In Memory of Tibullus: Ovid's Remembrance of Tibullus 1.3 in Amores 3.9 and Tristia 3.3

In Amores 3.9, Ovid frequently alludes to Tibullus 1.3, meticulously correcting Tibullus's fear of death in an unknown land. In Tristia 3.3, Ovid revisits Tibullus 1.3, ostensibly finding comfort in sharing similar circumstances with Tibullus. Since many of the allusions in Tristia 3.3 and Amores 3.9 point to the same passages in Tibullus's poem, Tibullus 1.3 becomes a linchpin, joining two divergent interpretations of the same poem. In each instance, a look back at Amores 3.9 reveals the comparison between Ovid and Tibullus in Tristia 3.3 to be specious, suggesting that Ovid deserves special sympathy for suffering what Tibullus only feared.