INTRODUCTION
Catullus
Gaius Valerius Catullus was born about 84 BC in the city of Verona in northern Italy.
His father was well-to-do and a friend of Julius Caesar. Catullus probably came to
Rome as a young man in his early twenties to complete his education and begin a
career. It was about this time he fell under the spell of the beautiful married lady
whom he addresses in his poems as ‘Lesbia’. The affair with Lesbia was brief and
very unhappy. Her repeated infidelities drove the poet to extremes of love and hate
and in the end to despair and loathing.
At some point Catullus suffered another emotional blow, the death of a brother to
whom he was very close. The brother was buried in Asia Minor near Troy. It was
possibly with the intention of paying his last respects to his brother’s grave that
Catullus joined the staff of the Governor of Bithynia, Gaius Memmius. His year in
Bithynia (57-56 BC) was not especially enjoyable or profitable. He was glad to
return to Italy and his father’s villa on the beautiful Lake Garda, just north of Verona.
Catullus spent most of his life in Rome where he mixed with a very ‘smart set’ of
sophisticated, well-educated young writers. He was also on friendly terms with
members of Roman high society. Catullus died in his thirtieth year around 54 BC.
The poetry of Catullus
All that survives of Catullus’s work is a collection of one hundred and sixteen poems
of varying lengths. Catullus, like many others in his social position, had a good
knowledge of Greek and Greek literature. In particular he was impressed by the
Greek poets from Alexandria in Egypt which had become the greatest centre for
Greek education and literature. He borrowed many ideas from these sophisticated
and scholarly poets who lived and worked in about 250 BC.
Like the Alexandrian poets Catullus could be sophisticated and scholarly when
necessary. But in his poetry he also uses colloquial speech, the language of the
ordinary people of Rome, to communicate and express his emotions.
Catullus is very much a personal poet. His feelings and his emotions are the subject
of much of his poetry.
LATIN
1
INTRODUCTION
Lesbia
Twenty six poems, mostly short, were written as a result of the poet’s affair with
Lesbia. But Lesbia was a poetic name only, a pseudonym concealing the identity of a
married woman. In using the name, Catullus was paying a compliment also to
Sappho, the Greek lyric poetess who lived and wrote on the island of Lesbos in the
Seventh Century BC.
Who then was Lesbia? There is evidence* that her real name was Clodia. She may
have been one of the three sisters of P. Clodius Pulcher, a politician whose actions
scandalised Roman society. Two of the sisters themselves had scandalous
reputations. It has been customary to identify Clodia as the eldest sister, the wife of
Quintus Caecilius Metellus Celer who was consul in 60 BC and died in the
following year. Her character was cruelly exposed by the orator Cicero in his speech
Pro Caelio delivered in 56 BC.
In the twenty six poems each phase of the passionate affair is recorded for all time.
There is the exhilaration of newly-discovered love, the hopes of a deep and lasting
relationship and the gathering clouds of doubt, misgivings, suspicion. Love
alternates with hatred and at times renunciation, loathing and disgust.
*The writer Apuleius (Apologia 10)
2
LATIN
LATIN
3
CATULLUS
PASSAGE FOUR
Poem LI
Catullus is envious of the man who sits opposite Lesbia.
ille mi par esse deo videtur,
ille, si fas est, superare divos,
qui sedens adversus identidem te
spectat et audit
5
dulce ridentem, misero quod omnes
eripit sensus mihi: nam simul te,
Lesbia, aspexi, nihil est super mi
vocis in ore.
10
lingua sed torpet, tenuis sub artus
flamma demanat, sonitu suopte
tintinant aures, gemina teguntur
lumina nocte.
par, paris
sum, esse, fui
deus, -i (m)
fas (n)
supero (1)
divus, -i (m)
qui, quae, quod
sedeo (2)
adversus
specto (1)
audio (4)
dulcis, -is, -e
rideo (2)
miser, -era, -erum
omnis, -is, -e
4
LATIN
equal
be
god
right
be better than
god
who, which
sit
opposite
look at
listen to
sweet
laugh
miserable, unhappy
all
eripio (3) + accus. and dat.
snatch away from
sensus, -us (m)
feeling, sense
aspicio (3) aspexi look at
nihil
nothing
super
left over
vox, vocis (f)
voice
lingua, -ae (f)
tongue
torpeo (2)
be numb, paralysed
tenuis, -is, -e
fine, subtle
sub (+ accus.)
under, below
artus, -us (m)
limb
flamma, -ae (f)
flame
demano (1)
flow down
auris, -is (f)
ear
CATULLUS
line 1
ille
mi
videtur
‘that man’. Catullus does not tell us who that
man is.
= mihi
‘seems’
line 2
si fas est
‘if that is allowed’. Having dared to suggest
that a mortal could be the equal of a god in
line 1, Catullus is about to make an even more
daring suggestion – that a human could
surpass the gods. To avert the anger of the
gods Catullus includes this excuse.
line 3
identidem
‘repeatedly’. Take with spectat (line 4).
line 5
dulce ridentem
This describes te (line 3) – ‘your sweet
laughter’ lit. ‘you laughing sweetly’.
Take with mihi (line 6). See note on line 6.
‘this’ lit. ‘which’ – refers to all the experiences
of lines 1-5.
Take with sensus (line 6).
misero
quod
omnes
line 6
mihi (misero)
simul
‘from me in my unhappiness’ lit. ‘from
unhappy me’
‘as soon as’
lines 7-8
nihil est super mi
vocis in ore
‘I am left speechless’ lit. ‘there is (est) no
voice (nihil vocis) left over (super) to me (mi) in
my mouth (in ore)’.
lines 9-10
tenuis sub artus
flamma demanat
‘an invisible fire spreads through my system’.
The fire of love!
line 10
sonitu suopte
‘with their own sound’. The poet has ringing
noises in his ears.
line 11
tintinant
‘ring’. Catullus chooses a word which sounds
like its meaning. This is an example of
onomatopoeia. Compare the English word
‘buzz’.
lines 11-12 gemina teguntur
lumina nocte
‘my two eyes are covered by darkness’.
lit. ‘my eyes (lumina) are covered (teguntur) by
twin night (gemina nocte)’.
LATIN
5
CATULLUS
PASSAGE FIVE
Poem V
Catullus is in love with Lesbia. It is the start of the affair. He wants Lesbia to love
him in return. Life, he says, is for living and loving.
vivamus, mea Lesbia, atque amemus,
rumoresque senum severiorum
omnes unius aestimemus assis!
soles occidere et redire possunt:
nobis cum semel occidit brevis lux,
nox est perpetua una dormienda
5
The exact number of their kisses must never be known or bad luck could be the
consequence.
10
da mi basia mille, deinde centum,
dein mille altera, dein secunda centum,
deinde usque altera mille, deinde centum.
dein, cum milia multa fecerimus,
conturbabimus illa, ne sciamus,
aut ne quis malus invidere possit,
cum tantum sciat esse basiorum.
vivo (3)
rumor, -oris (m)
senex, -is (m)
severus, -a, -um
unus, -a, -um
sol, solis (m)
occido (3)
redeo, redire
possum, posse
lux, lucis (f)
nox, noctis (f)
perpetuus, -a, -um
dormio (4)
6
LATIN
live
gossip, talk
old man
severe, critical
one
sun
set, go down
return
be able
light
night
everlasting
sleep
do (1)
basium, -i (n)
mille, pl. milia
centum
dein = deinde
alter, -era, -erum
secundus, -a, -um
usque
facio (3) feci
scio (4)
aut
invideo (2)
cum
give
kiss
thousand
hundred
then, next
another, a second
second
continuously,
without stopping
make
know
or
put a spell on
when
CATULLUS
line 1
line 2
line 3
vivamus
mea Lesbia
amemus
senum severiorum
omnes unius
unius ... assis
line 4
aestimemus
soles
line 5
nobis
cum semel
brevis lux
line 6
(nobis) est ... dormienda
nox ... perpetua
line 7
mi
mille ... centum
line 9
line 10
line 11
usque
fecerimus
conturbabimus illa
line 12
ne sciamus
aut ne quis malus
line 13
tantum ... esse
basiorum
‘let us live’ – present subjunctive
Catullus uses a pseudonym to hide the real
identity of his girlfriend. (See Introduction.)
