Summary

The poetry of Catullus, Virgil, Horace and Ovid has endured over 2,000 years.

The poetry of Catullus, Virgil, Horace and Ovid has endured over 2,000 years. For most of that time it was read only in Latin, the language of its origin - but over the centuries celebrated writers, from John Dryden to Aubrey Beardsley to Ezra Pound, have been inspired to create their own translations. Each verse extract appears both in Latin and English, illustrated with a detail from an ancient Roman painting or mosaic - many of them treasures from Pompeii and Herculaneum, preserved by the volcanic eruption which destroyed the two cities in 79 AD. The images capture the spirit of the age in which this enchanting poetry was written and, accompanied by a biographical note on each poet, make a perfect introduction to the towering civilization that was Rome.