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Catullus 107
Lesbia returns
Catullus, Carmina: selections. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in LectitōCat. 107.1Sī cui quid cupidō optantīque obtigit unquam
īnspērantī, hoc est grātum animō propriē.
If anything ever came to anyone who longed and wished for it without hope, this is truly welcome to the heart.
Note. Sī cui quid … obtigit: 'if anything has ever fallen to anyone'; cui and quid are indefinite after sī. cupidō optantīque … īnspērantī: three datives, 'to one who longs and wishes, without hope'. animō: dative, 'to the heart'. propriē: 'in the truest sense'.
Cat. 107.3Quārē hoc est grātum nōbīs quoque, cārius aurō,
quod tē restituis, Lesbia, mī cupidō:
5restituis cupidō atque īnspērantī, ipsa refers tē
nōbīs.
So this is welcome to me too, more precious than gold, that you restore yourself, Lesbia, to me who longed for you: you restore yourself to one who longed and had no hope, you bring yourself back to me of your own accord.
Note. cārius aurō: 'dearer than gold'. quod tē restituis: 'that you give yourself back'. ipsa refers tē: 'you yourself bring yourself back', i.e. of your own will.
Cat. 107.6Ō lūcem candidiōre notā!
O day marked with a whiter stone!
Note. Ō lūcem candidiōre notā: 'O day of a whiter mark!' Romans marked lucky days with a white stone or chalk mark.
Cat. 107.7Quis mē ūnō vīvit fēlīcior, aut magis hāc rēs
optandās vītā dīcere quis poterit?
Who lives happier than I alone, or who could say there are things more to be wished for than this life?
Note. mē ūnō: 'than I alone', ablative of comparison. optandās: gerundive, 'to be wished for'. hāc … vītā: 'than this life', again an ablative of comparison.
Vocabulary
| sī, conj. | if |
| quis, qua, quid, indef. pron. | any one, anybody, anything, some one, somebody, something |
| cupidus, -a, -um | desirous, eager |
| optō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | wish for, desire; pray for |
| que, enclitic conj. | and |
| obtingō, -tingere, -tigī | fall to one's lot, happen (to) |
| umquam, adv. | ever |
| īnspērāns, -antis | not hoping, not expecting |
| hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron. | this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| grātus, -a, -um | pleasing, grateful |
| animus, -ī, m. | mind; heart; spirit, courage |
| propriē (adv.) | in a special sense, peculiarly, properly |
| quārē (adv.) | why; for which reason |
| nōs | plur. of ego |
| quoque, adv. | also |
| cārus, -a, -um | dear, precious |
| aurum, -ī, n. | gold |
| quod, conj. | that, in that, because |
| tū, tuī, pers. pron. | thou, you |
| restituō, -stituere, -stituī, -stitūtus | set up again, put back, restore |
| ego, meī, pers. pron. | I |
| atque, ac (conj.) | and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants) |
| ipse, ipsa, ipsum, intensive pron. | self, himself, herself, itself, themselves; often to be rendered by very |
| referō, referre, rettulī, relātus | bring or carry back, return; pedem referre, to draw back, retire, retreat; grātiam referre, see grātia |
| ō (interj.) | O! oh! |
| lūx, lūcis, f. | light |
| candidus, -a, -um | shining white, bright |
| nota, -ae f. | mark, sign; brand, stigma |
| quis, quid, interrog. pron. | who? which? what? |
| ūnus, -a, -um | one; only, alone |
| vīvō, vīvere, vīxī, vīctus | live |
| fēlīx, -īcis | fortunate, lucky, happy |
| aut, conj. | or; aut ... aut, either ... or |
| magis, comp. adv. | more, rather |
| rēs, reī, f. | thing, matter, affair, circumstance, situation; rē vērā, in truth, in fact, really |
| vīta, -ae, f. | life |
| dīcō, dīcere, dīxī, dictus | say, speak; diem dīcere, to appoint or set a day |
| possum, posse, potuī | be able, have power, can |