Catullus 101
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Catullus 101 is a poem written by the Roman poet Gaius Valerius Catullus. It is addressed to Catullus's dead brother.
Contents |
[edit] Text and translation
| Line | Latin text | English translation |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Multās per gentēs et multa per aequora vectus | Carried through many nations and many seas, |
| 2 | adveniō hās miserās, frāter, ad īnferiās, | I arrive, Brother, at these miserable funeral rites, |
| 3 | ut tē postrēmō dōnārem mūnere mortis | So that I might bestow you with the final gift of death |
| 4 | et mūtam nēquīquam alloquerer cinerem. | And might speak in vain to the silent ash. |
| 5 | quandoquidem fortūna mihī tētē abstulit ipsum. | Since Fortune has stolen you yourself from me, |
| 6 | heu miser indignē frāter adēmpte mihi, | Alas, wretched brother stolen undeservedly from me, |
| 7 | nunc tamen intereā haec, prīscō quae mōre parentum | Meanwhile, however, receive now these flowing with much |
| 8 | trādita sunt trīstī mūnere ad īnferiās, | Brotherly weeping, these which in the ancient custom |
| 9 | accipe frāternō multum mānantia flētū, | Of our parents were handed down as a sad gift for funeral rites, |
| 10 | atque in perpetuum, frāter, avē atque valē. | And forever, Brother, hail and farewell. |
[edit] Meter/scansion
The meter is elegiac couplet.
[edit] General comments
This is one of several poems in which Catullus tries to cope with the loss of his brother, who had drowned. The last words, "Hail and Farewell", are among Catullus' most famous.
