Amores 1.9: A Poetic Analysis

"Love is War." Without a doubt, every one of us has heard that phrase uttered once in our lives, whether it be with the most earnest sincerity or an obtrusive, bitter sarcasm. Indeed, that phrase, whether consciously or not, may very well have influenced our own beliefs on love. When even briefly skimming the romance novels popular today, it'd be remiss not to highlight the glaring impact the "love is war" sentiment has had; from arguments interrupted with passionate embraces to the entirety of the "enemies to lovers" trope, it seems that this saying has officially ingrained itself into the Generation Z, Millennial, and even Generation X psyches-- a fact all the more shocking when it is revealed that the "love is war" cliche, far from being a product of the modern age, originated with Ovid.

Indeed, Ovid's Amores 1.9, often referred to as the "Militia amoris" poem, marks the origin of one of the most enduring metaphors in Latin love elegy: love is war, and lovers are soldiers. Yet, I argue that the meaning of "love is war" has been distorted over the millennia, and that Ovid's true musings on love have, tragically, been lost to history. In fact, instead of arguing that a war between lovers is necessary to emotionally consummate their relationship, Amores 1.9 instead relates the experience of two lovers, unable to express their desires, to a similar torture that a soldier experiences on a brutal battlefield. Far from war's connotations in romance books of today, Ovid acknowledges war as an unnecessary, cruel state of being that soldiers and lovers alike, rather than relishing in, must escape. But, poetic analysis is a function not of fact but of individual opinion; join me on this journey through Amores 1.9, and we'll discover together our interpretations of Ovid's verse.

The Poem Itself

*English translation by A.S. Kline, chief translator of Poetry in Translations

Latin Text

Militat omnis amans, et habet sua castra Cupido;

Attice, crede mihi, militat omnis amans.

quae bello est habilis, Veneri quoque convenit aetas.

turpe senex miles, turpe senilis amor.

quos petiere duces animos in milite forti,

hos petit in socio bella puella viro.

pervigilant ambo; terra requiescit uterque--

ille fores dominae servat, at ille ducis.

militis officium longa est via; mitte puellam,

strenuus exempto fine sequetur amans.

ibit in adversos montes duplicataque nimbo

flumina, congestas exteret ille nives,

nec freta pressurus tumidos causabitur Euros

aptaque verrendis sidera quaeret aquis.

quis nisi vel miles vel amans et frigora noctis

et denso mixtas perferet imbre nives?

mittitur infestos alter speculator in hostes;

in rivale oculos alter, ut hoste, tenet.

ille graves urbes, hic durae limen amicae

obsidet; hic portas frangit, at ille fores.

Saepe soporatos invadere profuit hostes

caedere et armata vulgus inerme manu.

sic fera Threicii ceciderunt agmina Rhesi,

et dominum capti deseruistis equi.

nempe maritorum somnis utuntur amantes,

et sua sopitis hostibus arma movent.

custodum transire manus vigilumque catervas

militis et miseri semper amantis opus.

Mars dubius nec certa Venus; victique resurgunt,

quosque neges umquam posse iacere, cadunt.

Ergo desidiam quicumque vocabat amorem,

desinat. ingenii est experientis amor.

ardet in abducta Briseide magnus Achilles--

dum licet, Argeas frangite, Troes, opes!

Hector ab Andromaches conplexibus ibat ad arma,

et, galeam capiti quae daret, uxor erat.

summa ducum, Atrides, visa Priameide fertur

Maenadis effusis obstipuisse comis.

Mars quoque deprensus fabrilia vincula sensit;

notior in caelo fabula nulla fuit.

ipse ego segnis eram discinctaque in otia natus;

mollierant animos lectus et umbra meos.

inpulit ignavum formosae cura puellae

iussit et in castris aera merere suis.

inde vides agilem nocturnaque bella gerentem.

qui nolet fieri desidiosus, amet!

English Text

Every lover’s in arms, and Cupid holds the fort:

Atticus, believe me, every lover’s in arms.

The age that’s good for war, is also right for love.

An old soldier’s a disgrace, and an old lover.

That spirit a commander looks for in a brave army,

a lovely girl looks for in a love partner.

Both keep watch: both sleep on the ground,

one serves at his lady’s entrance, the other his general’s.

A long road’s a soldier’s task: but send the girl off,

and a restless lover will follow her to the end.

He’ll go against mountains and bend into stormy rivers,

he’ll push his way through swollen snowdrifts,

he’ll not rely on excuses, like angry northerlies,

or waiting for suitable stars to take to the waves.

Who but a soldier or lover could endure

cold nights or dense snow mixed with rain?

One’s sent out to spy on attacking forces:

the other keeps eye on his rival, his enemy.

This one lays siege to strong cities, that one his harsh friend’s

entrance: one breaks down gates, the other doors.

Often it helps to attack a sleeping enemy,

and strike the unarmed mass with armed hand.

