Catullus 4 in Latin & English: Phaselus ille, quem videtis, hospites
Channel: David Amster
Date: 2020-07-25

On the surface, about Catullus’ ship, but probably autobiographical on a metaphorical level; Phaselus’ life and career mirror that of Catullus, and perhaps of all of us. Note that the sound of this poem is amazing! So much internal rhyme. Lots of ssssss sounds! This hissing of Phaselus in his previous life as a tree. 

#catullus
#latinpoetry
#latinpronunciation

I am working very hard to improve my pronunciation, changing habits learned over the past 41 years! I’m especially working on elision and pronouncing final M’s “correctly”. Thanks to Luke Ranieri for his excellent videos on this subject. 

Please note that I am focusing on meaning and deliberately not reading the poem according to meter. I should also say that I’ve left some errors, to avoid Minerva turning me into a spider for hubris, like Arachne. 

The photographs are of Mt. Cytorus on the northern coast of Turkey/Asia Minor and Lake Garda, where Catullus had a villa. The mosaics and marble sculpture are Roman originals in various collections. 

The manuscripts of Catullus 4 are the earliest we have. Please note how the finals M’s are written, or NOT written! It seems that they were often pronounced as long nasal vowels and not consonants. 

Here’s a great article about the twins Castor and Pollux, the Dioskouroi:
https://www.theoi.com/Ouranios/Dioskouroi.html

Below the Latin text and my translation:

Phaselus ille, quem videtis, hospites,
ait fuisse navium celerrimus,
neque ullius natantis impetum trabis
nequisse praeterire, sive palmulis
opus foret volare sive linteo.
et hoc negat minacis Hadriatici
negare litus insulasve Cycladas
Rhodumque nobilem horridamque Thraciam
Propontida trucemve Ponticum sinum,
ubi iste post phaselus antea fuit
comata silva; nam Cytorio in iugo
loquente saepe sibilum edidit coma.
Amastri Pontica et Cytore buxifer,
tibi haec fuisse et esse cognitissima
ait phaselus: ultima ex origine
tuo stetisse dicit in cacumine,
tuo imbuisse palmulas in aequore,
et inde tot per impotentia freta
erum tulisse, laeva sive dextera
vocaret aura, sive utrumque Iuppiter
simul secundus incidisset in pedem;
neque ulla vota litoralibus deis
sibi esse facta, cum veniret a mari
novissimo hunc ad usque limpidum lacum.
sed haec prius fuere: nunc recondita
senet quiete seque dedicat tibi,
gemelle Castor et gemelle Castoris.

That little ship you see, my friends, Phaselus,
claims he was once the swiftest of ships,
Nor was he unable to overtake the advance 
of any vessel afloat, whether there was need 
to fly with oars or by sail. 
And he denies the shore of the menacing Adriatic 
would deny this claim, nor the Cycladic Isles,
nor noble Rhodes, nor the wild Thracian Sea of Marmara,
nor the cruel bosom of the Black Sea, 
where he, later Phaselus, formerly was a long-haired forest;
for on the ridge of Mount Cytorus 
he often gave out a hissing sound from his loquacious leaves.
Amastris of the Black Sea, and boxwood-bearing Mount Cytorus,
Phaselus claims these things were and are 
very well known to you: from his earliest origin 
he says he stood on your summit,
dipped his palms in your placid waters. 
And from there through so many wild 
and narrow seas he carried his master, 
whether wind from the left or the right 
would summon him, whether Jupiter 
would bring down a following gust 
at once upon either foot of the sail.  
Nor were any vows ever made to the gods 
of the shore on his behalf, 
when he came from the most recent sea 
all the way to this limpid lake. 
But these things were long ago:
now he grows old, quiet and hidden away, 
and dedicates himself to you, 
twin Castor and to you, Castor’s twin.