Catullus 44

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Catullus 44 is a poem by the Roman poet Catullus. The poem is an elaborate insult to a contemporary poet, Sestius, whose custom was to make his dinner guests read his own poetry. Catullus feigns to catch a bad cold from reading such cold poetry, and wishes that all such future colds go to Sestius.

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

O my farm, whether Sabine or Tiburtine
(for they say you're Tiburtine, those to whom it isn't of the heart
to harm Catullus; but those to whom it is of the heart
wager anything that you are Sabine),
but whether Sabine or more truly Tiburtine,
I was gladly in your suburban villa
and I expelled a bad cough from my chest,
which my stomach gave to me, not undeserving,
while I seek a lavish dinner:
for, while I wish to be a Sestian guest,
I read the speech “Against the Candidate
Antius” full of poison and pestilence.
At this point a chilling cold and frequent cough
shook me continually, until I fled to your embrace,
and I restored myself both by leisure and nettle (an herb).
Therefore, having been renewed, I give my greatest
thanks to you, because you have not avenged my mistake.
No longer do I pray, if I shall receive the unspeakable
writings of Sestius, but the coldness should bring the
cold and cough not to me, but to Sestius himself,
which calls me, when I have read his bad book.

O funde noster seu Sabine seu Tiburs
(nam te esse Tiburtem autumant, quibus non est
cordi Catullum laedere; at quibus cordi est,
quovis Sabinum pignore esse contendunt),
sed seu Sabine sive verius Tiburs,
fui libenter in tua suburbana
villa, malamque pectore expuli tussim,
non inmerenti quam mihi meus venter,
dum sumptuosas appeto, dedit, cenas.
Nam, Sestianus dum volo esse conuiua,
orationem in Antium petitorem
plenam veneni et pestilentiae legi.
Hic me gravedo frigida et frequens tussis
quassait usque, dum in tuum sinum fugi,
et me recuravi otioque et urtica.
Quare refectus maximas tibi grates
ago, meum quod non es ulta peccatum.
Nec deprecor iam, si nefaria scripta
Sesti recepso, quin gravedinem et tussim
non mihi, sed ipsi Sestio ferat frigus,
qui tunc vocat me, cum malum librum legi.

44.1
44.2
44.3
44.4
44.5
44.6
44.7
44.8
44.9
44.10
44.11
44.12
44.13
44.14
44.15
44.16
44.17
44.18
44.19
44.20
44.21

[edit] Bibliography

Wikisource
Latin Wikisource has original text related to this article:
Wikisource
English Wikisource has original text related to this article:
  • George, D (1991). "Catullus 44: The Vulnerability of Wanting to be Included". American Journal of Philology 112: 247–250. doi:10.2307/294720. 
  • de Angeli, ES (1969). "{{{title}}}". Classical World 62: 354–356. 
  • Jones, CP (1968). "Parody in Catullus 44". Hermes 92: 379–383. 
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.