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Catullus 22

O SUFFENE, NISI SCRIPSISSES, PHILOSOPHUS MANSISSES!

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Suffenus iste, Vare, quem probe nosti,
homo est venustus et dicax et urbanus,
idemque longe plurimos facit versus.
puto esse ego illi milia aut decem aut plura
perscripta, nec sic ut fit in palimpseston.............................5
relata: cartae regiae, novi libri,
novi umbilici, lora rubra membranae,
derecta plumbo et pumice omnia aequata.
haec cum legas tu, bellus ille et urbanus
Suffenus unus caprimulgus aut fossor................................10
rursus videtur: tantum abhorret ac mutat.
hoc quid putemus esse? qui modo scurra 
aut si quid hac re scitius videbatur,
idem infaceto est infacetior rure,
simul poemata attigit, neque idem unquam.........................15
aeque est beatus ac poema cum scribit:
tam gaudet in se tamque se ipse miratur.
nimirum idem omnes fallimur, neque est quisquam
quem non in aliqua re videre Suffenum
possis. suus cuique attributus est error;..............................20
sed non videmus manticae quod in tergo est.

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Meter: limping iambics.
1. Varus: probably the same Varus as in poem 10
nosti: novisti.
4. illi: Dative of Agent.
5. sic ut fit: "as ordinarily happens"; 
palimpseston
: Greek Accusative; other manuscripts give the form palimsesto.
6. cartae regiae: technical term for some high grade paper.
7. membranae: a wrapper put around the papyrus roll to protect and decorate it.
11. abhorret: Fordyce suggests that se is implied; "he is unlike himself."
12. qui...scurra: sc. est.
13. hac re: refers to scurra; may be considered colloquial.
14. infaceto...rure: "the stupid country" as opposed to the sophisticated city.
15. simul: simul ac, (as in 51.6); 
idem: Nom. masc. singular, emphatic
18. idem: neuter, adverbial, "similarly"
21. manticae: Partitive Genitive with quod.
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last updated October 17, 2003
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