Catullus 31

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Catullus 31 is a poem by the Roman poet Catullus. The poem is a hymn to homecoming; the poet delights to see his island once again.

The meter of this poem is choliambic, a relatively uncommon form in Catullus' poetry.

[edit] Latin text and translation

Literal English Translation Original Latin Line

Sirmio, the jewel of almost islands and islands
and whatever each Neptune bears
in clear still waters and in a vast sea,
how gladly and how happy I see you,
scarcely myself believing myself to have left
Thynia and Bithunian fields and to see you in safety.
Oh what is more blessed than cares having been set free,
when the mind sets down a burden, and
tired by foreign labor we come to our home,
and rest in a desired bed?
This is the one thing which is for so great labors.
Greetings, oh charming Sirmio, and rejoice with the
master rejoicing, and you, oh Lydian waves of the lake,
laugh at whatever there is of a jeering home.

Paene insularum, Sirmio, insularumque
ocelle, quascumque in liquentibus stagnis
marique vasto fert uterque neptunus,
quam te libenter quamque laetus inviso,
vix mi ipse credens Thyniam atque Bithynos
liquisse campos et videre te in tuto.
O quid solutis est beatius curis,
cum mens onus reponit, ac peregrino
labore fessi venimus larem ad nostrum,
desideratoque acquiescimus lecto?
Hoc est quod unum est pro laboribus tantis.
Salve, o venusta Sirmio, atque ero gaude
gaudente; vosque, o Lydiae lacus undae,
ridete quidquid est domi cachinnorum.

31.1
31.2
31.3
31.4
31.5
31.6
31.7
31.8
31.9
31.10
31.11
31.12
31.13
31.14

[edit] Bibliography

Wikisource
Latin Wikisource has original text related to this article:
Wikisource
English Wikisource has original text related to this article:
  • Cairns, F (1974). "Venusta Sirmio: Catullus 31", in T. Woodman and D. West, eds.: Quality and Pleasure in Latin Poetry. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1–17. ISBN. 
  • Witke, C (1972). "Verbal Art in Catullus 31". American Journal of Philology 93. 
  • McCaughey, J. "The Mind Lays By Its Trouble : Catullus 31". Arion 9: 362–365. 
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.