Horace and Catallus

Comparison of Catallus Poem 11 and Horace poem VIII

Catallus’ poem is about his feelings after Clodia, also known as Lesbia, leaves him.  He says, “Long may she live with her gallants, embracing all three hundred in one session…” This is a sarcastic remark that is meant to point out Lesbia’s promiscuity in a sort of backhanded compliment.  In other words, he is saying “long may she live” to set up the insult.  Horace writes something similar in his poem.  His poem, like Catallus’ is about a woman.  He says “may you be blessed with wealth! May effigies of triumphators march you to the grave…”  Like in Catallus, Horace is making a very sarcastic comment.  Although it may seem like well wishes at first, the fact that the comments are so overblown and over the top makes it obvious that it was not meant to be nice.  One big difference between these two poems is that Catallus’ is about a woman he loved and Horace’s is about a prostitute.  This difference caused the poems to go in different directions. Catallus’ is very personal because it is about a break up.  He says things like “let her no more… look for my passion…” as if to say he is done with her and he doesn’t want to see her anymore.  Horace’s poem isn’t personal at all and he has no feelings towards the subject.  For example, he says “it’s your slack breasts that rouse me (I’ve seen much better utters on a mare) your flabby pauch and scrawny thighs stuck on your swollen ankles” This passage is a straight up verbal attack, it isn’t because this woman hurt him or they broke up, it is because he finds her repulsive and he wants to make sure she knows it.  I considered some of Catallus’ poems to be pretty nasty, but Horace makes those poems seem like nursery rhymes.