Catullus 69

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Catullus 69 is a poem by the Roman poet Catullus. In it, the poet delicately advises his friend Rufus to "clean up his act" if he hopes to be successful in love.

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

[edit] Latin text and translation

Literal English Translation Original Latin Line

Don't wonder, O Rufus, why no woman
  wants to place under [you] her dainty thigh,
not if you undermine her with a gift of rare clothing
  or with the delights of a transparent jewel.
A certain ugly rumor hurts you, by which a wild billy-goat
  is said to dwell under your armpits' valley.
All fear this, nor strange: for it's a very bad
  beast and not one with which a pretty girl would lie.
Hence, either kill the cruel pestilence of the nostrils
  or cease to wonder why they flee.

Noli admirari quare tibi femina nulla,
  Rufe, velit tenerum supposuisse femur,
non si illam rarae labefactes munere vestis
  aut perluciduli deliciis lapidis.
laedit te quaedam mala fabula, qua tibi fertur
  valle sub alarum trux habitare caper.
hunc metuunt omnes; neque mirum: nam mala valde est
  bestia, nec quicum bella puella cubet.
quare aut crudelem nasorum interfice pestem,
  aut admirari desine cur fugiant.

69.1
69.2
69.3
69.4
69.5
69.6
69.7
69.8
69.9
69.10

[edit] Bibliography

  • Pedrick, V (1993). "The abusive address and the audience in Catullan poems". Helios 15: 127–132. 
  • Noonan, JD (1979). "Mala Bestia in Catullus 69.7-8". Classical World 73: 156–164. 
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.
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