catullus and otium

hesterno, Licini, die otiosi

- Yesterday, Licinius, at leisure

strong opening

temporal marker 'hesterno'

'Licini' - direct address

'otiosi' - reminds us how this group spends their leisure time

multum lusimus in meis tabellis,

- We amused ourselves a lot on my writing tablets,

polyptoton of the verb 'ludo' - stress on the idea of fun, relaxation

'multum' - quantifier, reminding Licinius of how good it was

inclusive first person plural verb

hesterno, Licini, die otiosi

- Yesterday, Licinius, at leisure

strong opening

temporal marker 'hesterno'

'Licini' - direct address

'otiosi' - reminds us how this group spends their leisure time

multum lusimus in meis tabellis,

- We amused ourselves a lot on my writing tablets,

polyptoton of the verb 'ludo' - stress on the idea of fun, relaxation

'multum' - quantifier, reminding Licinius of how good it was

inclusive first person plural verb

ut convenerat esse delicatos;

- As we had agreed to be frivolous;

short, sophisticated 'delicatos' - risqué

scribens versiculos uterque nostrum

- Each of us, writing short verses,

'versiculos' - mini verses, diminutive

'uterque' - just a pair, emphasising their unity and friendship

adds to the sense of sense of intimacy

ludebat numero modo hoc modo illoc,

- Was playing now with this metre and now with that one,

'ludebat' - polyptoton of verb ludo from earlier

'numero modo hoc modo' - pattern of assonance, togetherness

zeugma - playfulness - word appearing for two senses

reddens mutua per iocum atque vinum.

- Exchanging ideas through the joking and the wine.

'mutua' - double meaning - is this Catullus showing off, both as a poet and to Licinius?

atque illinc abii tuo lepore

- And I went away from there on fire

lexical field and idea of being engulfed in passion and love - Epic poetry 'lepore'

incensus, Licini, facetiisque

- With your charm, Licinius, and your wittiness

'incensus' - set on fire - metaphor - by his brilliance

word drawn from love poetry, playing with traditional vocab used when a poet wants to express his love/desire

ut nec me miserum cibus iuvaret

- So that food does not help me in my wretchedness,

'miserum' - word drawn from love poetry, playing with traditional vocab used when a poet wants to express his love/desire

he can't eat for misery - standard topoi of unrequited love

nec somnus tegeret quiete ocellos,

- Nor does sleep cover my eyes in calm,

'ocellos' - word drawn from love poetry, playing with traditional vocab used when a poet wants to express his love/desire

he can't sleep

sed toto indomitus furore lecto

- But wild with excitement on my whole bed

furore - word drawn from love poetry, playing with traditional vocab used when a poet wants to express his love/desire

adjective describing his feelings

physical sensation - does Catullus recognise that he's being a bit clichéd?

versarer, cupiens videre lucem,

- I toss and turn, longing to see the light,

'versarer' - emphatic position

'cupiens' - word drawn from love poetry, playing with traditional vocab used when a poet wants to express his love/desire - obviously relating to Cupid

Catullus' description of his tossing and turning on the bed, unable to sleep and thinking about Licinius, may be a deliberate reference to Achilles Iliad 23, when he is unable to sleep similarly because Patroclus is absent.

A subtextual way of letting Licinius know that he really likes him? More than platonic connection?

ut tecum loquerer simulque ut essem.

- So that I may speak with you and so that I may be with you.

'ut' - purpose clause, first concept

quite simple language here to express his simple witch

at defessa labore membra postquam

- But after my limbs, worn out with fatigue,

creating pathos - wants Licinius to feel bad.

semimortua lectulo iacebant,

- Were lying half dead on my bed,

specific body parts personified to express his whole misery - may be a bit of a stretch - synecdoche?

hoc, iucunde, tibi poema feci,

- I wrote this poem for you, dear friend,

'iucunde' - direct address, endearment

'tibi' polyptoton from 'tecum'

ex quo perspiceres meum dolorem.

- From which you observe my sorrow.

