“Wielder of the stateliest measure ever molded by the lips on man,” Tennyson states. Who was the famous Roman poet? Virgil. Virgil was born in Andes, in Cisalpine Gaul (now Northern Italy) in 70 BC. He first has education at five years old and soon after began writing some simple poems. Between 42 and 37 BC Virgil composed pastoral poems such as Eclogues ('rustic poems' and "selections"). From 30 BC on, Virgil devoted most of his life to The Aeneid, which the national epic of Rome. Virgil's death occurred in 19 BC, when he died from a fever. Although Virgil wanted to burn The Aeneid, the epic was published. Virgil was buried near Naples. This is an introduction to Virgil.
Virgil began composing poems when he was very young until his death at 19 BC. The first group of poems he wrote was called the Appendix Vergiliana. In 42 BC Virgil's estate was confiscated and Virgil was inspired to write his about his feelings and emotions in a poem called Eclogues, his first “real” work. It later got published in the mid-30's BC. During 37 BC- 29 BC, Virgil wrote the Georgics, but was soon interrupted by Augustus. Augustus soon was pressing Virgil to write an epic for him because he won a famous battle. For the next ten years, Virgil wrote the Aeneid. The first six books of the epic explain how Aeneas, a Trojan hero, escapes Troy and runs to Italy. The other six books in the Aeneid are the Roman answer to Homer's Iliad. Virgil never finished the Aeneid because he died when traveling with Augustus to Greece by a fever. Although the Aeneid was incomplete, it was immediately recognized as a masterpiece because while it remembered the Roman victims, it also proclaimed the imperial mission of Rome. Long after Virgil's death, literate men still regard him as a master poet.
Virgil was long remembered after his death, even still today. After the Roman Empire collapsed, literate men, even those who refused to read his works, considered him a master poet. However, Gregory of Tours cautions the public by, “We ought not to relate their lying fables, lest we fall under sentence of eternal death.” Virgil even appeared as a guide in The Divine Comedy, because of Dante. Dante also mentions Virgil in some other works too. Virgil is still considered a master poet today and for future years to come.
There is some mysticism surrounding Virgil today and in the past. In a part of the Eclogues, there is mention of a birth of a boy, which actually might have some link to Jesus. However, this may also mean the Octavian's child, which was a girl. Virgil was somewhat highly regarded in the middle ages. Parts of the Aeneid were used for bibliomancy, along with parts of the Old Testament. Also, in the Welsh myth of Taliesin, the goddess Cerridwen is reading from a book that relates to Virgil. These are some main points of mysticism surrounding Virgil.
Virgil's English name was not given until modern days (19th century). In the Middle Ages, “Vergilius” was more commonly known as “Virgilius.” There was a connection with this name to a false belief that Virgil related to the word virgo (maiden in Latin). In Norman schools, the Latin endings in Latin names were dropped, so Virgilius was known as “Virgil.” Finally, in the 19th century, German-trained American classicists suggest the modification to “Vergil,” to avoid confusion between an 8th century Irish grammarian named Virgilius Maro Grammaticus. This is how Virgil got his name in English.
Virgil was a very famous Roman poet. He composed many poems, his most famous the Aeneid. Even after his death, Virgil still was famous and there was much mysticism surrounding him. Also, his name had many different versions until the 19th century, when Virgil was called “Vergil”, or “Virgil.” Virgil was a famous poet and his legacy still lives on today.
