The entire book of the Love Sutra

Author: (Ancient Rome) Ovid
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-09-01
Features: This is a humorous educational poem with very erotic diction and content, but it demonstrates the author's profound knowledge and exquisite psychological insight on this subject. —German historian Du The Art of Love may be the most immoral poem ever written, but it is not obscene. —British MacKay Metamorphoses and The Art of Love are both highly imaginative masterpieces with significant influence in the world. His talent for using rhythm and diction has reached its peak, and his vivid and meticulous observation is unparalleled. —British Roman literature historian Woolf Ovid's works are perfectly suited to the tone and pursuit of the pleasure-seeking crowd, suitable for those who seem to never know what seriousness is, or what pain and sorrow are. —British poet Matthew Arnold In The Art of Love, everything is bright, as if bathed in sunlight, giving a sense of beauty. At the same time, it is charmingly shallow, exquisitely refined, irresistibly adorable, and utterly false. If a note of sadness accidentally mixes with the sound of the lute and the pipa, at most, it is a warning to some beautiful women: Do not be stingy with those who love you, for time waits for no one, and ruthless years will mercilessly steal the rose-like blush from her cheeks, while hateful white hair will silently creep over her proud head. —Lewis Mumford The Art of Love is a work in which Ovid feigns to be commissioned by the god of love and his mother to teach men and women the art of love. The first book is for men, teaching them where to find the women they desire and how to approach and please them; the second book guides men on how to maintain a love relationship with the women they love; the third book is a classroom for women, teaching them how to please men and how to make love last. The Love Elixir is a prescription for those who have failed in love, offering advice on hunting, farming, abstaining from alcohol, traveling, and avoiding reading love letters, so that those who are heartbroken can alleviate their inner frustrations and pains. Beauty explores the art of women's cosmetics, but unfortunately, it was left unfinished. Love Songs celebrate the poet's love for a woman named Cornelia, serving as a practical application of Ovid's art of love. The poet envisions various scenarios, vividly expressing his psychological changes: joy or anger, elation or dejection, pleading or longing, regret or self-blame, jealousy of rivals, vanity, flirting, or being deeply in love. In the poet's view, love is both a sacred emotion and a beautiful art, a divine game that makes one lose one's senses. Together, these four works can be considered Ovid's Complete Art of Love, and they are collectively known as the timeless classics of world culture, alongside India's Kama Sutra, China's The Classic of the Plain Woman and The Method of Harmonizing Yin and Yang.