'Dolorem' - strong vocab, physical pain, almost torture

hyperbolic - or not?

again, Achilles reference?

nunc audax cave sis, precesque nostras,

- Now be careful not to be arrogant, and take care

'cave' - trying to make Licinius nervous of rejecting him - possibly humorous, may be with a slightly darker intent

'precesque' - religious language, lexical field of religion

oramus, cave despuas, ocelle,

- Not to reject my prayers, I beg, dear friend,

'ocelle' - term of endearment again - link to ocellos

ne poenas Nemesis reposcat a te.

- Lest Nemesis should demand punishment in turn from you.

Nemesis - goddess of vengeance, invoking the wrath of the gods

'reposcat' - prefix 're' reminds of Catullus' suffering

est vemens dea. laedere hanc caveto.

- She is a powerful goddess. Beware of harming her.

'vemens' - like vehementer - violent, powerful

ending with 2 strong, short sentences

'caveto' - archaic imperative, adds to mock solemn tone - or does it make it genuinely serious?

powerful, unusual vocab - onomatopoeic, plosive, consonance.

Hesterno, Licini die

Hyperbaton between Hesterno and die

- emphasises the distance between yesterday and today

- the last time they spent together was so long ago)

Multum

Promoted word

- promoted to the front of the line

- empahsises how much they played

Lusimus & ludebat

Polyptoton (same verb different tense)

- emphasises how much they played together

Modo hoc modo illoc

Assonance

- 'o' sounds to make the line sound a little silly and playful

Incenseus

Promoted and emjambed word

- strong and vivid word evokes imagery of flames

- flames of passion which shows Catullus's affection for Licinus

Nec nec sed

Polysyndeton

Toto indomitus furore lecto

Hyperbaton between toto and lecto

- emphasises that he could not sleep

- empahsises his wild behavior = tossing and turning and moving around in bed

Indomitus

Vivid verb

- evokes animalistic passion

Lucem, loquerer, essem

Tricolon

- emphasises his longing for Licinus

Ut tecum loquerer simulque ut essem

Two purpose clauses in one line

- emphasises his desperation

Semimortua

Hyperbole and promoted word

- exaggerated the weakness and desperation he feels

- promoted to catch the readers eye and emphasise the desperation

Semimortua lectulo

Juxtaposition

- even amidst suffering he can still be humorous with his poems and etc

- this shows how much he likes Licinus

- highlights his dedication to Licinus = he would do anything for him

Hoc, iucunde, tibi poema

Hyperbaton between hoc and poema

- highlights Catullus's dedication to Licinus

Iucunde, ocelle

Affectionate vocative terms of endearment

- shows affection

Cave sis, cave despuas, laedere/caveto

Tricolon

- 3 prohibitions

- shows that it is not that serious

Oramus

Emjambment

- shows how desperate he is

Est vemens dea

Anastrophe

- unusual word order (usually noun then adj)

- draws extra attention to 'vemens'

- makes the goddess Nemesis (goddess of retribution - payback) seem more powerful

hesterno, Licini, die otiosi (line 1)

· 'hesterno... die'- grand vocabulary (rather than 'heri') to draw attention

· 'Licini'- apostrophe (direct address) & use of Calvus' middle name shows familiarity and highlights their close relationship

multum lusimus in meis tabellis, (line 2)

· 'multum'- emphatic placement at beginning of line to emphasise how much fun they had together

· 'tabellis'- diminutive to highlight the frivolity of their time together

scribens versiculos uterque nostrum (line 4)

· 'versiculos'- diminutive

· 'uterque nostrum'- word choice emphasises the shared experience: they had fun together/in each other's company

ludebat numero modo hoc modo illoc (line 5)

· 'ludebat' + 'lusimus' (line 2)- repeating theme/idea of playfulness to emphasise how much fun Catullus & Calvus had together

· 'modo hoc modo illoc'- when read aloud, these words would be elided (-> mod hoc mod illoc) creating a jolty rhythm to imitate how rapidly the poets were switching from 1 metre to another

reddens mutua per iocum atque vinum. (line 6)

