The Art Thread
- Thread starter Hawkwood
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EstQuodFulmineIungo
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Remnants of Catullus's Villa on a wintry, foggy day
"Grotte di Catullo, Garda Lake, Sirmione"
Garda Lake=Benācus
Sirmione= Sirmio
The Villa was built near a thermal spring (that explains the colour of the water).
Below this spot, if memor serves, there was his own Tepidarium.
Catullus comes back from a travel in Anatolia (Bithynia and Thynia) , where he accompanied Gaius Memmius (a praetor).
1.Paeninsularum, Sirmio, insularumque
2.Ocelle, quascumque in liquentibus stagnis
3.Marique vasto fert uterque Neptunus
4.Quam te libenter quamque laetus invīso
5.Vix mi ipse credens Thuniam atque Bithūnos
6.Liquisse campos et videre te in tuto.
7.O quid solutis est beatius curis,
8.Cum mens onus reponit, ac peregrino
9.Labore fessi vēnĭmus larem ad nostrum
10.Desideratoque acquiescĭmus lecto.
11.Hoc est, quod unumust pro laboribus tantis
12.Salve, o venusta Sirmio, atque hero gaude:
13.Gaudete vosque, O Lydiae lacūs undae:
14.Ridete, quidquid est domi cachinnorum
Not an easy poem, there are several figures of speech:
5-6. Thuniam atque Bithunos... campos: accusative case, related to liquisse (linquo= relinquo, definitely not from liqueo)
9. larem ad nostrum = ad nostrum larem "At our home". Metonymy. Lar, Laris and Lares, Larium. Laries were were home deities and denote the house itself in this case.
13. O Lydiae undae: Enallage. He calles "Lydiae" the waters of the lake because on its shore Etrurians established themselves. Etrurians were believed to be of anatolian origin.
"Grotte di Catullo, Garda Lake, Sirmione"
Garda Lake=Benācus
Sirmione= Sirmio
The Villa was built near a thermal spring (that explains the colour of the water).
Below this spot, if memor serves, there was his own Tepidarium.
Catullus comes back from a travel in Anatolia (Bithynia and Thynia) , where he accompanied Gaius Memmius (a praetor).
1.Paeninsularum, Sirmio, insularumque
2.Ocelle, quascumque in liquentibus stagnis
3.Marique vasto fert uterque Neptunus
4.Quam te libenter quamque laetus invīso
5.Vix mi ipse credens Thuniam atque Bithūnos
6.Liquisse campos et videre te in tuto.
7.O quid solutis est beatius curis,
8.Cum mens onus reponit, ac peregrino
9.Labore fessi vēnĭmus larem ad nostrum
10.Desideratoque acquiescĭmus lecto.
11.Hoc est, quod unumust pro laboribus tantis
12.Salve, o venusta Sirmio, atque hero gaude:
13.Gaudete vosque, O Lydiae lacūs undae:
14.Ridete, quidquid est domi cachinnorum
Not an easy poem, there are several figures of speech:
5-6. Thuniam atque Bithunos... campos: accusative case, related to liquisse (linquo= relinquo, definitely not from liqueo)
9. larem ad nostrum = ad nostrum larem "At our home". Metonymy. Lar, Laris and Lares, Larium. Laries were were home deities and denote the house itself in this case.
13. O Lydiae undae: Enallage. He calles "Lydiae" the waters of the lake because on its shore Etrurians established themselves. Etrurians were believed to be of anatolian origin.