Catullus 13

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This poem by Catullus is one of his most hilarious. The poet invites his friend, Fabullus, to dine at his house, but asks him to bring all the food and drink, since his own money-purse is "full - of cobwebs". However, in return, the poet promises him lasting friendship and a sensual delight better than food: the sexy, wonderfully scented oil of a young woman.

The meter of this poem is hendecasyllabic, a common form in Catullus' poetry.

Contents 1 Latin text and translation 2 Comments 3 Bibliography 4 External links

[edit] Latin text and translation

Line	Latin text	English translation
1	Cenabis bene, mi Fabulle, apud me	You will dine well, my Fabullus, at my house
2	paucis, si tibi di favent, diebus,	in a few days, if the gods favor you,
3	si tecum attuleris bonam atque magnam	and if you bring with you a big big
4	cenam, non sine candida puella	dinner, not without a beautiful girl
5	et vino et sale et omnibus cachinnis.	and wine and salt and all the jokes.
6	Haec si, inquam, attuleris, venuste noster,	If you bring these things, I say, O charming fellow,
7	cenabis bene; nam tui Catulli	you will dine well; for the little purse
8	plenus sacculus est aranearum.	of your Catullus is full - of cobwebs.
9	Sed contra accipies meros amores,	But in return you shall receive my undiluted love,
10	seu quid suavius elegantiusve est:	or something more elegant and more delightful:
11	nam unguentum dabo, quod meae puellae	I will give you an ointment, which the Venuses and
12	donarunt Veneres Cupidinesque;	Cupids have bestowed on my girl;
13	quod tu cum olfacies, deos rogabis	which, when you smell it, you will ask the gods
14	totum ut te faciant, Fabulle, nasum.	that they make you, Fabullus, all nose.

[edit] Comments

• sale (sal, salis m.) salt - meaning "wit" by means of metonymy.
• candida can mean either beautiful or blonde as fair hair was a sign of beauty in Roman times.
• The poem makes use of hyperbaton in lines 2, 8 and 14.
• The reference to the "oil" or perfume, may be a subtle compliment to Catullus' girl.

[edit] Bibliography

• Nappa, C (1998). "Place Settings: Convivium, Contrast, and Persona in Catullus 12 and 13". American Journal of Philology 119: 386–397. doi:10.1353/ajp.1998.0041. 

• Case, BD (1995). "'Guess who's coming to dinner?': a note on Catullus 13". Latomus 54: 876. 

• Nielsen, RM; Blodgett ED (1991). "Catullus' Cena: 'I'll Tell You of More, and Lie, so You Will Come'". Revue Belge de Philologie et Histoire 69: 87–100. 

• Dettmer, H (1989). "Catullus 13: A Nose is a Nose". Syllecta Classica 1: 76–85. 

• Richlin, A (1988). "Systems of Food Imagery in Catullus". Classical World 81: 356–363. 

• Dettmer, H (1986). "Meros Amores: a Note on Catullus 13,9". Quaderni Urbinati di Culture Classica 52: 87–91. 

• Forsyth, PY (1985). "Gifts and Giving: Catullus 12-14". Classical World 79: 571–574. 

• Bernstein, WH (1985). "A Sense of Taste: Catullus 13". Classical Journal 80: 127–130. 

• Fitts, RL (1982). "Reflections on Catullus 13". Classical World 76: 41–42. 

• Marcovich, M (1982). "Catullus 13 and Philodemus 23". Quaderni Urbinati di Culture Classica 40: 131–138. 

• Helm, JJ (1980-1981). "Poetic Structure and Humor: Catullus 13". Classical World 74: 213–217. 

• Witke, C (1980). "Catullus 13". Classical Philology 75: 326–331. doi:10.1086/366582. 

• Arkins, B (1979). "Poem 13 of Catullus". Symbolae Osloenses 54: 71–80. 

• Hallett, JP (1978). "Divine Unction: Some Further Thoughts on Catullus 13". Latomus 37: 747–748. 

• Littman, RJ (1977). "The Unguent of Venus: Catullus 13". Latomus 36: 123–128. 

• Vessey, DWTC (1971). "Thoughts on Two Poems of Catullus: 13 and 30". Latomus 30: 46–55. 

[edit] External links

• Text
• Oxford Latin Reader by Maurice Balme and James Morewood (1997)

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.