Catullus 51 Translation

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Introduction

 

This verse is based on a poem fragment from the Poetess, Sappho. It is, logically, written in Sapphic Meter, and is nearly identical to the verse fragment Sappho 31. Catullus has substituted his adored muse, Lesbia, for the central female figure.

It seems, as the poem opens, that an observer is watching a young woman having an intimate dinner with her significant other – whether that person is a lover or husband is unclear. Some theories are advanced that he is neither, but is a brother or close friend of the family.

In both Catullus 51 and in Sappho 31, it is clear that the observer would very much like to exchange places with the male companion but knows that she or he (depending upon which poet you are referencing) has no chance. The beloved’s companion is like a god, a fine figure of manhood, and the observer is unlikely to be able to match his charms.

In both poems, the observer goes on to note that just looking at the woman is enough to excite arousal, to a near-swooning extent. Unable to speak, darkness coming over the vision, tingling . . . it is clear that the observer would like to displace the male companion and take his place.

At this point, the ending for Sappho’s version is lost. But Catullus goes on to tell himself that he has too much time on his hands. “Too much leisure” he says. Then he goes on to add that too much spare time gets him in trouble. In fact, too much spare time has brought down king and felled wealthy cities.

This is where we begin to wonder whether Catullus is really thinking about Lesbia, or is he using the reference to his muse as a metaphor for the sorry state of the Roman Republic? Thanks to the warring generals, Rome had been subjected to several untoward events around this time. With that in mind, let’s take a look at the players in this ancient drama.  

It has often been suggested that Lesbia was Clodia Metelli, the wife of Caecilius Metellus Celer and sister to Publius Clodius Pulcher. Clodia was a widow when she got together with Metellus. Somewhere along the line, they had a falling out. Metellus was involved with a major political imbroglio having to do with assisting the Ptolemies – something that did not happen because the Senate discovered a foretelling that spoke against it. Metellus was brought to trial for his involvement in this and several other infractions, including charges stating that he tried to poison Clodia. The last infraction was were brought against him by Publius Clodius Pulcher.

Prior to the trial, Clodius had been accused of crashing an all-female religious gathering, disguised as a vestal virgin. Julius Caesar’s wife, Pompeiia was responsible for arranging this event because Julius was the Pontifex Maximus at the time, and she was accused of colluding with Clodius. Caesar testified that Pompeiia was innocent but then divorced her. It is possible that the divorce was politically motivated since it was a marriage arranged to curry favor with Pompey, who was an influential general at the time.  

It is certain that Catullus would have been aware of all of these events. Perhaps he hoped that out of the mix-ups and mayhem, he would somehow be able to connect with the woman whom he had adored from afar. But some of his other verses indicate that this was not to be.

With all the gossip and stories being told round about, it does bring one to the big question: was this small poem built on Sappho’s fragment truly about his hopeless worship from afar of his Lesbia, or was it more about the various political currents? Who was the god-like man? Was it Caecilius Metellus Celer? Metellus was one of Pompey’s lieutenants, which would make him an interested party in the scandalous divorce of Pompeiia. Was Catullus really saying that the nobles of Rome had too much time on their hands if they were able to get up to such a variety of mischiefs?

Or perhaps he was simply berating himself for longing for something he could not have. Since we are looking across more than 2000 years of history, it is difficult to say. Perhaps it was a little of all of these things. Certainly, the events in Rome have sent echoes throughout the ages.

Just as important might be the use of the Sapphic Meter. It is a difficult style to apply to English language writing because the English language’s natural rhythm is iambic, whereas the sapphic meter is trochaic.

Iambic poetry is made up of “iambs” which are two syllables wherein the first is unstressed and the second is stressed. The opening line of a nursery rhyme which reads, “I had a little nut tree,” is an excellent example of iambic structure. That poems structure starts out “I had/a lit/tle nut/tree, and…” As you can see, this line is made up of four iambs.

Trochaic is the natural rhythm for Latin based languages, but it can be used in English as well. Shakespeare used a loose application of it when writing the chant for the three witches in Macbeth. Here is a sample line: “Gall of goat, and slips of yew…”  As we look at the structure, it runs “gall of/goat and/slips of/ yew”. So you can see that where iambic goes ba-BUMP, ba-Bump, trochaic goes BUMP – ba, BUMP- ba.

Unfortunately, as is too often the case, the structure is lost in translation. Nor are we likely to know for sure what Catullus motivations were for borrowing Sappho’s structure for this poem, unless he was implying that Lesbia was similar to Sappho. Of one thing we can be certain: he had his reasons. Catullus created his poems to a purpose and seems to have usually had more than one layer of meaning rolled into their content. Language was important to the Romans. They counted it as one of the skills that all gentlemen should have.

Bringing all this back around to Catullus and his longing for Lesbia, one can be sure that whatever his primary intent, that he was writing on more than one level. There is even a possibility that Rome itself was Lesbia, and that the adoration for a married woman was just a side issue. It would not be the first time that a female icon was used to represent a city or nationality. It is even probable that Catullus was writing on more than one level, while flexing his muscles as a poet.

What we do know is that thanks to Catullus and other imitators, fragments of Sappho’s work have been preserved. Perhaps we could even say that Catullus admired her work. But as with all such speculation, until someone invents a working time machine, we will not be able to go back and ask him about his intent. Therefore, we are left only with such writings and records as are available to give us clues about the poet and his intent. Given the amount of time that lies between our era and his, we are fortunate to have as much as is still extant available to us.

 

Carmen 51

 
LineLatin textEnglish translation
1

ILLE mi par esse deo uidetur,

He seems to me to be equal to a god,

2

ille, si fas est, superare diuos,

he, if it may be, seems to surpass the very gods,

3

qui sedens aduersus identidem te

who sitting opposite you againand again

4

spectat et audit

gazes at you and hears you

5

dulce ridentem, misero quod omnis

sweetly laughing. Such a thing takes away

6

eripit sensus mihi: nam simul te,

all my senes, alas!– for whenever I see you,

7

Lesbia, aspexi, nihil est super mi

Lesbia, at once no voice at all remains

8

vocis in ore;

within my mouth;

9

lingua sed torpet, tenuis sub artus

but my tongue falters, a subtle flame steals down

10

flamma demanat, sonitu suopte

through my limbs, my ears tingle

11

tintinant aures, gemina et teguntur

with inward humming, my eyes are quenched

12

lumina nocte.

in twofold night.

13

otium, Catulle, tibi molestum est:

Idleness, Catullus, does you harm,

14

otio exsultas nimiumque gestis:

you riot in your idleness and wanton too much.

15

otium et reges prius et beatas

Idleness ere now has ruined both kings

16

perdidit urbes.

and wealthy cities.

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Resources

 

VRoma Project: http://www.vroma.org/~hwalker/VRomaCatullus/051.html

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