The Poetry of Gaius Valerius Catullus/40

Text & Translation

Meter - Hendecasyllabic

Line	Latin Text	English Translation
1	Quaenam te mala mens, miselle Ravide,	What bad mind, wretched little Ravidus,
2	agit praecipitem in meos iambos?	drives you headfirst into my iambs?
3	Quis deus tibi non bene advocatus	What god summoned not well
4	vecordem parat excitare rixam?	prepares to rouse a demented fight?
5	An ut pervenias in ora vulgi?	Or so that you may arrive into the mouths of the common crowd?
6	Quid vis? Qualubet esse notus optas?	What do you want? By any means do you wish to be known?
7	Eris, quandoquidem meos amores	You will be, since my lover
8	cum longa voluisti amare poena.	you wished to love with a long penalty.

Connotations of The Text

Line 1

• Ravidus

The rival of Catullus.

Line 3

• non bene advocatus - not well summoned

A slight mistake in invocation may bring down the wrath of the gods

Line 7

• meos amores - my loves

Refers to Juventius, a young boy who Catullus chased for his affections. Homosexual affairs were a normal part of Roman life, and Juventius may have been a freedman or a slave, since it was not proper for a Roman man to have sex outside marriage with another Roman citizen.

The use of the plural amores indicates the passion felt for Juventius.

Line 8

cum longa ... poena- Catullus predicts his poetry will be everlasting.

Vocabulary

Line 1

• quinam, quaenam, quodnam - what; tell me?
• mens, mentis f. - mind; reason
• misellus -a -um - (dim. of miser) poor; wretched

Line 2

• ago, agere, egi, actum - to drive; urge
• praeceps, praecipitis (adj.) - headlong; head first
• iambus, iambi - iamb; metrical foot

Line 3

• quis (pron.) - what?
• advoco, advocare - to summon

Line 4

• Vecors, vecordis - mad; frenzied
• rixa, rixae - violent quarrel; brawl

Line 5

• an – or; either
• pervenio –ire - come to; reach
• vulgus –i n.- common people

Line 6

• vis f. – strength; force
• libet -ere – it pleases
• optas –are – choose; select; wish;

Line 7

• quandoquidem – since; seeing that

Line 8

• volo, velle, volui – to wish; want; prefer

External Links

• Catullus 40 A Translation of Catullus 40
• Catullus 40 Another Translation of Catullus 40