Ovid
Ovid
Publius Ovidius Naso, known as Ovid in the English-speaking world, was a Roman poet who lived during the reign of Augustus. He was a contemporary of the older Virgil and Horace with whom he is often ranked as one of the three canonical poets of Latin literature. The Imperial scholar Quintilian considered him the last of the Latin love elegists. He enjoyed enormous popularity, but, in one of the mysteries of literary history, he was sent by Augustus into exile...
NationalityRoman
ProfessionPoet
law
The gods have their own laws. [Lat., Sunt superis sua jura.]
death pain lays
Death is not grievous to me, for I shall lay aside my pains by death. [Lat., Nec mihi mors gravis est posituro morte dolores.]
death men funeral
Man should ever look to his last day, and no one should be called happy before his funeral. [Lat., Ultima semper Expectanda dies homini est, dicique beatus Ante obitum nemo et suprema funera debet.]
death sleep fate
Thou fool, what is sleep but the image of death? Fate will give an eternal rest. [Lat., Stulte, quid est somnus, gelidae nisi mortis imago? Longa quiescendi tempora fata dabunt.]
passion reason
What is reason now was passion heretofore.
numbers storm prosperity
Whilst you are prosperous you can number many friends; but when the storm comes you are left alone.
giving doom
Tis you, alone, can save, or give my doom.
departed no-friends barns
Ants do no bend their ways to empty barns, so no friend will visit the place of departed wealth. [Lat., Horrea formicae tendunt ad inania nunquam Nullus ad amissas ibit amicus opes.]
lying bye good-bye
Good-bye to the lies of the poets. [Lat., Valeant mendacia vatum.]
joy mind poet
The poet's labors are a work of joy, and require peace of mind.
savages pleasure disposition
Alluring pleasure is said to have softened the savage dispositions (of early mankind). [Lat., Blanda truces animos fertur mollisse voluptas.]
pleasure attractive unlawful
What is lawful is undesirable; what is unlawful is very attractive. [Lat., Quod licet est ingratum quod non licet acrius urit.]
sweet bitter pleasure
There is no such thing as pure, unalloyed pleasure; some bitter ever mingles with the sweet.
men darkness mind
O ye gods! what thick encircling darkness blinds the minds of men!