Cooking with Martial and Catullus by Valerie Stivers
In Valerie Stivers’s Eat Your Words series, she cooks up recipes drawn from the works of various writers. In ancient Rome, poetry was pop culture, and being a poet was a viable living of sorts—you attached yourself to a patron …
#dining #cooking #diet #food #ItalianRegionalCuisine #Catullus #Italia #Italian #italiano #italy #Martial #regionalcuisine
https://www.diningandcooking.com/2396002/cooking-with-martial-and-catullus-by-valerie-stivers/
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An analysis of Catullus 46 - a delightful 1st century BC Latin poem about the arrival of spring and the excitement of travel.
If your Latin is a bit rusty or you happen to be a Latin learner, below the poem you’ll find a detailed, verse-by-verse word analysis, along with an English translation.
At the very end of the post there are a few links to additional resources on Catullus, and the context of this particular poem.
https://grammaticus.blog/2025/04/30/catullus-46/
#latinlanguage #LinguaLatina #learninglatin #latinteacher #literature #poetry #Catullus
Farewell to Bithynia! – Catullus 46 (with Latin word analysis)
Classical literature of the ancient Graeco-Roman civilisation is known for its mythological themes and epic works of poetry. Just think of Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey, or Virgil’s Aeneid – great, canonical epics that have set the standard for Western literature for centuries to come. But did you know that the classical Latin literature also had its own “modernist”, avant-garde scene?
Towards the end of the Roman republic, over 2000 years ago, a group of poets started developing a literary style very different from the traditional, experimenting with a wide range of themes and much shorter forms. They came to be known as poetae novi – new poets, in English also called the “neoterics”, after the Greek equivalent νεωτερικοί [neoterikoi]. Chief among them: Gaius Valerius Catullus.
In this post, we’ll have a look at one of his nature-themed poems, no. 46. If you’re somewhat acquainted with those “greater” classical poets, you‘ll notice how different Catullus’ writing feels compared to some of them: there are no gods, heroes or warriors here. His verses are very personal and emotional, focused on celebrating something as simple as the arrival of spring, and his much anticipated travel from Bithynia in the East, where he stayed from the summer of 57 to 56 BC.
If your Latin is a bit rusty or you happen to be a Latin learner, below the poem you’ll find a detailed, verse-by-verse word analysis, along with an English translation. At the very end of the post there are a few links to additional resources on Catullus, and the context of this particular poem.
Iam vēr ēgelidōs refert tepōrēs,WORD FORM ANALYSIS
VERSE 1
iam – adverb, indeclinable; now, already
ver – noun ver, -is, n. in the nominative sg. case; spring
egelidos – adjective egelidus, 3 in the accusative pl. case; lukewarm, tepid, mild
refert – verb refero, 3. -tuli, -latum in the 3. p. sg. Present Active Indicative; brings back
tepores – noun tepor, -is, m. in the accusative pl. case; warmth, mild heat
VERSE 2
caeli – noun caelus, -i, m. in the genitive sg. case; [of the] sky, heavens
furor – noun furor, -is, m. in the nominate sg. case; fury, madness, rage
aequinoctialis – adjective aequinoctialis, 2 in the nominative sg. case; equinoctial
VERSE 3
iucundis – adjective iucundus, 3 in the ablative pl. case; pleasant
Zephyri – noun Zephyrus, -i, m. in the genitive sg. case; [of] Zephyrus (the west wind, considered a spring wind by the Romans)
silescit – verb silesco, 3. in 1. p. sg. Present Active Indicative; becomes silent, grows quiet
auris – noun aura, -ae f. in the ablative pl. case; breezes
VERSE 4
linquantur – verb linquo, 3. liqui in the 3. p. pl. Present Passive Subjunctive; let [x] be left behind
Phrygii – adjective Phrygius, 3 in the nominative pl. case; Phrygian (a province in central Anatolia)
Catulle – noun / personal name Catullus, -i. m. in the vocative sg. case; oh, Catullus
campi – noun campus, -i. m. in the nominative pl. case; fields, meadows
VERSE 5
Nicaeaeque – noun / toponym Nicaea, -ae, f. in the genitive sg. case + suffix -que; and of Nicea (the capital of Bithynia)
ager – noun ager, -ri, m. in the nominative sg. case; field
uber – adjective uber, 2 in the nominative sg. case; fertile, fruitful, abundant
aestuosae – adjective aestuosus, 3 in the genitive sg. case (f.); burning hot, glowing, scorched
VERSE 6
ad – preposition ad, indeclinable; to, towards
claras – adjective clarus, 3 in the accusative pl. case (f.); famous, glorious, illustrious
Asiae – name / toponym Asia, -ae, f. in the genitive sg. case; [of] Asia (i.e. Asia Minor)
volemus – verb volo, 1. -avi, -atum in the 1. p. pl. Present Subjunctive; let us fly
urbes – noun urbs, -is, f. in the accusative pl. case; cities
VERSE 7
mens – noun mens, -tis, f. in the nominative sg. case; mind
praetrepidans – verb praetrepido, 1, nominative sg. of the Present Participle; hasty, impatient
