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Catullus, Tibullus, Pervigilium Veneris (Loeb Classical Library No. 6) Hardcover – January 1, 1988
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Polymetric gems, wistful elegies, and a lover’s prayer.
Catullus (Gaius Valerius, 84–54 BC), of Verona, went early to Rome, where he associated not only with other literary men from Cisalpine Gaul but also with Cicero and Hortensius. His surviving poems consist of nearly sixty short lyrics, eight longer poems in various metres, and almost fifty epigrams. All exemplify a strict technique of studied composition inherited from early Greek lyric and the poets of Alexandria. In his work we can trace his unhappy love for a woman he calls Lesbia; the death of his brother; his visits to Bithynia; and his emotional friendships and enmities at Rome. For consummate poetic artistry coupled with intensity of feeling, Catullus’ poems have no rival in Latin literature.
Tibullus (Albius, ca. 54–19 BC), of equestrian rank and a friend of Horace, enjoyed the patronage of Marcus Valerius Messalla Corvinus, whom he several times apostrophizes. Three books of elegies have come down to us under his name, of which only the first two are authentic. Book 1 mostly proclaims his love for “Delia,” Book 2 his passion for “Nemesis.” The third book consists of a miscellany of poems from the archives of Messalla; it is very doubtful whether any come from the pen of Tibullus himself. But a special interest attaches to a group of them which concern a girl called Sulpicia: some of the poems are written by her lover Cerinthus, while others purport to be her own composition.
The Pervigilium Veneris, a poem of not quite a hundred lines celebrating a spring festival in honor of the goddess of love, is remarkable both for its beauty and as the first clear note of romanticism which transformed classical into medieval literature. The manuscripts give no clue to its author, but recent scholarship has made a strong case for attributing it to the early fourth-century poet Tiberianus.
- Print length376 pages
- LanguageEnglish, Latin
- PublisherHarvard University Press
- Publication dateJanuary 1, 1988
- Dimensions4.25 x 0.9 x 6.37 inches
- ISBN-109780674990074
- ISBN-13978-0674990074
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From the Back Cover
About the Author
John Percival Postgate, FBA (1853–1926) was Professor of Latin at the University of Liverpool.
John William Mackail, OM (1859–1945) was a Scottish man of letters and President of the British Academy.
G. P. Goold was William Lampson Professor of Latin Language and Literature at Yale University, and General Editor of the Loeb Classical Library (1974–1999).
Product details
- ASIN : 0674990072
- Publisher : Harvard University Press; 2nd edition (January 1, 1988)
- Language : English, Latin
- Hardcover : 376 pages
- ISBN-10 : 9780674990074
- ISBN-13 : 978-0674990074
- Item Weight : 10.7 ounces
- Dimensions : 4.25 x 0.9 x 6.37 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #618,805 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #423 in Ancient & Classical Poetry
- #515 in Ancient & Classical Literary Criticism (Books)
- #1,211 in Love Poems
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Frederick Lauritzen studied classics at New College, Oxford and Columbia University. He has published articles on eleventh century literature as well as the reception of neoplatonism. He is a post-doctoral fellow at the Fondazione per le Scienze Religiose, Bologna
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Understand, Catullus in general is still beyond my abilities to read with facility. It takes a great deal of work for me at my level to grapple with Catullus' generally short poems.
However, I was greatly motivated to try, after hearing and reading Catullus 101, and I looked for some work that provided enough help for someone my level (2 strong semesters of college Latin + an intense interest). This reprint edition is it. I especially found the extensive help in the footnotes very useful to help my slogging. I still need a dictionary, and to check vocabulary online, but with the help of this edition much of Catullus is now open to me. It is exciting to read these poems and have a decent sense of what the poet was trying to say to us. Recommended
Why Amazon would think that it is reasonable to show you images of an 1895 commentary on Catullus rather than the 2003 commentary that you're interested in is a question that I think has no answer. The text of Catullus in the two editions is probably similar; the content of the *commentary* -- which is to say, 4/5 of the book -- is completely different. This is something like showing you an edition of Shakespeare when you click to "look inside" an edition of Stoppard's _Shakespeare In Love._ Bonkers, Amazon, Bonkers.
and let him who has tomorrow love!"
This review relates to the volume -Catullus,
Tibullus, Pervigilium Veneris-, Second Edition,
Loeb Classical Library # 6, ISBN: 0674990072.
