Tibullus facts for kids
Albius Tibullus was an ancient Roman poet who lived around 55 BC to 19 BC. He was known for writing a special kind of poetry called elegies. These poems often shared feelings about love, loss, or personal thoughts. We still have two of his poetry books today. However, many other writings that people thought were by him are now believed to be by other authors.
Not much is known for sure about Tibullus's life. We only have a few mentions of him from other writers of his time. We don't even know his first name or where he was born. He was likely a Roman eques, which was a social class of wealthy horsemen. He inherited a large estate, but like other famous poets such as Virgil, he probably lost most of it around 41 BC. This happened when lands were taken by leaders like Mark Antony and Octavian.
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His Life in Ancient Rome
Tibullus had a very important friend and supporter named Marcus Valerius Messalla Corvinus. Messalla was a speaker, a poet, and a leader in the Roman government. He had a group of writers and thinkers around him in Rome, much like Gaius Maecenas did. This group was not connected to the emperor's court. In fact, Tibullus never even mentions Emperor Augustus in his poems.
Around 30 BC, Messalla was sent to Gaul (modern-day France) by Augustus to stop a rebellion. Tibullus might have traveled with him. Later, around 28 BC, Tibullus was supposed to go with Messalla on a trip to the East. But he got sick and had to stay behind on an island called Corcyra (modern-day Corfu).
Tibullus didn't like war. He preferred a quiet life. He spent his time between Rome and his country home. He truly loved the peaceful life in the countryside. He even wrote about losing some of his land, calling it "a once fruitful, now impoverished field." This suggests he kept some of his family home.
Tibullus died quite young, probably in 19 BC, shortly after the famous poet Virgil. His death made a big impact in Rome. Other poets, like Ovid, wrote poems remembering him.
What Did Tibullus Write?
Tibullus's most famous works are his first two books of poetry. These books are collections of his elegies.
The First Book of Poems
Tibullus's first book contains poems written between 30 BC and 26 BC. His main love in this book is called Delia in the poems. However, another ancient writer, Apuleius, said her real name was Plania. Delia was not a Roman matron, meaning she wasn't a married woman of high status. Tibullus mentions her husband being away sometimes. He also talks about her avoiding the people who were supposed to watch over her.
Tibullus's love for Delia was supported by her mother, whom he spoke of very kindly. One poem describes Tibullus being sick in Corcyra. Other poems in this book show times when he and Delia were apart. They also show when her husband returned. It seems that when her husband was away serving in the military, Tibullus had chances to see her. But he found out he wasn't her only admirer. After the first book, Delia is not mentioned again.
The Second Book of Poems
Scholars believe Tibullus's second book was published before he died in 19 BC. It is a very short book, and it seems like it might not be finished. In this book, a new woman named "Nemesis" appears. This is also a made-up name. Tibullus complains that Nemesis had other admirers and that she was difficult. Despite his complaints, she seems to have remained important to him until his death.
The poet Ovid, writing when Tibullus died, said: "Thus Nemesis and Delia will be long remembered: one Tibullus' recent love, the other his first." This shows how important these two figures were in Tibullus's poetry.
How Tibullus Wrote Poetry
Even though we don't know much about the real Tibullus, his poems show us what kind of person he might have been. He seems to have been a kind and generous man. He was very loyal to his friends, even willing to leave Delia to travel with Messalla. He also seemed constant in his affections for the women he wrote about.
Tibullus was gentle and refined in his writing. When his love treated him badly, he didn't wish bad things on her. Instead, he would visit her little sister's grave, which he often decorated with flowers and watered with his tears. His dream was a peaceful life in the countryside with the person he loved by his side. He wasn't very ambitious and didn't even seem to care much about being famous forever as a poet.
In a time when many people were focused on money, Tibullus was religious in the old Roman way. His writing style was clear, polished, and natural. This made him very popular. A famous Roman writer named Quintilian even said Tibullus was better than other elegiac poets. For his natural grace and tender feelings, Tibullus stands out. He didn't fill his poems with too much complicated knowledge. His poems are smooth and musical, but sometimes they can feel a bit similar.
Poems Not by Tibullus?
Some of Tibullus's real poems might have been lost over time. On the other hand, many works that were thought to be his are now believed to be by other writers. Only the first and second books are definitely by him.
The Third and Fourth Books
The third book of poetry has 290 lines. The writer of these poems calls himself Lygdamus. We don't know when these poems were added to Tibullus's collection. The fourth book was separated from the third much later, by scholars in the 1400s. It contains poems of very different quality. The first poem in this book is about Messalla's achievements, but it's not very good. The author is unknown, but it was definitely not Tibullus.
The next eleven poems in the fourth book are about the loves of a Roman lady named Sulpicia and a man named Cerinthus. Sulpicia was a high-ranking Roman woman. These poems are special because they are the only love poems by a Roman woman that have survived from ancient times. Some experts think Tibullus might have written some of these poems, but their style is different, so it's not certain.
It seems that a collection of different poems related to Messalla and his friends was added to Tibullus's real works. This "Messalla collection" was probably put together after Tibullus died in 19 BC.
What Scholars Say
Scholar Francis Cairns thinks Tibullus was "a good poet but not a great one." Dorothea Wender also calls him a minor poet but says his work has "grace and polish and symmetry." This means his poems are beautiful, well-crafted, and balanced.
Images for kids
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Lawrence Alma-Tadema, Tibullus at Delia's
See also
In Spanish: Tibulo para niños
