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Catullus 53

A poem dedicated to Licinius Calvus, who had written a great speech for a legal case prosecuting Vatinius for bribery. 

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Risi nescio quem modo e corona
qui, cum mirifice Vatiniana
meus crimina Calvus explicasset,
admirans ait haec manusque tollens,
'Di magni, salaputium disertum!'..........................5

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Meter: hendecasyllabics.
1. nescio quem: aliquem; 
e corona, "from the crown", the "ring" of onlookers.
2. qui: subject of ait in line 4; 
Vatiniana: an adjectival form of the proper name Vatinius; cf. 44.10, Sestianus conviva.
3. explicasset: a syncopated form of explicavisset.
4. admirans, tollens: modify qui.
5. Di: an alternate form of dei; 
salaputium disertum: Accusative of Exclamation.
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last updated October 17, 2003
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