Catullus 55 in Latin & English: Oramus, si forte non molestum est
Channel: David Amster
Date: 2022-07-03

#catullus
#latinpoetry
#latinpronunciation

Catullus’ friend Camerius has vanished, but Catullus suspects he’s involved in a new love affair, and is being far too secretive about it. 

Oramus: we ask, pray, beg

Demonstres: show, point out; subjunctive after Oramus. 

Ubi sint: subjunctive in indirect question.

Tenebrae: dark places, lurking-places. 

Te, te, te, te! Repetition to emphasize the extent of the search. 

Campus: a place of assembly; “Campo minore” was a public area in Rome smaller than the Campus Martius. “In” is understood before Campo. 

Libellis: bookshops

Sacratus: consecrated, holy, sacred. Refers to the temple of Juppiter on the Capitoline Hill.

Magni: Pompey Magnus 

Ambulatio, -ōnis: promenade, portico, colonnade; attached to the theater built by Pompey the Great. Ovid and Martial mention it as the ideal place for meeting “femellas.”

Fēmella: diminutive of femina, a young female, a girl. Found only here in all of Latin literature! 

Prendi: I detained, accosted. 

Flagito: demand, entreat. 

Vultu sereno: with a calm/blank expression. 

Avelte: found in the earliest manuscripts, but with no clear meaning in Latin. Catullus must have used a word like “Reddite,” return, give back! 

Quaedam: a certain, a certain one, someone, one. 

Nudum reduc(ta pectus): the end of the line is missing; I have followed D.F.S. Thomson’s guess at what might have been there. 

En: Lo! behold! see! come! 

Papilla: nipple 

Labos = labor 

Herculei: dative or genitive. 

Fastus, ūs: scornful contempt or disdain of others, haughtiness, arrogance. 

Dic nobis ubi sis futurus: subjunctive in indirect question.

Edo: relate, tell, disclose. 

Committo: commit, begin, commence, give up. 

Crēdo: trust in, consign to, entrust to; crede luci, in contrast to tenebrae in v. 2. 

Lacteolus: milky-white; “white” because they were usually indoors, but certainly an allusion to their breasts. 

Prōiciēs: future of proicere, you will throw away, give up, renounce. 

Gaudĕo: to rejoice, take pleasure in, delight in. 

Loquellā (loquor): speech, talk, discourse. Verbosā and loquellā are ablative.

Licet: it is allowed, permitted, one may or can. 

Obserēs: subjunctive after licet, bar, bolt, shut up. 

Palātum: palate (referring to the mouth). 

Dum: as long as, provided that, on the condition that. 

Sim: subjunctive after dum. 

Partĭceps: adjective or noun; sharing, partaking; a sharer, partaker, partner, participant. We don’t know exactly what Catullus means by “particeps amoris,” but it sounds like he wants to be invited to the party!


Artwork:

Roman Fresco from the bedroom of a noble lady in Villa della Farnesina, Augustan period (27 BC-14 AD), Palazzo Massimo Museum, Rome; photo: David Amster

“The Nude Gioconda,” workshop of Leonardo da Vinci, 16th century, Villa Farnesina, Rome; photo: David Amster. 

Translation: David Amster, Fez, July 3, 2022


Pronunciation: 

Ōrāmus, sī foRte nōM molestû(m e)st,
dēmōnstRēs ubi sint tuae tenebRae.
tē campō quaesīvimus minōre,
t(e) in ciRcō, t(ē) in omnibus libeLLīs,
t(e) in templō suMMī Iŏvis sacRātō.
iM mañgnī simul ambulātiōne
fēmeLLās omnēs, amīce, pRēndī,
quās vultū vīdī tamen serēnō.
avelte, sīc ipse flāgitāba(m),
camērium mihi, peSSimae pueLLae.
quaed(am) iñquit, nūdû(m) Reduc(ta pectus), 
‘ēn hīc in Roseīs latet papiLLīs.’
sed tē iâ(m) feRR(e) heRculeī labōs est,
tantō t(ē) iñ fastū negās, amīce.
dīc nōbīs ubi sīs futūrus, ēde
audācteR, coMMiTTe, cRēde lūcī.
nuñc tē lacteolae tenent pueLLae?
sī liñguañ clausō tenēs in ōre,
frūctūs prōiciēs amōris omnēs.
veRbōsā gaudet Venus loqueLLā.
vel, sī vīs, licet obserēs palātû(m),
dû(m) vestRī sim paRticeps amōris.


Meter: A very unusual experiment using both Hendecasyllables and Decasyllables, where the usual dactyl ( — u u ) is replaced with a spondee ( — — ) 

ōrāmūs sī fōrtĕ nōn mŏlēstūm est
dēmōnstrēs ŭbĭ sīnt tŭaē tĕnēbraē.
tē Cāmpō quaēsīuĭmūs mĭnōrĕ.
te īn Cīrcō. te īn ōmnĭbūs lĭbēllīs.
te īn tēmplō sūmmī Iŏuīs săcrātō.
īn Māgnī sĭmŭl āmbŭlātĭōnĕ
fēmēllās ōmnēs, ămīcĕ, prēndī
quās vūltū vīdī tămēn sĕrēnō.
āvēltē sīc īpsĕ flāgĭtābăm, 
Cămēriūm mĭhĭ, pēssĭmaē pŭēllaē.
quaēdam īnquīt nūdūm rĕdūc(tă pēctŭs), 
ēn. hīc īn rŏsĕīs lătēt păpīllīs.
sēd tē iām fērre Hērcŭleī lăbōs ēst.
tāntō tē in fāstū nĕgās, ămīcĕ.
dīc nōbīs ŭbĭ sīs fŭtūrŭs. ēdĕ
aūdāctēr, cōmmīttĕ. crēdĕ lūcī.
nūnc tē lāctĕŏlaē tĕnēnt pŭēllaē?
sī līnguām claūsā tĕnēs ĭn ōrĕ
frūctūs prōĭcĭēs ămōrĭs ōmnēs.
vērbōsā gaūdēt Vĕnūs lŏquēllā.
vēl sī vīs, lĭcĕt ōbsĕrēs pălātŭm
dūm vēstrī sīm pārtĭcēps ămōrĭs.