Catullus 49

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Catullus 49 is a Latin poem by Gaius Valerius Catullus. It was addressed to the famous orator Cicero.

1 Latin text
2 English translation
3 Meter/scansion
4 General comments
5 Sources

[edit] Latin text

Disertissime Romuli nepotum,
quot sunt quotque fuere, Marce Tulli,
quotque post aliis erunt in annis,
gratias tibi maximas Catullus
agit pessimus omnium poeta,
tanto pessimus omnium poeta,
quanto tu optimus omnium patronus.

[edit] English translation

Translation by Kenneth Charles

Most eloquent descendant of Romulus,
[of] as many as there are and as many as there have been, Marcus Tullius,
and as many as there will be hereafter in other years,
Catullus, the worst poet of all,
gives to you the greatest thanks;
by as much as he is the worst poet of all,
so much are you the best patron of all.

[edit] Meter/scansion

Hendecasyllables, which follow the pattern Trochee, Dactyl, Trochee, Trochee, Trochee.

[edit] General comments

Some have taken this as a personal thank you note from Catullus to Cicero in return for not mentioning him in proceedings against Clodia, who has been identified with Catullus's Lesbia. Clodia's character had been severely attacked by Cicero in his defense of Marcus Caelius Rufus, immortalized in the Pro Caelio This identification is not universally accepted, however, and the mockery of the last two lines makes this theory slightly unlikely, if the text is sound. Alternatively, it could be a mock thanks for Cicero's comments to Atticus about what he considered the dodgy style of Catullus' school, the Neoterics. If Cicero was accustomed to sneer at Catullus, Cinna and Calvus, they might well have taken exception to this, and retaliated by attacking Cicero's prowess as a speaker.

[edit] Sources

Catullus website Last modified May 2005. Written by Rudy Negenborn.
Catullus translation and text.
Whitakers Words: An awesome online dictionary.
Fordyce, C. J. Catullus, a commentary. Oxford University Press, Great Britain, 1961
Lee, Guy. Catullus, a new translation. Oxford University Press, Great Britain, 1990
Lewis, C.T. Elementary Latin Dictionary. Oxford University Press, Oxford, Great Britain, 1894
Loeb Classical Library. Catullus translations by F.W. Cornish. Revised by G.P. Goold. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1913 (this edition 1995)
Wiseman, T. P. Catullus and his World, a reappraisal. Cambridge University Press, Great Britain, 1985