140 coniugis in culpa flagrantem concoquit iram, noscens omnivoli plurima furta Iovis. atqui nec divis homines conponier aequumst: ingratum tremuli tolle parentis onus. nec tamen illa mihi dextra deducta paterna fragrantem Assyrio venit odore domum, 145 sed furtiva dedit mira munuscula nocte, ipsius ex ipso dempta viri gremio. quare illud satis est, si nobis is datur unis 139. concoquit Lachmann cotidiana O quotidiana GM contudit Hertzberg concipit Baehrens continet Santen. 140. furta w facta VM. 141. atqui atque VM at quia D. There is no gap in the Mss. after this verse. 139. in: 'in cases of.'- concoquit: cf. the slang phrase, "simmer down." 140. omnivoli : another ἅπαξ Aey. of the same pattern as multivola (v. 128); but the first part of the compound in this instance refers to persons (puellas ?); and an important part of classical mythology deals with their history. 141. conponier: the three other instances of the archaic infin. ending in Catullus are all in No. 61 (vv. 42, 65, 68). 142. 'Have done with the senile vexatiousness of over-jealousy' (Ellis). As men and gods are incomparable, a comedy scene is suggested as a parallel, the irritable old man enraged at the amorous escapades of a son. The thought essentially repeats that of v. 137, and is addressed to himself, like Prop. 2, 5, 14: subtrahe colla iugo, without any expressed vocative. ROM. EL. POETS-7 97 143. nec tamen: 'And, after all, she was not,' etc. Cf. Prop. 3, 16, 11; Munro on Lucr. 5, 1177. deducta: in the wedding procession. - paterna: in a figurative sense only, referring to the fact that the father gave away the bride in manus of the bridegroom. 145. Cf. v. 136, n. — - dedit: Lesbia gave the voluntary offering of passionate affection, as contrasted with the reluctance of the bride whose father had arranged a marriage, perhaps without consulting her wishes. The moral for Catullus seems to be, "You shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth," but be judiciously blind to some failings. 147. is the antecedent diem is incorporated in the following relative clause.unis: 'only'; Catullus is most favored, of all the lovers of Lesbia. 150 155 quem lapide illa diem candidiore notet. ne vestrum scabra tangat robigine nomen haec atque illa dies atque alia atque alia. sitis felices et tu simul et tua vita, et domus ipsa in qua lusimus, et domina, † et qui principio nobis terram dedit aufert, a quo sunt primo omnia nata bona, 148. notet D notat V. 150. Alli Scaliger aliis VM alys R Manli w. 157. terram VRM teneram Statius te et eram Munro. aufert VRM Anser Heyse Afer Munro audens Friedrich. 148. lapide... diem candidiore: corresponding to our phrase, 'a red-letter day.' The custom was said to be a Cretan one, to count prosperous days by white pebbles. Cf. 107, 6; Plin. Ep. 6, II, 3:0 diem laetum notandumque mihi candidissimo calculo! Hor. Car. 1, 36, 10: Cressa ne careat pulchra dies nota; Pers. 2, I: diem numera meliore lapillo. 149. The panegyric now completed, Catullus turns in personal address to his friend with the final words of goodwill; cf. Intr. to the poem. 151. vestrum: i.e. the family name. - scabra robigine: cf. Latimer, Misc.: "a new canker to rust and corrupt the old truth." 152. The flight of time; cf. 64, 16. 153. huc i.e. to this munus which I have offered. - Themis : 158. bona o bono VM. the divinity that represented "law." Her attributes were, the horn of plenty, symbolizing blessing, and the balance, indicating exact justice. 155. vita = domina, but whether a parallel to Lesbia or a lawful wife it is impossible to determine. - 156. domus cf. v. 68. -domina is the same person as dominam in v. 68. — sit felix is to be supplied several times in vv. 156– 157, and in v. 160. 157-158. These verses are still an unsolved puzzle for commentators. Perhaps they refer to a third person who assisted in the merry plot, terram being taken in the sense of a basis of undertaking, a footing from which to carry on the intrigue, a terra firma of refuge after being tossed on the waves of doubt, and omnia refer 160 et longe ante omnes mihi quae me carior ipsost, 70 Nulli se dicit mulier mea nubere malle 72 Dicebas quondam solum te nosse Catullum, ring to the love affair as a whole. 70 The first of the shorter, epigrammatic poems which end the Catullus collection. Probably addressed to Lesbia. A comparison with 72, 2 suggests that Catullus had already begun to have suspicions of Lesbia, and that this was intended as a playful warning to her. 1. mulier mea: a lover's term, found only here in the elegists, in this sense, though puella is often so used; but cf. Hor. Epod. 12, 23: magis quem diligeret mulier sua quam te. - nubere in 72, 2. Cf. Plaut. Cist. 43: = tenere haec quidem ecastor cottidie viro nubit. 6 2. Iuppiter: cf. 72, 2.-petat: come to woo.' 3. dicit: the repetition of this word suggests epigram 25 of Callimachus as a probable model: Ωμοσε Καλλίγνωτος Ἰωνίδι, μή ποτ ̓ ἐκείνης ἕξειν μήτε φίλον κρέσσονα, μήτε φίλην. ὤμοσεν. ἀλλὰ λέγουσιν ἀληθέα, τοὺς ἐν ἔρωτι ὅρκους μὴ δύνειν οὔατ ̓ ἐς ἀθαváτwv; etc.-cupido: cf. 107, I. 4. Cf. Tib. 4, 4, 8; Prop. 2, 28, 8. 72 Catullus is now well aware of Lesbia's true character; and, though his passion is not quenched, he cannot longer respect her. Cf. Nos. 73 and 85. 1. Dicebas . . . Iovem: cf. dicit . . . Iuppiter, 70, 1. — nosse : 5 dilexi tum te non tantum ut vulgus amicam, qui potis est? inquis. quod amantem iniuria talis 73 Desine de quoquam quicquam bene velle mereri 73. 1. quicquam D quisquam VM. i.e. as an accepted lover; the history of Lesbia's career before this makes it impossible to believe that Catullus ever understood her to use the word in sensu venerio. Cf. such expressions as "this one thing I do," "I am resolved to know only," etc. 2. tenere: cf. II, 18: conplexa tenet; 64, 28. 3. dilexi: love mingled with esteem is meant, as compared with the merely sensual amare. Cf. bene velle, v. 8. 4. gnatos. . . generos: by way of contrast to amicam, those in the family circle toward whom there is the least element of that amor here in mind; and so a more emphatic expression than even uxorem or filiam would be. 5. inpensius uror: the flames of passion are all the hotter, though my esteem is gone. Cf. Ter. Eun. 72: et taedet et amore ardeo. 5 omnia sunt ingrata, nihil fecisse benigne: immo etiam taedet, taedet obestque magis, ut mihi, quem nemo gravius nec acerbius urget quam modo qui me unum atque unicum amicum habuit. 75 Huc est mens deducta tua, mea Lesbia, culpa, ut iam nec bene velle queat tibi, si optima fias, 73. 3. benigne V Friedrich adds est. the verse. 4. Guyetus prefixed prodest to taedet, taedet Avantius taedet obestque magisque magis V taedet, si fit Lachmann. 75. 1. huc VRM nunc Codex Cuiacianus, accepted by Scaliger, who transposed the poem and joined it to 87. deducta VRM diducta Lachmann. |