ANTONIO DE NEBRIJA, DOCTISSIMUS VATES

Abstract

Antonio de Nebrija's extensive work covers various fields of the humaniores litterae, and poetry occupies a significant place within this. Not only does he edit and comment on ancient poets, he also sets out to emulate them by composing his own poetic works in the language of Latium. He is also an attentive reader of contemporary cultured poetry in the vernacular. His poems reveal his aspiration to emulate the exemplary bards of antiquity, yet we also observe the persistence of a medieval poetic cliché – the
narrative prayer – which the humanist reimagines in the spirit of his time.