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Catullus Poetry Analysis

Decent Essays

A less theoretical definition of poetry is, “putting the best words in the best possible order.” A poet may incorporate the theory as follows. The poet may astutely choose words possibly with a double meaning in order to indirectly convey a message, evoke emotions, or to slander. Then, the poet may unconventionally place such words and phrases perhaps out of expected order for the sake of creating a “word picture,” emphasizing the speaker’s feelings, or offering tangibility to the poem. By implementing this idea onto poetic works, the poet will have auspiciously written a superb poem. This theory may be applied to a few of Catullus’s poems specifically “Carmen 5”, “Carmen 8”, and “Carmen 85.” Catullus’s meticulous choice of words and arrangement highlight the central focus of the poem, obliquely criticize traditional Roman law, manipulate the audience’s attitude, transmit the speaker’s emotions, paint “word pictures,” and offer symbolic meaning consequently producing a successful poem. For starters, “Carmen 5” is an amorous poem Catullus wrote directed at his forbidden lover, Lesbia. Catullus insists they should disregard the rumors of old men, because while the sun is able to return, they only have one life to seize. Therefore, Catullus demands hundreds and thousands of kisses in a jumbled up manner from Lesbia, so their ardent passion cannot ever be cursed by the wicked ones. The strategic placement of the words let us live and let us love literally place Lesbia as the central focus of the work. In the original Latin text, the opening line reads as, “vivamus, mea Lesbia, atque amemus,” which the “words vivamus and amemus enclose “Lesbia” and thus point to her as the center of the poet’s life and love” (Fredricksmeyer 436). It suggests Catullus viewed Lesbia as much more than an erotic, love poem topic. Evidently, the poem is enhanced through Catullus placing “the best words in the best possible order,” because the main subject of the poem is intentionally given significant importance.
Furthermore, in “Carmen 5” Catullus chose the “best words,” when describing the people, whose comments he and Lesbia should not be concerned about as “sour old men” (Gregory, L. 2). The actual Latin words for the

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