‘let us love’ – present subjunctive
‘of too critical old men’
Take omnes with rumores (line 2) and unius
with assis. Catullus places omnes and unius
side by side to contrast one and all.
‘at the value of one penny’. The as was a
copper coin of little value.
‘let us value’ – present subjunctive
‘the sun each day’ lit. ‘suns’
We know that the next day will dawn, and the
sun will set in the evening. But our life’s light
may not return next day.
Take with dormienda (line 6).
‘when once and for all’
‘our brief light’ i.e. our life. Again two words
are placed together for effect; lux and nox are
contrasted.
‘we must sleep through’
The everlasting night is the night of death,
which no one can escape.
= mihi
Catullus uses hundreds and thousands in the
same way as a Roman accountant would use
hundreds and thousands in his calculations.
‘without stopping’
‘we have made a total of’
‘we will wreck the count’ (Catullus continues
with the idea of the accountant.): conturbare is
a word used in accountancy meaning to
become bankrupt while concealing assets.
This idea of concealment also applies to the
lovers – they will hide the number of their
kisses and so deprive malicious persons of the
opportunity to do any harm.
‘so that we don’t know it’
‘or that no evil person can cast a spell on us’ lit.
‘or (aut) in case (ne) any (quis) evil person
(malus) can (possit) cast a spell (invidere)’
‘that our kisses are so many’ The exact
number of kisses might be used in a spell
against them, if some evil person knew the
total and wanted to bring Catullus and Lesbia
under his power. That is why the lovers will
wreck the total.
LATIN
7
CATULLUS
PASSAGE SIX
Poem III
Lesbia’s pet bird is dead! Catullus has composed a lament (mock serious) for the
dead bird as it makes its way to the Underworld.
5
10
15
20
25
8
O goddesses and gods of love,
And all you mortals who above
The common herd love lovely love,
Put mourning on:
Sparrow is dead – my girl’s;
Sparrow the pet – my girl’s;
The one she loved (and you know her)
More than her own dear famous eyes. For
It was her honey, and as well
As a girl knows her mother it knew Herself
And from her lap it never moved away,
But hopping round about, now here, now there,
Ever it chirped its song
To mistress alone;
And now it goes by the shadowed way –
That way from which they say
No one returns.
And you, may evil come to you,
You evil shades of Orcus, who
Devour all pretty things:
So pretty it was, I say,
The sparrow you took away.
O the wicked thing to do!
O wretched little sparrow! You
Are why just now those eyes –
My girl’s – are swollen, reddening as she cries.
(Poor little eyes!)
LATIN
CATULLUS
lines 1-4
Catullus begins with a powerful prayer to the spirits of love. We
wait to hear what terrible disaster has happened: who has died?
lines 5-8
Now comes the anti-climax. It is the sparrow! Lesbia loved the
sparrow more than her own eyes.
lines 9-14
Lesbia and the sparrow were very close. The bird knew its
mistress (Herself) as a girl knows her mother; it was devoted to
her.
lines 15-17
Now the sparrow takes a one-way trip to the dark and gloomy
Underworld. A humorous touch! The Romans did not seriously
believe that animals went down to Hades!
lines 18-23
Catullus curses Orcus, the god of the Underworld.
lines 24-27
The poem ends by lamenting the effects the sparrow’s death has
had on Lesbia.
LATIN
9
CATULLUS
PASSAGE SEVEN
Poem LXX
Lesbia declares that Catullus is the only man for her, but Catullus is troubled by
doubts.
nulli se dicit mulier mea nubere malle
quam mihi, non si se Iuppiter ipse petat.
dicit: sed mulier cupido quod dicit amanti,
in vento et rapida scribere oportet aqua.
nulli - dative of nemo
dico (3)
nubo (3) + dat.
malo, malle
peto (3)
amans, amantis
ventus, -i (m)
rapidus, -a, -um
10
LATIN
nobody
say
marry
prefer
ask, seek
lover
wind
running, flowing
CATULLUS
lines 1-2
nulli se ... nubere malle
‘that there’s no one she would rather marry
than me’ lit. ‘that she (se) prefers (malle) to
marry (nubere) no one (nulli) (more) than
me (quam mihi). nubere can refer to any
sexual relationship as well as marriage.
line 1
mulier
‘mistress’
line 2
non si
se
Iuppiter ipse
‘not even if’
‘her’
‘Jupiter in person’ – ‘Not even if Jupiter
himself asks me’ was a proverbial saying or
oath used by lovers. It could be considered
a great honour to be chosen by the King of
the Gods! Jupiter was notorious for making
love to mortal women.
line 3
mulier cupido quod
dicit amanti
cupido ... amanti
Begin with quod ‘what’
line 4
scribere oportet
rapida ... aqua
‘to her eager lover’
‘should be written’ lit. ‘(one) ought to
write’
‘on running water’ – another proverbial
saying
LATIN
11
CATULLUS
PASSAGE EIGHT
Poem LXXXV
A brief expression of the agony of Catullus’ conflicting feelings for Lesbia.
odi et amo, quare id faciam, fortasse requiris.
nescio, sed fieri sentio et excrucior.
odi, odisse
amo (1)
quare
is, ea, id
fortasse
requiro (3)
nescio (4)
fio, fieri, factus sum
sentio (4)
excrucio
12
LATIN
hate
love
why
he, she, it; that
perhaps
ask
not to know
happen
feel
torture, rack
CATULLUS
line 1
odi et amo
The language used in this short poem is simple,
striking and sincere.
line 2
excrucior
The meaning of this verb is ‘to put on the rack’, ‘to
torture like a slave’. By Catullus’ time it had lost its
original force in everyday speech, much as we say ‘It
was torture’ when we just mean something was pretty
unpleasant.
Catullus gives it back much of the original force here
by placing it in the emphatic position at the end of
the line. Being the final word in the poem, it stresses
the torment he feels, and it is this torment which
remains in our minds.
LATIN
13
CATULLUS
PASSAGE NINE
Poem VIII
The end of this affair. Lesbia has left him and Catullus is in despair. He reminisces
about happier times.
5
miser Catulle, desinas ineptire,
et quod vides perisse perditum ducas.
fulsere quondam candidi tibi soles,
cum ventitabas quo puella ducebat
amata nobis quantum amabitur nulla.
ibi illa multa cum iocosa fiebant,
quae tu volebas nec puella nolebat,
fulsere vere candidi tibi soles.
Catullus must be firm and say good-bye. Lesbia will be sorry. Her future is a lonely
one. But Catullus must be firm.
