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A review by lnewton
The Poems of Catullus by Catullus
5.0
Many of the poems by Catullus are now my favourite poems generally. These poems are usually very personal, relating to either Catullus' romantic life or about friends and acquaintances that he had. The level of expression within these can allow them to appeal to many, of course the comedic element to many of these also helps in that regard. I would certainly recommend a lot of his earlier poems to everyone. In these the poems are very comic and romantic. This was the high point in Catullus' life and it shows clearly through his artistic expression.
Though all that was previously mentioned is only one element to these poems. One of the most profound features of this work is seeing Catullus develop as a character and seeing the progression of many of his relationships throughout this collection. It is clear that later in his life Catullus' life falls apart. In poem 69 this is most clear. He loses his comic element largely from this point onwards and he claims that he has lost his expression due to the suffering in his life, through losing his brother who must have been very important to him. Furthermore, his relationship with Lesbia, one of the most well-noted of his relationships, crumbles apart in poem 8. Prior to this point he almost exclusively wrote about Lesbia, and more than likely had her be the main inspiration for his poetry. The end to this relationship sees the beginning of his progression towards the suffering he feels later on.
Though towards the end of this collection it can be seen that Catullus, who has lost everything, still yearns for Lesbia. Despite the heartache, despite the whoring (for and from either of them), there is still is a love which Catullus cannot live without and requires more desperately now that he is suffering in such a profound way. While it may seem as though Catullus' story will end in a tragic tale of loneliness and suffering, Lesbia returns to him. From this point onward, a significant change can be seen in the tone of the poems. Catullus comes back to life because he has something to live for. Lesbia, who starts off just as another of Catullus' girls is a constant obsession of the poet and one which brings him back from the brink of despair.
While most of Catullus is beautifully expressed and interesting what must be exaggerated is that his fictional poems are significantly weaker than those which are personal. Truly Catullus can strongly express himself when it comes to pure emotion. The flaw with these works is that there is a lack of this expression in favour of a narrative, as though the life of Catullus and his friends was not interesting enough!
This collection contains all of the poems by one of the best poets known to history, a true predecessor to the romantic poets.
Though all that was previously mentioned is only one element to these poems. One of the most profound features of this work is seeing Catullus develop as a character and seeing the progression of many of his relationships throughout this collection. It is clear that later in his life Catullus' life falls apart. In poem 69 this is most clear. He loses his comic element largely from this point onwards and he claims that he has lost his expression due to the suffering in his life, through losing his brother who must have been very important to him. Furthermore, his relationship with Lesbia, one of the most well-noted of his relationships, crumbles apart in poem 8. Prior to this point he almost exclusively wrote about Lesbia, and more than likely had her be the main inspiration for his poetry. The end to this relationship sees the beginning of his progression towards the suffering he feels later on.
Though towards the end of this collection it can be seen that Catullus, who has lost everything, still yearns for Lesbia. Despite the heartache, despite the whoring (for and from either of them), there is still is a love which Catullus cannot live without and requires more desperately now that he is suffering in such a profound way. While it may seem as though Catullus' story will end in a tragic tale of loneliness and suffering, Lesbia returns to him. From this point onward, a significant change can be seen in the tone of the poems. Catullus comes back to life because he has something to live for. Lesbia, who starts off just as another of Catullus' girls is a constant obsession of the poet and one which brings him back from the brink of despair.
While most of Catullus is beautifully expressed and interesting what must be exaggerated is that his fictional poems are significantly weaker than those which are personal. Truly Catullus can strongly express himself when it comes to pure emotion. The flaw with these works is that there is a lack of this expression in favour of a narrative, as though the life of Catullus and his friends was not interesting enough!
This collection contains all of the poems by one of the best poets known to history, a true predecessor to the romantic poets.