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nikkivrc's review against another edition
5.0
Catullus is probably my favourite Latin poet. After years of Virgil, Ovid and Tacitus in my Latin class, Catullus was a breath of fresh air. My friends and I even recited some of his poems to each other during recess, which either means we were total geeks or that Catullus is just loads of fun. With those memories in mind, I picked up this volume of his collected works and I was not disappointed. No epic poems or myths here, but bawdy, funny and totally inappropiate poems. 80% of his work is about sex, which isn't hinted at but crudely described. Many of them are outright insults to people he knew, but oh so clever. Reading this collection though, I was surprised to find a couple of longer, serious poems. In my opinion, those aren't as good as his coarser short poems, but they're certainly not bad.
lissan's review against another edition
The history of literature, starts, like so many other things, with the Greeks and the Romans. The Poems of Catullus has been on my shelves for several years, and finally, I read it. It is not entirely easy to interpret the poems, even with the very good introduction by the translator, Peter Whigham.
Here a few lines from the introduction.
"We know very little about Catullus's life: even the dates of his birth and death are uncertain. The likeliest figures are: born 84, died 54 B.C. His full name was Giaus Valerius Catullus. … He appears as one of the lovers of the notorious Clodia Metelli, and a leading figure - perhaps the leading figure - in the new movement in poetry. … In short, the tradition that he died of what our grandmothers called 'a broken heart' finds no support in the poems. It is based solely on the assumption that his love for Clodia was of the conventional type of romantic - i.e. 'fatal' - passion. But I believe that many of the poems point to an altogether different and more complicated state of mind. All we can say for certain about his death is, that like his birth, it happened."
In the poems Catullus calls Clodia for Lesbia. Here are three of my favourite poems. In the first one I recognise some lines from "The Outlander" TV-series (Season 2, episode 13). It is slightly different in the TV-series, it seems that version is based on a translation by Richard Crashaw, from the 17th century (suitable of course). I found it beautiful when I heard it and so it is when you read it. This version probably more strictly translated.
Poem no. 5
Lesbia
Live with me
& love me so
we'll laugh at all
the sour-faced strict-
ures of the wise.
This sun once set
will rise again
when our sun sets
follows night &
an and endless sleep.
Kiss me now a
thousand times &
now a hundred
more & then a
thousand more again
till with so many
hundred thousand
kisses you & I
shall both lose count
nor any can
from envy of
so much of kissing
put his finger
on the number
of sweet kisses
you of me &
I of you,
darling, have had.
Poem no. 49
Silver-tongued among the sons of Rome
the dead, the living & the yet unborn,
Catullus, least of poets, sends
Marcus Tullius his warmest thanks:
- as much the least of poets
as he a prince of lawyers.
Poem no. 87
No woman loved, in truth, Lesbia
as you by me;
no love-faith found so true
as mine in you.
Here a few lines from the introduction.
"We know very little about Catullus's life: even the dates of his birth and death are uncertain. The likeliest figures are: born 84, died 54 B.C. His full name was Giaus Valerius Catullus. … He appears as one of the lovers of the notorious Clodia Metelli, and a leading figure - perhaps the leading figure - in the new movement in poetry. … In short, the tradition that he died of what our grandmothers called 'a broken heart' finds no support in the poems. It is based solely on the assumption that his love for Clodia was of the conventional type of romantic - i.e. 'fatal' - passion. But I believe that many of the poems point to an altogether different and more complicated state of mind. All we can say for certain about his death is, that like his birth, it happened."
In the poems Catullus calls Clodia for Lesbia. Here are three of my favourite poems. In the first one I recognise some lines from "The Outlander" TV-series (Season 2, episode 13). It is slightly different in the TV-series, it seems that version is based on a translation by Richard Crashaw, from the 17th century (suitable of course). I found it beautiful when I heard it and so it is when you read it. This version probably more strictly translated.
Poem no. 5
Lesbia
Live with me
& love me so
we'll laugh at all
the sour-faced strict-
ures of the wise.
This sun once set
will rise again
when our sun sets
follows night &
an and endless sleep.
Kiss me now a
thousand times &
now a hundred
more & then a
thousand more again
till with so many
hundred thousand
kisses you & I
shall both lose count
nor any can
from envy of
so much of kissing
put his finger
on the number
of sweet kisses
you of me &
I of you,
darling, have had.
Poem no. 49
Silver-tongued among the sons of Rome
the dead, the living & the yet unborn,
Catullus, least of poets, sends
Marcus Tullius his warmest thanks:
- as much the least of poets
as he a prince of lawyers.
Poem no. 87
No woman loved, in truth, Lesbia
as you by me;
no love-faith found so true
as mine in you.
esthers's review against another edition
4.0
"soles occidere et redire possunt:
nobis cum semel occidit brevis lux,
nox est perpetua una dormienda.
da mi basia mille, deinde centum,
dein mille altera, dein secunda centum,"
4.5/5
poetry and love what more could you ask for, I feel like to truly appreciate these poems I'm going to have to read them multiple times, but I loved them thoroughly; they were quick fun but very emotional poignant and at times heart-wrenchingly beautiful poetry
nobis cum semel occidit brevis lux,
nox est perpetua una dormienda.
da mi basia mille, deinde centum,
dein mille altera, dein secunda centum,"
4.5/5
poetry and love what more could you ask for, I feel like to truly appreciate these poems I'm going to have to read them multiple times, but I loved them thoroughly; they were quick fun but very emotional poignant and at times heart-wrenchingly beautiful poetry
sarbear19's review against another edition
4.0
Catullus is a hater and a lover, and that’s how I feel about his poetry too.
pitythechild's review against another edition
4.0
great poems but i didn’t like some of the versions of the translations, especially catullus 51. i prefer the translation: “my tongue is numb and delicate flames are running through my limbs and my two eyes are covered by night” and “idleness is your enemy, catullus”
heathers2's review against another edition
4.0
ok, so I'm not normally one for poetry, but Catullus was the Roman erotic writer of the times, some of his poems were said to be written about Sappho...good stuff
poppysdagger's review against another edition
5.0
Catullus had caused me some distress after it being brought up in a certain interview that most definitely did not go well, but I am so glad that I decided to reconcile with his poetry again. Catullus was in fact my first introduction to Classical poetry and I’m glad of it - what’s left to shock you after you have read Catullus? He’s most definitely one of the reasons that I’m pursuing a degree in Classics.
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