10
15
nunc iam illa non vult: tu quoque inpotens noli,
nec quae fugit sectare, nec miser vive,
sed obstinata mente perfer, obdura.
vale, puella. iam Catullus obdurat,
nec te requiret nec rogabit invitam.
at tu dolebis, cum rogaberis nulla.
scelesta, vae te, quae tibi manet vita?
quis nunc te adibit? cui videberis bella?
quem nunc amabis? cuius esse diceris?
quem basiabis? cui labella mordebis?
at tu, Catulle, destinatus obdura.
miser, -era, -erum
video (2)
pereo, perire, perii
perditus, -a, -um
duco (3)
fulgeo (2) fulsi
quondam
candidus, -a, -um
cum
puella, -ae (f)
quantum
fio, fieri
qui, quae, quod
volo, velle, volui
vere
nunc
14
LATIN
wretched, miserable
see
perish, be lost
lost
consider; lead (line 4)
shine
once, formerly
bright
when
girl
as much as
happen, take place
who, which
wish, want
truly, really
now
inpotens
weak, undisciplined
sector (1)
follow, pursue
vivo (3)
live
obduro (1)
stand firm
nec... nec
neither ... nor
at
but
doleo (2)
be sorry
rogo (1)
ask
maneo (2)
remain, await
vita, -ae (f)
life
quis, quid?
who, what?
adeo, adire
approach
amo (1)
love
basio (1)
kiss
mordeo (2)
bite
destinatus, -a, -um determined
CATULLUS
line 1
desinas ineptire
‘stop (desinas) being silly’. The use of the
present subjunctive to express a command is
colloquial. So also ducas in line 2.
line 2
et quod vides perisse
perditum ducas
‘and what you see has been lost (perisse),
you should consider (ducas) written off
(perditum)’ Catullus uses the language of
accountancy. A bad debt is written off when
there is no chance of getting the money back.
line 3
fulsere = fulserunt
soles
candidi tibi
‘the sunlight’ lit. ‘suns’
‘bright on you’, literally ‘for you’
line 4
ventitabas
quo
‘you kept going’
‘where’
line 5
amata nobis
quantum amabitur nulla
This describes puella – ‘who was loved (amata)
by me (nobis)’.
‘as no woman (nulla) will ever be loved’
line 6
ibi illa multa cum iocosa
fiebant
‘there (ibi) when (cum) those many happy
scenes (illa multa iocosa) took place (fiebant)’
line 7
nec puella nolebat
‘and your girlfriend did not refuse’
line 9
nunc iam
illa
tu quoque inpotens noli
‘now as things are’
‘she’ referring, of course, to Lesbia
‘You also, weak man, do not desire!’
line 10
nec quae fugit sectare
‘nor run after (sectare) a woman who runs
away’
imperative of sector
‘in misery’
sectare
miser
line 11
obstinata mente perfer
obdura
‘endure it with determination’ lit. ‘endure with
determined mind’
‘stand fast’
line 13
te requiret
rogabit invitam
‘he will seek you out’
‘will he invite you against your will’
line 14
rogaberis nulla
‘you will get no invitations at all’
line 15
scelesta
vae te
quae
‘poor wretch’ (scelestus can also mean ‘wicked’)
‘pity on you!’
Take with vita.
line 16
cui videberis bella?
‘Who will think you pretty?’ lit. ‘to whom will
you seem (videberis) pretty?’
line 17
cuius esse diceris?
‘Whose girlfriend will people say you are?’ lit.
‘Whose (cuius) will you be said (diceris) to be?’
line 18
cui labella
‘Whose lips?’
line 19
destinatus obdura
‘be determined and stand fast!’
LATIN
15
CATULLUS
PASSAGE TEN
Poem LXXVI
The affair is over. The poet still suffers from the painful after-effects. Only the gods
can cure him. He prays for such a cure.
5
10
15
20
16
Instant recovery from a chronic love
Is difficult, but this is what you must
Somehow achieve: this is the only way
Of getting better; you must get the better
Of this, once and for all; you must do this,
Whether it can be done or cannot be.
O gods, if it is in your power to pity,
Or if to any you have ever brought
Help at the last, even at death’s very door,
Look upon me in all my wretchedness,
And, if in my past life I have kept faith,
Tear out of me this plague and pestilence
Which, creeping like a numbness deep inside
My limbs, has cast out joy from my whole heart.
No longer do I ask, as once I did,
That she should love me with an answering love;
Nor do I ask for the impossible –
That she should wish to have no other love.
My prayer is for myself: my health and strength –
Recovery from this sickness that I loathe.
O gods, grant this to me for my devotion.
LATIN
CATULLUS
line 1
chronic = long lasting (often used to describe an illness)
lines 1-6
Catullus addresses himself, as in Passage 9 (page 14). His illness
is the result of the affair.
lines 7-14
He prays to the gods to cure him in return for his faithfulness to
them in the past.
lines 15-21
This prayer is unlike his former prayers – that Lesbia should love
him and that she should be faithful to him. That is impossible!
Instead he returns to his former prayer and seeks a cure for
himself.
LATIN
17
18
LATIN
CATULLUS
QUESTIONS
Passage 4 (Poem LI)
1.
Read lines 1-5
Catullus expresses his envy at the good fortune of the ‘other man’.
(a)
Why is he envious?
(b)
Why compare the other man to a god?
(c)
In contrast to the happiness of the ‘other man’ what is the poet’s state of
mind? Write down and translate the Latin word in line 5 which reveals
this.
2.
Si fas est (line 2)
Translate this and explain why the poet feels he must use these words.
3.
In the poem there are three people: the other man, Catullus and Lesbia. Write
down and translate the Latin phrase which describes Lesbia in line 5.
4.
(a)
Write down in English four sensations Catullus experiences on seeing
Lesbia.
(b)
Do you find the description of these sensations convincing?
Try to explain with reference to the text.
5.
Which of the following words best expresses Catullus’s feeling for the ‘other
man’:
envy? hate? admiration? anger?
Why do you think so?
LATIN
19
QUESTIONS
Passage 5 (Poem V)
1.
What people are likely to criticise Catullus and Lesbia?
Write down the Latin word which means ‘critical’. Why should these people
be critical in your opinion?
2.
Write down and translate the Latin words which Catullus uses to tell Lesbia
they should not care at all about the criticism.
3.
In lines 5-6 Catullus uses the words lux and nox. What are the usual
meanings of these words? What extra meaning do they have in this poem?
4.
What is the main idea in lines 4-6?
Write down and translate the Latin words in line 1 which suggest what the
lovers should now do to cope with the situation described in these lines.
5.
What evil or sinister element is to be found in the poem? How does Catullus
propose to deal with this?
6.
Do you think that Catullus believed in life after death? (See lines 5-6.) Try to
explain your answer.
7.
How would you describe the attitude of Catullus in the poem? Do you
sympathise with it?
Passage 6 (Poem III)
1.
How serious are the emotions we are meant to have for the dead sparrow?
2.
Why does Catullus use the word evil to describe Orcus?
3.
O wretched little sparrow! (line 24)
Does this phrase show that:
(a)
(b)
(c)
Catullus was really fond of the sparrow and pitied it?
Catullus isn’t really serious about his feelings?
Catullus is annoyed that the sparrow has made Lesbia cry?
You may choose more than one of these. Explain why you have made your
choice.
20
LATIN
QUESTIONS
Passage 7 (Poem LXX)
1.
nulli (line 1). Translate this word. Why in your opinion does Catullus place
this word at the beginning of the poem?
2.
Why does Lesbia use Jupiter’s name to try to convince Catullus that she
prefers him to all others?
