Catullus Poem 13 Annotations

Annotations for Poem 13 from the OCR Latin Literature Option B set verse texts.

cenabis bene, mi Fabulle, apud me

• harsh plosive sounds creates certainty about good dinner which is later undermined (C. is writing a poem not a dinner invitation!)

• use of apostrophe, addressing Fabullus as though he is in the room, more vivid, use of vocative

• elision anticipates Fabullus being in C.’s house

paucis, si tibi di favent, diebus

• vague time undermines certainty

• act of superstition creates uncertainty about dinner (sets scene for what follows)

• enclosing word order emphasises the importance of the god’s favour

si tecum attuleris bonam atque magnam

• m/n sounds creates a threatening sense - Catullus is demanding

• ‘si… attuleris’ is repeated later in poem - emphasises Catullus’ poetic skill and the unusual structure of the dinner, also shows he is bossy as the commands are repeated

cenam, non sine candida puella

• ‘not without’ - litotes, makes this more indirect, less clear

• negative tone of ‘non’ conveys idea of threat

• candida literally means ‘white’ but infers meaning of ‘dazzling’

• F. must also bring company/entertainment, more demands

et vino et sale et omnibus cachinnis

• dual meaning of ‘sale’ - literally means ‘salt’ but also means charm/wit

• polysyndeton emphasises the length of the list

• quantifier ‘omnibus’ emphasises amount needed

haec si, inquam, attuleris, venuste noster

• further use of apostrophe for emphasis

• flattering language while he repeats this outrageous request - C. presented as arrogant, expects Fabullus to make up for his failure to be a good host, thinks his company is enough to justify this?

cenabis bene; nam tui Catulli

• repeated phrase from start - emphasises Catullus’ demands, and poetic skill etc - note forms a chiasmus with the other repeated phrase by creating that ABBA structure

• effort to try and explain his reasoning emphasises his arrogance further

plenus sacculus est aranearum

• postponed ‘araenearum’ to create suspense, idea of punchline (we would expect Catullus to have plenty of money)

sed contra accipies meros amores

• elision connects ‘contra’ and ‘accipies’, showing the sense of transaction in this line

• ‘meros amores’ - reflects idea of deep and genuine love, ‘merus’ used to refer to wine, lit. means pure

seu quid suavius elegantiusve est:

• start of line is extremely vague - is this a bad deal?

• repeated long vowel sounds (ius) emphasise the uncertainty

nam ungeuentum dabo, quod meae puellae

• soft m/n alliteration creates persuasive sound

• assonance of ‘u’ helps with this sense of persuasion

• perfume is not his to give away - outrageous comment shows further evidence of arrogance

donarunt Veneres Cpudinesque,

• pleonasm/repetition used for emphatic/grandiose effect

• supernatural image casts doubt on whether the perfume is even real

• unnecessary (poetic?) plural gives more grandeur to the message

quod tu cum olfacies, deos rogabis

• ‘tu’ used as part of apostrophe with next line

• last 3 lines used to build sexual tone towards the end with frequent use of words with sexual connotations, ‘girl’, ‘Venus’, ‘scent/smelling’, ‘desire’ etc.

totum ut te faciant, Fabulle, nasum.

• use of apostrophe emphasises direct address to Fabullus

• enclosing word order - Fabullus ‘inside’ his nose, creates suspense as this is unexpected