Catullus 40 Translation
Introduction |
In this poem, Catullus accuses Ravidus for trying to mock or ridicule his poems. Catullus begins the poem by asking what Ravidus is doing by driving headlong into his poems. He uses the word “infatuation” to mock Ravidus, but he wonders where his infatuation lies. It is easy to tell that Catullus will write about poems when he calls them his iambics.
Catullus wonders what god caused Ravidus to begin the quarrel between them. Catullus is not happy about the quarrel as he calls it senseless. He also described the invocation to the quarrel as making Ravidus go amiss. Catullus then tries to figure out what made Ravidus stir up trouble. Catullus wonders if he wanted people to gossip about him. He also wondered what he wanted and what he wanted to know. Catullus also wanted to know at what costs Ravidus wanted to gain knowledge about Catullus.
At the end of the poem, Catullus says that Ravidus chose to love his lady, but he is not talking about Lesbia. He then finishes the poem by saying Ravidus will rue it for a long tie. The lady is his poetry. Ravidus will regret that he attempted to criticize his poetry. In other translations, the lady is called a lover, not a lady at all. So, Ravidus could be making a move on the men that Catullus loves – like Juventius. No matter what or who Catullus is accusing Ravidus of making moves on, Catullus clearly is angry with this man and wants bad things to happen to him.
Ravidus does not make good decisions and Catullus knows it. Ravidus first tried to degrade Catullus’s poetry. Then, he tried to take something or someone that Catullus loved. When people attacked Catullus, he attacked them back in his poetry. As we still read the responses and attacks from Catullus, it is clear that he had the upper hand.
Carmen 40 |
| Line | Latin text | English translation |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | QVAENAM te mala mens, miselle Rauide, | What infatuation, my poor Ravidus, |
| 2 | agit praecipitem in meos iambos? | drives you headlong in the way of my iambics? |
| 3 | quis deus tibi non bene aduocatus | What god invoked by you amiss |
| 4 | uecordem parat excitare rixam? | is going to stir up a senseless quarrel? |
| 5 | an ut peruenias in ora uulgi? | Is it that you wish to be talked about ? |
| 6 | quid uis? qualubet esse notus optas? | What do you want? would you be known, no matter how? |
| 7 | eris, quandoquidem meos amores | So you shall, since you have chosen to love my lady, |
| 8 | cum longa uoluisti amare poena. | and long shall you rue it. |
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Resources |
VRoma Project: http://www.vroma.org/~hwalker/VRomaCatullus/040.html
