Erotic Vocabulary — indomitus
Erotic Vocabulary — furōre
Physical Restlessness — versārer
Hyperbaton — tōtō... lectō
Erotic Vocabulary — cupiēns
Metaphor — lūcem
Emotional Urgency — simulque ut essem
Synecdoche — membra
Pathetic Fallacy — defessa
Hyperbole — semimortua
Diminutive — lectulō
Framing — hoc... poēma
Vocative Address — iūcunde
Elegiac Language — dolōrem
Anaphora — cavē... cavē
Ironic Warning — audāx
Religious Register — precēs
Vivid Verb — dēspuās
Diminutive — ocelle
Mythological Reference — Nemesis
Emphatic Adjective — vemēns
Future Imperative — cavētō
Erotic Vocabulary — indomitus
Line 11
What's happening: Indomitus — "untamed, uncontrollable" — is borrowed straight from love poetry. It's what you are when you're overwhelmed by passion. Catullus can't control himself; he's like a wild horse refusing the bridle. But remember, this is about missing his poetry buddy, not a lover. The intensity is deliberately over-the-top.
In an exam: "The adjective indomitus ('untamed') imports erotic vocabulary into the description of intellectual friendship. Typically used of overwhelming passion, it elevates Catullus's longing for Calvus to the level of amatory obsession."
Erotic Vocabulary — furōre
Line 11
What's happening: Furor is madness, frenzy — the kind that seizes lovers. It's a strong word, suggesting divine possession or insanity. Catullus is driven mad by... an evening of writing verses with a friend? The hyperbole is playful but also genuine. The best friendships really do feel like this.
In an exam: "The ablative furōre ('frenzy') continues the amatory register, presenting Catullus's excitement as a form of madness (furor) — a term typically reserved for overwhelming erotic passion."
Physical Restlessness — versārer
Line 12
What's happening: "I tossed about" — versārer is a frequentative verb, emphasising repeated action. Catullus is literally turning himself over and over in bed. You can picture it: the restless insomniac, unable to settle, twisting in the sheets. The physical agitation mirrors his mental state.
In an exam: "The imperfect subjunctive versārer ('I kept tossing about'), a frequentative verb, emphasises continuous, repeated action. The physical restlessness enacts Catullus's mental agitation."
Hyperbaton — tōtō... lectō
Line 11
What's happening: Tōtō ("the whole") is separated from lectō ("bed") by a whole chunk of the sentence. The word order enacts the meaning — Catullus is spread across the entire bed, and so is the phrase! The hyperbaton mimics the restless sprawling.
In an exam: "The hyperbaton tōtō... lectō ('over the whole bed') separates adjective from noun, syntactically enacting Catullus's physical sprawl across the bed as he tosses restlessly."
Erotic Vocabulary — cupiēns
Line 12
What's happening: Cupiēns comes from cupere — to desire. It's the root of Cupid's name! "Desiring to see the light" sounds innocent enough, but the verb carries erotic overtones. Catullus yearns for dawn so he can be with Calvus again. The language of desire permeates even this simple wish.
In an exam: "The present participle cupiēns ('desiring'), cognate with Cupid, maintains the erotic register. Even the wish to see daylight is framed in the language of passionate longing."
Metaphor — lūcem
Line 12
What's happening: Catullus wants to see lūcem — "the light," i.e., daylight, dawn. But there's a double meaning lurking. Calvus is his lūx, his light — a term of endearment. The sunrise he yearns for is also his friend. Light = beloved is a standard poetic equation.
In an exam: "The object lūcem ('light/daylight') operates on two levels: literally the dawn that will enable reunion, metaphorically Calvus himself, since lūx is a standard term of endearment."
Emotional Urgency — simulque ut essem
Line 13
What's happening: "And at the same time so that I could be with you" — after ut tēcum loquerer ("so I could talk with you"), this seems redundant. Talk WITH you AND be with you? But that's the point: talking isn't enough. Catullus wants presence, proximity, being-together. The repetition betrays emotional urgency.
In an exam: "The apparently redundant simulque ut essem ('and at the same time so I could be with you') after ut tēcum loquerer reveals emotional urgency: mere conversation is insufficient; Catullus craves physical presence."
Synecdoche — membra
Line 14
What's happening: Membra ("limbs") stands for the whole body — synecdoche. But it also distances Catullus from his own body, as if his limbs have a life of their own. He watches them, exhausted, as if from outside. The disembodied perspective adds to the sense of extremity.
In an exam: "The synecdoche membra ('limbs') for the whole body creates a distancing effect, as if Catullus observes his own exhausted body from outside, emphasising physical extremity."
Pathetic Fallacy — defessa
Line 14
What's happening: His limbs are defessa — "exhausted, tired out." But what exhausted them? Labōre — suffering, toil. The limbs have done the work of suffering; they carry the emotional burden physically. Mind and body are one in Catullus's poetry.
In an exam: "The participle defessa ('exhausted') attributes physical tiredness to emotional labor ('suffering'), collapsing the distinction between mental and physical states characteristic of Catullan poetics."
Hyperbole — semimortua
Line 15
What's happening: "Half-dead" — come on, Catullus! You spent one evening writing verses with your mate and now you're half-dead? The hyperbole is gloriously excessive. But that's the point: this is what love feels like, even platonic intellectual love. The compound adjective (semi- + mortuus) intensifies the drama.
In an exam: "The compound adjective semimortua ('half-dead') exemplifies Catullan hyperbole, presenting the effects of intellectual excitement in terms of near-fatal exhaustion. The exaggeration is both playful and sincere."