'mutua'- word choice to emphasise the poets were sharing lines equally

atque illinc abii tuo lepore (line 7)

'lepore'- emphatically placed at the end of the line to emphasise the quality that Catullus admires in Calvus

incensus, Licini, facetiisque (line 8)

· 'facetiisque'- emphatically placed at the end of the line to emphasise the quality that Catullus admires in Calvus

· 'incensus'- metaphor to emphasise how much Catullus is affected by Calvus/ to emphasise the strength of Catullus' feelings for Calvus (fire= powerful, all-consuming)

ut nec me miserum cibus iuvaret (line 9)

'me miserum'- alliterative 'm' sounds to emphasise Catullus' misery

nec somnus tegeret quiete ocellos (line 10)

· 'nec' + 'nec' (line 9)- anaphora

· 'ocellos'- diminutive to create sympathy for Catullus (poor little eyes)

sed toto indomitus furore lecto (line 11)

'toto... lecto'- enclosing word order

versarer, cupiens videre lucem, (line 12)

'versarer' & 'videre'- 'er' sounds to represent Catullus' groaning as he tosses and turns

ut tecum loquerer simulque ut essem. (line 13)

'loquerer'- 'er' sounds to represent Catullus' groaning as he tosses and turns

at defessa labore membra postquam (line 14)

'membra'- synecdoche (Catullus' limbs represent his whole body -> creating sympathy)

semimortua lectulo iacebant (line 15)

· 'semimortua'- hyperbole/exaggeration to create sympathy for Catullus

· 'lectulo'- diminutive to create sympathy for Catullus (his bed has shrunk to match his weakened bodypoor little eyes)

hoc, iucunde, tibi poema feci (line 16)

'iucunde' + 'tibi'- directs the focus from Catullus to Calvus, reminding Calvus that the poem is addressed to him

ex quo perspiceres meum dolorem. (line 17)

'meum dolorem'- assonance ('em' & 'um' sounds) + emphatic positioning of dolorem at the end of the line emphasises Catullus' suffering

nunc audax cave sis, precesque nostras (line 18)

'audax...sis...precesque'- sibilance

oramus, cave despuas, ocelle, (line 19)

'ocelle'- diminutive

ne poenas Nemesis reposcat a te. (line 20)

'ne poenas Nemesis reposcat a te'- sibilance + single syllable words add force to the warning

est vemens dea. laedere hanc caveto. (line 21)

· 'caveto' + 'cave' (line 18) + 'cave' (line 19)- tricolon/repetition & polyptoton emphasises Catullus' warning (repetition 3 times makes a spell more effective)

· two short sentences in 1 line to add force to warning

Hesterno, Licini, die otiosi

The enclosing word order of Licinius bening between "hesterno"and "die" shows how Catullus spent the whole day with him and how Licinius occupies all his thoughts

multum lusimus...ludebat

EFP and 'u' assonance highlights their playfulness

The polyptoton of "lusimus" and "ludebat" emphasises their playfulness

Modo hoc modo illoc

Ellision and repetition creates a jerky rhythm which reflects that they aren't writing seriously and emphasises the fun that they are having

Lepore incensus, Licini, facetiisque

The metaphorical use of "incensus" is language of love poetry to show the extent of his affection for Licinius

Licinius' name being sandwiched between "lepore" and "facetiisque" to emphasise how his wit and charm are central parts of his character

ut nec me miserum cibus iuvaret nec somnus tegeret quiete ocellos

'm' alliteration emphaises his wretchedness as it is a sound of mourning

This melodramatic, hyperbolic reaction to being apart from Licinius which is enhanced by the chiasmus (ABBA of an object and then the nominative and a verb) which draws attention to his desparation

sed toto indomitus furore lecto

Enclosing word order as if the bed wraps itself around him to portray his inability to sleep.

"Indomitus" is a metaphor to emphaise his inability to sleep

versarer, cupiens videre lucem,

The positioning links Catullus' restlessness with his desire for licinius, which directly shows his affection

ut tecum loquerer simulque ut essem.

