The
Roman Elegies (originally published under the title
Erotica Romana in
Germany, later
Römische Elegien) is a cycle of twenty-four
poems by
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. They reflect his
Italian Journey 1786-88 and celebrate the sensuality and vigour of
Italian and Classical culture. Written mainly after his return to Weimar, they contain poems on many sexual themes, and four of them were suppressed from publication during Goethe's lifetime due to fears of
censorship; they were only published in 1914, together with a large body of the
Venetian Epigrams, written during his second, shorter travel to Italy in 1790. The elegies are also a loving tribute to Goethe's companion, Christiane Vulpius, whom he met in 1788 on his return from Italy.