Catullus 110 Translation
Introduction |
In Catullus 110, the poet addresses Aufilena who is a mistress of the politician Caelius. She and her brother Aufilenus are favorites of Caelius and one of his friends. In this poem and others, Catullus warns her about her lifestyle and what could happen to her. In 111, Catullus warns her against having children (cousins) with her uncle. In this one, Catullus warns her about prostituting herself for the sake of her lover.
In line one and two, Catullus writes about how kind mistresses are highly spoken of because they accomplish what they set out to do. They get the price they deserve. In line three and four, Catullus complains that Aufilena is not a good mistress because she didn’t deliver what she promised. He calls what she did to him, taking and not giving, a scurvy trick. Remember that scurvy is a disease that opens healed wounds and causes gums to bleed. She must have hurt Catullus, or another man, when she did not deliver what was paid for.
In lines five and six, the poet talks about how compliance is handsome, but not promising are chaste, but she takes all she can. Catullus must have paid for sex and she did not deliver – instead, she remained chaste, by abstaining from extramarital sex.
Catullus finishes the poem with the couplet in lines seven and eight. In it, he talks about how she cheated someone who was due. This makes her greedier than a harlot who sells herself and her body. Technically, a harlot is a prostitute who sells her body, but Catullus is referencing someone who has sold more than her body. Selling herself seems to the criticism that he is giving to Aufilena, who must have sold her promises and faith in a dirty trick that opened up old wounds in Catullus.
Carmen 110 |
| Line | Latin text | English translation |
|---|---|---|
1 | AVFILENA, bonae semper laudantur amicae: | AUFILENA, kind mistresses are always well spoken of; |
2 | accipiunt pretium, quae facere instituunt. | they get their price for what they purpose to do. |
3 | tu, quod promisti, mihi quod mentita inimica es, | You are no true mistress, for you promised and now you break faith; |
4 | quod nec das et fers saepe, facis facinus. | you take and do not give, and that is a scurvy trick. |
5 | aut facere ingenuae est, aut non promisse pudicae, | To comply were handsome, not to promise were to be chaste; |
6 | Aufillena, fuit: sed data corripere | but to take all you can get |
7 | fraudando officiis, plus quam meretricis auarae | and cheat one of his due shows a woman more greedy than a harlot |
8 | quae sese toto corpore prostituit. | who prostitutes herself and her entire body. |
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Resources |
VRoma Project: http://www.vroma.org/~hwalker/VRomaCatullus/110.html
