The Poetry of Gaius Valerius Catullus/106
Text & Translation
[edit | edit source]| Line | Latin Text | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cum puero bello praeconem qui videt esse, | What should one who sees an auctioneer with a fair boy, |
| 2 | quid credat, nisi se vendere discupere? | believe, but that he is intending to sell himself? |
Connotations of The Text
[edit | edit source]Line 1
[edit | edit source]praeconem - auctioneer
The joke here is that Juventius is selling himself to an auctioneer. i.e. at the best price he can get for his services.
Line 2
[edit | edit source]vendere - to sell [himself]
Catullus suspects that his friend Juventius has been eloping with other men, as is mentioned in Poem 24 and Poem 81. Young boys were permitted to satisfy older men but a boy who sold himself was nothing more than a whore.
External Links
[edit | edit source]- Catullus 106 A Translation of Catullus 106
- Catullus 106 Another Translation of Catullus 106