Ovid - Publius Ovidius Naso

A Roman poet. Born in the central Italian town of Sulmona (now Sulmona) to a wealthy family of knights, the year after Caesar was assassinated, he was sent to Rome early to study law and rhetoric with his brother, who was one year younger than him. Rome had already ended its painful era of civil war with Augustus' unification of the country, and was on the brink of unprecedented peace and prosperity. He studied under some of the best rhetoricians of the time, but was particularly influenced by Aurelius Fuscus, a representative of the Asiatic school, who exuded brilliant technique. His talent for poetry was already remarkable, and in later years he would reminisce, saying that even when he was writing speeches for parliament or courtrooms, "the words just became poetry of their own accord." However, unable to disappoint his father, who had placed his hopes in his son to achieve social success at a common rate (his hardworking older brother had died at a young age), he went on to study in Athens to complete his course of study, but on his way back he attempted a long journey from Asia Minor to Sicily with the young poet Aemilius Macer.

After returning to Rome, he pursued a career in law as planned, and held a number of public offices, but such a stuffy profession was not to his liking, and he joined the circle of poets led by Messala Corvinus, a powerful patron of literature at the time, early on. He associated with many young poets, including Tibullus, who held a leading position in the circle, and frequented glamorous high society. His poetic activity first blossomed in the field of elegiac love poetry, which was popular at the time, and his breakthrough work was Amores , a light-hearted song about his love for his fictional lover Corinna. He then gained popularity with Heroides , a unique work that skillfully depicts the psychology of women in love, with letters written by famous heroines from myths and legends to their lovers or husbands. However, his later work, Ars Amatoria (The Art of Love), which became his masterpiece of love poetry, increased his fame, but at the same time drew criticism from some as a book about corrupting morals. Other works in this genre include De Medicamine Faciei Femineae (Only a portion remains) and Remedia Amoris (The Cure of Love), an antidote to the aforementioned Ars Amatoria.

After that, the poet broke away from love poetry and was eager to create long narrative poems. He almost completed the 15 volumes of the great Metamorphoses , and was also working on the Fasti , a Roman calendar based on ancient Roman folklore and religious events, to be dedicated to Emperor Augustus. In 8 AD, while he was working on this work, he was suddenly exiled by the emperor to Tomis (now Constanta, Romania) on the Black Sea coast. For a poet who had enjoyed glamorous social life and comfort in the capital Rome, life in exile was extremely miserable. However, despite repeated pleas, he spent 10 years there before dying. Among the works he wrote during this time are Tristia , a lament addressed to acquaintances and influential people in his homeland, and Ex Ponto , a message from the Black Sea, which are valuable sources for learning about the poet's life.

[Katsumi Matsumoto]

"Ovid's Metamorphoses (1981, Jinbun Shoin)" ▽ "Ovid's The Art of Love (1995, Heibonsha)" ▽ "Ovid's Song of Sorrow/Letters from the Black Sea (1998, Kyoto University Press)" ▽ "Ovid's Metamorphoses, Volumes 1 and 2 (Iwanami Bunko)"

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

古代ローマの詩人。中部イタリアの町スルモ（現スルモナ）の富裕な騎士階級の家に生まれる。カエサルが暗殺された翌年である。一つ違いの兄とともに修学のために早くからローマに送られ、法律や修辞学を学んだ。このころのローマはすでにアウグストゥスの天下統一によって苦しい内乱の時代を終え、未曽有(みぞう)の平和と繁栄を迎えようとしていた。彼はここで当代の優れた修辞学者たちについて学んだが、とりわけ、華麗な技巧をもって聞こえるアジアニズム派の代表者アウレリウス・フスクスから少なからぬ影響を受けた。彼の詩作の天分はすでに著しく、後年の述懐によれば、議会や法廷向きの演説を書こうとしても、「ことばはひとりでに詩になった」という。しかし、息子に世間並みの出世の夢を託する父の期待を裏切るわけにもいかず（勤勉な兄は若くして他界した）、勉学のコースを完成するためさらにアテネに留学したが、その帰途、若い詩人アエミリウス・マケルとともに小アジアからシチリア島にかけて長途の旅を試みた。

　帰国後、予定どおり法曹の道に進み、一、二の公職にもついたが、このような堅苦しい職業はもとより肌にあわず、早くから当時の有力な文芸のパトロン、メッサラ・コルウィヌスを中心とする詩人たちのサークルに加わり、その指導的地位にあったティブルスをはじめ多くの若い詩人たちと交わり、華やかな社交界にも出入りした。彼の詩作活動はまず、当時流行のエレゲイア調恋愛詩の分野で華々しく開花し、架空の恋人コリンナに寄せる恋情を軽妙に歌った『恋の歌』Amoresが出世作となった。ついで、神話伝説で名高いヒロインたちが恋人や夫にあてた手紙という奇抜な趣向で、女性の恋愛心理を巧みに描いた『名婦の書簡』Heroidesで人気を博した。しかしその後に書かれ、彼の恋愛詩の代表作となった『アルス・アマトリア』（愛の技術）は彼の名声を高めると同時に、風俗紊乱(びんらん)の書として一部のひんしゅくを買うことにもなった。このジャンルの作としてはほかに『女の化粧法』De Medicamine Faciei Femineae（一部のみ残存）、前記『アルス・アマトリア』の解毒剤的続編『愛の療法』Remedia Amorisがある。

　その後、恋愛詩と決別した詩人は長編の物語詩の制作に意欲を燃やし、大作『転身譜』Metamorphoses15巻をほぼ完成、さらにアウグストゥス帝に献呈の予定で、ローマの古伝承や宗教的行事を題材とした『祭暦』Fastiを制作中の紀元後8年、突然その皇帝から黒海沿岸のトミス（現ルーマニアのコンスタンツァ）へ追放を命じられた。首都ローマでの華やかな社交と安楽に浸ってきた詩人にとって、追放地での生活はこのうえもなく悲惨であった。しかし、幾度となく繰り返された愁訴嘆願もかいなく、10年をこの地で過ごして没した。この間に書かれたものでは、故国の知己や有力者にあてた『嘆きの歌』Tristia、『黒海便り』Ex Pontoなどが伝存し、詩人の生伝を知るうえでも貴重な資料となっている。

［松本克己］

『オウィディウス著『転身物語』（1981・人文書院）』▽『オウィディウス著『恋の技法』（1995・平凡社）』▽『オウィディウス著『悲しみの歌／黒海からの手紙』（1998・京都大学学術出版会）』▽『オウィディウス著『変身物語』上下巻（岩波文庫）』

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