Catullus 72 Translation
Introduction
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Catullus 72 is addressed to his lover, Lesbia. In the poem, he writes about how strong their friendship was in the past. But, now, she is less of a friend, but more of a lover, and Catullus does not seem happy about it.
He begins the poem with two lines that harken back to Catullus 70 where he wrote: “The woman I love says that there is no one whom she would rather marry/than me, not if Jupiter himself were to woo her.” Two poems later, in 72, he writes about how Lesbia said he was her only friend and that she wouldn’t prefer Jupiter.
Catullus tells her in lines three and four that he loved her when she said these words, but he also had familial love for her. His analogy is a bit odd for a lover to say, but he says his love is more than just that for a common mistress. His love for Lesbia is similar to the way a “father loves his sons and sons-in-law.” Women may not find this an endearing or romantic description of love, but it is a strong form of love as fathers should do everything they can for their sons. The love that fathers should have for all of their children is an innocent and unconditional.
Unfortunately, ancient Latin does not have a word for unconditional love. Instead, Latin has the phrase “sine exceptione” which translates into without exception. This is slightly different than unconditional. Love without exception means love with nothing excluded. It is not a phrase used in English. Unconditional love means that love is absolute or unquestioning. There are no conditions to the love that is given, which is different than excluding nothing. Catullus’s best description was to show how parents love their children.
Catullus continues the poem writing about how he knows her better now, but his love for her has changed. He still burns for her as a lover, but she is now “less worthy and lighter” in his eyes. He no longer sees her as a friend, but just as a lover. To Catullus, this might make her more dispensable, as lovers do not share much more than the desire to share their beds.
This poem is filled with regret. It is easy to see this when Catullus uses several lines that show his feelings from the past and comparisons to the present. He writes about “You used once to say” ,“I loved you then” ,and “Now, I know you.” He wants to have complex feelings for her. He wants to be the man who is closest to her. But, now that he knows her well, he only has carnal feelings for her. A purely sexual relationship is not loaded with deep, satisfying emotions and this seems to be what brings sorrow to Catullus. He burns for her and that “injures” him, or brings him pain.
Despite Catullus having some regret for losing his unconditional love for her, he does burning passion for her. He can’t regret having an ardent burning for her. Ardent can be translated into passionate or enthusiastic. He certainly doesn’t NOT like being with her, as anyone who feels passionately about someone else hates being away from the object of their affection.
Unfortunate, while Catullus feels passionate emotions for Lesbia, he also finds her unworthy. Sadly, the readers are unable to see how this makes Lesbia feel. Catullus leaves us wondering what he knows about Lesbia that makes him no longer feel unconditional love for her. By knowing her better, his passion has increased; but, he no longer sees her as a friend or family. Catullus could be telling us that it is impossible for men to feel unconditional love toward a woman who shares a man’s bed.
Knowing how Jupiter treated his family and friends, it is difficult to consider Jupiter stealing someone’s friend. Jupiter is the Roman name for the god knows as Zeus in Greek mythology. In the Iliad, Zeus tells his son Ares that he hates him. He frequently cheats on his wife, Hera. Zeus does not experience unconditional love. He only experiences the need of immediate passion. Therefore, the first two lines of the Catullus 72 have an odd logic. He wouldn’t befriend the girl, as all he wanted was sex.
Carmen 72 |
| Line | Latin text | English translation |
|---|---|---|
1 | DICEBAS quondam solum te nosse Catullum, | You used once to say that Catullus was your only friend, |
2 | Lesbia, nec prae me uelle tenere Iouem. | Lesbia, and that you would not prefer Jupiter himself to me. |
3 | dilexi tum te non tantum ut uulgus amicam, | I loved you then, not only as the common sort love a mistress, |
4 | sed pater ut gnatos diligit et generos. | but as a father loves his sons and sons-in-law. |
5 | nunc te cognoui: quare etsi impensius uror, | Now I know you; and therefore, though I burn more ardently, |
6 | multo mi tamen es uilior et leuior. | yet you are in my sight much less worthy and lighter. |
7 | qui potis est, inquis? quod amantem iniuria talis | How can that be? you say. Because such an injury as this drives a lover |
8 | cogit amare magis, sed bene uelle minus. | to be more of a lover, but less of a friend. |
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Resources |
VRoma Project: http://www.vroma.org/~hwalker/VRomaCatullus/072.html