Repetition of "ut" and the use of simulque emphaises his keeness to see Licinius again

membra postquam semimortua lectulo

This 'm' alliteration creates a heavy sense of melodrama as it is a sound of mourning, which is reinforced by "semimortua" being hyperbolic.

The polyptoton of "lectulo" emphasises the setting of the bed which is langauge of love poetry

ex quo perspiceres meum dolorem.

The strengthening prefix and strong vocab of "perspiceres"show how Catullus wants Licinius to clearly see the pain he feels, which is reinofrced by the "er" assonance.

"meum dolorem" has 'm' alliteration to show his misery

cave...oramus, cave despuas, ocelle,

EFP of "oramus" highlights his desparation

Repetition of "cave" emphasises his points

"despuas" is strong metaphorical vocab and a hyperbole to show his strength of feelings

"ocelle" is a term of endearmenf to exhibit his affection

...caveto

The formal imperative form of "caveto" is Catullus ending the poem on a grand word to highlight the mock-solemn threat of Nemesis haunting Licinius

hesterno, Licini, die otiosi

Yesterday, Licinius, at leisure

multum lusimus in meis tabellis,

We amused ourselves a lot on my writing tablets

ut convenerat esse delicatos.

As we had agreed to be frivolous.

scribens versiculos uterque nostrum

Each of us, writing short verses,

ludebat numero modo hoc modo illoc,

was playing with metre at one time here at another time there,

reddens mutua per iocum atque vinum.

exchanging ideas amid jokes and wine.

atque illinc abii tuo lepore

incensus, Licini, facetiisque,

And I went away from there inflamed by your charm,

Licinius, and your cleverness,

ut nec me miserum cibus iuvaret,

so that neither could food please me in my wretched state,

nec somnus tegeret quiete ocellos,

nor could sleep cover my eyes with slumber,

sed toto indomitus furore lecto

versarer cupiens videre lucem,

But wild with nerves I toss and turn on the entire bed,

Longing to see dawn,

ut tecum loquerer simulque ut essem.

So I might speak with you and be with you.

at defessa labore membra postquam

semimortua lectulo iacebant,

Yet after my half-dead limbs were lying on the couch

exhausted by exertion,

hoc, iucunde, tibi poema feci,

dear chap, I made this poem for you,

ex quo perspiceres meum dolorem.

from which you might discern my wretchedness.

nunc audax cave sis, precesque nostras,

oramus, cave despuas, ocelle,

Now be careful not to be arrogant

and, I beg, dear friend, take care not to reject my requests

ne poenas Nemesis reposcat a te.

lest Nemesis demand retribution from you in return.

est vehemens dea: laedere hanc caveto.

She is a powerful goddess; beware of harming this goddess.

cenabis bene, mi Fabulle, apud me

paucis diebus

You will dine well at my house, my Fabullus, in a few days,

si tibi di favent,

if the gods are favourable to you,

si tecum attuleris bonam atque magnam

cenam, non sine candida puella

if you bring a good and substantial meal with you, not without a pretty girl

et vino et sale et omnibus cachinnis.

and wine, and wit, and all (kinds of) laughter.

haec si, inquam, attuleris, venuste noster,

If you bring these, I declare, my charming fellow,

cenabis bene; nam tui Catulli

plenus sacculus est aranearum.

you will dine well; for the money bag of your Catullus is full of cobwebs.

sed contra accipies meros amores

seu quid suavius elegantiusve est:

But in return, you will receive pure love, or whatever is more pleasant or elegant:

nam unguentum dabo, quod meae puellae

donarunt Veneres Cupidinesque,

for I shall give (you) perfume which all-the-goddesses-of love and the gods of desire have given to my girlfriend,

quod tu cum olfacies, deos rogabis,

Fabulle,

and when you smell it, you will ask the gods, Fabullus,

totum ut te faciant nasum.

to make you all nose.

when was catullus born?

born in 87/ 84bc and died in 55bc

who is catullus' father?

an equestrian - has a villa on lake garda which catullus inherits.

who is catullus' brother?

dies an early death near troy - loyal - performed rites at brothers tomb