Catullus and Lesbia relationship

Catullus addresses Lesbia in several of his poems, however the manner of his address changes in the poems.

In 2A, Catullus addresses Lesbia’s pet sparrow. He writes how the sparrow plays with Lesbia, and how she sports with it. Perhaps the sparrow is a metaphor for Catullus himself, since in Line 5, he abruptly changes the focus to his “longing fancies” (5) after talking about the sparrow. In this way, he communicates that Lesbia toys with him. He mentions his “too-heavy ardor” (8) and “spirit’s black depression”(10). These words convey the depth of his emotion. He loves her too strongly, and he wishes he could be as light with her her as she is with him. When addressing the sparrow he says, “I wish I could sport with you as she does” (9), communicating that his affection is deeper than hers. I would think that this poem comes from an early point in their relationship. Perhaps they are not even formally together yet, and Catullus is just lusting after her.

Next, Catullus, addresses Lesbia herself in poem 5. In this poem, he is telling her to disregard all the gossip that surrounds their relationship.. He explicitly tells her to disregard, “scandal” and “gossip” (2). He declares, “Let’s live […] and love” (1), showing that he does not care about the societal gossip, but merely wants to be with Lesbia. He expands upon this wish by asking for an innumerable amount of kisses. He is expressing the idea that to love as deeply as they do is to live, especially because life is brief (5). At the end of the poem, he writes how they can avoid a hex from anyone since their kisses cannot be counted (12-3). We talked about this idea in class, that there was a belief that if someone knew a fact about someone else, they could curse them. Here, Catullus uses that idea to argue that the number of kisses they have should be “many thousands” (10). This poem must date from a time when Catullus and Lesbia were seeing each other. Also, the fact that he is telling her to disregard gossip shows that they have been together long enough to gain public attention.  

Catullus also addresses Lesbia in poem 7. In this poem, Catullus speaks passionately about his desire for her, telling her that he wants an innumerable amount of kisses. The language is filled with imagery. He mentions, “silphium-rick Cyrene” (4), and personifies the “stars in the silent night” (7-8). This flowery language creates a soft tone, and shows his affection for her. The last two lines echo the sentiments expressed in poem 5. He addresses how the “curious” (11) person will not be able to know the number of their kisses, and how since the number cannot be known, no one will be able to cure them (12). Since Catullus is addressing the nosy nature of the public, much like in poem 5, it can be inferred that their relationship has been happening for enough time to draw public attention. Also, the romantic language he uses shows that this poem is written before their break-up.