Ancient Love Themes in Contemporary Music
(Ancient Text by Lucretius, translated by Peter Bing and Rip Cohen) and Something in the Way You Move (Contemporary Song by Ellie Goulding) ParallelTextLyricsListen Lucretius criticizes love and claims that it is physically and emotionally damaging. He compares lovers to Read More …
(Ancient Text by Gaius Valerius Catullus, translated by Peter Bing and Rip Cohen) and Breathe Again (Contemporary Song by Sara Bareilles) ParallelTextLyricsListen Both Sara Bareilles and Catullus decide that the best way to escape love to is to leave it Read More …
(Ancient Text by Ovid, translated by Peter Bing and Rip Cohen) and Jessie’s Girl (Contemporary Song by Rick Springfield) ParallelTextLyricsListen Ovid’s poem describes how people always want things and people they can’t have, such as a girl who belongs to Read More …
(Ancient Text by Sappho, translated by Peter Bing and Rip Cohen) and Dug My Heart (Contemporary Song by Garrett Borns) ParallelTextLyricsListen Both the ancient poem and the modern song characterize love as an almost painful force that physically affects a Read More …
(Ancient Text by Plato, translated by Alexander Nehamas and Paul Woodruff) and Grenade (Contemporary Song by Bruno Mars) ParallelTextLyricsListen Phaedrus describes how lovers refuse to be cowardly in front of the person they love. He even goes as far to Read More …