avet – verb aveo 2. in the 3 p. sg. Present Active Indicative; longs, wishes, desires
vagari – deponent verb vagor, 1. vagatus sum in the Present Infinitive; to wander
VERSE 8
laeti – adjective laetus, 3 in the nominative pl. case (m.); happy, joyful, cheerful
studio – noun studium, -i, n. in the ablative sg. case; with zeal, enthusiasm
pedes – noun pes, -dis, m. in the nominative pl. case; feet
vigescunt – verb vigesco, 3. in the 3. p. pl. Present Active Indicative; gain strength, strengthen
VERSE 9
dulces – adjective dulcis, 2 in the vocative pl. case; dear, sweet, pleasant, charming
comitum – noun comes, -itis, m. / f. in the genitive pl. case; comrades, friends
valete – verb valeo, 2. -ui, -itum in the 2. p. pl. Present Active Imperative; be well, good bye
coetus – noun coetus, -us, m. in the vocative pl. case; band, gang, group
VERSE 10
longe – adverb, indeclinable; far, distant
quos – relative pronoun in the accusative pl. case (m.); who
simul – adverb simul, indeclinable; at the same time
a – preposition, indeclinable; from
domo – noun domus, -us, f. in the ablative sg. case; home
profectos – verb proficiscor, 3. profectus sum in the accusative pl. case (m.) of the Perfect Participle; setting out, departing, leaving
VERSE 11
diversae – adjective diversus, 3 in the nominative pl. case (f.); different, diverse
variae – adjective varius, 3 in the nominative pl. case (f.); different, varied, various
viae – noun via, -ae, f. in the nominative pl. case; roads
reportant – verb reporto, 1. -avi, -atum in the 3. p. pl. Present Active Indicative; carry back
ENGLISH TRANSLATION
Leonard C. Smithers (1894)
Now spring brings back mild breezes without cold,ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
E. T. Merrill’s commentary on Catullus 46
Audio of Catullus 46, read out in hendecasyllabic metre
The spring of our discontent: Catullus 46 and the classical spring
Gaius Valerius Catullus (a Poetry Foundation entry)
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Why Catullus Continues to Seduce Us
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“Catullus Invites His Friend to Dinner”
Come join me, friend. Come be my guest!
Enjoy the finest and the best
Of gourmet food, of wit and wine
And lovely ladies. Come to dine:
I’ll crack a bottle – oil of rose –
To make you wish you were a nose.
You bring the rest… For I can’t brag
Of more than cobwebs in my moneybag.
𝑳𝒊𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒓𝒚 𝑵𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒅𝒔 𝒑𝒐𝒅𝒄𝒂𝒔𝒕: "𝑨𝒏𝒅𝒓𝒆𝒘 𝑴𝒂𝒓𝒗𝒆𝒍𝒍: '𝑻𝒐 𝑯𝒊𝒔 𝑪𝒐𝒚 𝑴𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔' 𝑷𝒕. 𝟐" --
What do we do with--how do we read--can we make us of--a classic and famous metaphysical poem which is also misogynistic?
#andrewmarvell #tohiscoymistress #metaphysicalpoets #podcast #misogyny #criticalreading #irony #carpediem #catullus #epicureanism
🔥 New Podcast Episode! 🔥
Dive into the scandalous world of Roman poetry with our latest AI-generated episode on Catullus's Invectives! 🤬
We explore:
- The social power of insults in Roman society 🗣️
- Catullus's debt to Greek traditions 🏛️
- His complex and contradictory voice 🤔
- The role of obscenity and masculinity 💪
- The poetic brilliance of his insults ✍️
Listen now and discover the wit and bite of Catullus's poetry! 🎧
Also available on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/show/2voY2djAekz2vEKNAHPVL1?si=87142a511a4b4b97
#podcast #romanpoetry #catullus #invective #history #literature #classics #newepisode #DigitalHumanites #DigitalHistory #AncientHistory #AI #education
okay wait no. i don't have time for a whole thread. also this is a recollection from a presentation i did in 2017.
but basically catullus is a simp for "lesbia". she's a lesbian as in she's from the island of lesbos (not wlw or not in a way that is relevant for the discussion) (cf. catullus 5, 'ode to lesbia').
#sappho's fragment 31 is her most famous and has been translated and adapted many times throughout history. if you can read french, check "l'égal des dieux" (allia editions) which is a collection of some of these adaptations and translations. https://www.editions-allia.com/fr/livre/7/egal-des-dieux-l
in this poem we assume that the first person poetic voice is "sappho" and the adressee/love interest is a woman (we can infer from the use of participles which are marked for the feminine gender in the greek text).
and one of these first translations/adaptations is catullus 51. and he uses it a self insert for him and lesbia (who like sappho comes from lesbos - so you see the connection he made there). and yeah he mentions himself 'catullus' as well as 'lesbia' straight washing the poem.
and according to snyder this version was influential in the heterosexual readings of the poem throughout history. (yes even sappho, THE sappho has been a victim of galpal-ing)
so yeah i wrote this bad toot just to call out #catullus after praising him for #catullus16.
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