Catullus 68:119-160

119 nam nec tam carum confecto aetate parenti una caput seri nata nepotis alit, qui cum diuitiis uix tandem iuuentus auitis nomen testatas intulit in tabulas, impia derisi gentilis gaudia tollens, suscitat a cano uolturium capiti:	For it not so dear in the fulfilled life of a parent is the life of a grandson-come-lately an only daughter nourishes, who, with ancestral riches only barely, at the end, a youth enters his name on the will and testament, stealing impious joy from a scorned relation, rouses the vultures from the gray-haired head:
125 nec tantum niueo gauisa est ulla columbo compar, quae multo dicitur improbius oscula mordenti semper decerpere rostro, quam quae praecipue multiuola est mulier. sed tu horum magnos uicisti sola furores, ut semel es flauo conciliata uiro.	Not any wife was so gladdened  by a snowy dove, who they say always snatches kisses more than is prudent with a nipping beak, than a woman who is especially promiscuous. But you alone overcome their great love frenzies, as once you were bought and paid for by a golden-haired man.
131 aut nihil aut paulum cui tum concedere digna lux mea se nostrum contulit in gremium, quam circumcursans hinc illinc saepe Cupido fulgebat crocina candidus in tunica.	You to whom my worthy light conceded either nothing or very little, she brought herself into my lap, she who was shining forth, whome Cupid was circling here and there often, brilliant white in a perfumed tunic.
135 quae tamen etsi uno non est contenta Catullo, rara uerecundae furta feremus erae ne nimium simus stultorum more molesti. saepe etiam Iuno, maxima caelicolum, coniugis in culpa flagrantem concoquit iram, noscens omniuoli plurima furta Iouis.	And if she is nevertheless not satisfied by Catullus, I will bear the rare deceptions of a modest mistress lest we are too stupid in an aggravating manner. Even often Juno, the greatest of the female heaven- dwellers, stomachs the flaming wrath of a wife in blaming mode, knowing of the many affairs of the gallivanting Jupiter.
141 atqui nec diuis homines componier aequum est, * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *	But it is not fair for humans to be compared to the gods,
142 ingratum tremuli tolle parentis onus. nec tamen illa mihi dextra deducta paterna fragrantem Assyrio uenit odore domum, sed furtiua dedit mira munuscula nocte, ipsius ex ipso dempta uiri gremio.	to lighten the reluctant burden of a fearful parent. Nevertheless, she, led not by a parental hand, she comes to my fragrent house, smelling of Syria, but she gave me a marvelous present in the furtive night, herself, taken away from lap itself of her husband.
147 quare illud satis est, si nobis is datur unis quem lapide illa dies candidiore notat. hoc tibi, quod potui, confectum carmine munus pro multis, Alli, redditur officiis, ne uestrum scabra tangat rubigine nomen haec atque illa dies atque alia atque alia.	Wherefore that is enough, if that day is given to me alone which day she marks with a shining jewel. This, Allius, because I was able, gift made of a song  for many services is delivered to you, lest this day and that and some and others touch your name with a scabby blight.
153 huc addent diui quam plurima, quae Themis olim antiquis solita est munera ferre piis. sitis felices et tu simul et tua uita, et domus in qua lusimus et domina,	Here let the gods give out as many as possible, which gifts Thetis was once accustomed to give to ancient pious ones. May you be happy, both you and your life, both the house in which we played and our mistress,
157 et qui principio nobis terram dedit aufert, a quo sunt primo omnia nata bona, et longe ante omnes mihi quae me carior ipso est, lux mea, qua uiua uiuere dulce mihi est.	and he who first gave and brought the world to me, from which all good things are first brought forth, and before all, she who is dearer to me than him, my shinding light, for because she is alive, to live is sweet to me.

Catullus 110 - 114

Catullus 110


AVFILENA, bonae semper laudantur amicae:
     accipiunt pretium, quae facere instituunt.
tu, quod promisti, mihi quod mentita inimica es,
     quod nec das et fers saepe, facis facinus.
aut facere ingenuae est, aut non promisse pudicae,
     Aufillena, fuit: sed data corripere
fraudando officiis, plus quam meretricis auarae
     quae sese toto corpore prostituit.

