prooemium

this is a version of the love story of catullus and his 'lesbia.'  the true story was unknown to catullus himself, for he was not as acquainted with clodia's innermost thoughts as he was with his own . . . .

 
 





i. esca (carmen li)

'the man sitting across from you, lesbia, is a god.  as for me, the instant i laid eyes on you, i went weak all over, as the flame ran through my whole body . . . .
'catullus, you have way too much time on your hands.'
esca, the bait

 
 

 

ii. inuitamentum (carmen ii)

'my darling's bird, her pet that she holds in her very bosom, that pecks her extended finger, and plays around everywhichway.  her bird, her consolation.  i sure wish i could play around like that--i mean, with the bird.'
and then the greek tale of atalanta's losing her long-preserved virginity because she stooped to pick up the golden apple.
inuitamentum, the allurement

 

 
 


 



iii. nenia (carmen iii)

'grieve, every charming thing in heaven and earth, my girl's sparrow is dead.
'now it passeth along the shadowy path--.'  o mercy.
in the last two lines, catullus goes real again.  'wretched sparrow, you've made my darling's eyes red with weeping.'
nenia, the dirge

 



 

 

iv. coniuratio (carmen lxxxiii)

'when her husband's around, lesbia's snippy to me.  the old fool's completely taken in.  she disses me because she's angry at me, she's angry because i'm always on her mind, i'm always on her mind because she's burning for me.'
coniuratio, complicity

 



 

 

v. concubitus (carmen v)

'let's live and love and just screw what old dotards (like your husband) will say.  the sun sets and rises again.  when we set, there's only a perpetual night to sleep through.  a thousand kisses, a hundred, another thousand.  then scramble the total so no witch can curse our delight.'
concubitus, lovemaking

 

 

vi. dominium (carmen xliii)

'what an imbecile age we live in when folks compare a girl like you with a goddess like lesbia.'
dominium, pride of possession