Lesbia 1716102 220719598 2008-06-21T06:38:06Z 121.127.95.253 Correct spelling - pseudonym {{otheruses4|women in ancient Rome|the hummingbird genus|Lesbia (bird)}} '''Lesbia''' was the pseudonym of the lover to whom the Roman [[poet]] [[Catullus|Gaius Valerius Catullus]] (84-54BC) dedicates a number of poems. Nothing is known about her other than what can be deduced from Catullus's poems. The name itself suggests literary and erotic connotations, evoking as it does the [[Lesbos Island]], where the famed poet [[Sappho]] lived. According to [[Apuleius]], a 2nd century author from Africa, 'Lesbia' was a pseudonym invented by Catullus - a common practice - whose real name was Clodia (see below). Lesbia is the subject of 25 of his 116 surviving poems, and these display a wide range of emotions (see [[Catullus 85]]), ranging from tender love (eg, [[Catullus 5]]), to sadness and disappointment, and to bitter sarcasm, following the often unsteady course of Catullus' relationship. Lesbia is traditionally identified with the infamous [[Clodia]], prosecuted by [[Cicero]] in [[Pro Caelio]]. ==References== *Oxford Latin Reader, Maurice Balme and James Morewood (1997) [[Category:Latin poetry]] [[eo:Lesbia]] [[fr:Lesbia]] [[la:Lesbia]] [[nl:Lesbia]] {{ancient-Rome-bio-stub}}