Catullus 76

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Catullus 76 is a poem by the Roman poet Catullus.

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

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

[edit] General comments

In this poem, the love for Lesbia (Clodia) which brought such joy to Catullus has become a foul disease which poisons his mind. He begs the gods to remove this pain and help him forget of his love for Lesbia.

[edit] Latin text and translation

Line	Latin text	English translation
1	Si qua recordanti benefacta priora voluptas	If there is any pleasure in remembering past good deeds
2	est homini, cum se cogitat esse pium,	for a man, when he believes himself to be dutiful,
3	nec sanctam violasse fidem, nec foedere nullo	to not have violated any sacred trusts, nor in any pact
4	divum ad fallendos numine abusum homines,	of the gods to have abused divine power to deceive men,
5	multa parata manent in longa aetate, Catulle,	then much joy remains to you in your long life, Catullus,
6	ex hoc ingrato gaudia amore tibi.	prepared from this thankless love.
7	Nam quaecumque homines bene cuiquam aut dicere possunt	For anything that a man is able to do or say well to another
8	aut facere, haec a te dictaque factaque sunt.	it has been done and said by you
9	Omnia quae ingratae perierunt credita menti.	all of which things have died entrusted to this ungrateful mind
10	Quare iam te cur amplius excrucies?	So why do you keep torturing yourself further?
11	Quin tu animo offirmas atque istinc teque reducis,	Why not be firm in the mind, and lead yourself out from there
12	et dis invitis desinis esse miser?	and stop being miserable with the gods unwilling
13	Difficile est longum subito deponere amorem.	It is difficult to suddenly put away a long love
14	Difficile est, verum hoc qua lubet efficias;	It is difficult, but you must do it in some way or other
15	una salus haec est, hoc est tibi pervicendum,	it is the one safety, this must be conquered by you
16	hoc facias, sive id non pote sive pote.	Just do it! Whether it is impossible or possible
17	O di, si vestrum est misereri, aut si quibus umquam	Oh gods, if it is in you to pity, or if ever
18	extremam iam ipsa in morte tulistis opem,	you have saved someone in the nick of time in death itself
19	me miserum aspicite et, si vitam puriter egi,	Look upon pathetic me! And, if I have lived life purely
20	eripite hanc pestem perniciemque mihi,	take away from me this poison and pest
21	quae mihi subrepens imos ut torpor in artus	which creeping down to my inner most self like a paralysis
22	expulit ex omni pectore laetitias.	takes away happiness from my whole heart
23	Non iam illud quaero, contra me ut diligat illa,	Now I do not seek, that she loves me in return
24	aut, quod non potis est, esse pudica velit,	or, (that which is impossible), that she chooses to be chaste
25	ipse valere opto et taetrum hunc deponere morbum.	I wish myself to be well, and to put down this foul disease
26	O di, reddite mi hoc pro pietate mea.	Oh Gods! return this to me in return for my piety

[edit] Bibliography

• Powell, JGF (1990). "Two Notes on Catullus". Classical Quarterly 40: 199–206. 

• Skinner, MB (1987). "Disease Imagery in Catullus 76.17-26". Classical Philology 82: 230–233. doi:10.1086/367051. 

• Dyson, M (1973). "Catullus 8 and 76". Classical Quarterly 23: 127–143. 

• Moritz, LA (1968). "Difficile est longum subito deponere amorem". Greece and Rome 15: 53–58. 

[edit] External links

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.