Catullus 7
Catullus 7 is a poem by Catullus addressed to his mistress Lesbia. Similar to Catullus 5, this poem revels in counting kisses, with a touch of stellar voyeurism.
The meter of this poem is hendecasyllabic, a common form in Catullus' poetry.
Latin text and translation[]
Line | Latin text | English translation |
---|---|---|
1 | quaeris quot mihi basiationes | You ask how many kisses |
2 | tuae Lesbia sint satis superque | Of yours, Lesbia, would be enough and more for me. |
3 | quam magnus numerus Libyssae harenae | As great as the number of Libyan sands |
4 | lasarpiciferis iacet Cyrenis | That lie at Cyrene producing silphium |
5 | oraclum Iovis inter aestuosi | Between the oracle of sweltering Jupiter |
6 | et Batti veteris sacrum sepulcrum | And the sacred tomb of old Battus,[a] |
7 | aut quam sidera multa cum tacet nox | Or as many as the stars that, when the night is silent, |
8 | furtivos hominum vident amores | See the secret love affairs of men: |
9 | tam te basia multa basiare | For you to kiss so many kisses |
10 | vesano satis et super Catullo est | is more than enough for crazy Catullus, |
11 | quae nec pernumerare curiosi | These kisses which neither the curious can count |
12 | possint nec mala fascinare lingua | Nor an evil tongue bewitch. |
Footnotes[]
- ^ There are several mythological and historical figures called Battus, and it is unclear to which one Catullus was referring.
Bibliography[]
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Latin Wikisource has original text related to this article: |
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English Wikisource has original text related to this article: |
- Johnston, PA (1993). "Love and Laserpicium in Catullus 7". Classical Philology. 88 (4): 328–329. doi:10.1086/367376. S2CID 162290715.
- Arkins, B (1979). "Catullus 7". L'Antiqué Classique. 48 (2): 630–635. doi:10.3406/antiq.1979.1954.
- Segal, C (1974). "More Alexandrianism in Catullus VII?". Mnemosyne. 27 (2): 139–143. doi:10.1163/156852574X00836.
- Segal, C (1968). "Catullus 5 and 7: A Study in Complementaries". American Journal of Philology. 89 (3): 284–301. doi:10.2307/293446. JSTOR 293446.
- Moorhouse, AC (1963). "Two Adjectives in Catullus 7". American Journal of Philology. 84 (4): 417–418. doi:10.2307/293237. JSTOR 293237.
External links[]
- Carmina for some of the texts in Latin.
- Gaius Valerius Catullus
Categories:
- Poem stubs
- Poetry by Catullus
- Love poems
- Kissing