Catullus, Roman Love Poet

Gaius Valerius Catullus was a 1^st century Roman poet. His poems are in Latin and many concern a woman he calls Lesbia. She was apparently a married noblewoman and he her lover, not at all uncommon in those lascivious times.  My favorite poem is one written during the beginning of their affair, when Catullus is till very much in love with Lesbia. This is an amorous lyric poem written in hendecasyllables asking Lesbia to give his so many kisses that no one can count them.  I adore this poem because of its raw and pure emotion which is vivid despite the confines of the structure. My infatuation with Latin and this author in particular no doubt add to my appreciation. In Latin or in English, it is  beautiful poem.

                The meter and word choice of this poem set it up as though Catullus wrote it to be murmured in his lover’s ear. His repetition of “m” and “s” sounds make the spoken poem very seductive and secretive. It almost invites the reader into a private world. Catullus use of the hortatory subjunctive in “vivamus’ (Let us live) and “amemus” (let us love) suggests an invocation of a muse (line 1). Its use of 3^rd person plural increases the sense of inclusion which the meter constructs. Hendecasyllabic meter is Catullus’ favorite and most often employed, but its use in this particular poem has connotation of its own. Three long syllables, along with the repeated “m” sounds in the beginning of each line make the mouth move in a more exaggerated motion than would short syllables. This aids Catullus in a poem about kissing.

                Word order in Latin is much more flexible than Latin, though Catullus follows the few conventions to some degree. Normally the verb is placed at the end of the line or sense break. Our poet does this in all but one instance in the poem. “Aestimemus” (let us value) is the penultimate word of the line rather than the ultimate word (line 3). Its following word “assis” (copper penny) also has connotation of something asinine (a cognate). This deviation from convention cannot simply be on account of meter, as it would scan the same either way. Rather it seems that Catullus places the verb second to last in order to  allow for the beginning word and ending word of the thought to equal one another.  All the words in between these two could be deleted amd replaced with an equal sign so that rumors = a penny. These small designs of Catullus are mostly lost when translated, yet the poem continues to retain its beauty despite it.

                Catullus uses repetition to emphasize his insatiable appetite. He uses “deinde” and “dein” (then) six times and “centum” (one hundred) and “mille” (one thousand) 3 times each. This repetition places more weight on how many kisses he does want. Catullus might have achieved the same effect with less repetitions but the quantity he does use seems too much, as though he is deliberately trying to be greedy.

                Word choice also makes this original Latin poem more effective than its translated counterpart. With the right words, Catullus solidifies his meter, intensifies the poetic sound of his poem, and draws out amorous connotations. Catullus here invents the word “basia” (kiss) in line 7. This word does not appear in any texts or fragments written prior to catullus. He invented many words so this is not uncommon for him yet it suggests the character of the poet that of all the words to chose to invent, he chose kisses. This poem is also remarkably tame in comparison to many of Catullus’ other works.  This strengthens the emotion of this poem with the notable deviation from his normal tone and theme. When Lesbia ends their affair later, Catullus calls Lesbia a great many things. “Putida moecha” (rotten slut) is not the harshest of his insults. Most of his poems are written with a blatant sexual overtone that has shocked and astounded readers from classical antiquity to the present. This poem, while demanding a physical act, lacks these obvious connotations for which Catullus is most well known. Sexual connotations can be found in the poem, through his use of images, but they are far less blatant. For example, the strongest image in the poem is, “suns are able to die and return/ we when our brief light dies once/ night is one eternal sleep” (lines 4-7). The denotative interpretation of this line is a comparison between the cosmic lifetime of the sun and the short lifetime of a human being. He suggests Lesbia spend more of her time with him, as life does not last too long. Read connotatively, Catullus makes a reference to the secret nature of their affair, which is already whispered about by “too stern old men” (line 3). It also references the activities they participate in at these times. Orgasm was referred to by the Romans as a “little death’”. Catullus says that night is a time for little deaths.

                Catullus gives his reason for wanting all of these kisses based on superstition.  In witchcraft, knowing the number of times someone has done something or has lived or has gone to the opera makes a spell or hex more powerful. Catullus was Epicurian so his belief in this was probably only in the same way one might not step on cracks for fear of their mother’s back.  Yet this would have been a widely believed superstition. Catullus ends his poem with kisses, which is fitting as the entire poem could be summed up with only the first and last words of the poem,  “let us live by kisses”. The translated poem retains the intent and raw emotion yet cannot even compare to the majesty of the construction and deliberation of  the original. Catullus wrote each word and each line in an effort for the whole poem to speak its message and theme. I think he achieves this masterfully and this poem remains my favorite because of it.