Catullus 109 Translation
Introduction |
Catullus 109 is an honest love poem to an unnamed person. Most likely, that person is Lesbia, the woman that he address in a large percentage of his poems. In 109, the poet talks about how she promised that their love will be happy and last an eternity in the first two lines.
In the third and fourth lines, he asks the gods to help her follow through on the promise. He hopes she is promising to love him from her heart. In lines five and six, he wants her promise to extend through their lives and be an “eternal compact of hallowed friendship.”
This poem is hopeful, especially considering other poems where he rails against her inability to stay faithful to him. Keeping in mind that when she is with Catullus, she is cheating on her husband, she certainly shows that she has the inability to be faithful to one man. Despite her repeated cheating, Catullus remains hopeful that he will be the one and only man for her.
This is ironic considering how poems like 11, he shows hate toward her and accuses her of having sex with 300 men at one time. Clearly, Catullus’s relationship with Lesbia is dramatic and complicated.
In several poems, Catullus talks about his friendship with Lesbia. He seems to want to be her lover and her friend. But in other poems about her, he questions whether he can love her romantically and still be friends with her. In 72, he talks about how he used to love her unconditionally, like a father loves his sons. But, his love for her has evolved to a romantic love that lacks that unconditionality.
Catullus knows that Lesbia has promised to love him forever, but has turned on him before. While he doesn’t say it in 109, readers of the poet know that his hope will be dashed in other poems.
Carmen 109 |
| Line | Latin text | English translation |
|---|---|---|
1 | IVCVNDVM, mea uita, mihi proponis amorem | You promise to me, my life, that this love of ours |
2 | hunc nostrum inter nos perpetuumque fore. | shall be happy and last for ever between us. |
3 | di magni, facite ut uere promittere possit, | Ye great gods, grant that she may be able to keep this promise truly, |
4 | atque id sincere dicat et ex animo, | and that she may say it sincerely and from her heart, |
5 | ut liceat nobis tota perducere uita | so that it may be our lot to extend through all our life |
6 | aeternum hoc sanctae foedus amicitiae. | this eternal compact of hallowed friendship. |
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Resources |
VRoma Project: http://www.vroma.org/~hwalker/VRomaCatullus/109.html
