Catullus 3 in Latin & English: Lugete, O Veneres Cupidinesque
Channel: David Amster
Date: 2020-07-19

Catullus 3 in Latin with English versions by Lord Byron, Dorothy Parker, and me. 

#catullus
#latinpoetry
#latinpronunciation

Passer at the end of the video lives in my “Roman” courtyard house in the Fez medina. From her I have learned the true meaning of “Odi et amo” (I hate, and I love).

Please forgive my Freudian slip with the Byron poem, where I say you instead of thou!  Hachouma. 

A note regarding elision in Latin: -UM before a vowel is elided, but I’ve learned recently that before EST the E is elided. So “quantum est” in line 2 should probably be pronounced “quantu-st”...not “quant-est”...

I am grateful to Katherine Langrish, whose excellent article, “Lesbia's Sparrow,” introduced me to the Byron and Parker poems. 

http://the-history-girls.blogspot.com/2018/04/lesbias-sparrow-katherine-langrish.html

Catulli Carmen III

Lugete, o Veneres Cupidinesque,
et quantum est hominum venustiorum:
passer mortuus est meae puellae,
passer, deliciae meae puellae,
quem plus illa oculis suis amabat.
nam mellitus erat suamque norat
ipsam tam bene quam puella matrem,
nec sese a gremio illius movebat,
sed circumsiliens modo huc modo illuc
ad solam dominam usque pipiabat.
qui nunc it per iter tenebricosum
illuc, unde negant redire quemquam.
at vobis male sit, malae tenebrae
Orci, quae omnia bella devoratis:
tam bellum mihi passerem abstulistis. 
o factum male! o miselle passer!
tua nunc opera meae puellae
flendo turgiduli rubent ocelli.

Wail, O Venuses and Cupids,
and as many as there are of 
beautiful people devoted to Venus. 
The sparrow of my girl is dead,
Sparrow, the delight of my girl,
whom she loved more than her own eyes. 
For he was sweet as honey 
and knew his mistress as well as 
a girl her own mother. 
Nor would he ever move from her lap
but hopping around now here, now there
would chirp continuously to his mistress alone. 
He now goes down that shadowy path,
there, whence they say no one returns. 
But may it go badly for you,
wicked shades of Orcus,
you who devour all beautiful things:
such a beautiful sparrow 
you have taken away from me!
O evil deed! O poor little sparrow!
Because of what you’ve done
now the puffy eyes of my girl 
grow red from crying.