Blog Post 6

Blog Post 6

            The relationship between Catullus and Lesbia is well described throughout most of Catullus’ love poems. The way he explains his change of emotions towards Lesbia is quite incredible because it begins by using his explicit descriptions of falling in love and concludes by almost verbally attacking and humiliating her through his poetry.

            Poem 51 is one of the first poems that Catullus wrote for Lesbia. When Catullus writes, “my voice, it dies on my vocal cords, my tongue goes torpid, and through my body thin fire lances down, my ears are ringing with their own thunder, while night curtains both my eyes into darkness,” he describes the each parts of his body that react abnormally to show the evidence of falling in love. In addition, Catullus tries to warn himself of “leisure”, which somewhat can be interpreted as a result of falling in love. Since Catullus is in the very beginning stage of the relationship with Lesbia, he tries to hold himself back because he is afraid of “extravagant behaviors” and having a similar consequence of “ruined kings and prosperous cities.” However, the relationship between Catullus and Lesbia prolongs and deepens by looking at Poem 5.

            Poem 5 describes Catullus and Lesbia’s relationship as lovers. Catullus begins the piece by his ownership of Lesbia by addressing Lesbia as “mine” and suggests to “live and love” by being indifferent to “scandal and all the gossips.” He also emphasizes the briefness of life that there’s only one everlasting night that should concern only Catullus and Lesbia. Then, he writes, “give me a thousand kisses, then a hundred, then a thousand more, a second hundred, they yet another thousand then a hundred.” The phrase itself can be humorous, but the explicit explanation of the number of kisses he desires shows how deep he is love with Lesbia. In addition to that, another reason why he writes the number of kisses is that the “maleficent enemy”, which most likely is the gossipers, will not able to bother Catullus and Lesbia by realizing the total sum of kisses. By looking at Poem 5, the relationship of Catullus and Lesbia seems to be flawless and promising; however, hatred replaces love according to Catullus’ later poems addressed to Lesbia.

            Catullus wrote 58A towards the end of the relationship. There were other poems of Catullus that specifically describes the utter nature of a broken heart; however, in this specific piece, he reminiscences the earlier days and humiliates Lesbia. Catullus refers to his earlier devotion towards Lesbia, by stating “Lesbia whom alone Catullus worshipped more than himself, far more than all his kinsfolk.” However, Catullus does not complain about the breakup or the heartbroken. In fact, he humiliates Lesbia by writing, “now on backstreet corners and down alleys jacks off Remus’s generous descendants.” Catullus states that Lesbia is having affairs with the entity of Roman nobility to humiliate her among the public by writing such words in his poetry.