The original translations of Catullus (by F.W.
Cornish), of Tibullus (by J. P. Postgate), and
of the -Pervigilium Veneris- (by J. M Mackail)
have now been updated for the better by G. P.
Goold (his first 2nd edition appeared in 1988 --
this reprint is dated 2000), and Goold's
Introductory explanations for the state of the
translations and the need for updates appear
before each section of works (entire volume,
Reviser's Note, Aug. 1987; Catullus, Reviser's
Preface 1987; Tibullus, Reviser's Preface, 1988;
-Pervigilium Veneris-, Reviser's Preface, 1984).
Catullus, perhaps the best known of the 3 sources
of work in this volume, is an extremely interesting,
if not fascinating person and/or character. He can
be rough and bawdy and cynical, and at other times
stricken, driven, haunted, and sympathetic. His
poems are satiric attacks using "gutter language"
and sexual accusations, name-calling (especially
relating to ... proclivities) --
but they are also songs of pain, frustration, despair,
self-criticism, and complaint. There are also
exceptionally moving poems that recite the feelings
of the family and of himself over the loss of his
brother. Many editions of Catullus use euphemistic
language to get around his direct rough talk, or
they simply excise the "offending" passages. Thankfully,
this new edition restores the complete text with
appropriate graphic translations which give one the
sense of just what kind of an artist and person
Catullus was. G.P. Goold says that he has used
W.H.D. Rouse's paraphrases of several of Catullus'
poems because the paraphrases are so good. Those
poems paraphrased by Rouse are: 15, 21, 37, 69, 71,
74, 78, 79, 80, 89, 94, 97, 100, 110, 112, and 113.
Here for those who can take it are the opening
lines of 37 (paraphrased by Rouse): ...BR>Tibullus, on the other hand, is a bit quieter -- his
opening lines talk of pastoral peace (until he a little
later starts talking to Delia and shows how driven he
is, how under her spell -- and Love, oh Love -- that
mesmerizer, that seducer, that desired ideal). "I am
a captive fast bound in the bonds of a lovely girl;
I sit a janitor before her stubborn doors. I care not
for glory, Delia dear; let me only be with thee, and
I will pray folk call me sluggard and idler." "But
me, for I have been ever pliable to gentle Love, shall
Venus' self escort to the Elysian fields."
-Pervigilium Veneris- "a poem of not quite a hundred
lines celebrating a spring festival in honour of the
goddess of love, is remarkable both for its beauty
and as the first clear note of romanticism which
transformed classical into medieval literature."
The poem is divided into 3 sections with sub parts:
Spring -- stanza I, The arrival of spring; stanza
II, The birth of Venus; stanza III, The budding of the
rose. The Festival -- stanza IV, Venus' message to
the nymphs; stanza V, The nymphs' message to Diana;
stanza VI, The festival at Hybla. Litanies to Venus --
stanza VII, As cosmic goddess of procreation; stanza
VIII, As tutelary goddess of Rome; stanza IX, As goddess
of vegetation; stanza X, As goddess of animals and birds;
and a personal epilogue at the end of the poem: "She sings,
I am mute. When will my spring come? When shall I become
like the swallow that I may cease to be voiceless? I
have lost my muse through being voiceless, and Phoebus
[Apollo] regards me not...."
-- Robert Kilgore [acominatus, patroklos, Encolp1850.]
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The nice thing about the book is that many of the poems are short and concise, so comparing the English to the Latin can be quite simple at times, even if still a bit tricky since it is poetry.
Some of the poems are among the most famous Latin love poems ever written, and I would strongly recommend this book for any lover of highly refined poetry or for those who wish to continue fine-tuning their Latin skills.
But he is worth reading for the 'long' poems too, the extraordinary Attis poem (poem 63) and the Marriage of Peleus and Thetis (poem 64)which has such an impact on the Renaissance erotic epyllion.
In line with the other Loebs, this translates the poems into plain text, but it is impossible to convey the spiky texture of Catullus' original Latin.
If you have any Latin it's worth investing in this Loeb edition (Catullus' Latin in the love lyrics is pretty easy, probably about 'A' level standard, but the longer poems (c.63 and c.64) are difficult). But if not or you want a taster without the high price then I would recommend the Guy Lee Oxford World Classics translation which is much better than the Penguin looser translation.