Poem xvi
The concluding poem of the book is a defence of Ovid's poetry. The poem's argument is that poets generally become famous only after their death, but that Ovid gained his reputation while still alive. The greater part of the poem is a catalogue of Ovid's contemporary poets, the argument being that even in such company he was illustrious.
As elsewhere he equates his exile with death; the defence of his poetry therefore includes only the poetry that he wrote before his exile.