Catullus 51

“Catullus 51” can be differently read and interpreted, depending on the angle of attack. Focusing on the particulars of how Catullus reworks and develops Sappho’s original poem “Fragment 31,” for instance, raises questions about gender roles and the goals of literary translation in the ancient world. These topics are inherently interesting, but are part of a larger cultural and historical analysis (See: Contextual Analysis). While “Catullus 51” can inform discussions about these topics, it can only do so by taking into account a large number of secondary sources, and not by interpreting the poem in isolation. This analysis explores “Catullus 51” in such isolation to avoid unnecessary complication.

The poem’s tone comes through Catullus’s voice; his ability to capture the frustrated emotional effect of love is a unique addition to Sappho’s verse. These elements create a complicated and nuanced picture of the speaker’s unrequited affection and self-image that coalesces in the fourth stanza’s self-address. This last stanza’s repeated attack on “Free time” (Lines 13, 14, 15), also adds a particularly Roman perspective on the speaker’s romantic frustrations.

The speaker of “Catullus 51” prefers a casual, colloquial vocabulary. The speaker’s preference for common language is reflected in translator Chris Childers’s use of simple words like “dumb” (Line 7) for speechlessness or “fidgeting and your flings” (Line 14) to express Catullus’s frustrations.