Lectitō › Catullus › Poems (selections)
Catullus 92
Proof of love
Catullus, Carmina: selections. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
Tap any word for its meaning and grammar, save words to review, and track your reading.
Read in LectitōCat. 92.1Lesbia mī dīcit semper male nec tacet unquam
dē mē: Lesbia mē dispeream nisi amat.
Lesbia always speaks ill of me and never stops talking about me: I'll be damned if Lesbia doesn't love me.
Note. dispeream nisi: 'may I die if … not'; a colloquial oath. dīcit male: 'speaks ill'.
Cat. 92.3Quō signō?
By what sign?
Note. Quō signō: 'by what sign?', the imagined friend's question.
Cat. 92.3Quia sunt totidem mea: dēprecor illam
adsiduē, vērum dispeream nisi amō.
Because my case is just the same: I curse her constantly, but I'll be damned if I don't love her.
Note. sunt totidem mea: 'my symptoms are the same'. dēprecor: 'I curse'. adsiduē: 'constantly'.
Vocabulary
| ego, meī, pers. pron. | I |
| dīcō, dīcere, dīxī, dictus | say, speak; diem dīcere, to appoint or set a day |
| semper, adv. | always |
| male, adv. | badly, ill |
| neque or nec, conj. | and not, nor; neque ... neque, neither ... nor; neque enim, for ... not |
| taceō, -ēre, -uī, -itus | be silent |
| umquam, adv. | ever |
| dē, prep, with abl. | down from, from, out of; about, concerning, of |
| dispereō, -īre, -iī | perish utterly, be ruined; dispeream nisi: may I die if not, I'll be damned if not |
| nisi, conj. | if not, unless |
| amō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | love |
| quī, quae, quod, interrog. pron. adj. | what? |
| signum, -ī, n. | sign, signal |
| quia (conj.) | because |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| totidem (indecl.) | just as many |
| meus, -a, -um | my, mine |
| dēprecor, -ārī, -ātus sum | beg to be spared, plead |
| ille, illa, illud, dem. pron. | that; he, she, it, they; ille ... hīc, see hīc |
| assiduē (adv.) | constantly, continually |
| vērum (conj.) | but, but in fact; nōn modo ... vērum etiam: not only ... but also |