Diminutive — lectulō
Line 15
What's happening: Not lectō ("bed") but lectulō ("little bed"). Another diminutive! Catullus in his dear little bed, with his dear little eyes (ocellōs from earlier). The diminutive adds pathos — poor Catullus, curled up in his small bed, pining away.
In an exam: "The diminutive lectulō ('little bed') adds affective colouring, presenting Catullus as vulnerable and pitiable, curled up in his small bed in a state of emotional exhaustion."
Framing — hoc... poēma
Line 16
What's happening: Hoc... poēma ("this poem") — the demonstrative hoc points to the very poem we're reading. It's a self-referential moment: THIS poem, the one in your hands right now. The poem becomes aware of itself as a poem. Meta!
In an exam: "The demonstrative framing hoc... poēma ('this poem') creates a self-referential moment, as Catullus points to the very text the reader holds. The poem acknowledges its own existence as artefact."
Vocative Address — iūcunde
Line 16
What's happening: "Dear chap," "my pleasant one" — iūcundus means delightful, pleasant. It's an affectionate address, but notice it's the adjective as noun. Calvus IS pleasantness itself. The vocative creates intimacy and warmth.
In an exam: "The substantivised adjective iūcunde ('pleasant one/dear chap') as vocative creates intimate warmth. Calvus is addressed not by name but by quality — he embodies pleasantness."
Elegiac Language — dolōrem
Line 17
What's happening: Dolor is pain, grief — a keyword of elegiac poetry. It's what you feel when love goes wrong. But Catullus feels dolor for his friend, not a lover. The elegiac register elevates friendship to the emotional intensity of eros.
In an exam: "The noun dolōrem ('pain, grief') imports elegiac vocabulary into the friendship poem. Dolor, typically the suffering of disappointed love, here describes the ache of separation from a friend."
Anaphora — cavē... cavē
Lines 18-19
What's happening: "Beware... beware" — the repeated imperative creates urgency. The tone shifts here: from lovesick pining to mock-warning. Catullus plays at threatening his friend. The anaphora hammers home the (playful) danger.
In an exam: "The anaphora cavē... cavē ('beware... beware') in lines 18-19 creates urgency and marks the tonal shift from lovesick longing to playful warning. The repetition emphasises the (mock-)serious threat."
Ironic Warning — audāx
Line 18
What's happening: "Don't be audāx" — bold, proud, reckless. It's typically a positive quality (brave!), but here it means "don't be cocky enough to reject me." The irony: Catullus plays the humble suppliant while playfully threatening divine vengeance.
In an exam: "The adjective audāx ('bold/proud'), normally positive, is ironically deployed as a warning: Calvus must not be too proud to reciprocate Catullus's affection. The role reversal adds humour."
Religious Register — precēs
Line 18
What's happening: Precēs — prayers. Combined with ōrāmus ("we pray/beg"), the language shifts to religious register. Catullus addresses Calvus like a god who might grant or refuse his supplications. Friendship as worship!
In an exam: "The noun precēs ('prayers') elevates the request to religious register, presenting Catullus as a suppliant and Calvus as a quasi-divine figure whose favour is sought through prayer."
Vivid Verb — dēspuās
Line 19
What's happening: "Don't spit on" — dēspuere is a wonderfully crude verb. It's what you do to show contempt, to reject something utterly. After all the elevated language, this earthy verb is startling. Catullus can switch registers in an instant.
In an exam: "The vivid verb dēspuās ('spit on, reject with contempt') contrasts strikingly with the elevated religious register of precēs and ōrāmus, demonstrating Catullus's characteristic register-mixing."
Diminutive — ocelle
Line 19
What's happening: Ocelle — "little eye," "darling." It's the vocative of ocellus, the same diminutive we met in line 10. But now it's a term of endearment for Calvus: "my darling," "apple of my eye." The word that described Catullus's sleepless eyes now names his beloved friend.
In an exam: "The diminutive vocative ocelle ('darling, little eye') echoes ocellōs from line 10, creating a verbal link: the eyes that couldn't sleep now address the cause of their sleeplessness. The term of endearment intensifies the intimacy."
Mythological Reference — Nemesis
Line 20
What's happening: Nemesis — goddess of divine retribution, punisher of hubris. If Calvus is too proud (audāx), Nemesis will come for him! The mythological threat is playful but carries weight. Reject friendship at your peril; the gods are watching.
In an exam: "The invocation of Nemesis, goddess of retribution for hubris, playfully threatens divine punishment if Calvus rejects Catullus's friendship. The mythological apparatus elevates the stakes while maintaining an ironic tone."
Emphatic Adjective — vemēns
Line 21
What's happening: Vemēns (= vehemēns) — violent, forceful, passionate. The archaic spelling adds gravitas. Nemesis isn't just any goddess; she's a violent one. The emphatic position (est vemēns dea — "she is a violent goddess") underlines the warning.
In an exam: "The emphatic predicate est vemēns dea ('she is a violent goddess'), with archaic spelling vemēns, underlines the threat. The short, declarative sentence adds weight to the warning."
Future Imperative — cavētō
Line 21
What's happening: Cavētō — the future imperative, an archaic and solemn form. It's the language of laws and religious injunctions. "Thou shalt beware!" The poem ends with a mock-legal command, giving the playful warning a formal, weighty conclusion.
In an exam: "The future imperative cavētō ('you shall beware') is an archaic, formal command typically found in legal and religious contexts. Its use here creates a mock-solemn conclusion to the playful threat, blending intimacy with grandeur."