Catullus 12 is a
poem by the
Roman poet
Catullus. In it, he chides Asinius Marrucinus for stealing one of his napkins, calling it uncouth and noting the disapproval of his brother,
Pollio Pollio may refer to:
* Marcus Vitruvius Pollio, Roman architect usually known as Vitruvius
* Gaius Asinius Pollio, Roman historian and orator
* Gaius Asinius Pollio (consul 23), grandson of the preceding
* Rufrius Pollio, Roman Prefect of the Praet ...
. Note the reversal of the praenomen and nomen in the first line. While "Asini Marrucine" could be translated simply as "Asinius Marrucinus", the inverted word order introduces the alternative meaning "Marrucinus
onof a jackass". Napkins in Ancient Rome were handmade and therefore far more valuable than they are today; also, Catullus has a sentimental attachment to the napkins, as they were a gift from two close friends, Fabullus and Veranius. In comparison to Catullus's other invective poetry, this is relatively light: the main point of the poem could be to praise Pollio rather than to chide Marrucinus.
The
meter of this poem is
hendecasyllabic
In poetry, a hendecasyllable (sometimes hendecasyllabic) is a line of eleven syllables. The term may refer to several different poetic meters, the older of which are quantitative and used chiefly in classical (Ancient Greek and Latin) poetry, and ...
, a common form in Catullus's poetry.
Latin text
See also
*
Latin poetry
*
Invective
Bibliography
*
*
{{Catullus
C012
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