Catullus 70 Translation

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Introduction

 

Catullus 70 is a mocking love poem about a special woman. She tells him that she only wants to marry him. She attempts to convince him that she only wants to marry him, and that Jupiter would not even be able to woo her. Catullus then comments metaphorically that the words a woman says to her lover should be written in wind and running water

The poem offers a dichotomy of love and hate. The first two lines refer to how much his woman loves him. Her love for him is so strong that even the wooing power of the god of the sky could change that. Considering that Jupiter, like his Greek counterpart – Zeus, was a womanizer. No woman could or did say no to his sexual advances. 

Catullus sees through his woman’s words. In the third and fourth lines, he shows how he does not trust her. These lines would show the hate of the poem. According to Catullus’s experience, women’s words do not last. They are not fixed or permanent. Instead, they are as lasting as the wind or running water. This shows how Catullus doubts that his woman’s words are truthful at all.

Who would think they would be truthful?

No woman would choose a meer mortal over the power of a god – especially the leader of the gods!

Catullus 70 pairs well with number 72. In 72, Catullus directly addresses Lesbia, who was his woman mentioned in 70. In 72, he references her promise to only love him and not even Jupiter could break their love. He then talks about how much he valued her love. But, he loved her more in a familial way rather than in a romantic way. 

It is difficult to fully understand 70 without taking 72 into account. Even though 70 is short, it is not meant to be read quickly. The words in the poem do not have a staccato sound or pace to it. There is a sadness to the poem, especially when Catullus comments on how a woman’s words are impermanent. The last two lines hint toward Lesbia wronging him, or breaking a promise to him. The choice of “ardent” to describe her lover shows that there was an eagerness or enthusiasm to their relationship. But, something kept them from fulfilling it, as seen in 72. 

The sadness and disappointment in the poem can be felt in the enjambment in the first and third lines. These lines are not designed to have stops at the end. Instead, they wrap into the complete sentences that end in line two and four. The number of words that start with “w” slow the reader, as word combinations like “running water” and “written in the wind” cannot be sad with natural speed. 

 

Carmen 70

 
LineLatin textEnglish translation
1NVLLI se dicit mulier mea nubere malleTHE woman I love says that there is no one whom she would rather marry
2quam mihi, non si se Iuppiter ipse petat.than me, not if Jupiter himself were to woo her.
3dicit: sed mulier cupido quod dicit amanti,Says; — but what a woman says to her ardent lover
4in uento et rapida scribere oportet aqua.should be written in wind and running water.

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Resources

 

VRoma Project: http://www.vroma.org/~hwalker/VRomaCatullus/070.html

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