Catullus on Friday

[prillalar]

Catullus 70

Nulli se dicit mulier mea nubere malle
quam mihi, non si se Iuppiter ipse petat.
dicit: sed mulier cupido quod dicit amanti,
in uento et rapida scribere oportet aqua.

My woman says there's no-one she would rather marry
Than me, not even if Jupiter himself pursued her.
She says -- but what a woman to an urgent lover says
Ought to be written in the wind and running water.

(trans mine, but using some half-remembered phrases, I'm sure)

Comments

[spike21.livejournal.com]

more! more!

[prillalar]

Maybe it should be a weekly event. :)

[phineasjones.livejournal.com]

dominic argento set this (and some other catullus) for chorus. it is some fantastic music.

[prillalar]

Oh, cool! I should look for a recording.

[phineasjones.livejournal.com]

::recommends:: (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000003D1B/qid=1065276625/sr=1-5/ref=sr_1_5/102-2258317-7438533?v=glance&s=classical)

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Woo, lovely! I used to translate Catullus - should go back to that, my Latin's getting rusty but I still adore Catullus. I would translate the Juventius ones. Veranius too.

But Lesbia sounded pretty sexy. Love the one about the sparrow. (Too bad it wasn't a budgie, but it's the next best thing.)

[prillalar]

Catullus is good to ease back in on because the Latin's so easy. I first read him after we'd been struggling through Virgil. It was such a relief!

Have you read Dorothy Parker's From A Letter From Lesbia?

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Sttuglling through Virgil - ugh. It was fine once I understood it, but it took a while to get there. Catullus was more rewarding when you got it figured out, too.

Thanks so much for pointing out "A Letter From Lesbia". No, I'd never read it. (How'd I miss it?) That's so Parkerish - brilliant! I love that woman.

[ex-mommybir.livejournal.com]

Did somebody say "budgie"? *g*

I love Catullus. I also love birds.

Translate more, Hal. I dare ya to render some of the nasty ones. *g*

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Did somebody say "budgie"?

My little guys say 'chirp'. They love being mentioned.

I love Catullus. I also love birds.


Ditto.


I dare ya to render some of the nasty ones. *g*


Heh. I like the sound of the challenge. Catullus is the one who taught me to say great things like 'fuck you' in Latin.

[ex-mommybir.livejournal.com]

I have two budgies, a cockatiel, two finches, and a canary. They all have quite a lot to say. I think my budgies probably use as many bad words in their language as Catullus did in his.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Cool! I have five budgies, all very vocal. I like the idea that they might have been ifluenced (or inspired?) by Catullus. Note: I must read more Latin poetry to them.

[xsmoonshine.livejournal.com]

Whee, Catullus! He wrote such cute poems. I like your translation better than the one in my book. =)

[prillalar]

He has a lot of verve, definitely. :)