The Poetry of Gaius Valerius Catullus/53

=Text & Translation=

Meter - Hendecasyllables

=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