Callimachean Allusions in Tibullus I 4

This paper discusses Tibullus I 4 with particular attention to three Callimachean intertexts, namely Iambus 9, Aetia fr. 41 and Iambus 3. Iambus 3 in particular proves to be a crucial intertext for the last portion of Priapus’ lecture on love. The paper argues that Tibullus does not merely echo the Alexandrian text but reacts to it and dramatically alters its implications. The Roman poet places this allusion at a crucial point, that is, at the end of Priapus’ lecture on homoerotic love. The appropriation and subversion of Callimachus’ Iambus 3 has a central place in Tibullus’ strategy of establishing the literary prestige of his own elegiac endeavor.