Publius Ovidius Naso was born in Sulmo in Apennines around 43 B.C. His friendship with Horace and his banishment to Tomis by Emperor Augustus is in record along with his visit to Athens, and Asia Minor. Ovid describes his banishment as ‘carmen et error’ which has been translated as ‘a poem and a mistake’. Others see Emperor’s action as ‘mysterious’. He could not return to his native land even after death of Emperor August, Tiberius did not intend to recall Ovid, and thus the poet died at Tomis in 17 C.E.

His poetic works ‘Tristia’ and ‘Epistulae ex Ponto’ were written during his exile period. ‘Amores’ are considered as one of his major works, and ‘Ars Amores’ which followed this has been translated as ‘The Art of Love’ which as some writers think became the cause of his banishment in 8 C.E. Thereafter he wrote ‘Remedia’. Among all his works, ‘Heroides’ and ‘Metamorphoses’ are considered as his magnum opus.

Works of Ovid needs rethinking as in most cases translational lines of his epic poems have been distorted as it often happens when meanings are extracted to explain an event like the one we find in case of ‘carmen’ , ‘Ars‘, and ‘ex Ponto’ and ‘Amores‘.