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Catullus 35

Catullus pays homage to the art of the love poet.

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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Poetae tenero, meo sodali,
velim Caecilio, papyre, dicas
Veronam veniat, Novi relinquens
Comi moenia Lariumque litus.
nam quasdam volo cogitationes.....................5
amici accipiat sui meique.
quare si sapiet viam vorabit,
quamvis candida milies puella
euntem revocet, manusque collo
ambas iniciens roget morari.........................10
quae nunc, si mihi vera nuntiantur,
illum deperit impotente amore.
nam quo tempore legit incohatam
Dindymi dominam, ex eo misellae
ignes interiorem edunt medullam...................15
ignosco tibi, Sapphica puella
musa doctior; est enim venuste
Magna Caecilio incohata Mater.

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Meter: hendecasyllabics.
1. poetae tenero, meo sodali: in apposition to Caecilio.
2. velim: present subjunctive of volo. Optative subjunctive.
3. Verona, Novum Comum, and Lacus Larius are sites or cities in Northern Italy. Verona is Catullus' hometown; 
relinquens: modifies subject of veniat.
5. Nam...meique: "for I wish that he might accept..."
8. euntem: Accusative singular present active participle of ire.
13. quo tempore: " at that time when"
14. dominam Dindymi: refers to Cybele, whose cult originated near Mt. Dindymus, in Asia Minor; 
ex eo: sc. tempore.
15. misellae: Genitive singular.
16. Sapphica: pertaining to the archaic Greek poet Sappho, cf. poem 51;
venuste: adverb modifying incohata (est).
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last updated October 17, 2003
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