Pocieszenie dla Liwii po śmierci syna Druzusa (przekład Consolatio ad Liviam) („Consolatio ad Liviam” – a Polish translation)

Abstract

Consolatio ad Liviam is a poem written in elegiac couplets at the beginning of 1st century AD by an anonymous author. Although the text used to be attributed to Ovid until as late as 16th century, its artistic level, historical context and meta- as well as intertextual hints almost certainly disprove his authorship. While not exceptionally remarkable as a piece of literature, the Consolatio seems to be of a certain interest from the historical point of view and to bring a valuable image of the Augustus’ entourage as well as funeral rites. It is also a noteworthy example of a combination between two literary traditions, namely those of consolatio and epicedion. Therefore, a first Polish translation should be useful for philologists and, more significantly, historians, who not always have obtained the knowledge of Latin sufficient to read ancient poetry. A pseudo-isometrical translation has been chosen, in order to compromise the Roman colouring with the metrical requirements of the Polish language.