CATULLUS: Poem 8

miser Catulle, desinas ineptire,

Translation:
"Miserable Catullus, stop being a fool."

Stylistic Points:

• Apostrophe: Catullus addresses himself directly, creating an intimate and dramatic effect.

• Word choice: Miser (poor, wretched) emphasizes his emotional suffering.

• Soft Imperative: Desinas ineptire (stop being a fool) is a soft command using the present subjunctive

et quod vides perisse perditum ducas.

Translation:
"And accept what you see has perished as lost"

Stylistic Points:

• Chiasmus: vides (to see), perisse (finished), perditum (lost), ducas (accept). ABBA emphasises his loss which has mirrored into all aspects of his life.

• Plosives: perisse and perditum alliterative plosives emphasise his loss.

• Chiasmus: vides (A), perisse (B), perditum (B), ducas (A) this emphasises the link between the two ideas and his lesson to learn is to understand the meaning of these 2 ideas.

fulsere quondam candidi tibi soles,

Translation:
"Once, bright suns shone for you."

Stylistic Points:

• Metaphor: Candidi soles (bright suns) symbolizes happiness, love, and good times now lost.

• Poetic word order: Placing fulsere (they shone) first emphasizes the contrast between past joy and present sorrow.

• Past tense: quondam sets up nostalgia, reinforcing a sense of irreversible change.

cum ventitabas quo puella ducebat

Translation:
"When you kept going wherever the girl led you."

Stylistic Points:

• Frequentative verb: Ventitabas (kept going) suggests eagerness and repeated action, reinforcing his devotion.

• Role reversal: Puella ducebat (the girl led) subtly reverses traditional gender roles, portraying Catullus as passive and lovesick.

amata nobis quantum amabitur nulla.

Translation:
"Loved by us [me] as no other will ever be loved."

Stylistic Points:

• Superlative claim: Quantum amabitur nulla (as no other will ever be loved) elevates the relationship to an ideal, universal standard.

• Use of first-person plural ("nobis") instead of singular (mihi) creates a rhetorical distance, almost as if speaking on behalf of all lovers.

• Hyperbole: Suggests a love so deep that it surpasses all others, reinforcing his devastation.

ibi, illa multa cum iocosa fiebant,

Translation:
"Then, when those many fun things were happening,"

Stylistic Points:

• Vivid reminiscence: ibi (then) places the reader in a specific, nostalgic moment.

• Playfulness: Iocosa (playful things) suggests joy and lightheartedness in their past relationship.

• Imperfect tense: fiebant implies unfinished past action, emphasizing a time of happiness.

quae tu volebas nec puella nolebat,

Translation:
"Which you wanted, and the girl wanted even more"

Stylistic Points:

• Balanced structure: Quae tu volebas nec puella nolebat (what you wanted, and the girl did not refuse) creates symmetry, reinforcing mutual desire.

• Double negation: makes an even stronger positive, so the girl really wanted this.

• Contrast with later rejection: The line highlights past harmony, making Catullus’s loss feel sharper.

fulsere vere candidi tibi soles.

Translation:
"Truly, bright suns shone for you."

Stylistic Points:

• Metaphor: Candidi soles (bright suns) represents happiness, love, and the golden days of his relationship.

• Emphasis on truth: Vere (truly) reinforces sincerity, perhaps as a contrast to his current state of disillusionment.

• Echo of previous line (line 5): The repetition of fulsere candidi soles ties together his memories of love and happiness, emphasizing their past brightness against his present misery.

nunc iam illa non vult: tu quoque impotens noli,

Translation:
"Now, now she no longer wants [you]; you also refuse to be powerless"

Stylistic Points:

• Direct contrast: Nunc iam illa non vult (now she no longer wants) starkly opposes the earlier mutual love.

• Imperative verb: Noli (do not want) is a command, urging self-restraint.

• Insulting self-address: Impotens (powerless) emphasizes Catullus's emotional turmoil and inability to let go.

• Repetition: This is of nunc and iam which are synonyms which both mean now. This creates a nostalgic tone and seems Catullus is scolding himself as if he were a child

nec quae fugit sectare, nec miser vive,

Translation:
"Do not chase one who flees, and do not live in misery."

Stylistic Points:

• Antithesis: Fugit (flees) and sectare (chase) highlight the reversal of roles—he once pursued willingly, now he is rejected. She is literally running away.

