In this
light-hearted poem Catullus imagines a dialogue between two lovers: Acme and
Septimius. The name Acme is Greek and means so much as `in the blossom of her
youth’. Septimius speaks first and
swears an oath in the form of a conditional self-curse `if I don’t do this, may
I then etc.’ Acme is ready to accept
this vow and starts kissing him while saying that under the guidance of Amor
she will even more burn for him. Amor is thought present and both speeches are
concluded by his approval o by way of sneezing, an auspicious omen: hoc ut dixit, Amor sinistrā ut ante / dextrā
sternuit approbationem. Many lines of commentary have been spent on sinistra ut ante dextra. For instance where
to put the comma: is Amor first sneezing (sternuit)
form the left (sinistrā ut ante, dextrā) or from the right side ( sinistrā, ut ante dextrā)? But Romans
did not use commas, so the whole question seems to me futile. It has further
been thought that Amor is sneezing from the left for Septimius and from the
right for Acme, as the left side is auspicious for a Roman and the right for a
Greek. But Catullus wrote this poem for a Roman public, not as a riddle for
overzealous philologists centuries later…
So why did Amor sneeze from both sides? Well, the most easy explanation
is for giving extra approval!
Catullus XLV. ad Septimium
Meter: hendacasyllabics x x - u
u - u - u - -
Acmen
Septimius suos amores
tenens
in gremio 'mea' inquit 'Acme,
ni te perdite
amo atque amare porro
omnes
sum assidue paratus annos,
quantum
qui pote plurimum perire,
solus in
Libya Indiaque tosta
caesio
veniam obvius leoni.'
hoc ut
dixit, Amor sinistra ut ante
dextra
sternuit approbationem.
at Acme leviter caput reflectens
et
dulcis pueri ebrios ocellos
illo
purpureo ore suaviata,
'sic'
inquit 'mea vita Septimille,
huic uni
domino usque serviamus,
ut multo
mihi maior acriorque
ignis
mollibus ardet in medullis.'
hoc ut
dixit, Amor sinistra ut ante
dextra
sternuit approbationem.
nunc ab auspicio bono profecti
mutuis
animis amant amantur.
unam
Septimius misellus Acmen
mavult
quam Syrias Britanniasque:
uno in
Septimio fidelis Acme
facit
delicias libidinesque.
quis
ullos homines beatiores
vidit,
quis Venerem auspicatiorem?
Acmen... suos amores: his love Acme (Acmen is a Greek acc.; suos amores: plural for singular)
gremium: lap
ni = nisi
perdite: desperately,
to bits etc.
paratus: prepared
porro: in future
assidue: constantly
quantum qui pote plurimum perire: as much as one who is able (pote = potest) to die very much (from love) = who is desperately in love
Libya Indiaque tosta:
in Libya and parched India (= in the Libyan and Indian deserts)
caesius: green-eye
ebrius : drunken (from love)
sternuo: to sneeze (sneezing is an auspicious omen and
he does that form both sides.
suavior: to
kiss
mea vita: my love
Septimille: diminutive of Septimius, used as
endearment
domino: Amor,
but some commentators take it as referring to Septimius,
usque: perpetually
medulla: marrow
proficiscor profectus sum:
to depart, start (profecti: if
the subjects are both masculine and feminine, the participle takes the
masculine. Some take profecti from proficio `to accomplish, complete’, but they start their
relationship under a good omen in order to fulfil their vows and wishes, they
haven’t completed it yet.)
misellus: diminutive of miser. Of course Septimius is not really a bit miser: again a term of endearment.
Syrias Britanniasque: The plural is rather pathetic. At
the moment this poem was written, Caesar was leading a military campaign in
Britain and Crassus in Syria.
facit delicias libidinesque: takes pleasure and delight
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