The Poetry of Gaius Valerius Catullus/53
Text & Translation
[edit | edit source]Meter - Hendecasyllables
| Line | Latin Text | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Risi nescioquem modo e corona, | I laughed at someone from the crowd I did not know |
| 2 | qui, cum mirifice Vatiniana | who, when my friend Calvus |
| 3 | meus crimina Calvus explicasset, | had magnificently explained the crimes of Vatinius |
| 4 | admirans ait haec manusque tollens: | admiring and lifting his hands, said this: |
| 5 | "di magni, salaputium disertum!" | "Good Heavens, what an eloquent little man!" |
Connotations of The Text
[edit | edit source]Line 2
[edit | edit source]- Vatiniana - Vatinius
Vatinius was a henchman of Caesar's. During a speech of Calvus's, he is said to have stood up and shouted "rogo vos, iudices, num, si iste est disertus, ideo me damnari oportet?" which means "I ask you, jury, if because that man is eloquent, It is right for me to be found guilty?"
Line 3
[edit | edit source]- Calvus - a.k.a. Licinius Calvus
Licinius Calvus was a friend and possibly fellow poet of Catullus's (see Poem 50)
- explicasset - he had explained
read "explicavisset", this was a common shortening in Latin.
Line 5
[edit | edit source]- di magni - lit. great gods
lit. Great Gods! but in a contempory context "Good Heavens" or something similar is probably more appropriate.
Vocabulary
[edit | edit source]Line 1
[edit | edit source]- corona - crowd
Line 4
[edit | edit source]- ait - he said
Line 5
[edit | edit source]- salaputinum - little man (derisive)
External Links
[edit | edit source]- Catullus 53 A Translation of Catullus 53
- Catullus 53 Another Translation of Catullus 53