Catullus 7: An Easier Prose Story

This poem picks up where Catullus 6 leaves off, returning to the question of when love and kisses might ever be enough. I envisioned the scene loosely on the same evening, una perpetual nox dormienda, with some pillow talk between the two of them.

I expanded significantly upon the comparison to Libya to allow some greater contextual awareness of those references. When I first read this poem, lasarpicifis Cyrenis and Batti were meaningless to me. Nor did I know exactly how much sand Catullus was referring to. (A lot, by the way: According to this commentary, there are 400 miles between Battus’ grave and Jupiter’s temple).

As I was writing the moment where Lesbia imagines this vast place she’s never been to (a fact that I myself have imagined), I felt a bit lonely for her, like a little gulf had further opened up between her and Catullus based on their differing life experiences. I may have to play on that here soon.

If you want to return to Catullus 6, you can do so at this link. I’ll have to think about how I’m going to spectacularly end such adorbs declarations in the next poem.

Catullus 7: An Easier Prose Story

Catullus et Lesbia domum iam revēnērunt, et iam multum bāsiāvērunt[1] et amplectī sunt. Catullus iterum Lesbiam amplectitur. Lesbia rīdet et eī bāsiātiōnem[2] dat. 

“Quaeris,[3] Lesbia mea et cārissima,” Catullus susurrat, “quot bāsiātiōnēs tuae sint satis.”[4]

Lesbia rīdēns susurrō respondet, “Rēctē dīcis, Catulle. Hoc quaesīvī.[5] Et tū dīxistī nōs conturbātūrōs esse omnia bāsia ut nēscīrēmus.”

Catullus caput Lesbiae bāsiāvit. Rogāvit, “Velīsne adhūc scīre quot bāsiātiōnēs satis sint?”[6]

Lesbia susurrat, “Ego velim scīre quot bāsiātiōnēs sint satis superque.[7] Tum ego sciam quot bāsiātiōnēs[8] tibi dare dēbeō.”

Catullus rīdet, “Umquamne ad Libyam īvistī?”

Lesbia rīdēns susurrat, “Quid? Cūr mē dē Libyā rogās? Volō dē bāsiātiōnibus[9] scīre.”

Catullus nāsum eī tetigit rīdēns, “Exspectā, Lesbia. Respondē, quaesō, dēliciae.”

Lesbia respondet, “Numquam.”

Catullus susurrō nārrat, “Finge animō harēnās[10] quae iacet lasarpīciferīs Cȳrēnīs[11] in Libyā.”

Lesbia oculōs claudit, et animō fingit. Vidēre Libyssās harēnās[12] in animō potest. Cum Catullō in illō locō stat quia optimē animō fingit. Cȳrēnās,[13] urbem nōtissimam et magnam in Libyā, vident. Lesbia ipsa vidēre lasarpīcia[14]—plantās quae nōtissimae Cȳrēnīs[15] sunt—ubīque potest. Lesbia potest prīmum vidēre ōrāculum Iovis aestuōsī[16] et deinde sacrum sepulcrum veteris Battī[17] quī creātor Cȳrēnārum[18] erat. Ōrāculum et sepulcrum[19] clārissimum in Libyā sunt. Lesbia fingēns animō rīdēre et currere in Libyssīs harēnīs[20] vult. Lesbia vidēre hanc tōtam urbem cum Catullō vērō vult. 

Oculōs aperit, et Catullum spectat. Dīcit, “Hoc ēgī.”

Catullus spectāns Lesbiam susurrat, “Quam magnus numerus Libyssae harēnae iacet inter ōrāculum Iovis aestuōsī et sacrum sepulcrum Battī veteris lasarpīciferīs Cȳrēnīs, tam satis et super Catullō[21] tuō est.”

