering caused by her fluctuating moods.
Every lover is a soldier, and Cupid has his own camp;
Believe me, Atticus, every lover is a soldier.
The age which is apt for war, is also apt for Love:
Disgraceful is an old man as a soldier, disgraceful is an elderly lover.
However, alongside these themes, there is a sense of drama expressed through a playful and witty tone in the poems.
Your husband too will be present at my banquet —
I pray it’s his last meal, that man of yours!
Shall I look at my beloved girl, like any guest?
One of you will be touching what he pleases, and will you
the other, rightly subject, be cherishing your love?
The importance of Ovid's literary legacy in ancient literature lies in its influence on the development of poetry and mythology as disciplines. His works, especially the "Metamorphoses," became a model of creativity that inspired many subsequent writers and artists.