Aufilena, good girl friends are always praised:
 They accept their price for that which they set out to do.
You, because you promised, you are enemy to me because you lied,
  Because you do not give and often carry off, you make an outrage.
Either it was right for a freeborn to do it,
 or it was not right for a chaste woman to promise.
Aufilena: but to steal the things given for services
by cheating, that is more given to  a greedy whore
 who sells herself with her whole body.

Catullus 111

AVFILENA, uiro contentam uiuere solo,
     nuptarum laus ex laudibus eximiis:
sed cuiuis quamuis potius succumbere par est,
     quam matrem fratres efficere ex patruo…

Aufilena, to live content with a single man
is the greatest glory out of all the extreme glories of married women.
But it is equal to succumb to the power of whomever,
than for a mother to produce brothers from an uncle...

Catullus 112

MVLTVS homo es, Naso, neque tecum multus homo
     te scindat: Naso, multus es et pathicus.

 You are a lot of man, Naso, and many a man does not
tear you: and Naso, you are quite a bottom.


Catullus 113

CONSVLE Pompeio primum duo, Cinna, solebant
     Maeciliam: facto consule nunc iterum
manserunt duo, sed creuerunt milia in unum
     singula. fecundum semen adulterio.

Cinna, in the first consulship of Pompey, two men were accustomed
to Maeclia: now again with haim made consul
the two men remain, but a thousand in one sprang up from each.
His seed breeds adultery.

Catullus 114

FIRMANVS saltu non falso Mentula diues
     fertur, qui tot res in se habet egregias,
aucupium omne genus, piscis, prata, arua ferasque.
     nequiquam: fructus sumptibus exsuperat.
quare concedo sit diues, dum omnia desint.
     saltum laudemus, dum modo ipse egeat.

They report, truthfully,  that wealthy Mentula
is rich because of his land, who holds for himself so many outstanding things,
every kind of poultry, fish, fields, and wild growing lands.
In vain: in costs he surpasses his income.
Therefore I permit that he is rich, while he lacks everything.
Let us praise the pasture, while he alone is in need.

Clausen article on Callimachus

The poet Callimachus

I read the chapter "Callimachus and Latin Poetry" by Wendell Clausen and answered the following questions about it.

How does Catullus figure in this article?
Catullus is mentioned in only three places in the article, and in none of those does he figure prominently. Catullus is spoken of in the same breath and with the same context and detail as the poet Cinna. Clausen does mention the lines Catullus wrote upon the publication of Zmyrna, but the discussion is still about Cinna and his poem.

What kind of specialized knowledge does Clausen expect from his readers?
Clausen expects his readers to be fluent in both Latin, which should be expected, and Greek, which is slightly more rare. Many of the passages in the article only make sense, and his points only make sense, if the reader is able to read Greek, such as on page 190. Clausen also expects his reader to have a wide and deep knowledge of Latin poetry in general and of the prominent poets in particular. While he does devote time to explaining the works of Virgil, the works of Catullus are referred to off-hand and without depth. Even the person Parthenius himself is referred to without an explanation, as if every reader should be aware of the teachers of these poets, as well as the poems (proems) themselves.

How well does he document his claims with references to ancient sources and modern scholarship?
Clausen makes some piquant claims, such as that Callimachus was ignored until Parthenius showcased him to the hungry, listening poets of his time, and Clausen draws the support for this claim from obscure ancient sources and few modern soures. Oddly enough, the bulk of references to P’s contemporaries focuses on Virgil, the champion of Roman epic poetry, while claiming that Virgil was a devotee of Callimachus and overcame his objections later, only to return to them after finishing work on Aeneid. Clausen also dwells on the poetry of Euphorion, although since little of Euphorion’s poetry remains, there are not many references to draw from him.

Does he limit his purview to close study of a few literary texts, in the fashion of New Criticism?
No, instead of a close study of a very few texts, Clausen mentions many texts in passing and assumes the reader is able to supply the relevant passages. On page 190 he refers briefly to Catullus 95, and then jumps to listing poets like Lycophron and Nonnus and dismissing them in turn. Clausen discusses Callimachus briefly and then compares him to Ennius, repudiating Ovid’s opinion of both but not explaining where Ovid might have received that impression nor citing passages that might support his own conclusions.
Does he attempt to contextualize and illuminate literary texts by careful study of various--literary and non-literary--pieces of evidence, in the fashion of New Historicism?
There are few displays of New Historicism in this article, although the discussion of Greek geography and the mention of the contemporary civil wars in Rome may qualify.

