Information AboutCatullus 49 |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT CATULLUS 49 | |
| poetry of catullus | |
| c049 | |
|
LATIN TEXT Disertissime Romuli nepotum, quot sunt quotque fuere, Marce Tulli, quotque post aliis erunt in annis, gratias tibi maximas Catullus agit pessimus omnium poeta, tanto pessimus omnium poeta, quanto tu optimus omnium patronus. ENGLISH TRANSLATION Translation by Kenneth Charles Most eloquent descendent of Romulus, {Link without Title} as many as there are and as many as there have been, Marcus Tullius, and as many as there will be hereafter in other years, Catullus, the worst poet of all, gives to you the greatest thanks; by as much as he is the worst poet of all, so much are you the best patron of all. METER/SCANSION Hendecasyllable s, which follow the pattern Trochee , Dactyl , Trochee, Trochee, Trochee. GENERAL COMMENTS Some have taken this as a personal thank you note from Catullus to Cicero in return for not mentioning him in proceedings against Clodia, who has been identified with Catullus 's Lesbia . Clodia's character had been severely attacked by Cicero in his defense of Marcus Caelius Rufus, immortalized in the Pro Caelio This identification is not universally accepted, however, and the mockery of the last two lines makes this theory slightly unlikely, if the text is sound. Alternatively, it could be a mock thanks for Cicero's comments to Atticus about what he considered the dodgy style of Catullus' school, the Neoterics . If Cicero was accustomed to sneer at Catullus, Cinna and Calvus , they might well have taken exception to this, and retaliated by attacking Cicero's prowess as a speaker. SOURCES
|
|
|