Catullus 3

Question 1

Veneres Cupidinesque

Venuses and Cupids

Answer 1

Uses plurals. (plural goddesses of love are described by Pausanias in Plato’s Symposium)

Question 2

hominem venustiorum

men of finer feeling

Answer 2

means both ‘men of venus’ and ‘charm’. Calls the solemnity of the poem into question.

Question 3

passer mortus est meae puellae
passer, deliciae meae puellae
the sparrow of my girlfriend is dead
the sparrow, delight of my girlfriend.

Answer 3

repetition is incantory, gives a dirge-like effect.

‘deliciae’ is often used to mean mistress.

Question 4

quem plus illa oculis suis amabat

whom the girl loved more than her own eyes

Answer 4

uses human terms to describe how much she loved it. ‘loved more than her own eyes’ was a big expression of love, so was ‘deliciae’.

Question 5

mellitus

sweet as honey

Answer 5

Lesbia is described using this same term in Cat.48 and 99.

Question 6

ipsam tam bene quam

mistress herself as well as

Answer 6

internal rhyme.

Question 7

modo huc modo illuc

now here, now there

Answer 7

repetition of ‘modo’.
Harsh ‘c’ sounds.
Evocative of birds jumping

Question 8

pipiabat

chirping

Answer 8

plosives of word make it onomatopoeic

Question 9

qui nunc it per iter tenebricosum

which now it hops along the shadowy path

Answer 9

‘nunc’ returns it to the present.
‘it per iter’ repetition of it and er is onomatopoeic and ironic as it sounds like hopping, which is a morbidly lighthearted syntactical choice since it is ‘hopping’ to its death.
followed by the long adjective ‘tenebricosum’ this creates a strong juxtaposition, and the syntactial choice make it seem as if the sparrow is fading off into death.

Question 10

qui nunc it per iter tenebricosum
illuc, unde negant redire quemquam.
which now it hops along the shadowy path
to that place where they say that no one returns from

Answer 10

Syndikus says that these paradositic (imitative) lines are a true expression of Catullus’ grief, and therefore love for Lesbia, which allows him to empathise. This allows for his un-Roman display of sentimentality (second line makes it sound more mocking).

Question 11

unde negant redire quemquam

that place where they say no one returns from

Answer 11

Uses ‘tops’ (a traditional theme found in literature). Fordyce cites this in Theocritus and Philetas

Question 12

vobis

you

Answer 12

Change to fully addressing Orcus now

Question 13

at vobis male sit, male tenebrae Orci

but it may be bad for you, evil darkness(es) of Orcus

Answer 13

Polyptoton makes a point that the thing that is normally bad is now having bad done to it.

Question 14

Who is Orcus

Answer 14

The king of the Underworld

Question 15

Orci, quae omnia bella devoratis:
tam bellum mihi passerem abstulistis
Of Orcus, you who devour all beautiful things;
you took away from me such a pretty sparrow.

Answer 15

repetition of ‘beautiful’, juxtaposes the previous repetition of ‘evil’.
devoratis and abstulistis rhyme to create an emphasis.
‘mihi’ could mean from me or for me- changes the meaning.

Question 16

o factum male! o missile passer!

Oh evil deed! Farewell, poor little sparrow!

Answer 16

Caesura in middle of the line.

Question 17

tua nunc opera meae puellae

Now thanks to you my girl’s (little swollen eyes are red with weeping)

Answer 17

This line reveals the poet’s true intentions

Question 18

flendo turgiduli rubent ocelli

little swollen eyes are red with weeping

Answer 18

repetition of ‘l’ sounds

turgiduli, ocelli- Uses endearing diminutives.

Question 19

Overall insight:

Answer 19

He is genuinely moved with grief, just not for the bird!