Catullus 101 in Latin w/ Pronunciation & Meter Notes: Multas per gentes et multa per aequora vectus
Channel: David Amster
Date: 10/03/2021

#catullus
#latinpoetry
#latinpronunciation

Catullus’ beautiful and moving farewell to his dead brother. Notes on Pronunciation, Word Order, Alliteration, & Meter for Catullus Carmen 101

NB: This video has been made in conjunction with my colleague Matthaeus’ excellent Latin Poetry Lesson.
https://www.reddit.com/r/latin/comments/m30b4s/latin_poetry_lesson_ii_catullus_ci/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf

PRONUNCIATION :

multās peR gentēs et multa per aequora vectus
     adveni(ō)hās miserās, fRāter, ad īnferiās,

- R trilled in peR gentes (before a consonant), fRater (after a consonant), but not when R is between two vowels. 

- Accent/stress: 1st syllable for words with 2 syllables. If 3 or more it’s on the 2nd to last syllable (penultimate) if it’s long by nature (long vowel or diphthong) or by position (followed by 2 consonants); otherwise it’s on the 3rd to last (antepenultimate) syllable. You should always mark the accent of any words you don’t know when first reading a poem. To check on long vowels the Macronizer is an amazing help: http://alatius.com/macronizer

- adveni(ō)hās: the ō can be pronounced softly as a “W” or can be completely elided. In Vox Latina Allen suggests that total elision occurred only when a short vowel was followed by another vowel or H plus a vowel. 

ut tē postRēmō dōnāreM mūnere moRtis
     et mūtaN(m) nēquīqu(âm) alloquereR cinerê(m),

- postRēmō, moRtis, alloquereR: R trilled
- dōnāreM mūnere: EM followed by M, P or B = M
- mūtam nēquīqum: AM before N, T or D = N 
- nēquīqu(âm) alloquerer: âm elided before vowel, or â blended with a of alloquerer
- cinerê(m): EM becomes nasalized E

quandōquidê(m) foRtūna mihi tēt(ē)abstulit ipsû(m),
     heu miser inding(g)nē fRāter adēmpte mihi.

- quandōquidêm: iambic shortening of the o
- quandōquidê(m): EM = nasalized E
- foRtūna, fRāter: trilled R
- tēt(ē)abstulit: ē blended with a or elided 
- ipsû(m): -um = nasalized U
- indigne = indiNGnē

nung(n)c tamen intere(ā)haec, pRīscō quae mōre parentuN(m)
     tRādita sunt tRīstī mūner(e)ad īnferiās,

- nunc = nuNGc
- intere(ā) haec: ā elided or blended; h silent or very soft
- pRīscō, tRādita, tRīstī: trilled R
- parentum tRādita: UM = UN before T, D or N
- mūner(e)ad: short e is elided

accipe fRāteRnō multuM mānantia flētū,
     atqu(e) iM(n) peRpetuû(m), fRāter, av(ē)atque valē.

- fRāteRnō, peRpetuû(m), fRāter: trilled R
- multuM mānantia: M pronounced M before M, P or B
- atqu(e) in: e is elided
- iM(n) peRpetuûm: N before P,  or M = M
- peRpetuû(m): UM = nasalized Û
- av(ē) atque: Ē blended with A or elided 


WORD ORDER:

Multas per gentes et multa per aequora (preposition in the middle)

has miseras ad inferias

mutam nequiquam alloquerer cinerem (ABBA)

fortuna mihi tete abstulit ipsum (ABAB)

miser indigne frater adempte (ABAB)

fraterno multum manantia fletu (ABBA)


REPETITION OF SOUND/ALLITERATION:

MultAS PER gentes et Multa PER aequora vectus
     advenio hAS MiserAS, FRATER, ad inferiAS,
ut te postreMo donareM MUnere Mortis
     et MUtam nequiquam alloquerer cinerem,
quandoquidem fortuna mihi tete abstulit ipsum,
     heu MISER indigne FRATER adempte mihi.
nunc tamen interea haec, PRISco quae more Parentum
     TRadita sunt TRISti munere AD INFERIAS,
accipe FRATERno Multum Manantia fletu,
     ATQUE in perpetuum, FRATER, AVe Atque VAle.


METER:

The Elegiac Couplet is a Greek metrical form later used by many Roman poets. Catullus uses this meter in poems 65-116. 

Each couplet consists of a dactylic (– uu) hexameter (6 feet) verse followed by a pentameter verse (2 halves of two and a half feet each):

– uu | – uu | – uu | – uu | – uu | – x
– uu | – uu | –   || – uu | – uu | –

– is a long syllable, u a short syllable, uu is either one long syllable or two short syllables, and x can be long or short. 

Some of the dactyls can be replaced with a spondee (– –), which gives a more sombre tone to the line. 

The double bars (||) indicate a pause between the two halves of the line. This pause is called a caesura. 

mūltās pēr gēntēs ēt mūltă pĕr aēquŏră uēctŭs
    āduĕnĭo hās mĭsĕrās frātĕr ăd īnfĕrĭās.

ARTWORK: Faiyum Portrait of Two Brothers, Roman Egypt, 2nd century A.D. 


Multas per gentes et multa per aequora vectus
     advenio has miseras, frater, ad inferias,
ut te postremo donarem munere mortis
     et mutam nequiquam alloquerer cinerem,
quandoquidem fortuna mihi tete abstulit ipsum,
     heu miser indigne frater adempte mihi.
nunc tamen interea haec, prisco quae more parentum
     tradita sunt tristi munere ad inferias,
accipe fraterno multum manantia fletu,
     atque in perpetuum, frater, ave atque vale.