3.
dicit (line 3). Which of the following do you consider to be the best
translation of this word: ‘She says’; ‘She says this’; ‘This is what she says’?
Explain why you have made this choice.
4.
Read lines 3-4.
5.
(a)
What images does the poet use to tell us what he thinks about the truth
of Lesbia’s declarations? What do the images mean?
(b)
cupido ... amanti Explain how Catullus realises that he is at a
disadvantage in the relationship with Lesbia.
How hopeful about his future with Lesbia do you think Catullus really is
here? Explain your thinking.
Passage 8 (Poem LXXXV)
1.
What conflicting emotions does Catullus claim to feel?
Do you think that it is possible to feel these emotions for the same person at
the same time? Explain your answer.
2.
Catullus claims not to know why he feels as he does.
Suggest reasons why he might be feeling these conflicting emotions.
3.
Do you think that Catullus succeeds in conveying (a) the torment and (b) the
helplessness which he feels?
Quote words or phrases from the Latin to support your answer.
4.
How far do you think this poem leads on from Catullus’ feelings in Passage 7
(page 10)?
LATIN
21
QUESTIONS
Passage 9 (Poem VIII)
1.
What practical advice does Catullus give himself in lines 1-2?
2.
(a)
(b)
3.
In line 9 what does nunc mean? Find and translate a Latin word in line 3
which corresponds to nunc.
4.
Which Latin words in line 12 show that Catullus is finally finished with
Lesbia? Translate them.
5.
Quote and translate one line in the poem which indicates that Catullus feels
his love for Lesbia has been unique and like no other love affair.
6.
Write down and translate the Latin word in line 14 which describes how
Lesbia will feel when no longer invited to go out with Catullus.
7.
Read lines 15-18
(a)
(b)
(c)
What image does he use in line 3 to describe his happiness in the past?
The image is repeated in line 8. What is the effect of the words fulsere
vere?
What word is used in line 15 to describe Lesbia’s future state?
Give as many meanings of the word as you can.
Describe the kind of future which lies ahead of Lesbia (according to
Catullus).
What is the answer to all the questions asked in lines 16-18?
Why do you think Catullus asks so many questions in these lines?
8.
Write down and translate a Latin word which you consider to be a key word in
the poem. Why have you chosen this word?
9.
at tu; Catullus begins two lines in the poem with these words. Whom is he
addressing in (a) line 14 (b) line 19?
10.
Read lines 12-19. Do you consider that Catullus shows here that he will be
capable of following the advice he gives himself in line 2? Try to explain your
answer fully.
11.
Which of the following statements best sum(s) up the thoughts and feelings of
Catullus at the end of the poem?
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)
(f)
22
He could not care less about Lesbia.
He realises he will be better off without her.
He still loves her.
He is bitter about her.
He is very sad and depressed.
He must make a determined effort to forget her.
LATIN
QUESTIONS
Passage 10 (Poem LXXVI)
1.
Throughout the poem Catullus uses words relating to health and illness to
describe his condition. Write down as many of these words as you can.
2.
What prayer does Catullus make here? In what respects are the tone and
content similar to Passage 9 (page 14) and how do they differ?
3.
Why does Catullus believe that his prayers should be answered by the gods?
LATIN
23
24
LATIN
CATULLUS
TALKING POINTS
1. The text of the poems
The poems of Catullus remained popular for at least two hundred and fifty years
after his death. They were read by the educated members of Roman society but were
not widely available. We must remember that Roman books were manuscripts –
copied out laboriously by hand. Unlike pupils in our own schools, Roman pupils
did not read Catullus. His poetry was considered unsuitable for young minds!
Since he was not read in schools, demand for his poetry faded over the centuries. All
his work might have been lost had it not been for one single copy which survived in a
library in Verona, the poet’s birthplace. This copy was found in the Thirteenth
Century but vanished a century later. Fortunately two copies had already been made
of it. The copies contained many errors. But scholars by careful study have been
able as far as possible to reproduce the original text written by Catullus more than
two thousand years ago.
Do you consider that his poetry is likely to survive another two thousand years?
2. Lyric poetry
The term ‘lyric’ is often used nowadays to refer to the words of ‘pop’ music. But
originally in ancient Greece a lyric was ‘song accompanied by a musical instrument
which is normally but not necessarily the lyre’.*
A special kind of lyric poetry flourished on the Greek island of Lesbos in the Seventh
Century BC. The poetess Sappho and the poet Alcaeus ‘produced a personal poetry
concerned with the emotions and interests of their own lives.’*
Catullus paid a great tribute to Sappho in using the name Lesbia (‘Woman of
Lesbos’) as the pseudonym for his own girlfriend. Poem LI, our Passage 4, is
adapted from one of the few of her lyrics to survive. Here is a translation of Sappho’s
poem (Book 1, Poem 2).
He seems to me equal to a god,
The man who sits opposite you
And hears your sweet voice and winning laughter.
How it has made the heart in my breast beat fast!
For when I look upon you,
My voice fails me; I am tongue-tied.
* Oxford Classical Dictionary (2nd Edition)
LATIN
25
TALKING POINTS
A subtle fire courses through my flesh,
My eyes grow dim, my ears sing;
Sweat pours down me, trembling takes me altogether;
I am paler than the grass
And death seems not far away ...
Compare this translation with Passage 4 (page 4). What similarities can you detect?
26
LATIN
OVID
INTRODUCTION
Ovid
Publius Ovidius Naso, known to us as ‘Ovid’ but to the Romans as ‘Naso’, was born
in 43 BC at Sulmo, a town about 80 miles east of Rome. His family was well-to-do;
his father had the rank of knight (eques). He was sent with his elder brother to Rome
for his secondary education. He continued his education at Athens and seemed set
to follow a career in public service like so many young men of his social class.
Ovid did go on to hold two minor government posts. The first of these was one of
the tresviri capitales – in charge of prisons and executions. But such a career had little
appeal to Ovid. His true vocation lay in poetry which he had already started to write
while in his teens. He became a full-time poet and in the course of twenty-five years
had published:
the Amores (‘Loves’)
the Heroides (‘Love Letters of Heroines’)
the Ars Amatoria (‘Art of Love’)
the Remedia Amoris (‘Remedies for Love’)
As these titles indicate, love was the theme of his poetry and he became known as the
poet of love. All these works were written in elegiacs, a metre which had been much
used by other poets before him.
But he had more ambitious projects in mind. For eight years until his 50th birthday
he worked on two long poems which he hoped would win him the lasting
reputation of being a great poet. One of these, the Fasti, describes the Roman
Calendar and Roman festivals and their origins. The other, the Metamorphoses
(‘Transformations’), is a vast collection of myths or legends written in dactylic
hexameters – the metre of epic poetry.
In AD 8, when he had nearly finished writing the Metamorphoses, misfortune struck
Ovid. Suddenly and without warning he was ordered by the Emperor Augustus to
leave Italy and live in exile at Tomis, a remote Roman settlement on the Black Sea in
what is now Romania.
Ovid claims that a ‘poem and mistake’ caused his downfall. The poem was probably
the Ars Amatoria. Its scandalous content had offended the Emperor who was trying
hard to raise moral standards in Roman society. But the ‘mistake’ is something of a
mystery. It is sometimes assumed that Ovid was in some way involved with Julia, the
Emperor’s daughter who had a very bad reputation. We shall never know.
LATIN
27
INTRODUCTION
Ovid spent the rest of his life at Tomis. In spite of many and increasingly pathetic
appeals to the Emperor, he was never allowed to return. Two poems, the Tristia and
Epistulae ex Ponto, vividly and sadly described his life at Tomis.
