Catullus 58 in Latin & English- Caeli, Lesbia nostra, Lesbia illa

About

Poem 58, addressed to Caelius, expresses how Catullus’ once beloved Lesbia/Clodia is now behaving in a scandalous manner.

Caeli: probably Marcus Caelius Rufus, who also had an affair with Clodia/Lesbia. She later sued him, accusing him of trying to poison her. Cicero defended him in his speech Pro Caelio, where we have a very colorful description of Clodia. This poem may also be addressed to Catullus’ friend Caelius of poem 100.

Lesbia nostra: Lesbia was Catullus’ nickname for his mistress Clodia. “Nostra” can mean either “our” or “my,” in this context. It may be alluding to the fact that she had an affair with both of them.

Suos: his own (family or friends).

Amavit: loved; he uses the perfect tense to emphasize that he no longer feels this way.

Quadriviis: in the crossroads, street corners.

Angiportis: narrow streets, alleys.

Glubit: peels, skins, shucks; an agricultural term used here as a harsh obscene metaphor. Please see Jesse Weiner’s excellent article on the poem: “Stripping the Bark / Fleecing the Sheep: Rethinking glubit in Catullus 58”.

https://eugesta-revue.univ-lille.fr/pdf/2018/4.Weiner-Eugesta-8_2018.pdf

Magnanimi: having a great soul, noble; used ironically here.

Remi: of Remus, killed by his brother, Romulus; thus Lesbia is servicing the descendants of the “noble loser.”

Nepotes: grandsons, descendants, scions.

Archive

Wikimedia Commons, in Wikimedia Commons

Licence or status

CC BY 3.0, as the Wikimedia Commons states it.

Rights statement

Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

Credit

David Amster

Who can watch

The archive gives no rating. Invisible Network shows it to Teens profiles and older, judged from its collection and subjects. How films are placed