Notes to Catullus 62

Notes to Catullus, Carmen 62

Organization of Catullus 62
The poem is in the form of an antiphonal singing contest that was perhaps a feature of Greek weddings, the carmen amoebaeum, which first appeared in Theocritus' bucolic poetry (see Idylls 6 and 8) and later in Virgil's Eclogues 3 and 7. Catullus 62 consists of alternating choral stanzas, unequal in length due to the loss of verses. Although the stanzas are sung responsively, it is thought that the youths open the poem and either they or the poet sing the final lines addressed to the bride, victoriously announcing her appearance for the deductio to the groom's home:

Introduction in 3 stanzas: Youths sing lines 1-5; Maidens sing lines 6-10; Youths sing lines 11-19

Contest in 6 stanzas: Maidens sing lines 20-25; Youths sing lines 26-31; Maidens sing lines 32-?; Youths sing lines 33-38; Maidens sing lines 39-48; Youths sing lines 49-58

Coda in 1 stanza: Poet/Youths sing the final lines 59-66.

Not all texts identify the speakers of the stanzas; those that do variously use pueri and virgines/puellae. We use the terms with which the singers refer to themselves: Iuvenes and Innuptae.

vesper, –eris/eri m.: evening; evening star. Vesper is the Latin name given to the planet Venus, the first celestial body to become visible as the sky darkens. In Greek myth the god of the evening star was Hesperos, son of Eos, the goddess of the dawn. His presence is invoked in the refrain that recurs throughout the poem (see ll. 5, 10, 19, 25, 31, 38, 48, 66), as sunset was the traditional time for weddings.

adsum, -esse, -fui: be present. The verb appears again in l. 5 as an imperative, in direct address to the god, and in the recurring refrain.

iuvenis, iuvenis m./f.: young man; youth; the term could also refer to young woman, but not here. The case is vocative plural.

consurgo, -ere, -surrexi, -surrectum: rise; spring up; start; present active imperative, 2nd person plural. The young men are urged to rise from their couches, where they have been dining (see l. 3), probably at the house of the bride's family.

Olympus, -i m.: Mount Olympus, home of the Olympian gods; heaven; sky; a locative ablative. Here, Olympo=caelo. Click on SPQR for a view of Mount Olympus at sunset.

exspecto (1): wait for; expect; hope for; modifies lumina.

diu adv.: long; a long time.

vix adv.: with difficulty; hardly; scarcely.

tandem adv.: at last; finally.

lumen, -inis, n.: light; lamp; torch; object of tollit.

tollo, -ere, sustuli, sublatum: lift; raise; the subject is Vesper.

surgo, -ere, surrexi, surrectum: rise; get up; arise; spring up; infinitive after tempus [est].

iam adv.: now; already. The fourfold anaphora of iam (ll. 3-4 and again in l. 17) betrays the impatience of the youths and quickens the rhythmic pace.

tempus, -oris n.: time; right time’ opportunity; supply est.

pinguis, -e: fat; rich; fertile; poetic accusative plural modifying mensas.

linquo, -ere, liqui: leave; quit, let alone; infinitive after tempus [est].

mensa, -ae f.: table. The unmarried men have been dining together at their own tables, apart from the unmarried women. Now they join the maids to perform the bridal song.

virgo, -inis f.: maiden; unmarried woman. The bride is ready to be ritually escorted to the groom's house.

Hymenaeus, -i m.: Hymenaeus, the nuptial-song in honor of Hymen, the god of marriage. This invocation is repeated in the next line (also ll. 10, 19, 25, 31, 38, 48, 66); Hymenaee is the vocative case. Click on SPQR for an image of the god on a mosaic pavement.

Hymen, -is m.: Hymen, a refrain chanted at Greek weddings, personified as the god of marriage. Here in the vocative case. The first syllable of the god's name is scanned variously long or short for metrical reasons (Hymen o Hymenaee Hymen = spondee, dactyl, dactyl). The wedding chant Hymen, hymenaee, o hymen appears earlier in Plautus' Casina IV.3. Click on SPQR for sculpture of Hymen, personified as a youth, holding a wedding torch together with winged Cupid.

cerno, -ere, crēvi, crētum: see; discern; understand. The unmarried women prepare for their antiphonal song.

innuptus, -a, -um: unmarried; here used substantively: =virgines.

contra adv.: in opposition to, over against, facing. Click on the SPQR for an image of Greek maidens line-dancing as the chorus may as they sing.

nimirum adverb: without doubt; presumably; certainly.

Oetaeus, -a, -um: of Mount Oeta; Oetaean, a mountain in central Greece, where a cult of Hesperus, who loved Hymenaeus, is said to have existed (click on SPQR for location)

ostendo, -ere, ostendi, ostentum: display; hold out; show.

Noctifer, -i m.: Evening star; Night star; litterally nox + fero = bringer of night. Neither Vesper nor Noctifer appear in writings before Catullus.

certus, -a, -um: certain; fixed; definite. The construction is colloquial: certest=certa est. The maidens confirm the rise of the evening star.

video, -ere, vidi, visum: see, observe; be aware. The construction is colloquial: videsne=vides ne, followed by ut and the indicative mood.

ut adv.: how

perniciter adv.: nimbly; swiftly. The urgency of the youths is repeatedly contrasted with the reluctance of the maidens.

exsilio, -ere, exsilui: leap up; spring up; start; shortened form of exsiluerunt, here and in l. 9.

temere adv.: casually, thoughtlessly; by accident; at random.

cano, -ere, cecini, cantum: sing; sing about; recite; celebrate. The object is [id], understood antecedent of quod.

vinco, -ere, vici, victum: surpass; conquer; the object is quod.

par, -is f.: suitable; equal; proper, right; supply nobis.

facilis, -e: easy, without difficulty; ready; translate not with nobis (dative of respect), but as an attributive adjective modifying palma.

aequalis, -e: contemporary, of the same age; equal, like; vocative plural, translate as a substantive noun: comrades, pals. The maidens use the word in reference to themselves below in l. 32.

palma, -ae f.: palm; prize; victory; glory; modified by facilis. Click on SPQR for victory palms on the female gymnasts mosaic from the villa at Piazza Armerina.

paro (1): prepare; set out; provide; get ready; the verb is in the perfect passive indicative, its subject = facilis palma. Scan for rhythmic pattern and note alliteration.

aspicio, -ere, aspexi, aspectum: behold; catch sight of; look at; imperative plural followed by ut = how.

secum=cum se: the reflexive pronoun se refers to the subject of the clause innuptae . . . requirunt.

meditor (1 dep.): practice; study; think over, contemplate, reflect on; design, purpose. The youths note the maidens' mental preparation for the performance (lines 13, 14).