Catullus Poem 77 & 78b- Rūfe mihī frūstrā ac nēquīquam crēdite amīce; Latin & English

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latinpoetry

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In Catullus’ Poem 77 he confronts his “friend” Rufus, who has been messing around with his beloved Lesbia/Clodia. 78b is a fragment following 78 in the manuscript; some scholars think it fits better with 77, and some feel it’s a separate poem with some lines missing. Catullus’ emphatic use of “nostra” and “nostrae” is ambiguous; it can mean “my”, but may also refer to Rufus and Catullus or Clodia and Catullus.

Rūfe: probably Marcus Caelius Rufus, who had a love affair with Lesbia/Clodia, which ended badly. She sued him for allegedly trying to poison her! The mention of poison here is ironic. Cicero’s brilliant “Pro Caelio” is his speech in defense of Rufus against Clodia.

mihī: to me, for me

frūstrā: for nothing, without effect, to no purpose, in vain

ac: and, stronger connection than “et”.

nēquīquam: in vain, pointlessly, without reason.

crēdite: trusted, believed; vocative perfect passive participle with amice.

amīce: friend, a friend

immō: on the contrary, in reality, by no means, rather

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