Do you detect any similarities between Clausen's style and approach, and those of his subject Callimachus?
Yes, Clausen also does not see a need to dwell at length on any subject, and he is fond of the epigram and of barbed comments to those with whom he disagrees. The article ends with an accusation by Clausen that Virgil regretted not following the exhortations of Callimachus more closely, a theory which he does not support.

What does this article add to the study of Catullus? of Roman poetry?
This article does explicate the uniqueness of Callimachus in Greek poetry and also fleshes out some of the sources to which Catullus may have looked when he started writing his own decidedly non-epic poetry. .

How might he or we improve it?
This article would be improved by citing fewer poets and instead going into more detail about them. Instead assuming the readers know the work of Catullus and can supply the support for the statements of similarity themselves, the article could cite some passages of Catullus. Similarly, instead of mentioning Ennius and then dismissing him, the article could leave him out altogether. Finally, translating the Greek, even into Latin, would great improve the intelligibility of the article.

Love, Home, and Healing quotes

1. Odi et amo. Quare id faciem fortasse requiris. Nescio sed fieri sentio excrucior. --Gaius Catullus (I hate and I love. Why do I do this, you might ask? I don't know, but I feel it happening, and I am tormented.)


2. There is a time for departure even when there is no certain place to go. --Tennessee Williams


3. If you are ever called upon to chasten a person, never chasten beyond the balm you have within you to bind up. --Brigham Young


4. "Home is the place where, when you have to go there, they have to take you in."  'I should have called it something you somehow hadn't to deserve."  --Robert Frost, The Death of the Hired Man


5. Cause timendi est nescire. --Seneca  (The cause of fear is not knowing.)

"ad Lesbiam" by Catullus

VIVAMUS mea Lesbia, atque amemus,
rumoresque senum seueriorum
omnes unius aestimemus assis!
soles occidere et redire possunt:
nobis cum semel occidit breuis lux,
nox est perpetua una dormienda.
da mi basia mille, deinde centum,
dein mille altera, dein secunda centum,
deinde usque altera mille, deinde centum.
dein, cum milia multa fecerimus,
conturbabimus illa, ne sciamus,
aut ne quis malus inuidere possit,
cum tantum sciat esse basiorum.

--Catullus

Let us live, my Clodia, and let us love,
and let us judge the all the gossip
of our harsh elders as worth a single penny!
Suns are accustomed to setting and then rising again;
When our brief light burns out,
the night is forever given over to sleep.
Give me a thousand kisses, then a hundred,
Then another thousand, and then a second hundred,
Then thousand kisses more, and then another hundred.
Then, when we have made multiple thousands,
we will confuse them all that we not know them all,
and so no one evil is able to envy us,
when he knows how many kisses there are.

"fletus passeris lesbia" by Catullus

Passer, deliciae meae puellae,
quicum ludere, quem in sinu tenere,
cui primum digitum dare appetenti
et acris solet incitare morsus,
cum desiderio meo nitenti
carum nescio quid lubet iocari,
et solaciolum sui doloris,
credo, ut tum gravis acquiescat ardor:
tecum ludere sicut ipsa possem
et tristis animi levare curas!

--Catullus, ~60 B.C.E

I translated this poem in another post, but I think I can't actually post the translation. After I translated it, a few of the lines didn't make sense, so I googled the poem to find what others thought. Several pages suggested that it was considerably dirtier than I had realized, as most of the poem could have a double meaning and, in fact, makes more sense in the double meaning.

Now I'm too embarassed to post it. Now that the double meaning has been suggested, I can't unsee it. :( Dagnabbit. I still want to study Catullus, and this does seem to suggest the class this fall is going to be one long blushfest for me, but I think I'll first look over the English translations so I'll only translate the ones I won't be too embarassed to post after.

In the meantime, The Catullus Experience. As the byline suggests, "it's like being John Malkovich, but better." I knew the outlines of this story before, but this is a great way to read it. The execution isn't perfect, but the concept is fabulous.