That’s how Rhesus and his fierce Thracians were killed

and forfeited the leader’s captured mares.

Lovers, for sure, will make use of a husband’s sleep

and employ their arms while the enemy slumbers.

Getting past watchman’s hands, and enemy sentinels

is work for soldiers and wretched lovers.

Mars is chancy, Venus uncertain: the fallen can rise again,

while those you think could never be thrown are beaten.

So if you’ve called all lovers idlers, forget it.

Love is all experience and ability.

Great Achilles burns for stolen Briseis –

while you can Trojans, smash the Argive wall!

Hector went into battle from Andromache’s arms,

it was the wife who placed the helmet on his head.

The great lord Atrides, they say, seeing Cassandra

that Trojan Maenad, was enraptured by her flowing hair.

Mars too, surprised, felt the blacksmith’s chain mesh:

there was never a greater scandal in heaven.

I myself was lazy and born to idle leisure:

bed and shade both softened my mind.

Love for a lovely girl soon drove the idler

and ordered him off to earn his pay in camp.

Now see me, active and fighting nocturnal wars.

If you don’t want to be idle, fall in love!

Part I: Theme & Voice

Ovid's comparison of love to war is not a throwaway poetic concept, but a conscious recasting of love in a similar light to other Roman virtues traditionally associated with battle (eg, vigor, discipline, and loyalty). He elevates the emotional turmoil associated with being in love to that of a soldier struggling to survive the battlefield, and naturalizes the equivalence between a lover's escapades and a soldier conquering restless nights. Rather than seeking to glorify both, Ovid argues that the absence of love is as powerful a force as war, and that lovers and soldiers similarly suffer when they are not allowed to be at peace. Love itself is not the torturous power, but rather the inability to express it. Ovid thereby promotes elegiac love from merely an effeminant pastime to a training ground in which one's character is tested. He asks the question of all his readers: Are you strong enough to weather the storm that is courtship? Slyly undermining traditional manly Roman virtues' monopoly on "serious struggle," Ovid simultaneously expresses sympathy for those who cannot act on their desires and argues that love sits coequal with war in shaping human identity.

Ovid's voice in Amores 1.9 is not that of an omniscient observer, but a commander-poet urging his lovers/soldiers to carry on, even in the face of struggle. Indeed, Ovid's voice shifts between the serious tone of a drill sergeant and the sympathetic, sarcastic tone of a fellow lover; running through his quasi-martialic tone is the unmistakable Ovidian comedy and dramatic tendencies. While the emotional core of the poem is genuine, the verse's tone does not shy away from parody or irony. Yet, at the emotional climax of the poem, the tone retreats into genuine territory. Much like a commander urging his troops to have faith, Ovid passionately argues that love will mobilize the idle and is the reason why one is able to carry on. Finally, his tone turns protreptic, as he attempts to recruit his reader to love, much like he has himself —hoping that the seductive power of love appears to his readers to be enough to warrant the undeniable struggle one must undergo when striving for it.

Part II: Meter

Like most other Roman love elegies, Amores 1.9 is written in elegiac couplets, where each couplet consists of one line of hexameter followed by one of pentameter. This juxtaposition between the longer and more grand hexameter, the hallmark meter of Roman epics, and the more intimate pentameter in itself illustrates the thematic heart of Amores 1.9. Indeed, with the Roman epic almost exclusively used to narrate the triumphs and defeats of infamous soldiers, and the pentameter typically used in more personal contexts, the two lines mirror the contrast between a soldier and a lover. By using a meter that pairs the two lines and, by extension, equates them, Ovid underpins the message at the heart of his verse: love is just as powerful a mobilizing force as battle, and lovers struggling to express their desire are fighting just as difficult a battle as soldiers in the midst of fire.

Additionally, the elegiac couplet structure mirrors the experiences of both a soldier and a lover. Its metrical consistency creates a sense of relentless forward motion, with each couplet building upon the last, evoking a rhythm reminiscent of a soldier marching into battle and a lover approaching his love's door. The repeated use of catalogue-like lists within the couplets, moreover, mimics the strict rules successful soldiers and lovers must follow, as well as imitates the emotional control necessary for them to succeed. The long lists of hardships take on a piling effect throughout the course of the poem, so that by the time readers reach the later couplets, the rhythm feels almost breathless, capturing both the exhaustion and determination of Ovid's soldiers of love.

Part III: Rhetoric

Drilling Home the Message: Repetition & Apostrophe

Throughout Amores 1.9, Ovid frequently employs repetition to reinforce his philosophy that lovers are themselves like soldiers. Indeed, this rhetorical tool is introduced in the poem's opening, with the lines "militat omnis amans, et habet sua castra Cupido;/Attice, crede mihi, militat omnis amans," which can be translated as "Every lover’s in arms, and Cupid holds the fort:/ Atticus, believe me, every lover’s in arms." The repetition of "militat omnis amans" ("every lover’s in arms") succinctly encapsulates Ovid's central thesis, framing the rest of the poem as evidence attempting to prove it. The rhetorical insistence here, moreover, is reminiscent of a commander rallying his troops, lending the opening a note of authority while also subtly connecting the fate of a soldier to that of a lover.

