Catullus 21 in Latin & English: Aureli, pater esuritionum
Channel: David Amster
Date: 2020-11-16

#catullus
#latinpoetry
#latinpronunciation

Addressed to Aurelius of Carmen 15 & 16, who doesn’t seem to have heeded Catullus’ warning about leaving his friend, Juventius, alone. Line 4 suggests that Aurelius’ vast “hungers” extend beyond fine dining. Catullus fears that by associating with him Juventius will develop bad habits. 

Catullus’ obscene threat is not to be taken literally, just as we use obscene language today metaphorically, to insult, joke, or express anger. The word he chooses, irrumatio, gives the image of satisfying Aurelius’ excessive hunger, but in a humiliating manner. 

The painting is “A Roman Feast” by Roberto Bompiani, late 19th century. 

In the earliest manuscripts we have 
“me me puer et sitire discet “ in line 11, which is not possible in the hendecasyllable meter, so I’ve added “ah” so that the meter works. 

Catulli Carmen XXI ad Aurelium

Aureli, pater esuritionum,
non harum modo, sed quot aut fuerunt
aut sunt aut aliis erunt in annis,
pedicare cupis meos amores.
nec clam: nam simul es, iocaris una,
haerens ad latus omnia experiris.
frustra: nam insidias mihi instruentem
tangam te prior irrumatione.
atque id si faceres satur, tacerem:
nunc ipsum id doleo, quod esurire
ah me me puer et sitire discet.
quare desine, dum licet pudico,
ne finem facias, sed irrumatus.

Aurelius, father of hungers,
not only of these, but as many as 
have been or are or will be in years to come,
you desire to sleep with my love. 
Not in secret, for as soon as you’re
together, you’re joking with him,
clinging to his side, you try everything. 
But in vain. For while you’re preparing 
your plots against me
I’ll strike you first with an irrumation. 
Indeed if you were doing it 
already satisfied, I might keep quiet. 
But now I lament this very thing, that the lad 
will learn, alas, to hunger and to thirst.
Wherefore desist, while you can undefiled,
lest you achieve your end, but irrumated. 

Translation DWA, 10/16/20
Fez