The poet had been married three times. First, when only a youth he had been
married to a girl who was ‘neither suitable nor useful’, then to a ‘blameless’ woman
who bore him a daughter, lastly to a widow who already had a daughter. Only the
third marriage was happy. His third wife stayed behind in Rome to try to win
forgiveness for Ovid and his return to Rome. But it was all in vain. Ovid died at
Tomis in AD 17 or 18.
The Metamorphoses
The Metamorphoses is a huge work in fifteen books which contains more than twelve
thousand lines and two hundred stories all dealing with the theme of change or
transformation. The word metamorphosis is Greek and means ‘a change of form’.
The poem starts at the beginning of the world with the change from chaos into an
ordered universe; then it conducts us through Greek mythology to the Trojan War
and the beginning of Roman civilisation in Italy. Finally it comes to the Roman
kings and the tranformation of Julius Caesar into a star to bring greater glory to his
adopted son, the Emperor Augustus.
Ovid has plenty of choice for this Fairy Tale Omnibus and he joins all the stories
together with great skill. The stories are very varied but mostly they describe a
change of form in some way or other. For example, Arachne insulted the goddess
Athene by suggesting that she was more talented at weaving than the goddess.
Athene in fury forced Arachne to hang herself with a thread and changed her into a
spider. Niobe offended the goddess Leto by boasting that she had seven sons and
daughters whereas Leto had only one son and one daughter. Leto’s children, Apollo
and Artemis, killed Niobe’s children in revenge and Niobe herself was then turned
into stone.
The story of Daedalus and Icarus in Book 8 does not exactly fit this pattern but we
are told how Daedalus and Icarus try in a sense to change themselves into birds by
wearing wings and how the island of Icaria and the Icarian Sea got their names. The
purpose of the poem is not always to describe a change but rather to tell a story and
Ovid is a superb story-teller. He also encourages us to consider the characters in his
stories as real people with real feelings and emotions which we can understand.
Daedalus and Icarus
According to the myth Daedalus was an Athenian artist and craftsman who won
great fame for his painting and sculpture and for the cleverness of his inventions.
(His name in Greek means ‘ingenious, clever worker’.) However, he became jealous
of the skill of his apprentice, his nephew Talus who was proving something of an
inventor also – he had invented the potter’s wheel and the saw (from observing the
28
LATIN
INTRODUCTION
backbone of a fish). In a rage Daedalus threw Talus from the Acropolis or (in
another version of the story) into the sea and killed him.
As a result of his crime Daedalus was forced to flee from Athens and live in exile in
Crete where the powerful King Minos and his Queen Pasiphae received him and
made use of his inventive skills.
Among his inventions in Crete was the Labyrinth which he constructed for King
Minos to house the Minotaur. This terrifying creature, half man and half bull, was
the offspring of Queen Pasiphae’s love for a beautiful bull. The Labyrinth was a
bewildering maze of tunnels and passages from which escape was virtually
impossible. In the middle of the Labyrinth was the Minotaur which fed on human
flesh.
The Athenians, who were subjects of King Minos’s empire, were forced to send
annually, as tribute, seven youths and seven maidens to be food for the Minotaur.
Theseus, the son of the King of Athens volunteered to go to Crete as one of the seven
youths. Fortunately for him, Ariadne, Minos’s daughter fell in love with him and
resolved to help him. She consulted Daedalus who advised her that the only means
of escaping from the Labyrinth would be to follow back a thread fastened to the
entrance. Ariadne provided Theseus with the required thread and a sword in return
for a promise of marriage. Theseus slew the Minotaur and released the seven youths
and seven maidens. Theseus, Ariadne and the others set sail for Athens. They first
landed on the island of Naxos but here Ariadne was left behind, deserted by Theseus
(according to one version of the story).
Daedalus along with his son Icarus was shut up in the Labyrinth by Minos, either as
punishment for his part in helping Theseus or to ensure that he continued to
provide Minos with the benefits of his inventive nature. It is at this point that our
story begins.
LATIN
29
OVID
PASSAGE ELEVEN
Lines 1-10
Longing for his home Daedalus decides to escape from Crete by the only possible
route – the sky!
5
Daedalus interea Creten longumque perosus
exilium, tactusque loci natalis amore,
clausus erat pelago. ‘terras licet’ inquit ‘et undas
obstruat, at caelum certe patet; ibimus illac:
omnia possideat, non possidet aera Minos.’
Daedalus sets to work to build a strange, winged contraption which will make him
like a bird.
10
dixit, et ignotas animum dimittit in artes
naturamque novat. nam ponit in ordine pennas.
tum lino medias et ceris alligat imas
atque ita compositas parvo curvamine flectit
ut veras imitetur aves.
(continued)
interea
meanwhile
perosus, -a, -um
loathing, hating
exilium, -i (n)
exile
tango (3) tetigi, tactum
touch, move
locus natalis (m)
birth place
amor, -oris (m)
love
claudo (3) clausi, clausum shut up
pelagus, -i (n)
sea
terra, -ae (f)
land
inquit
he said
unda, -ae (f)
wave, water
obstruo (3)
stop up, barricade
at
but
caelum, -i (n)
sky
certe
certainly, at any rate
eo, ire, ivi
go
possideo (2)
own, possess
aer, aeris (m)
air
30
LATIN
animus, -i (m)
dimitto (3)
ars, artis (f)
novo (1)
mind
direct, apply
skill
make new,
change
pono (3)
put, place
penna, -ae (f)
feather
tum
then
linum, -i (n)
thread,
string
cera, -ae (f)
wax
alligo (1)
bind, tie to
compono (3) composui,
compositum
arrange
parvus, -a, -um small
imitor (1)
imitate
avis, avis (f)
bird
OVID
line 1
Creten
accusative case
line 2
tactus
‘moved’, ‘filled with’ lit. ‘touched’; see tango
line 3
clausus erat
‘was cut off’ lit. ‘had been shut off’; see claudo
Crete is an island and Daedalus cannot escape
because of the sea.
lines 3-4
terras licet ... et undas
obstruat
licet
‘he (Minos) may block (obstruat) the land and
sea’
lit. ‘it is allowed that ...’
licet is followed by the subjunctive (obstruat)
line 4
illac
‘by that route’, ‘that way’
line 5
possideat ... Minos
‘Minos may have control of’ or ‘Minos may
possess’
possideat is present subjunctive
accusative case
aera
line 6
dixit, et
ignotas ... artes
animum dimittit
line 7
naturamque novat
in ordine
‘with this comment’ lit. ‘he said (this) and’
‘skills which have never been tried’ lit.
‘unknown (ignotas) skills (artes)’
‘he applies his mind’ or ‘he directs his
attention’ lit. ‘he sends (dimittit) his mind
(animum) in different directions’
‘he changes his own nature’ (because he is
making himself into a bird) or ‘he changes
Nature’ (because he is altering the laws of
Nature)
‘in a row’ or ‘one after the other’
lines 8-9
medias ... imas
... compositas
All these words describe the feathers
(pennas line 7). In English repeat the word
‘feathers’.
line 8
medias
ceris
‘the feathers in the middle’ lit. ‘the middle
feathers’
‘the feathers at the bottom’ lit. ‘the bottom
feathers’
‘with pieces of wax’
line 9
ita compositas
parvo curvamine
‘arranged in this way’; see compono.
