''Cenabis bene, mi Fabulle, apud me'' is the first line, sometimes used as a title, of ''

Carmen ''Carmen'' () is an opera in four acts by the French composer Georges Bizet. The libretto was written by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the Carmen (novella), novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée. The opera was first perfo ...

'' 13 from the collected poems of the 1st-century BC Latin poet

Catullus Gaius Valerius Catullus (; 84 - 54 BCE), often referred to simply as Catullus (, ), was a Latin poet of the late Roman Republic who wrote chiefly in the neoteric style of poetry, focusing on personal life rather than classical heroes. His s ...

. The poem belongs to the

literary genre A literary genre is a category of literature. Genres may be determined by literary technique, tone, content, or length (especially for fiction). They generally move from more abstract, encompassing classes, which are then further sub-divided i ...

of mock-invitation. Fabullus is invited to dine at the poet's home, but he will need to bring all the elements of a dinner party ''(

cena The Directorate General for Civil Aviation (french: Direction générale de l'aviation civile, DGAC) is the French civil aviation authority. Its headquarters are in the 15th arrondissement of Paris, 50 Henry-Farman. It is subordinate to the Mini ...

)'' himself: the host pleads poverty. Catullus will provide only ''meros amores'', "the essence of love",

Emily Gowers Emily Joanna Gowers, ( Thomas; born 27 September 1963) is a British classical scholar. She is Professor of Latin Literature at the University of Cambridge and a Fellow of St John's College, Cambridge. She is an expert on Horace, Augustan lite ...

, ''The Loaded Table: Representation of Food in Roman Literature'' (Oxford University Press, 1993, 2003), p. 234. and a perfume given to him by his girlfriend, granted to her by multiple Venuses and

Cupid In classical mythology, Cupid (Latin Cupīdō , meaning "passionate desire") is the god of desire, lust, erotic love, attraction and affection. He is often portrayed as the son of the love goddess Venus (mythology), Venus and the god of war Mar ...

s, guaranteed to make Fabullus wish he were ''totum nasum'' ("all nose").

Latin text and translation

References

{{Reflist C013 Works about parties Articles containing video clips