Catullus 53 Translation
Introduction |
Catullus 53 is about a man who made the poet laugh. The poet laughed because a man moked Calvus, who was accusing Vatinius. The man called Calvus a manikin, which is a person who is very small.
In the first line of the poem, Catullus informs the reader that a man in the crowd made him laugh. Catulus uses the word “fellow” which means that Catullus was in the crowd listening Calvus, too. In line two, Catullus refers to his “dear Calvus” and says how his friend was speaking with “splendid style.” In line three, we learn that the speech Calvus was making included accusations against Vatinius, who was a close friend of Caesar. Both Catullus and Calvus did not like Caesar as well as the people who were in his close circle.
In line four, the man responds to Calvus’s words by lifting up his hands in a gesture of wonder. In line five, the man comments on Calvus’s small size, but his eloquent way of speaking. Calvus was known as a poet and speaker who actually did give a speech against Vatinius, but the friend of Caesar was acquitted in another speech by Cicero.
As a poet, Calvus was best known for writing verses that mocked Caesar and his homosexual relationships with the King of Bithynia. Calvus also accused Caesar of having an affair with Pompey in his poetry, too. Catullus wrote four poems about his friend.
In Catullus 53, we get a glimpse of the poet’s sense of humor and how comfortable he was with his friend. Today, men often take little shots at their friends’ weaknesses, and this poem shows us that the practice dates back to ancient times. Of course, men would tease each other for their height, or lack thereof. People of the time would have recognized this line about the small man being eloquent from Vatinius’s response to his accusation, as he used his eloquence to avoid being accused.
Catullus points out the irony that a small man can be eloquent, especially as Calvus defied the expectations of the man in the audience. The brilliance of this poem comes through the use of one Latin word: salaputium. This is an odd word that scholars have debated for years. Most agree that the word means “small man” or “manikin,” but the word is not seen in many other ancient texts. Choosing a word with so many syllables makes it difficult to keep the lyrical hendecasyllabic meter.
Carmen 53 |
| Line | Latin text | English translation |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | RISI nescio quem modo e corona, | A fellow in the crowd made me laugh just now: |
| 2 | qui, cum mirifice Vatiniana | when my dear Calvus had drawn out in splendid style |
| 3 | meus crimina Caluos explicasset | his accusations against Vatinius, |
| 4 | admirans ait haec manusque tollens, | he lifted up his hands in wonder, and |
| 5 | ‘di magni, salaputium disertum!’ | “Great gods,” says he, “what an eloquent manikin!” |
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Resources |
VRoma Project: http://www.vroma.org/~hwalker/VRomaCatullus/053.html