‘with a gentle curve’
line 10
ut ... imitetur
‘to imitate’ or ‘to copy’
imas
LATIN
31
OVID
Lines 10-17
Icarus does not take his father’s work seriously and gets in the way. But Daedalus
finishes the machine and tries it on for size.
10
15
puer Icarus una
stabat et, ignarus sua se tractare pericla,
ore renidenti modo quas vaga moverat aura
captabat plumas, flavam modo pollice ceram
mollibat, lusuque suo mirabile patris
impediebat opus. postquam manus ultima coepto
imposita est, geminas opifex libravit in alas
ipse suum corpus, motaque pependit in aura.
(continued)
puer, pueri (m)
sto (1)
ignarus, -a, -um
tracto (1)
os, oris (n)
qui, quae, quod
vagus, -a, -um
aura, -ae (f)
capto (1)
pluma, -ae (f)
flavus, -a, -um
pollex, -icis (m)
mollio (4)
lusus, -us (m)
mirabilis, -is, -e
pater, patris (m)
32
LATIN
boy
stand
not knowing
handle
mouth
who, which
changing, unsettled
breeze, air
catch at, chase
feather
yellow
thumb
soften
play
marvellous
father
impedio (4)
hinder
opus, operis (n)
work
postquam
after
manus, -us (f)
hand
coeptum, -i (n)
undertaking
impono (3) imposui,
impositum
put on, apply
geminus, -a, -um
two
opifex, -icis (m)
craftsman
libro (1)
balance, poise
ala, -ae (f)
wing
ipse, -a, -um
-self
corpus, -oris (n)
body
moveo (2), movi, motum
move
pendeo (2), pependi hang, hover
OVID
line 10
una
‘beside him’ lit. ‘together’
line 11
ignarus
sua
‘unaware that’
Take with pericla ‘things that would be
dangerous for him’ lit. ‘his own (sua) dangers
(pericla)’.
line 12
ore renidenti
‘with a wide grin’ lit. ‘with a smiling mouth’
lines 12-13
modo ... modo
quas ... plumas
captabat
‘at one moment ... at another moment’
Take in this order – captabat plumas quas.
‘he kept trying to snatch’
line 12
vaga ... aura
‘the constantly changing breeze’
line 13
flavam
Take with ceram.
line 14
mollibat
lusuque suo
‘he was softening’
‘and by his playfulness’ or ‘and through his
pranks’
line 15
manus ultima
coepto
‘the finishing touch’ lit. ‘the last hand’
‘to the project’
line 16
imposita est
geminas
libravit
See impono.
Take with alas.
‘balanced’
line 17
ipse
motaque ... in aura
‘unaided’ lit. ‘himself’
‘and beating the air’ lit. ‘in the moved (mota)
air (aura)’
‘he hovered’; see pendeo.
pependit
LATIN
33
OVID
Lines 18-31
Daedalus instructs his son to follow him; he must not fly too low or too high. Icarus
puts on the wings.
20
instruit et natum, ‘medio’ que ‘ut limite curras,
Icare,’ ait ‘moneo, ne, si demissior ibis,
unda gravet pennas, si celsior, ignis adurat.
inter utrumque vola! nec te spectare Booten
aut Helicen iubeo strictumque Orionis ensem:
me duce carpe viam!’ pariter praecepta volandi
tradit et ignotas umeris accommodat alas.
Daedalus and Icarus set off on their great adventure.
25
30
inter opus monitusque genae maduere seniles,
et patriae tremuere manus. dedit oscula nato
non iterum repetenda suo, pennisque levatus
ante volat comitique timet, velut ales, ab alto
quae teneram prolem produxit in aera nido,
hortaturque sequi, damnosasque erudit artes,
et movet ipse suas et nati respicit alas.
(continued)
instruo (3)
et
natus, -i (m)
curro (3)
ait
moneo (2)
ne
si
eo, ire
unda, -ae (f)
gravo (1)
penna, -ae (f)
ignis, -is (m)
aduro (3)
volo (1)
nec
specto (1)
iubeo (2)
stringo (3), strinxi,
strictum
trado (3)
umerus, -i (m)
34
LATIN
prepare
also
son
run, fly
he said
advise
lest, in case
if
go
water
weigh down
feather
fire
scorch
fly
and ... not
look at
order
draw (sword)
hand down
shoulder
accommodo (1)
ala, -ae (f)
monitus, -us (m)
genae, -arum (f pl)
madeo (2) madui
tremo (3) tremui
manus, -us (f)
do (1) dedi
osculum, -i (n)
comes, comitis (m)
timeo (2)
velut
ales, alitis (f)
altus, -a, -um
produco (3), produxi
nidus, -i (m)
hortor (1)
sequor (3)
erudio (4)
ars, artis (f)
moveo (2)
respicio (3)
fit, attach
wing
warning
cheeks
be wet
shake
hand
give
kiss
companion
fear, be afraid
like
bird
high
lead out
nest
encourage
follow
teach
skill
move
look back at
OVID
line 18
instruit et natum
medio ... limite
‘he got his son ready too’
Take moneo (line 19) before ut limite curras.
‘on a middle course’
line 19
demissior
‘too low’
line 20
celsior
‘too high’
line 21
inter utrumque
‘between the two’
lines 21-22
Booten ... Helicen
... Orionis
These are all constellations – Bootes, the
Bear Keeper, Helice, the Great Bear and
Orion, the Hunter. Greek sailors used to
navigate by the stars. Daedalus is imitating
the sailors.
line 22
strictumque Orionis
ensem
‘Orion with his sword drawn’ lit. ‘the
drawn (strictum) sword (ensem) of Orion’;
see stringo.
line 23
me duce
carpe viam
pariter
praecepta volandi
‘where I lead you’ lit. ‘with me as leader’
(ablative absolute)
‘go’, ‘make your way’
‘at the same time’
‘flying instructions’
line 24
ignotas
See line 6 (page 30); take with alas.
line 25
inter opus monitusque
maduere
seniles
‘as he worked and gave the warnings’ lit.
‘between the work and the warnings’
= maduerunt
‘of the old man’
line 26
patriae
tremuere
nato
‘the father’s’
= tremuerunt
Take with suo (line 27).
line 27
non iterum repetenda
pennis
levatus
‘never again to be repeated’
‘on his wings’
‘taking off’ lit. ‘having been lifted’
line 28
ante
comiti (que)
ab alto
‘in front’
‘(and) for his companion’
Take with nido (line 29).
line 29
teneram prolem
in aera
‘young fledgling’
‘into the air’
line 30
damnosas
‘which will cause his ruin’ or ‘which will
destroy him’
line 31
et movet ... alas
Take in this order – et movet suas alas et
respicit alas nati.
‘both ... and’
et ... et
LATIN
35
OVID
Lines 32-41
The country folk are amazed to see Daedalus and Icarus flying through the sky. All
is going well but suddenly Icarus starts to disobey his father.
