Catullus 51

Catullus 51 is a poem by Roman love poet Gaius Valerius Catullus (c. 84 – c. 54 BC). It is an adaptation of one of Sappho's fragmentary lyric poems, Sappho 31. Catullus replaces Sappho's beloved with his own beloved Lesbia. Unlike the majority of Catullus' poems, the meter of this poem is the sapphic meter. This meter is more musical, seeing as Sappho mainly sang her poetry.

Catullus is not the only poet who translated Sappho’s poem to use for himself: Pierre de Ronsard is also known to have translated a version of it.

The poem

The following Latin text of Catullus 51 is taken from D.F.S. Thomson; the translation is literal, not literary.

1 5 10 15	Ille mi par esse deo videtur, ille, si fas est, superare divos, qui sedens adversus identidem te      spectat et audit dulce ridentem, misero quod omnes eripit sensus mihi: nam simul te, Lesbia, aspexi, nihil est super mi      <vocis in ore;> lingua sed torpet, tenuis sub artus flamma demanat, sonitu suopte tintinant aures, gemina teguntur      lumina nocte. otium, Catulle, tibi molestum est: otio exsultas nimiumque gestis: otium et reges prius et beatas      perdidit urbes.	He seems to me to be equal to a god, he, if it is permissible, seems to surpass the gods, who sitting opposite watches and listens      To you again and again sweetly laughing, which rips out all senses from miserable me: for at the same moment I looked upon you, Lesbia, nothing is enough for me.      * * * * But the tongue grows thick, a thin flame Runs down beneath our limbs, with their own sound our ears ring, our twin lights (eyes)      are covered by night. Idleness is a troublesome thing for you, Catullus: In idleness you revel and delight too much: Idleness has destroyed both kings and      Blessed cities before.

• Line 8 is missing from the original manuscript. Oxford Classical Texts (ed. R.A.B. Mynors) provides no substitution, as the previous line is grammatically complete.

Modern musical setting

This poem was set to music by Carl Orff as part of his Catulli Carmina (1943).

See also

• Otium