Catullus 5

Question 1

Vivamus mea Lesbia, atque amemus

Answer 1

Line begins and ends with living and loving: mirror each other, shows that they are one in the same.
First mention of Lesbia in Catullus’ corpus of work.
Lesbia’s name is surrounded by life and love, show her importance to him.

Question 2

rumoresque senum severiorum

and let us count the gossip of over-strict…

Answer 2

poem assumes a stance of rebellion against the older generation.

Question 3

omnes unius aestimemus assis!

… old men as all worth one penny!

Answer 3

juxtaposition of omnes and unius shows how worthless the masses are.
Uses lots of ‘we’- love and intimacy

Question 4

soles occidere et redire possunt:

The sun can set and return again

Answer 4

Picks up on the theme of life and longevity. Metaphor for living life to the full.

Question 5

nobis cum semel occidit brevis lux,
nox est perpetua una dormienda
when our short light has once set
it is one eternal night to be slept through

Answer 5

juxtaposition of light and dark over line break.
Second line starts off monosyllabic but broadens to show the eternity of death.
(elision between perpetua and una, like stretching out to eternity)

Question 6

da mi basia mille, deinde centum,
Give me a thousand kisses, then a hundred,
dein mille altera, dein secunda centum,
then another thousand, then a second hundred,
deinde usque altera mille, deinde centum.
Then at once another thousand, then a hundred.
dein, cum milia multa fecerimus,
Then, when we have made many thousands

Answer 6

So much repetition

Question 7

conturbabimus illa, ne sciamus

we will muddle up the accounts, so we do not know

Answer 7

Quinn: Don’t want to remember how many kisses in case they jinx it.

Question 8

inuidere

evil eye

Answer 8

if you knew exactly how many kisses, you could curse them

Question 9

cum tantum sciat esse basiorum

when he knows that there are so many kisses

Answer 9

ends with kisses- a physical display of affection