Talk:Catullus 2
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[edit] Sparrow
"Some also believe that the sparrow is a metaphor for Lesbia's sexual organs." No. A 'passer' is also a colloquial expression, according to Pompeius Sextus, used in mimes when referring to the male genitalia. So, leave Lesbia alone, it's the poet going solo here. The people proposing this theory are: Iohannes Iovianus Pontanus, Angelus Politianus (latin transliterations both). Another theory (don't know whose) makes Passer a name of a person, who's showing too much affection to the Girl (don't forget it'll take a while untill Lesbia gets her name). And yet another theory makes the passer a small jewel the girl eventually loses. Nevertheless, these 2 last theories don't get much credibility. Reynaert-ad 14:58, 28 May 2006 (UTC)
What is a "blue thrush"? (mentioned as a candidate for the 'passer') Vultur 21:58, 17 July 2006
[edit] Addition of "Themes and debate over unity" section
I've added this section to handle the considerable scholarly research and debate on whether all 13 lines are, in fact, one poem or two. Everything is annotated. Below that I've added a section about "Sounds" (which may be retitled to something like "Assonance").
Problems that I hope other editors can help with:
- I don't know Latin beyond some bare fundamentals. I may well have made mistakes in reporting what I found. Someone with more knowledge could be extremely helpful in looking over these two sections and comparing them with the sources. I especially may have made some mistakes in identifying the vowel sounds in the "Sounds" section.
- Although the Themes section is long, and I've tried my best to be neutral and fair (I don't actually have an opinion on any of this), sourcing is too narrow. I did my best to find sources on the Web, but didn't find many. There are many printed sources out there, however, and someone with access to them could be enormously helpful by broadening the sourcing.
- I invite anyone with the inclination to go over what I've written and (comparing it to what the sources say) try to improve the writing.
Noroton 20:28, 11 February 2007 (UTC)