Catullus 109

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Catullus 109 is a poem written by the Roman poet Catullus. It is a hymn-like plea to the gods that the poet's lover have a sincere heart and that both lovers enjoy each other's company throughout their life's journey.

The last line exhibits synchysis, in which the words of two thoughts are interwoven (alternate), representing the interwoven lives of the lovers.

The meter of the poem is elegiac couplets, a common form in Catullus' poetry.

[edit] Latin text and translation

Line Latin Text English Translation
1 Iucundum, mea vita, mihi proponis amorem You promise to me, my life, that this love
2 hunc nostrum inter nos perpetuumque fore. of ours will be pleasant and everlasting between us.
3 Di magni, facite ut vere promittere possit, Great gods, make it that she is able to promise truly,
4 atque id sincere dicat et ex animo, And that she says it sincerely and from her heart,
5 ut liceat nobis tota perducere vita That we might be allowed to lead through
6 aeternum hoc sanctae foedus amicitiae. Our whole life this eternal pact of holy friendship.

[edit] Bibliography

Wikisource
Latin Wikisource has original text related to this article:
Wikisource
English Wikisource has original text related to this article:
  • Thomson, DFS (1984). "Catullus 107.3-4 and 109.1-2". Liverpool Classical Monthly 9: 119–120. 

[edit] External links

http://www.vroma.org/~hwalker/VRomaCatullus/109.html

Poems (Carmina) of The Roman poet Catullus
Lesbia poems 2, 2b, 3, 5, 7, 8, 11, 36, 37, 51, 58, 68, 70, 72, 75, 76, 79, 83, 85, 86, 87, 91, 92, 104, 107, 109
Invective poems 10, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 28, 29, 30, 33, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 47, 49, 52, 53, 54, 57, 59, 60, 69, 71, 73, 74, 77, 78, 80, 84, 88, 89, 90, 93, 95, 97, 98, 103, 108, 110, 111, 112, 113, 116
Unusual poetic meters
 4, 8, 11, 17, 22, 25, 29, 30, 31, 34, 37, 39, 44, 51, 52, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64
Hendecasyllabic verse 1, 2, 2b, 3, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 12, 13, 14, 14b, 15, 16, 21, 23, 24, 26, 27, 28, 32, 33, 35, 36, 38, 40, 41, 42, 43, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 58b
Elegiac couplets 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100, 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 115, 116
See also the list of poems by Catullus.