.
 
.

Catullus 8

Catullus describes the effects of a broken heart.

Click on the words in the poem below to get vocabulary information.

Please, if you see errors, let me know about them so I can fix them!

back to the Catullus poems

 

  Back to the top

Miser Catulle, desinas ineptire,
et quod vides perisse perditum ducas.
fulsere quondam candidi tibi soles,
cum ventitabas quo puella ducebat
amata nobis quantum amabitur nulla.............................5
ibi illa multa cum iocosa fiebant
quae tu volebas nec puella nolebat,
fulsere vere candidi tibi soles.
nunc iam illa non vult: tu quoque, impote<ns, noli>,
nec quae fugit sectare, nec miser vive,........................10
sed obstinata mente perfer, obdura.
vale, puella. iam Catullus obdurat,
nec te requiret, nec rogabit invitam.
at tu dolebis, cum rogaberis nulla.
scelesta, vae te, quae tibi manet vita?..........................15
quis nunc te adibit? cui videberis bella?
quem nunc amabis? cuius esse diceris?
quem basiabis? cui labella mordebis?
at tu, Catulle, destinatus obdura.

  Back to the top
Meter: limping iambics.
1. desinas: Optative Subjunctive, "may you..."
ineptire: infinitive dependent upon desinas.
2. ducas: Optative Subjunctive, "judge", "consider"; this leads into an Indirect Statement (sc. esse).
3. fulsere: i.e., fulserunt
7. quae: has iocosa as antecedent; 
nec...nolebat: litotes.
9. noli: imperative form of nolle; trans. as "don't"
10. quae: supply eam; here is fem. sing.; 
sectare: not an infinitive, but an imperative sing. form of the deponent verb.
11. obstinata mente: Ablative Absolute.
15. vae: interjection; "alas", "woe". 
18. cui: "whose", Dative of Possession.
  Back to the top
back to the Catullus poems
.
 
.
.
last updated October 17, 2003
comments, corrections?