| Author | Message |
| | Posted on Sat Nov 12, 2005 02:30:23 | |
| | Hi - this is a bit of a long shot. I'm a student at the university of Edinburgh studying classics and as part of an essay we have to name the 2 functions of obscenity that Catullus says exist in Poem 16. I'm slightly stumped.... eroticism and? Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks | |
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| | Posted at Wed Nov 30, 2005 01:36:51 | Quote |
| | | My guess would be it lies in the "salt and charm" (salem ac leporem) line. You've got the salt part, eroticism. I think he means to say that poems are just more interesting with some racy language. | |
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| | Posted at Mon Dec 03, 2007 20:37:19 | Quote |
| | | Is it really erotic if you call somebody "son of a bitch" or "mother$#$%er"? I don't think so. Arbitror they didn't think of predicabo et irrumabo as being erotic, too. | |
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| | Posted at Mon Dec 03, 2007 20:40:13 | Quote |
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Interesting how censoring impedes discussion of ancient literature. | |
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| | Posted at Sat May 24, 2008 12:17:10 | Quote |
| | With all due respect. I have to formally disagree with this translation. I respect the translaters wish to keep the spirit of the message, but with that said, he butchered the first line.
Id like to see Catullus 16 retranslated with a little more diligence to detail. | |
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| | Posted at Sat Nov 29, 2008 14:49:27 | Quote |
| | I would agree that the first and last lines should be retranslated.
As for "salem ac leporem", references to salt in Catullus' poetry generally refer to wit. As such, I think it would be better translated as "wit and charm". This can also be seen as a play on words in poem 13, when salt is incorporated into part of a dinner. It is translated on this site as "wit" in 13 on this site.
As for the obscenities, I see them as nothing more of anger at his critics in this poem. There are other poems, however, where eroticism is definitely implied. | |
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| | Posted at Thu Dec 10, 2009 07:57:40 | Quote |
| | As someone newly interested in this poet, and unfamiliar with latin, I would hope that the translations here would be as close as possible. I only happen to know this version is uh rather light on the first line due to my knowledge of vulgar latin words and the wiki entry. This makes me question if other translations here are holding back for the sake of delicate readers, while that seems to be contrary to the very essence of this poem in particular and possibly this poet.
I look forward to learning about Catullus from this site. Hopefully I can find some other translations, dirty words and all. | |
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| | Posted at Wed Apr 07, 2010 16:20:26 | Quote |
| | irrumare, in catullus, is a verb that describes the action of oral sex. However, it shouldn't be confused with fellare. The difference is that irrumare is more violent than fellare, and really means something literally like "to shove it in your mouth" or "to $#$% your face."
As for the first and last lines, pedacare means to $#$% someone anally, and thus it is literally translated: "I will $#$% you anally and will shove my penis in your mouth." | |
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| | Posted at Thu Jul 18, 2013 00:47:26 | Quote |
| | | It's possible do an analysis of the poem?With rhetorical figures, verbal tenses etc? | |
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