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Catullus 2

Catullus addresses this poem to the pet sparrow of his girlfriend Lesbia.

Click on the words in the poem below to get vocabulary information.

Please, if you see errors, let me know about them so I can fix them!

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Passer, deliciae meae puellae
quicum ludere, quem in sinu tenere
cui primum digitum dare appetenti
et acris solet incitare morsus,
cum desiderio meo nitenti.................................5
carum nescio quid lubet iocari,
et solaciolum sui doloris,
credo, ut tum gravis acquiescat ardor:
tecum ludere sicut ipsa possem
et tristis animi levare curas!.............................10
[tam gratum est mihi quam ferunt puellae
pernici aureolum fuisse malum,
quod zonam soluit diu ligatam.]

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Meter: hendecasyllabics.
2. The infinitives ludere, tenere, dare, and incitare are complementary infinitives dependent upon solet.
4. acris: acrês.
5. cum: "when".
6. nescio quid: "something", (literally, " I do not know what"); it modifies carum;
lubet: impersonal; takes the Dative and a complementary infinitive.
7. solaciolum: "a little comfort"; Indirect Statement
9. possem: Optative Subjunctive, "Would that I were able..."
11. tam ... quam: "as ___ as"; 
ferunt: "they say."
 
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last updated October 17, 2003
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