Catullus 65 Flashcards
Tone of Catullus 65
Sad- his brother just died.
doctis, Horatale, virginibus
the learned maidens, Hortalus
the muses
mens animi
‘the thought of my mind’
old fashioned phrase. Used by Lucretius and Plautus.
tantis fluctuat ipsa malis
(my mind) itself is tossed about with such great misfortunes
mind has got its own problems, and is trapped.
What is special about the structure of this poem?
Uses separative patterning (adjective and noun are separated).
Callimachus does that in his pentameters, but Catullus does it in pentameters and hexameters
Letheao
Lethean
one of the rivers of the underworld
gurgite
flowing wave
word implies the sea is swallowing him
pallidulem
pale (foot)
the fact his foot is pale implies death
Who was this poem written for?
Hortalus- Cicero’s asianist rival in the courts, and a poet of ‘new school’ tastes.
What accompanied this letter?
a translation of Callimachus poem 66
Rhoteum Shore
Brother died at Troy
Daulius, absumpti fata gemens Ityli–
Such songs as Daulias sings under the dense shade of branches
as she laments the fate of dead itylus
Simile of the nightingale’s lament is Homeric.
Procne- daughter of King of Athens and wife of Thracian Tereus. Avenges her husbands violence to her sister Philomela (Daulias) by killing her own son Itys. Tereus pursues the fleeing sisters. Gods intervene. Procne turned into a sparow (Greek)/nightingale (L), Philomela a nightingale (G)/sparrow (L)
sed tamen in tantis maeroribus
but nevertheless in such great griefs..
sed tamen
introduces the apodosis.
apodosis
main clause of a conditional sentence
battiadae
son of Battus
Callimachus
(Callimachus’ father was called Battus, but the name insinuated a connection between him and the legendary king/founder of Cyrene, C’s home. C claimed descent from the king, and used the name purposefully).
