Catullus 9: An Easier Prose Adaptation

Aww, Catullus has a BFF, and he’s so excited he’s come back safe and sound! Basically, that’s the heart of this poem in a nutshell: Catullus’ BFF Veranius has come back from a campaign in Iberia. When messages would have been few and far between, the sudden appearance of a beloved friend back in town would have been such a boon. Heck, I’m excited I’ll have a friend I haven’t seen in a couple of years in town next week, and I can text her and email her whenever I want to, nor has she been fighting in a dangerous campaign.

I decided to have Catullus literally racing through the streets to Veranius’ mother house because so much of this poem is overly exuberant in its joy. For example, there are quite a number of -ques in this poem, endearingly reminiscent of the joy of a child rattling off all of their favorite things. The hyperbole of three hundred thousand friends failing in comparison to Veranius… and the palpable joy of line five: Venisti!

After seeing some pretty ugly sides of Catullus, it’s a nice reminder that we all have people we love (and hate) in our lives. We’re all capable of great kindnesses—and unfortunately great unkindnesses too, sometimes even to the same people.

If you’d like to go back to Catullus 8, that link is here. Onward to Catullus 10. Can you already believe I have ten Catullus short stories on my website? I can’t. (I mean, 2A and 2B were two separate stories, but still).

Catullus 9: An Easier Prose Adaptation

Catullus per viās quam celerrimē currit. Estne vērum? Vēnitne?[1] Catullus cupidē currit quia vērum scīre vult. Verānius,[2] amīcus cārissimus in tōtō orbe terrārum, in Hibēriā[3] erat. 

In Forō, alius amīcus dīxerat, “Audīvistīne? Verānius regressus est!” Et Catullus currere statim incēperat quia nōn audīverat. 

Sī Verānius ab Hibēriā vērō regressus sit, apud domum mātris[4] suae sit. Itaque Catullus per viās ad domum mātris anae[5] currit. Verānius est plūs quam amīcus[6] cārus:  cārissimus est. Sī Catullus trecentōs mīllēs[7]amīcōrum habēret, Verānius ex omnibus[8] amīcīs adhūc antistāret.[9] 

Catullus in hominem currit, et homō ad viam cadit. Sed Catullus ā homine quam celerrimē currit.

“Vae tibi!” ille homō collāpsus in viā exclāmat.

Catullus scīre valdē vult an Verānius domum[10] ad penātēs[11] suōs frātrēsque mātremque[12] vēnit.[13] Frātrēs[14] Verāniī bonī iuvenēs sunt: ūnanimī,[15] benignī, et amābilēs. Sī Verānius domum[16] regressus est, gaudent. Et māter ana[17] Verāniī! Quam fēlīx sit—est, sī Verānius vērō regressus sit!

Asinus cum carrō in viā Catullō obstat, et ille agricola cuius asinus et carrus sunt nihil agit. 

“Movē asinum!” Catullus īrātē exclāmat.

“Sī tū eum movēre potes, licet. Asinus autem obstinātus est, et movērī nōn vult,” agricola acerbē respondet.

“Vah!” Catullus exclāmat et in carrum salit et deinde dē carrō salit. Asinus nihil agit. Catullus per viās iterum currere incipit.

Catullus ad domum mātris[18] Verāniī tandem advenit et per iānuās statim currit. Et quem in ātriō videt?

Catullus exclāmat, “Verānī, vēnistī![19] Ō mihi nūntiī beātī!”[20]

Et Verānius gaudet et ad Catullum ambulāre incipit, sed Catullus currere pergit et Verānium capit. Catullus collum[21]Veraniō applicat,[22] et ōs iūcundum oculōsque[23] Verāniō suāviātur.[24] 

“Tibi numquam licēbit ad Hibēriam aut alium locum iterum īre!” Catullus rīdēns exclāmat.

“Estne vērum?” Verānius respondet. “Sed sī ad alium locum numquam īverō, quōmodo ego salūtātiōnēs benigniōrēs accipiam?”

Catullus humerum Verāniō pulsat, sed rīdet. Verānius quoque rīdet. Frātrēs ūnanimī[25] et anus,[26] illa ana māter[27] Verāniī, quoque rīdent. Omnēs in ātriō sunt, sed Catullus amīcum tantum vīdit.

Catullus exclāmat, “Vah, tū, nārrā[28] mihi omnia! Ego vīsam tē[29]—vērō gaudeō tē esse incolumem[30]—et audiam tē nārrantem loca, facta, nātiōnēs Hibērum.[31] Omnia nārranda sunt!”[32]

Ūnus frātrum[33] Verāniī rīdet et dīcit, “Sīc, omnia maximā cum cūrā peraequē nārrās, ut mōs est tuus,[34] Verānī!”

Veranius rīdet et respondet, “Est!”

Catullus stāns in ātriō cum amīcō incolumī[35] rogat, “Ō quantum est hominum beātiōrum, quid laetius beātiusve mē est?”[36]

Verānius rīdēns respondet, “Ego, amīce cāre—ego sum laetius et beātius![37] Venī, iam, fābulae mihi nārrandae sunt.”[38]

[1] Has he come?

[2] Veranius, the name of one of Catullus’ apparently quite dear friends

[3] Iberia; the Iberian pennisula, modernday Spain

[4] The home of his mother

[5] The home of his old mother

[6] Friend; used throughout the short story, only glossed here

[7] Three hundred thousand

[8] Out of all

[9] Would surpass, be superior to; takes the dative

[10] Home

[11] The Penates, the household gods

[12] And his brothers and his mother

[13] Has come

[14] Brothers

[15] Harmonious

[16] Home

[17] The old mother

[18] The home of the mother

[19] You have come!

[20] O joyful news to me!

[21] Neck

[22] Draws nearer

[23] Pleasant face and eyes

[24] Kisses; different cultures have different customs when it comes to how they greet people.

[25] Harmonious

[26] The old woman

[27] The old mother

[28] Tell

[29] I will see you; visam is the frequentative form.

[30] Safe

[31] I will hear you recounting the places, deeds, and tribes of the Iberians

[32] Must be told

[33] Of the brothers

[34] You tell, as is your custom

[35] Safe

[36] O as much as there are of men more blessed/fortunate, who is more blessed or happier than me?

[37] Happier and more blessed

[38] Must be told

Catullus 9: English Word Order

Vērānī, mihi antistāns omnibus ē meīs trecentīs mīlibus amīcīs, vēnistīne domum ad tuōs penātēs -que unanimōs frātrēs -que anum mātrem? Vēnistī. Ō beātī nūntiī mihi! Vīsam tē incolumem -que audiam (tē) narrantem loca, facta, nātiōnēs Hibērum, ut mōs est tuus, -que applicāns iūcundum collum suāviābor ōs -que oculōs. Ō quantum est beātiōrum hominum, quid mē laetius -ve beātius est mē?

Catullus 9: The Original Poem

Vērānī, omnibus ē meīs amīcīs
antistāns mihi mīlibus trecentīs,
vēnistīne domum ad tuōs penātēs
frātrēsque ūnanimōs anumque mātrem?
Vēnistī. Ō mihi nūntiī beātī!
Vīsam tē incolumem audiamque Hibērum
narrantem loca, facta, nātiōnēs,
ut mōs est tuus, applicānsque collum
iūcundum ōs oculōsque suāviābor.
Ō quantum est hominum beātiōrum,
quid mē laetius est beātiusve?

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.