By analysing three paradigmatic passages, this paper explores how Prudentius uses classical love motifs and imagery not only to lambast paganism, but also as a powerful rhetorical tool to convey his Christian message. The ‘fire of love’ imagery is conspicuous in Psychomachia 53–57, which wittily blends Christian and erotic language. In an entirely different context ( C. Symm. 2.1071–1085), the flamma amoris is also fully exploited to depict lustful young Vestal Virgins, in combination with other classical metaphors of passion, such as the ‘wound of love’ and the signa amoris . Additionally, the contrast between heat and cold is a central element in the description of the Vestals’ tardy nuptials, redolent of classical satirical portraits of vetulae libidinosae . Finally, in Hamartigenia 628–636 the relationship between the soul and God draws from a Christian tradition of bridal (and coital) representation, but the lapse into sin is portrayed as the love triangle, typical of the Latin love elegy. These examples illustrate how Prudentius creatively and consciously frames love and sex imagery in new contexts, exploring their potential and infusing clichés with new meanings and forms.

中文翻译：

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Prudentius 中的爱情主题

通过分析三个典型的段落，本文探讨了普鲁登修斯如何使用经典的爱情主题和意象，不仅抨击异教，而且作为一种强有力的修辞工具来传达他的基督教信息。“爱之火”的意象在《Psychomachia》53-57 中很明显，它巧妙地融合了基督教和色情语言。在完全不同的背景下（C. Symm. 2.1071-1085），flamma amoris 也被充分利用来描绘好色的年轻 Vestal Virgins，并结合其他经典的激情隐喻，例如“爱的伤口”和 signa amoris . 此外，热和冷之间的对比是描述维斯塔斯迟到的婚礼的核心元素，散发着古典讽刺性欲的肖像。最后，在 Hamartigenia 628-636 中，灵魂与上帝之间的关系源自基督教传统的新娘（和性交）表现，但犯罪的堕落被描绘成三角恋，典型的拉丁爱情挽歌。这些例子说明了普鲁登修斯如何创造性地和有意识地在新的背景下构建爱情和性意象，探索它们的潜力，并为陈词滥调注入新的含义和形式。