Catullus 93 Translation
Introduction |
Catullus lived during the time of Julius Caesar. His father was friends with the senator and general, but Catullus did not respect the man. Caesar was an ally with Pompey and Catullus wrote several verses where he denounced him. In other poems, Catullus offers sarcastic praise toward Caesar’s campaigns in Gaul and Britain.
In 93, the poet questions Caesar and whether he is a good man or not. Catullus does not want to be someone who favors Caesar. In fact, Catullus is ok with being the opposite. He also does not want to know where Caesar stands with his sexuality. In line two, Catullus questions whether Caesar has a black or white complexion. Caesar’s skin tone would be easy for Catullus to know, which is why the question is not about his actual skin color, but where he stands sexually.
Light and dark are opposites. Catullus is questioning whether Caesar is the active or passive member in a homosexual relationship. The albus and āter were jargon for the roles that men played in homosexuality. Albus, or white, was the passive, womanly man in the relationship. The ater, or black, was the manly member of the relationship.
Catullus did not like political life, especially when it involved war. Since Caesar was a general and was involved in attacking Gaul (where Catullus lived), he learned to dislike Caesar. He thought that Caesar was arrogant and aggressive. He probably would have enjoyed reading Shakespeare’s play and the way that the senators killed him on the floor of the senate.
It was through Caesar that Catullus met Mamurra, who he repeatedly refers to as Mr. Penis. There are stories that Caesar tried to silence Catullus, but eventually, the two made amends. Unfortunately, Catullus died young, so no one knows exactly what could have become of their relationship.
Carmen 93 |
| Line | Latin text | English translation |
|---|---|---|
1 | NIL nimium studeo, Caesar, tibi uelle placere, | I HAVE no very great desire to make myself agreeable to you, Caesar, |
2 | nec scire utrum sis albus an ater homo | nor to know whether your complexion is light or dark. |
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Resources |
VRoma Project: http://www.vroma.org/~hwalker/VRomaCatullus/093.html
