Corpus Tibullianum

The Corpus Tibullianum is a collection of poetry most likely compiled to represent the works of Marcus Valerius Messalla Corvinus's literary circle. The first two books of this collection are definitively attributed to the Roman elegiac poet Albius Tibullus, who lived from approximately 55 to 19 BCE. Tibullus is considered by some, like Quintilian, to be the finest among the great Latin elegiac writers, which include Cornelius Gallus, Tibullus, Sextus Propertius, and Ovid.123

Tibullus's poetry primarily focuses on his love affairs, notably with women he pseudonymously called Delia and Nemesis. His work is characterized by its idyllic simplicity, grace, tenderness, and exquisite expression, often contrasting with the more vigorous style of his contemporary Propertius. Tibullus himself favored a quiet life in the countryside over an active one.13