• Imperatives: Nec... sectare, nec... vive (do not chase, do not live in misery) show an attempt at self-discipline.

• Emotional plea: Miser vive (do not live in misery) acknowledges his suffering while commanding himself to stop.

sed obstinata mente perfer, obdura.

Translation:
"But endure with [you] mind set firm, be strong."

Stylistic Points:

• Stoic resilience: Obstinata mente (with a determined mind) invokes philosophical endurance.

• Strong imperatives: Perfer (endure) and obdura (harden yourself) contrast earlier weakness (impotens), signaling an effort to regain control.

• Contrast with previous despair: The shift from lamenting to firm resolve suggests an emotional turning point, even if fragile.

vale puella, iam Catullus obdurat;

Translation:
"Goodbye, girl, now Catullus is strong."

Stylistic Points:

• Finality: Vale (goodbye) marks a definitive break, though it carries a sense of bittersweet closure.

• Contrast with past weakness: Iam Catullus obdurat (now Catullus is strong) counters his earlier miser (wretched) state, attempting to show newfound resilience.

• Irony: The assertive tone may mask lingering pain, making his defiance seem fragile.

nec te requiret nec rogabit invitam.

Translation:
"He will neither seek you or ask [you] out, [if you are] unwilling"

Stylistic Points:

• Parallel negation: Nec... nec... reinforces finality and emotional detachment.

• Contrast with previous longing: Earlier, Catullus lamented his loss; now, he claims indifference.

• Word choice: Invitam (unwilling) subtly shifts blame onto the girl, suggesting her rejection was undeserved.

at tu dolebis, cum rogaberis nulla.

Translation:
"But you will suffer when you are asked out by no one."

Stylistic Points:

• Future reversal: At tu dolebis (but you will suffer) predicts that the girl will eventually regret rejecting him.

• Poetic justice: Cum rogaberis nulla (when you are asked for by no one) suggests that she will one day feel the loneliness Catullus now experiences.

• Vindictive tone: Despite earlier resolve, this line reveals lingering resentment and a desire for emotional revenge.

scelesta, vae te, quae tibi manet vita?

Translation:
"Evil woman, woe to you! What life remains for you?"

Stylistic Points:

• Direct insult: Scelesta (wretched one) is a harsh accusation, showing anger and betrayal.

• Exclamation of pity and doom: Vae te (woe to you) predicts future suffering, implying divine or poetic justice.

• Rhetorical question: Quae tibi manet vita? (What life remains for you?) intensifies the dramatic tone, suggesting emptiness and regret await her.

quis nunc te adibit? cui videberis bella?

Translation:
"Who will approach you now? To whom will you seem beautiful?"

Stylistic Points:

• Anaphora: Repetition of quis... cui (who... to whom) emphasizes her impending loneliness.

• Implied loss of desirability: Videberis bella (will you seem beautiful) suggests that without Catullus’s love, she may no longer be admired.

• Contrast with past adoration: Previously, she was the center of his affection; now, he questions her future appeal.

quem nunc amabis? cuius esse diceris?

Translation:
"Whom will you love now? Whose will you be said to be?"

Stylistic Points:

• Parallel structure: Quem... cuius (whom... whose) reinforces his point about her inevitable loss of status.

• Possession and identity: Cuius esse diceris (whose will you be said to be) implies that her identity is tied to men, reflecting Roman societal norms.

• Underlying jealousy: Despite his attempts at detachment, the questions betray lingering emotional attachment.

quem basiabis? cui labella mordebis?

Translation:
"Whom will you kiss? Whose lips will you bite?"

Stylistic Points:

• Sensory imagery: Basiabis (kiss) and labella mordebis (bite lips) recall moments of intimacy, intensifying the contrast between past passion and present rejection.

• Erotic undertone: Highlights the physical closeness they once shared, making his bitterness more personal.

• Increasing urgency: The rapid succession of questions creates an emotional crescendo, leading to the final question.

at tu, Catulle, destinatus obdura.

at tu, Catulle, destinatus obdura.

Translation:
"But you, Catullus, stand firm, endure."

Stylistic Points:

• Contrast: At tu (but you) shifts focus back to Catullus, reinforcing his self-discipline.

• Strong imperative: Obdura (endure) mirrors line 12 (obstinata mente perfer, obdura), closing the poem with an attempt at resilience.

• Irony: While he commands himself to be strong, the preceding emotional outburst suggests he is still deeply affected.