Catullus 35

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Catullus 35 is a poem by the Roman poet Catullus. Catullus wants a fellow poet, Caecilius, to come to Verona, but he is held back by a young woman who loves him dearly. The "Mistress of Dyndimon" is thought to be a poem in progress by Caecilius about the goddess Cybele (Magna Mater to the Romans).

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

[edit] Latin text and translation

Literal English Translation Original Latin Line

Papyrus, I would like that you say to Caecilius,
a tender poet, my friend, in order that
he come to Verona, leaving behind
the walls of New Comus and the Larian shore:
for I wish that he receive certain
thoughts of his and my friend.
Therefore, if he is wise, he will devour the road,
although his white girl will recall him back a thousand times
as he is going, even if she asks him to delay
throwing both of her hands on his neck.
Who now, if the truths are announced to me,
destroying him with an uncontrollable passion:
for from the time that she read the unfinished
"Mistress of Dindymon," from then wretched little
fires eat at her mind.
I forgive you, girl who is more learned than the
Sapphic Muse: for indeed the unfinished "Great Mother"
charmingly unfinished by Caecilius.

Poete tenero, meo sodali,
velim Caecilio, papyre, dicas
Veronam veniat, Novi relinquens
Comi moenia Lariumque litus:
nam quasdam volo cogitationes
amici accipiat sui meique.
Quare, si sapiet, viam vorabit,
quamvis candida milies puella
euntum revocet, manusque collo
ambas iniciens roget morari.
Quae nunc, si mihi vera nuntiantur,
illum deperit impotente amore:
nam quo tempore legit incohatum
Dindymi dominam, ex eo misellae
ignes interiorem edunt medullam.
Ignosco tibi, Sapphica puella
musa doctior: est enim venuste
Magna Caecilio incohata Mater.

35.1
35.2
35.3
35.4
35.5
35.6
35.7
35.8
35.9
35.10
35.11
35.12
35.13
35.14
35.15
35.16
35.17
35.18

[edit] Bibliography

Wikisource
Latin Wikisource has original text related to this article:
Wikisource
English Wikisource has original text related to this article:
  • Foster, J (1994). "Poetry and Friendship: Catullus 35". Liverpool Classical Monthly 19: 114–121. 
  • Solodow, JP (1989). "Forms of Literary Criticism in Catullus: Polymetric vs. Epigram". Classical Philology 84: 312–319. 
  • Fredricksmeyer, EA (1985). "Catullus to Caecilius on Good Poetry". American Journal of Philology 106: 213–221. doi:10.2307/294644. 
  • Akbar Khan, H (1974). "Catullus 35 and the Things Poetry Can Do to You". Hermes 102: 476–490. 
  • Fisher, JM (1971). "Catullus 35". Classical Philology 66: 1–5. doi:10.1086/365683. 
  • Copley, F (1953). "Catullus 35". American Journal of Philology 74. 
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.