Saturday, October 31, 2009

Catullus 8

Poor Catullus. I really do feel bad for him in this one. =(

He starts off by yelling at himself to stop being an idiot and get out of the love affair. He has finally accepted that Lesbia is not interested in him, and perhaps never was. Using quondam, he describes his days with her as a fairy tale. Everything was good when she loved him. Everything was good when they both wanted the same things - quite the teenage love song, this poem - but now she doesn't want him anymore.
Indeed, in true teenager-who's-just-been-dumped fashion, Catullus tells himself to be strong and get over it all, but tells Lesbia that she'll be sorry. After all, there won't be anyone asking after her now. There won't be anyone calling her beautiful, no one approaching her anymore (even though, if I recall, the reason they're breaking up is because of Lesbia sleeping with other people).

Towards the end, he really starts to sound depressed. He can't stand the thought of her loving, or more directly, kissing other men. He starts to waver and seriously ponder the merits of being with her, but true to his word Catullus pulls back. He is persisting, and I wish him a hearty amount of good luck.

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