Catullus Poem 74- Gellius audierat patruum obiūrgāre solēre; Latin & English

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Catullus Poem 74 is written about a certain Gellius, probably Lucius Gellius Poplicola, consul in 36 BC and a favorite enemy of Catullus. He was a rival for the attentions of Clodia/Lesbia, Catullus’ beloved, and was accused before the senate of having an affair with his stepmother and plotting his father's murder. Catullus wrote 8 poems about this charming fellow.

audierat = audiverat: had heard; pluperfect. The verb is shortened, “syncopated”, which occurs often in poetry.

patruum: his paternal uncle, father’s brother; accusative subject of infin in indirect statement.

obiūrgāre: to chide, scold, rebuke, reprimand; infinitive after solere.

solēre: “was accustomed to”; present infinitive in indirect statement, expressed in the past because the main verb is in the past. Audio Gellium matrem suam amare:

sī: if

quis: anyone; = aliquis; after SI “ali-” is omitted.

dēliciās: delight, pleasure, dēliciās facere = to enjoy oneself, to have fun (also in an erotic sense); darling, sweetheart, beloved. Used in the plural for a singular idea; accusative. dīceret: talked about, would talk about, would say; imperfect subjunctive.

aut:

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David Amster

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