The apostrophe in these lines, with the invocation of "Attice" ("Atticus"), helps further the image of Ovid as the leader of his love soldiers. Yet the line also serves as the more sincere counterpart to Ovid's strict insistence in the line that precedes it. Indeed, he urges Atticus to "crede mihi" or "believe me," a pleading that positions Ovid not as a cold, distant authority figure but as a fellow lover himself, attempting to appeal to his readers. By endearing us to Ovid, this line imbues within Amores 1.9 a desire to agree with him and his message. Therefore, although subtle, the apostrophe present in Amores 1.9 is another of Ovid's persuasion tactics.

Humor with a Purpose: Hyperbole

Ovid purposefully overexaggerates the struggles lovers face, directly comparing them to those of soldiers. Indeed, he argues that lovers too "ibit in adversos montes duplicataque nimbo/ flumina, congestas exteret ille nives," or "go against mountains and bend into stormy rivers,/ push his way through swollen snowdrifts." In making this dramatic, unrealistic comparison, Ovid appears to parody his own message at first glance. Yet, he is instead using his exaggeration deliberately: the hyperbole, via disarming his audience and encouraging them to roll their eyes at the poem, implicitly urges them to accept just how daunting obstacles to love may seem. Indeed, the hyperbole elevates erotic pursuit to the levels of mythic struggle, and, in doing so, helps convince the reader that these matters are not only to be laughed at, but may instead carry with them an undeniable truth.

Hero as Lover: Historical & Mythic Allusions

Amores 1.9 includes numerous comparisons to epic historical and mythological figures that readers will be familiar with. For example, the lines "ardet in abducta Briseide magnus Achilles--/dum licet, Argeas frangite, Troes, opes!/ Hector ab Andromaches conplexibus ibat ad arma,/et, galeam capiti quae daret, uxor erat," translated as "Great Achilles burns for stolen Briseis –/while you can Trojans, smash the Argive wall!/ Hector went into battle from Andromache’s arms,/it was the wife who placed the helmet on his head," function as one extensive reference to Greek myth. Yet, Ovid does more than just mention these mythological figures: he reframes their tales to expose that the force driving the plot was not war, but love. Indeed, by emphasizing how it was Hector's "wife who placed the helmet on his head," Ovid illustrates how, rather than duty propelling Hector to fight, it was love that gave him the strength to face war. By subverting the traditional telling of the myth and placing love at the forefront, Ovid makes a shocking and compelling argument for love's power.

Destabilizing Hierarchies: "Antithesis"

Throughout Amores 1.9, Ovid employs sharp contrasts to paradoxically emphasize the similarities between soldiers and lovers. In the line, Mars dubius nec certa Venus," ("Mars is chancy, Venus uncertain"), Ovid appears to contrast Mars and Venus, the gods of war and love respectively. Indeed, the rhetorical structure is similar to lines juxtaposing their subjects; however, upon closer examination, Ovid uses two synonyms when describing Mars and Venus. Far from highlighting their differences, Ovid is instead arguing that both war and love are equally uncertain, unpredictable, and prone to outcome reversals. Therefore, Ovid subtly but effectively elevates love to be on par with military glory.

Part IV: Audience Reception

Writing to his primary audience of young, educated Roman men, many of whom would likely become soldiers themselves, the conceit of "militat omnis amans" or "every lover’s in arms" would have been both humorous and provocative. On the one hand, it flatters their self-image, depicting them as lovers (as they likely were, or wanted to be) as disciplined, energetic, and daring. Yet, on the other hand, it destabilizes the cultural hierarchy in which they were conditioned to believe. Indeed, Roman society prioritized the virtues of battle over those of love and regarded desire as synonymous with weakness. Readers accustomed to reading the Roman epic would therefore have raised an eyebrow seeing imagery of battle repurposed to describe a lover's struggles. Yet, Ovid's sly and masterful cultural commentary may have just convinced them to accept that lovers do undergo a similar pain to those struggling on the battlefield.

In Conclusion...

Although every reader can come away with a different message after reading any poem, including Amores 1.9, I feel confident arguing that the poem's message stretches far beyond the simple catchphrase "love is war." Instead, I believe that the message at the heart of Ovid's verse is much more complex, yet also more meaningful: attempting to achieve love is just as difficult and important as attempting to win a war. Does that roll off the tongue in the same way? Absolutely not. However, it does urge those hearing it to contend with more than a cliché and question whether they are willing to embark on the treacherous journey of finding and fighting for love. After reading Amores 1.9, I don't see how one could turn that adventure down.

We hope you enjoyed this poetic analysis of Amores 1.9. Please leave any comments, questions, or concerns below, and be sure to recommend future poems for us to dive into!