35
40
hos aliquis tremula dum captat harundine pisces,
aut pastor baculo stivave innixus arator
vidit et obstipuit, quique aethera carpere possent
credidit esse deos. et iam Iunonia laeva
parte Samos (fuerant Delosque Parosque relictae),
dextra Lebinthos erat fecundaque melle Calymne,
cum puer audaci coepit gaudere volatu
deseruitque ducem, caelique cupidine tactus
altius egit iter. rapidi vicinia solis
mollit odoratas, pennarum vincula, ceras:
(continued)
hic, haec, hoc
dum
capto (1)
harundo, -inis (f)
piscis, -is (m)
pastor, -oris (m)
baculum, -i (n)
-ve
arator, -oris (m)
video (2), vidi
obstipesco (3) obstipui
aether, -eris (m)
possum, posse, potui
credo (3), credidi
sum, esse, fui
-que, ... -que
fecundus, -a, -um
36
LATIN
this
while
try to catch
rod
fish
shepherd
stick
or
ploughman, farmer
see
be astounded
air
can, be able
believe
be
both ... and
rich (in)
mel, mellis (n)
cum
puer, -i (m)
audax, -acis
coepi, -isse
gaudeo (2)
desero (3), deserui
dux, ducis (m)
cupido, -inis (f)
ago (3), egi +iter
iter, itineris (n)
vicinia, -ae (f)
mollio (4)
odoratus, -a, -um
honey
when
boy
daring, bold
began
rejoice (in)
abandon, leave
leader
desire, longing
follow a path,
journey
path, journey
closeness
soften
sweet smelling,
fragrant
OVID
line 32
hos
aliquis
tremula
Leave out until line 34; start with dum.
‘some fisherman’ lit. ‘someone’
Take with harundine ‘quivering rod’.
line 33
innixus
stivave – stiva
– ve
‘leaning on’
Take innixus with both pastor and arator
– pastor baculo innixus and stivave
innixus arator.
‘plough handle’
‘or’
vidit
The object is hos in line 32.
line 34
lines 34-35 quique ... credidit esse
deos
‘and thought that they were gods who’
credidit esse deos should be translated
before quique aethera carpere possent;
aethera is accusative.
line 34
‘to fly through’
carpere
lines 35-36 Iunonia ... Samos
laeva parte
‘Juno’s island of Samos’ Juno was the
most important goddess on Samos.
‘on the left side’
line 36
Delos ... Paros
fuerant ... relictae
islands in the Aegean sea
‘had been left behind’ or ‘passed’
line 37
dextra
Lebinthos ... Calymne
= dextra parte
islands in the Aegean sea
line 38
audaci
gaudere
Take with volatu ‘with his bold flying’.
‘to be thrilled’
line 39
caelique cupidine
tactus
‘by longing to mount to the sky’ lit. ‘by
longing for the sky’
See line 2 (page 30).
altius egit iter
‘he travelled too high’; see ago
line 40
lines 40-41 rapidi vicinia solis mollit
‘the nearness (vicinia) of the scorching
(rapidi) sun (solis) melts ...’
vicinia is the subject of the verb
line 41
‘which bound the feathers together’
vinculum is used of anything which
binds, hence a bond or chain.
pennarum vincula
LATIN
37
OVID
Lines 42-50
As the wax melts on his wings, Icarus falls into the sea.
45
tabuerant cerae; nudos quatit ille lacertos
remigioque carens non ullas percipit auras,
oraque caerulea patrium clamantia nomen
excipiuntur aqua, quae nomen traxit ab illo.
Daedalus looks in despair for his son. He finds the wings in the sea and buries his
son’s body on an island.
50
at pater infelix, nec iam pater, ‘Icare’, dixit,
‘Icare’ dixit ‘ubi es? qua te regione requiram?’
‘Icare’ dicebat: pennas aspexit in undis,
devovitque suas artes, corpusque sepulcro
condidit, et tellus a nomine dicta sepulti.
tabesco (3) tabui
nudus, -a, -um
quatio (3)
ille, illa, illud
lacertus, -i (m)
percipio (3)
os, oris (n)
caeruleus, -a, -um
clamo (1)
nomen, -inis (n)
38
LATIN
melt
bare
shake, flap
he, she, it
arm
feel, grip
mouth
blue
shout
name
infelix
ubi?
requiro (3)
aspicio (3) aspexi
devoveo (2) devovi
ars, artis (f)
corpus, -oris (n)
sepulcrum, -i (n)
condo (3) condidi
tellus, -uris (f)
sepelio (4), -ivi, sepultum
unhappy, unlucky
where?
seek, look for
look at, see
curse
skill
body
tomb
bury
land
bury
OVID
line 42
tabuerant
See tabesco.
line 43
remigioque carens
‘and without his wings’ lit. ‘lacking (carens)
oars (remigio)’
non ullas percipit auras ‘he does not catch the air at all’
lines 44-45
oraque ... aqua
caerulea ... aqua
Take in this order – oraque clamantia
patrium nomen excipiuntur caerulea aqua.
ablative ‘by’
line 44
oraque
patrium ... nomen
‘and his lips’ lit. ‘and his mouth’
‘the word ‘father’; Icarus shouts out ‘father!’
line 45
excipiuntur
nomen
traxit
ab illo
‘are swallowed up’
The sea is now named after Icarus – the
Icarian Sea.
‘has taken’ lit. ‘has drawn’
‘from him’
line 46
nec iam
‘and no longer’
line 47
qua ... regione
requiram
‘where’ lit. ‘in what region’
‘am I to look for’ (present subjunctive)
line 48
dicebat
‘he kept saying’
line 49
devovit
‘he cursed’
line 50
condidit
dicta
a nomine ... sepulti
See condo.
‘was called’; supply est.
‘after the name of the boy who was buried
there’ lit. ‘from the name (a nomine) of the
buried (sepulti)’; see sepelio. Ovid is
referring to the island of Icaria.
LATIN
39
END OF THE STORY
After his escape from Crete, Daedalus travelled to Sicily where he found safety and
protection in the house of Cocalus, king of Camicus. Minos pursued him to Sicily
and demanded that Cocalus hand over Daedalus to him. The king pretended to
agree to Minos’s request and welcomed him with lavish hospitality. He asked his
daughters to give Minos a bath as was the custom with important guests. They
prepared the bath and killed him by pouring boiling water over him.
40
LATIN
OVID
QUESTIONS
Lines 1-10
1.
What are the feelings of Daedalus for his native land? See line 2.
2.
How do these feelings compare with his feelings for Crete in line 1? Find and
translate the two words which make these two feelings clear.
3.
How is it possible for Minos to keep Daedalus a prisoner?
4.
What escape route occurs to Daedalus in line 4?
5.
Why do you think Ovid repeats the words possideat ... possidet in line 5? Do
you think the reason is:
(a)
(b)
(c)
He likes the sound of the words?
He wants Daedalus to seem to be very determined?
He wants Daedalus to seem to be very angry with Minos?
6.
ignotas in line 6 could be translated as ‘unknown’ or ‘strange’. Which
translation do you prefer and why?
7.
In line 7 Ovid probably wants us to see two meanings for naturamque novat.
What are the meanings and what did Ovid intend by using these words?
8.
What does veras mean in line 10? Why does the poet add this word in your
opinion?
LATIN
41
QUESTIONS
Lines 10-17
1.
Ovid emphasises that Icarus is only a boy. Why is that important?
2.
What actions suggest to us that Icarus is only a boy?
3.
Pick out the Latin words in line 12 which show us that Icarus is not taking the
enterprise seriously and translate them. Why would he find it amusing?
4.
Describe the appearance of Daedalus when he tries on the wings.
5.
Why does Ovid use the word mirabile (line 14) to describe the work of
Daedalus?
6.
mollibat (line 14)
What do you think Icarus was doing? Was he:
(a)
(b)
(c)
7.
42
playing with little pieces of wax which his father had left lying around?
rubbing the wax which Daedalus had already used for the machine and
spoiling it?
adding little pieces of wax to the machine?
Daedalus is described as opifex in line 16. What does this mean? Are there
any reasons in the story so far to justify this description of Daedalus?
