Ovid in Exile by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Ovid describes his exile at Tomis, where severe winter freezes the river and sea, allowing mounted raiders to cross and plunder the countryside. As the ice thaws, he contrasts his surroundings with Rome's festivities, hopes arriving sailors will bring news, and asks the gods to have Caesar make his stay temporary.
By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow · Genre: Elegiac Poetry, Descriptive Poetry · 1,837 words
First lines
At Tomis, in Bessarabia, Near the Mouths of the Danube.
TRISTIA, Book III., Elegy X.
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Ovid in Exile is listed on Textopian as a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, dated Date unknown.
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- Work type: Poem
- Author: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
- Date: Date unknown
- Language: English
- Genres: Elegiac Poetry, Descriptive Poetry
- Length: 1,837 words
- Structure: 1 section, 69 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Standard (8th-9th Grade)
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- Work identity for Ovid in Exile by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
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Genres
- Elegiac Poetry — The two sections identified as elegies voice Ovid's distress at exile, his longing for Rome, and his plea that his place of punishment remain temporary.
- Descriptive Poetry — Paired verse lines describe persistent snow, frozen wine, carts crossing river ice, trapped fish, and the spring thaw.
Tags
exile · winter · border raids · homesickness · Roman festivals · spring thaw