Information AboutCatullus 85 |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT CATULLUS 85 | |
| poetry of catullus | |
| c085 | |
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LATIN TEXT Odi et amo. Quare id faciam, fortasse requiris. :nescio, sed fieri sentio et excrucior. ENGLISH TRANSLATION I hate and I love. Wherefore I do this, perhaps you ask? I know not, but I feel it happening and I am tormented. ALTERNATIVE ENGLISH TRANSLATIONS I hate and I love. Why do I do it, perchance you might ask? I don't know, but I feel it happening to me and I'm burning up. I hate and I love. You might well ask me why. I don’t know. But I do and it’s agony. METER The meter for this poem is Elegiac Couplet . GENERAL COMMENTS This couplet is one of Catullus's more famous pieces. Its brevity and terseness underscore the forcefulness of Catullus's intimate declaration. It is one of a series of poems in which Catullus attempts to reconcile his conflicting feelings for his mistress, Lesbia . |
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