LATIN
QUESTIONS
Lines 18-31
1.
What indications can you find in these lines that Daedalus is not entirely sure
that his enterprise will be safe?
2.
(a)
What instructions does Daedalus give Icarus in lines 18-21?
(b)
Write down and translate the Latin words which describe the dangers if
this advice is ignored.
(c)
How is Icarus to know which direction to take?
(d)
Why in your opinion would Icarus be unwise to ‘navigate’ by the stars?
3.
oscula ... non iterum repetenda (lines 26-27)
What hint is Ovid giving here about the outcome of the story?
What other warnings can you find in the story so far?
4.
(a)
In lines 28-29 Daedalus is compared to a bird which has just brought
her young out of the nest to fly. In what ways do you think Icarus is like
a young bird?
(b)
But how is the situation of Daedalus and Icarus different from that of
the birds? Which word in line 24 hints at the difference?
5.
In line 30 the skills of Daedalus are called damnosas. Earlier (in line 6) Ovid
describes them as ignotas. Why do you think he has now used a different
word?
Lines 32-41
1.
(a)
What three groups of people see Daedalus and Icarus? What are they
doing and how do they account for men flying through the sky?
(b)
How does Ovid’s description of the people in lines 32-35 add to the
story?
2.
What do Daedalus and Icarus see on their journey?
3.
audaci ... volatu (line 38)
This could be translated as ‘with his bold flying’. Look in the vocabulary and
find another way of translating audaci. How would this meaning change your
opinion of what Icarus is doing?
4.
How does Icarus disobey his father in lines 39-40? (Refer also to line 23.)
LATIN
43
QUESTIONS
Lines 42-50
1.
Read lines 42-43. Explain the meaning of nudos ... lacertos. What are Icarus’s
difficulties at this point? How does he try to overcome them? How would
you describe his state of mind?
2.
What are his exact words (in Latin) as he is drowning?
3.
What words in line 46 describe the tragedy which has befallen Daedalus?
Explain their meaning.
4.
Write down in Latin and translate the exact words which Daedalus uses in
lines 46-7. How does Ovid make us feel sorry for Daedalus at this point?
5.
What two things does Daedalus do when he realises that his son is dead?
Answer the following questions when you have read the whole story.
1.
In this story Ovid tells us how the Icarian Sea and the island of Icaria got their
names. Do you think that the real purpose of the story is to explain why these
places have their names? Say why you think this.
2.
Ovid twice calls Icarus puer. How old do you think he was? Try to explain
your reasons. What point is Ovid making by his repetition of the word puer?
3.
Ovid shows us that Daedalus and Icarus do not really understand what they
are doing. Identify and translate three examples of this uncertainty. Why do
you think that all the examples come in the first half of the story?
4.
Ovid frequently hints that the story will end unhappily. Write down and
translate at least six examples. Which do you think is the most convincing?
5.
Daedalus shows great love for Icarus. Find and translate at least six examples
from the passage which demonstrate this.
6.
How far is Ovid successful in arousing our sympathy for Daedalus? Illustrate
your answer with at least five examples from the text.
7.
Do you feel as sorry for Icarus as you do for Daedalus? Try to explain your
reasons.
8.
Ovid uses the word artes on three occasions in this passage (in lines 6, 30 and
49) to describe the skills of Daedalus. On each occasion he uses different
words with artes to tell us that he feels differently about the skills as the story
progresses. Find and translate these words. What is Ovid trying to tell us
about the way he feels about Daedalus’s skills?
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LATIN
OVID
TALKING POINTS
1. Daedalus and Icarus
The legend of Daedalus and Icarus is one of the most popular subjects depicted on
the walls of Pompeian houses. The paintings show different stages in the story –
Daedalus and Icarus in flight, Daedalus with Icarus falling, the corpse of Icarus with
Daedalus hovering. The wide prospects of land, sea and sky appealed to the ancient
artists.
The moment when Icarus plunges into the sea is portrayed in a painting
(‘Landscape with the Fall of Icarus’) by the Flemish artist Brueghel the Elder
(painted about 1555). Icarus disappears into the sea, only his legs being visible.
Strangely in the painting the country people mentioned by Ovid seem unconcerned
by the disaster. The poet W. H. Auden was moved to write:
In Brueghel’s Icarus, for instance: how everything turns away quite leisurely
from the disaster: the ploughman may have heard the splash, the forsaken cry,
but for him it was not an important failure.
In the 1960s the English artist, sculptor and writer Michael Ayrton became almost
obsessed in his work with the characters of Daedalus and Icarus and their message
for modern times. For him Daedalus is the technologist developing human skill
and effort to previously undreamed-of lengths. Icarus on the other hand symbolises
the darker side of this endeavour – the risks that advanced technology inevitably
brings to mankind. Can you think of any such risks?
2. Metamorphoses
The title of Ovid’s poem has also intrigued and attracted modern composers.
Benjamin Britten wrote music entitled ‘Six Metamorphoses after Ovid’ in which
each section is based on one of Ovid’s stories. Paul Hindemith and Richard Strauss
also wrote works called ‘Metamorphoses’ in which they adapted or ‘metamorphosed’
themes used by earlier composers.
In 1916 the Czech writer Franz Kafka wrote a remarkable short story called ‘Die
Verwandlung’. The English translation used for this title is ‘Metamorphosis’.
This is how the story begins:
When Gregor Samson awoke one morning after some uneasy dreams he
discovered he had been transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect ...
LATIN
45
TALKING POINTS
Find a copy of Kafka’s short story and read about the amazing consequences of this
metamorphosis!
3. The flying monk
Men have longed to fly since they first walked the earth and watched birds flying in
the sky. Among the many unsuccessful attempts after Daedalus and before the
Wright brothers was that of the French monk Damien. He persuaded King James
IV of Scotland in 1508 that he had the secret of flight. Here is the story as told in
‘The Scots Magazine’.
Soon servants were bringing to Stirling large quantities of feathers plucked from
protesting birds, particularly hens. Special hunting parties raided eagles’ nests
on rocky crags, while the navy combed the Forth for swan feathers. A huge
pile eventually filled a room at the castle, where the plumes were carefully
stitched on to wooden frames by the court needlewomen.
At last all was finished, and the date of the historic flight fixed for September
1508. On the great day, James and his court assembled beneath the castle
walls at a spot called The Valley where tournaments were held. High on the
ramparts above them, John Damien supervised the workmen who carefully
attached the huge wings on his body. His arms were also strapped along the
four foot width of each wing. At last, stepping up on to the castle wall, he gave
a bow to the throng 200 feet below. A ripple of applause floated up. Ever
optimistic, he checked that James’s personal letter to the King of France was
secured tucked into his belt, and gave a few preliminary flutters of the wings.
Everything seemed in order.
Damien flapped furiously and jumped off the walls in man’s first flight and
soared – straight downwards in a confusion of feathers, wood and limbs. By
sheer good luck his return to earth was softened by a dung heap and only his
thigh bone was broken when he hit the ground. The king came running over.
‘What went wrong, John?’ he enquired anxiously. ‘It’s perfectly obvious, sire,’
replied Damien, spitting out a mouthful of loathsome material. ‘The mistake
was to mix hen feathers with those of eagles. I should have remembered that
hens are naturally attracted to middens. If the wings had been made purely
from eagle feathers then they would have been attracted up to the sky.’
A. C. McKerracher (‘The Scots Magazine’, November, 1986)
46
LATIN