Lesbia rīdet, fingēns animō harēnās[22]Catullum pernumerantem.[23] Per fenestram sīdera[24] micantia in caelō videt. Rogat susurrō, “Suntne plūs sīderum[25] in caelō aut plūs harēnārum Cȳrēnīs?”[26]

Catullus sīdera[27] in caelō quoque videt. Micant, et pulcherrima sunt. Pulchriōra quam omnēs harēnae[28] in tōtō orbe terrārum sunt illa sīdera[29] micantia, sed nōn pulchriōra quam Lesbia ipsa. Catullus ipse putat sē esse vēsānum[30] quia Lesbiam multum amat.

Catullus susurrat, “Aut quam[31] illa multa sīdera,[32] cum tacet nox,[33] quae fūrtīvōs amōrēs hominum vident:[34] tam tē bāsia multa bāsiāre satis et super vēsānō Catullō tuō est.”[35]

Lesbia sīdera[36] micantia in caelō spectāns rīdet. Dīcit, “Nec cūriōsī hominēs pernumerāre illa sīdera possint.”[37]

Catullus eī bāsium dat, et respondet, “Nec mala fascināre lingua[38] possit. Sed, Lesbia, quot bāsiātiōnēs meae sunt satis superque[39] tibi?”

Lesbia rīdēns respondet, “Vērō nesciō, sed dā mihi mīlle, deinde centum, deinde mīlle altera. Nōn satis superque est, sed initium.”

[1] They kissed

[2] A kiss

[3] You ask

[4] How many kisses are enough

[5] You asked

[6] How many kisses are enough

[7] How many kisses are enough and more than enough

[8] How many kisses

[9] Kisses

[10] Sands

[11] Which lie in silphium-rich Cyrene; locative

[12] Libyan sands

[13] Cyrene

[14] Silphium; a type of plant used medicinally and had been a famous export of this area.

[15] Cyrene; locative

[16] The oracle of fiery, burning Jupiter; this temple is 400 miles from Cyrene.

[17] The sacred tomb of old Battus; This tomb was in Cyrene honoring its founder.

[18] Cyrene

[19] The oracle/temple and the tomb

[20] Libyan sands

[21] As great a number of Libyan sand lies between the oracle of fiery Jupiter and the sacred tomb of old Battus in Silphium-rich Cyrene, so much is is enough and more than enough for your Catullus

[22] Sands

[23] Thoroughly counting

[24] Stars, constellations

[25] Of stars, constellations

[26] Of sands at Cyrene

[27] Stars, constellations

[28] Sands

[29] Stars, constellations

[30] Crazy, insane

[31] Or as many

[32] Many stars

[33] When the night is quiet/still

[34] They see the furtive/secret loves of people

[35] To kiss you so many kisses is enough and more for your crazy Catullus

[36] Stars, constellations

[37] Nor are curious people able to thoroughly count them

[38] Nor an evil tongue bewitch

[39] How many kisses are enough and more

Catullus 7: English Word Order

Quaeris, Lesbia, quot tuae bāsiātiōnēs sint satis superque mihi. Quam magnus numerus Libyssae harēnae iacet inter ōrāclum Iovis aestuōsī et sacrum sepulcrum Battī veteris lasarpīciferīs Cyrēnīs; aut quam multa sīdera, cum nōx tacet, vident fūrtīvōs amōrēs hominum: tam bāsiāre tē multa bāsia est satis et super vēsānō Catullō, quae nec cūriōsī possint pernumerāre nec mala lingua (possit) fascināre.

Catullus 7: The Original Poem

Quaeris, quot mihi bāsiātiōnēs
tuae, Lesbia, sint satis superque.
Quam magnus numerus Libyssae harēnae
lasarpīciferīs iacet Cyrēnīs
ōrāclum Iovis inter aestuōsī
et Battī veteris sacrum sepulcrum;
aut quam sīdera multa, cum tacet nōx,
fūrtīvōs hominum vident amōrēs:
tam tē bāsia multa bāsiāre
vēsānō satis et super Catullō est,
quae nec pernumerāre cūriōsī
possint nec mala fascināre lingua.

The image for this title page comes from the British Library’s catalogue of illuminated manuscripts. I am grateful that the image is dedicated to the public domain. I have done minor photoshop editing to clarify the image, crop it, and add a heading for the poem.