Catullus 3

1. Lugēte, o Venerēs Cupidinesque

2. et quantum est hominum venustiōrum:

3. passer mortuus est meae puellae,

4. passer, dēliciae meae puellae,

5. quem plūs illa oculīs suīs amābat.

6. Nam mellītus erat suamque nōrat

7. ipsam tam bene quam puella mātrem,

Mourn, oh Venuses and Cupids and whatever amount there is of charming men/men in love. The sparrow of my girl is dead. Sparrow, delight of my girl, with whom she loves more than her own eyes. For he was honeysweet and knew this girl as well as a girl knows her mother.

8. nec sēsē ā gremiō illius movebat,

9. sed circumsiliēns modo hūc modo illūc

10. ad sōlam dominam usque pīpiābat:

It was not moving itself from her lap, but jumping around now here now there, it was chirping all the time for the mistress alone.

11. quī nunc it per iter tenebricōsum

12. illūc, unde negant redīre quemquam.

Who now goes through the gloomy journey to that place from where they deny that anyone returns.

13. At vōbīs male sit, malae tenebrae

14. Orcī, quae omnia bella dēvorātis:

15. tam bellum mihi passerem abstulistis.

let it be bad for you all the evil hiding spots of Orcus: you who devour all beautiful things. you took away such a beautiful bird from me.

16. Ō factum male! Ō miselle passer!

17. Tuā nunc operā meae puellae

18. flendō turgidulī rubent ocellī.

Oh evil deed! Oh poor little sparrow. Now, by your effort, the swollen eyes of my girl are red from weeping.

An imperative

Lugete —» Mourn

A conjugated deponent verb (spelled passive, translated active)

mortuus est —» had died

An indirect statement

negant (VOH) redire (infinitive) quemquam (accusative)

Ablative: degree of difference

oculis suis —» more than her own eyes

Nominative relative pronoun

qui,quae —» who

Verb in the subjunctive

sit —» let it be (jusstive)

Ablative of means

flendo —» weeping

Accusative relative pronoun

quem —» whom

Vocative nouns

• Veneres

• Orci

• Cupidinesque

Imperfect verb

pipiabat —» was chirping

Noun in the genative

• puellae —» girl

• hominum —» men

Dative of separation

mihi —» from me

A gerund

flendo —» weeping

Noun-Adjective agreement

• hominum vestiorum —» charming men

• meae puellae —» my girl

• passer mellitus —» he (the bird) was honeysweet

• solam dominam —» for the mistress alone

• factum male —» evil deed

• malae tenebrae —» evil hiding spots

• miselle passer —» poor little sparrow

• turgidul ocelli —» swollen little eyes

Verbs & their subjects

• verb —» subject

• pipiabat —» passer

• norat —» passer

• devoratis —» tenebrae

• negant —» people in general

• rubent —» oculli

• it —» passer/qui

• abstulistis —» tenebrae

• gerunt —» verbal noun

• amabat —» puella

Syncope

norat

Homoioteleton

• quantum, nominum, vestustiorum

• deliciae, meae, puellae

Onomatopoeia

it per iter

Diminutive

ocelli —» little eye

Apostrophe

Veneres Cupidinesque

Ascending Tricolon

Line 1-2

1. Lugete

2. O Veneres Cupinesque

3. et… vestiorum

Line 3-4

1. passer

2. deliciae meae puellae

3. quem … amabat