Carmen 77 – Van je vrienden moet je het hebben
Lesbia is vreemdgegaan met Marcus Caelius Rufus, een vriend van Catullus. Catullus vraagt hem in r. 1-4 of dat waar is en beantwoordt de vraag zelf in regels 5-6.
Latijnse tekst
Rufe mihi frustra ac nequiquam credite amice,
(Frustra? Immo magno cum pretio atque malo),
sicine subrepsti mi, atque intestina perurens
ei misero eripuisti omnia nostra bona?
Eripuisti, eheu nostrae crudele venenum
vitae, eheu nostrae pestis amicitiae.
| 1 | mihi | dat. auctoris | |
| frustra ... nequiquam | hier: voor niets; synoniemen | ||
| creditus amicus | als vriend beschouwd | ||
| 2 | cum + abl. | hier: (gepaard gaand) met | |
| magno cum pretio | let op de plaatsing van het voorzetsel! | ||
| malum | zelfst. gebruikt bijv. nw. | ||
| 3 | sicine | = sic-ne | |
| subrepsti | = subrepsisti: pf. van subrepo | ||
| subrepo | stiekem binnen kruipen (bij + dat.) | ||
| mi | = mihi | ||
| intestina, orum pl. | ingewanden | ||
| peruro, ere | verbranden, verschroeien | ||
| 4 | ei | wee | |
| misero | vul aan: mihi | ||
| 5 | eheu | ach, wee | |
| 6 | pestis, is f | pest, verderf |
Werkvertaling
Rufe mihi frustra ac nequiquam credite amice,
(Frustra? Immo magno cum pretio atque malo),
sicine subrepsti mi, atque intestina perurens
ei misero eripuisti omnia nostra bona?
Eripuisti, eheu nostrae crudele venenum
vitae, eheu nostrae pestis amicitiae.
The medical imagery of 76 persists here, but now in terms of poison (5), plague
(6), and gut ache (3), this last, at least, as much metaphorical as actual. Despite the
number of "men of senatorial rank who bore the name Rufus" (Thomson 1997,
504), I find it hard not to believe that this accusation of (clearly sexual) betrayal is
not addressed to Catullus's rival Caelius Rufus. Quinn (1970, 410) rightly notes
the "tortured violence of expression." There is a useful analysis in Pedrick 1993,
177-80, who remarks that Catullus's practice of directly addressing his targets,"by depriving his audience of the context of the quarrel ... provokes their curiosity
and sends them on a hunt for clues."