This article is about a poem written during World War I. See Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori for Horace's Latin verses. We began to walk in the direction of our faraway rest. The men marched soundly sleeping. Many people had lost their boots, yet they hobbled on blood-shod. All fell lame and blind, with gas-shells falling gently behind. Gas, gas, gas! Boys, hurry up! — A fumbling ecstasy of pain as each one felt his flesh torn and raw. Then silence... Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori (It is sweet and fitting to die for one's country). This was written by Publius Ovidius Naso in 8 CE. It is a famous epitaph from Roman antiquity. It has been attributed to many other authors over the years but this fact sheet covers only Ovid's work. Ovid was a prolific ancient poet who lived in what is now Rome. He was exiled to what is now Cuba in 43 ce, but he returned to Rome after nine years. There are doubts about whether or not he wrote himself into exile because of his former marriage to a rich woman named Julia. She was involved in some scandal that brought down her husband's first wife. Because of this, Ovid was forced to leave Rome. During his time in exile, Ovid produced many poems describing his feelings toward his homeland and others relating stories from mythology. Some scholars believe that these poems were responsible for making him unpopular with the new government of Rome.