Abstract

The author of the Moretum, who is quite unlikely to be identified with Virgil himself, designed a clear winter setting as the background to his narration. An indepth scrutiny of winter images and topics dispersed throughout the poem (astronomical opening, repeated allusions to the winter fire, description of the farmer’s occupations) shows that the poet was a careful reader of the Georgics and borrowed from Virgil’s passages related to the winter season. The crafting and tone of several verses confirm the witty and parodic intentions of the author.