Description

This is an edition of the poem, De reditu suo, of Claudius Rutilius Namatianus, about the poet's voyage from Rome to Gaul in the year AD 417. This is the first prose translation of the Latin poem into English since the Loeb edition of the Duff brothers in 1935. This Roman aristocrat was a native of Gaul, who served as governor of Rome in 414, not long after the sack of Rome in 410. This elegant elegiac poem contains a humanly touching personal element, which proclaims his deep devotion both to Rome and to his native Gaul. Within the poem one can find a fascinating insight into the civilization and culture of the Roman empire in the early fifth century. The edition contains an Introduction, the Latin text, an English prose translation, Notes, bibliography, an index of all the Latin words in the poem, and an index of Names.