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  • CYNTHIA'S BIRTHDAY ACROSTIC (3.10.1–5): PROPERTIUS ON ELEGIAC TIME AND ETERNITY

  • Julia D. Hejduk
  • Journal:
    The Classical Quarterly / Volume 73 / Issue 2 / December 2023
    Published online by Cambridge University Press:
    14 February 2024, pp. 714-720
    Print publication:
    December 2023
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  • This article argues that an intentional acrostic spanning the first five lines of Propertius’ elegy for Cynthia's birthday (3.10), MANE[T], contributes significantly to the poignancy and purpose of the poem. MANE can be read as māne, ‘in the morning’, or manē, ‘stay!’, both of which emphasize the fleeting nature of dawn—and of Cynthia's youthful beauty. MANET can suggest both ‘[art] remains’ and ‘[death] awaits’. All four of these meanings work together to capture the tension between human transience and artistic immortality. The theme is further enhanced by a balancing reverse telestich at the poem's end, ROSA RVES (‘[a] rose, you will fall to ruin’).