Catullus 26 Translation
Introduction |
Catullus addresses Furius in this poem. The exact relationship between Furius and Catullus is uncertain, but some thing that Furius is a rival poet who may have had an affair with Juventius who was one of Catullus’s lovers. Catullus included Furius in other poems, and in two of them he wrote about how he had no money. This is one of the poems that explores Furius’s lack of money.
Even though the poem appears to be addressed to Furius, since his name is the first word in the poem. It is actually a poem that uses Furius as the speaker. The poem is about his farm, and how he has no money to support it. Catullus does not respect men who cannot financially care for their land; he complains of similar issues when he writes about Mamurra and how he neglects his land.
In this poem, Catullus writes about Furius and a farm. According to the poem, the farm is not harmed by winds from all four directions. Instead, the farm is troubled by the owner having to pay 15,000 coins. In the final line of the poem, Catullus says that the farm is exposed to wind that brings horror and pestilence.
Catullus uses the metaphor of the wind to describe the way that Furius’s home is being defeated by him being poor. Poverty brings horror and pestilence. Catullus lived a comfortable life, and he was all too willing to point out when friends or enemies were lacking in funds.
These little extended metaphors show how Catullus was an expert with turning phrases and using literary devices. He could have simply stated that Furius was poor, but instead, he used the wind to showcase his weaknesses. Some people spend money like the wind, or waste their money on things that don’t last – like the wind.
Carmen 26 |
| Line | Latin text | English translation |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | FVRI, uillula vestra non ad Austri | Furius, my little farm stands exposed |
| 2 | flatus opposita est neque ad Fauoni | not to the blasts of Auster nor Favonius |
| 3 | nec saeui Boreae aut Apheliotae, | nor fierce Boreas or Apheliotes, |
| 4 | uerum ad milia quindecim et ducentos. | but to a call of fifteen thousand two sesterces. |
| 5 | o uentum horribilem atque pestilentem! | A wind that brings horror and pestilence! |
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Resources |
VRoma Project: http://www.vroma.org/~hwalker/VRomaCatullus/026.html
