The poet Ovid was cancelled in 8 AD by the Emperor Augustus and exiled from Rome to Tomis, the very edge of the Empire. While the precise cause of his banishment remains a subject of speculation, it’s widely believed that Ovid’s work, particularly his erotic poetry, offended Augustus’s moral sensibilities or political ambitions. This punishment not only severed Ovid’s ties with his beloved Rome but also resulted in his removal from the literary and social circles of the city.
Ovid’s cancellation was a multifaceted process that encompassed suppression of his works, isolation from his literary community, and social ostracization. This cancellation not only silenced Ovid’s voice but also cast a shadow over his legacy, leaving a lasting mark on both the man and his works.
At the center of space, between earth, sea, and sky Lies twisted into truth, truth into lies
In Ovid’s story, there’s a place at the center of everything where gossip and rumors swirl around endlessly. It’s like a big round room where every word spoken echoes and travels. This place is ruled by Rumor, who lives in a tall tower without doors. People come and go, spreading stories that twist truth into lies and lies into truth. Everyone, from the innocent to the deceitful, adds to the never-ending chatter. Rumor hears everything happening on land, sea, and even in the sky. It’s like a giant gossip center where nothing stays secret for long.
The description of the Globe as a center where everything is seen and heard, with walls that reflect words and whispers, creates a dreamlike atmosphere. The tower where Rumor resides, with its innumerable entrances but no doors, symbolizes the elusive and ever-changing nature of gossip and rumor. Additionally, the depiction of truth and falsehood intertwining, and the portrayal of characters like Innocence and Fear walking among the voices, contribute to the sense of illusion and unreality. Overall, through its imaginative language and portrayal of Rumor’s realm, the passage effectively emotes illusion, inviting the reader into a world where reality blurs with deception and gossip.
The passage suggests that the ancients saw the Earth as a globe through its description of the Globe at the center of the cosmos. The use of the term “round Globe” and the imagery of a central point where Earth, sea, and sky converge implies a spherical shape. Additionally, the portrayal of Rumor’s domain as a place where everything happening across the Earth, sea, and even the skies is heard or seen further reinforces the idea of a globe. This perspective aligns with the understanding of the Earth’s shape by many ancient civilizations, including the Greeks, who speculated about a spherical Earth based on observations of celestial bodies and the curvature of the horizon. Thus, the passage subtly reflects the ancient belief in the Earth’s spherical nature through its portrayal of the central Globe and its encompassing reach.
Navigating Rumor and Gossip
Today, readers can reflect on the enduring themes of Ovid’s Metamorphoses. The passage’s portrayal of Rumor’s domain as a place where truth and falsehood intertwine, and where gossip spreads relentlessly, resonates in our contemporary world of social media and instant communication. We can contemplate the impact of rumors and misinformation in our own lives, considering how easily falsehoods can spread and influence perceptions.
Moreover, the depiction of Rumor’s tower as a place without doors suggests the omnipresence and accessibility of information in today’s digital age. We are lucky to live in a world where information flows freely but is unchecked and unfiltered, but realize it is open to manipulation.
Furthermore, the passage’s personified emotions invites us to explore our own reactions to hearsay and contemplate how these emotions influence our beliefs and behaviors, as we strive to cultivate discernment and critical thinking in the face of rumor and speculation.
Ultimately, this verse encourages us to consider the power of words and the importance of seeking truth amid the noise. It prompts reflection on how to navigate the complexities of modern communication with wisdom, integrity, and compassion.
“There, in the middle of the big round Globe,
Set at the center of space, between earth, sea, and sky,
Is where our triple World unites and spins.
There everything within the Globe is seen,
Everything said is heard, echoed, resounded
From those curved sides which might as well be ears.
Rumour, sometimes mistaken for great Fame,
More often dressed as Notoriety, lives there,
A mountain-round-house tower is her home:
Innumerable doorways all around It,
A thousand entrances, exits, arcades,
And none with doors. Or night or day
The place keeps open house, and its brass walls
Reflect the highest word, the lowest whisper;
The place is never Silent, never noisy,
Yet full of voices, like the sounds of waves
Heard from a lighthouse set a mile inshore,
Or like the stilled and trembling trail of sound
Jove’s thunder leaves after black clouds collide.
Through tower halls the Many come to talk,
Lies twisted into truth, truth into lies;
All come and go, and gossip never ends.
Talk, talk, talk, talk fills many hundred ears
That empty as a story’s told, rehashed,
And told to someone else, or fiction grows;
Each time retold adds what is heard
To what’s been said before.
And Innocent Believe-It-All walks there, Deaf-And-Blind Error,
Pushing his way or runs and hides, and dear,
Foolish, Without-A-Leg-To-Stand-On Joy,
Mad Fear, Glib Treason, Confidential Whisper.
Rumour takes in all things at sea, on land,
And, at a distance, in the skies of heaven,
Everything heard or seen throughout the Globe.”
Signet Classics
Translated by Horace Gregory
- Statue of Ovid
- J.M.W. Turner — Ovid Banished From Rome, exhibited 1838
- Rumor/Fame sounding the trumpet
- Rumour or Fama from 16th Century edition of Virgil's Aeneid
post a comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.