Catullus 57 Translation

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Introduction

 

In this poem, Catullus attacks Mamurra and Julius Caesar. He calls them the abominable sodomites and fellators. He calls them stains, one from the city and one from Formia. He says that are impressed with each other and as stains, cannot be washed. 

He also calls them diseased, like twins who share one sofa. He also calls them dilettantes, who only have a superficial knowledge and ability to write. He also says that are greedy adulterers who aren’t opposed to competing to share young girls. He then closes the poem in the same way he started, by saying they are abominable sodomites who agree with each other. 

In the poem, Catullus uses the Latin word cinaedis, which is a term to describe people who are sexually perverted. In other poems, Catullus calls Mamurra Mr. Penis or Mentula, which is the Roman term for penis. Catullus thoroughly disliked these two men, and this poem was not written in a mocking style. He was clearly showing how he felt about them both.

In the poems aout Mamurra, Catullus always included one line about how everything seems to work out for Mamurra. This is no exception. In lines one and ten, he wrote about well agreed the two men were, as in things working out for them, despite being incredibly horrible men who were equally horrible to other people, especially young girls.

Catullus’s simile of calling these two men stains was rather fitting. He extended the simile by writing about how they cannot be washed out. It seems as if Caesar and Mamurra left their imprint on many lives, including the people they violated sexually. During this time, sexual behaviors were often overlooked, but Catullus created poems that were like soap operas as he shared the appetites of the important people of the day. 

 

Carmen 57

 
LineLatin textEnglish translation
1

PVLCRE conuenit improbis cinaedis,

Well agreed are the abominable sodomites,

2

Mamurrae pathicoque Caesarique.

the fellators, Mamurra and Caesar;

3

nec mirum: maculae pares utrisque,

no wonder either. Like stains,

4

urbana altera et illa Formiana,

one from the city and one from Formiae,

5

impressae resident nec eluentur:

are deeply impressed on each, and will never be washed out.

6

morbosi pariter, gemelli utrique,

Diseased alike, very twins,

7

uno in lecticulo erudituli ambo,

both on one sofa, dilettante writers both,

8

non hic quam ille magis uorax adulter,

one as greedy in adultery as the other,

9

riuales socii puellularum.

the rivals who share young girls.

10

pulcre conuenit improbis cinaedis.

Well agreed are the abominable sodomites.

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Resources

 

VRoma Project: http://www.vroma.org/~hwalker/VRomaCatullus/057x.html

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