Sextus and Cynthia. After Sextus Propertius C.50-C.16BC. With Drawings by Hammond Journeaux. Dublin: Gallery Press, 2009. First Edition, Limited Issue. A fine copy in card covers.

One of 175 Copies, Signed by Derek Mahon.

The poems are drawn from Propertius’ Elegies (circa 50–16 BC), focusing on his tumultuous affair with Cynthia. Mahon deliberately avoids a literal, academic rendering. Instead, he strips away many of the original classical mythological and geographical references to produce sharp, contemporary adaptations.

It demonstrates Mahon’s lifelong interest in adapting classical poetry to a modern Irish idiom.