The Poetry of Gaius Valerius Catullus/53

Text & Translation

Meter - Hendecasyllables

Line	Latin Text	English Translation
1	Risi nescioquem modo e corona,	I laughed at someone from the crowd I did not know
2	qui, cum mirifice Vatiniana	who, when my friend Calvus
3	meus crimina Calvus explicasset,	had magnificently explained the crimes of Vatinius
4	admirans ait haec manusque tollens:	admiring and lifting his hands, said this:
5	"di magni, salaputium disertum!"	"Good Heavens, what an eloquent little man!"

Connotations of The Text

Line 2

• Vatiniana - Vatinius

Vatinius was a henchman of Caesar's. During a speech of Calvus's, he is said to have stood up and shouted "rogo vos, iudices, num, si iste est disertus, ideo me damnari oportet?" which means "I ask you, jury, if because that man is eloquent, It is right for me to be found guilty?"

Line 3

• Calvus - a.k.a. Licinius Calvus

Licinius Calvus was a friend and possibly fellow poet of Catullus's (see Poem 50)

• explicasset - he had explained

read "explicavisset", this was a common shortening in Latin.

Line 5

• di magni - lit. great gods

lit. Great Gods! but in a contempory context "Good Heavens" or something similar is probably more appropriate.

Vocabulary

Line 1

• corona - crowd

Line 4

• ait - he said

Line 5

• salaputinum - little man (derisive)

External Links

• Catullus 53 A Translation of Catullus 53
• Catullus 53 Another Translation of Catullus 53