Catullus the poet is a great insulter. He names names: "Egnatius aping class with your thick black beard and/ flashing teeth scrubbed white with Spanish urine . . . " Reading Catullus has emboldened me. If he can write "prick,"--that's the mildest of his insults--I can begin a poem with "Shit for Brains, don't tell me . . . "
I'll never achieve Catullus's polish but I hope to find language as vulgar as his. But that's not all I've learned from Catullus. He wrote a love poem to a place, "Of all near-islands, Sirmio, and of islands/ the jewel . . . " Paene insularum, Sirmio, insularumque/ ocelle . . . ." So musical in Latin. And he talks to himself, "Miserable, Catullus" one poem begins.
I've now begun a poem with, "Poor, sorry Mim." If I'm lucky I will be able to write a love poem to a place.
When I was young I learned Latin and blushed whenever we translated Catullus's poetry.
ReplyDeleteHow brilliant to come across it again. I look forward to reading your work, written under the shadow of Catullus.
Thank you, Elizabeth. I'm still blushing after yesterday's conversation with J. in Starbuck's. We talked about Catullus and I asked him for particularly juicy insults I might use in a poem. He whispered one, which I can't bring myself to type out. Catullus would not have hesitated.
ReplyDeleteTerribly timely, James Robson in the Evening Standard today wrote about an email quoting Catallus: "irrumabo vos, et pedicabo vos". Like James, I can't help admiring the emailers gall!
ReplyDeletemy, my.....looking forward to reading the new work...
ReplyDeleteOne translation of "irrumabo vos, et pedicabo vos": up yours and in your mouth. Shameless Catullus!
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