Catullus 36 is a Latin poem of twenty lines in
Phalaecean metre by the Roman 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 ...
.
[Merrill, ed. 1893, p. 64.]
Text
Analysis
Catullus calls upon the ''Annales Volusi'' () to aid him in the discharge of a vow made by
Lesbia
Lesbia was the literary pseudonym used by the Roman poet Gaius Valerius Catullus ( 82–52 BC) to refer to his lover. Lesbia is traditionally identified with Clodia, the wife of Quintus Caecilius Metellus Celer and sister of Publius Clodius P ...
, invokes
Venus
Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is sometimes called Earth's "sister" or "twin" planet as it is almost as large and has a similar composition. As an interior planet to Earth, Venus (like Mercury) appears in Earth's sky never f ...
to recognize the payment, and with the word throws the Annals into the fire.
According to
E. T. Merrill, the poem was evidently written about 59 or 58 BC, in the short period of reconciliation after the temporary coolness marked by
Catullus 8.1ff.
References
Sources
* Burton, Richard F.; Smithers, Leonard C., eds. (1894).
The Carmina of Caius Valerius Catullus'. London: Printed for the Translators: for Private Subscribers. pp. 66–68.
* Merrill, Elmer Truesdell, ed. (1893).
Catullus' (College Series of Latin Authors). Boston, MA: Ginn and Company. pp. 64–66.
* Morgan, M. Gwyn (1980).
"Catullus and the "Annales Volusi"". ''Quaderni Urbinati Di Cultura Classica'', 4. pp. 59–67.
Further reading
* Clarke, G. W. (1968). "The Burning of Books and Catullus 36". ''Latomus'', 27. pp. 576–580.
* Comfort, H. (1929). "An Interpretation of Catullus XXXVI". ''Classical Philology'', 24. pp. 176–182. .
* Morgan, M. G. (1980). "Catullus and the Annales Volusi". ''Quaderni Urbinati di Cultura Classica'', 4. pp. 59–67.
* Østerud, S. (1978). "Sacrifice and Bookburning in Catullus' Poem 36". ''Hermes'', 106. pp. 138–155.
* Solodow, J. P. (1989). "Forms of Literary Criticism in Catullus: Polymetric vs. Epigram". ''Classical Philology'', 84. pp. 312–319.
External links
* C. Valerius Catullus
"Catul. 36" ''Carmina''. Leonard C. Smithers, ed. ''
Perseus Digital Library
The Perseus Project is a digital library project of Tufts University, which assembles digital collections of humanities resources. Version 4.0 is also known as the "Perseus Hopper", and it is hosted by the Department of Classical Studies. The proj ...
''. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
{{Authority control
C036
Articles containing video clips
Love poems