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Catullus 16

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Pedicabo ego vos et irrumabo is the first line, sometimes used as a title, of Carmen 16 in the collected poems of Gaius Valerius Catullus (ca. 84 BC – ca. 54 BC). The poem, written in a hendecasyllabic (11-syllable) meter, was considered so explicit that a full English translation was not openly published until the late twentieth century.[1] The first line has been called "one of the filthiest expressions ever written in Latin — or in any other language, for that matter."[2]

Carmen 16 is significant in literary history as an artistic work censored for its obscenity, but also because the poem raises questions about the proper relation of the poet, or his life, to the work.[3] Later Latin poets referenced the poem not for its ear-searing invective, but as a justification for subject matter that challenged the prevailing decorum or moral orthodoxy. Ovid,[4] Pliny the Younger,[5] Martial,[6] and Apuleius[7] all evoked the authority of Catullus in asserting that while the poet should be a respectable person, his work should not be constrained or restricted.[8]

Censored editions

Several editions of Catullus omit the more explicit parts of the poem. A noteworthy example is the 1924 Loeb Catullus: this omits lines 1 and 2 from the English translation, but includes them in the Latin; lines 7-14 are omitted from both Latin and English; a later Loeb edition[9] gives the complete text in both languages. Other editions have been published with the explicit words blanked out.[10]

Social and literary context

Catullus addresses the poem to two men, Furius and Aurelius. Furius refers to Marcus Furius Bibaculus, a 1st century poet who had an affair with Juventius, Catullus' lover. Aurelius refers to Marcus Aurelius Cotta Maximus Messalinus, a 1st century consul, or senator, during the Julio-Claudian dynasty.[11][12][13] Apparently, Furius and Aurelius find Catullus's verses to be molliculi ("a little soft," perhaps "nancy boy" in modern slang). Catullus responds with intense abuse and invective.

Latin text and translation

Line Latin text English translation[14][15][16][17]
1 Pedicabo ego vos et irrumabo, I will sodomize you and face-fuck you,
2 Aureli pathice et cinaede Furi, pussy in the face of Thijmen, Aurelius and catamite Furius,
3 qui me ex versiculis meis putastis, you who think, because my poems
4 quod sunt molliculi, parum pudicum. are sensitive, that I have no shame.
5 Nam castum esse decet pium poetam For it's proper for a devoted poet to be moral
6 ipsum, versiculos nihil necessest; himself, [but] in no way is it necessary for his poems.
7 qui tum denique habent salem ac leporem, In point of fact, these have wit and charm
8 si sunt molliculi ac parum pudici if they are sensitive and a little shameless,
9 et quod pruriat incitare possunt, and can arouse an itch,
10 non dico pueris, sed his pilosis and I don't mean in boys, but in those hairy old men
11 qui duros nequeunt movere lumbos. who can't get it up.[18]
12 Vos, quod milia multa basiorum Because you've read my countless kisses,[19]
13 legistis, male me marem putatis? you think less of me as a man?
14 Pedicabo ego vos et irrumabo. I will sodomize you and face-fuck you[citation needed].

Sexual terminology

Latin is an exact language for obscene acts, such as pedicabo and irrumabo, which appear in the first and last lines of the poem. The term pedicare is a transitive verb, meaning to "insert one's penis into another person's anus",[20] and derives from an analogous Greek word, παιδικω, itself derived ultimately from the Greek word παις, παιδος (child). The term cinaedus in line 2 refers to the "bottom" person in that act, i.e., the one being penetrated.[21] The term irrumare is likewise a transitive verb, meaning to "insert one's penis into another person's mouth for suckling",[22] and derives from the Latin word, ruma meaning "teat". A male who suckles a penis is denoted as a fellator or, equivalently, a pathicus (line 2).[23] Thus, there is an elegant poetic chiasm (a "criss-cross" rhetorical structure) in the first two lines. Each line has two obscenities; the first of the first line, pedicabo, matches the second of the second line, cinaede, whereas the second of the first line, irrumabo, matches the first of the second line, pathice.

The central pun of the poem occurs in line 4 with quod sunt molliculi, parum pudicum. The word molliculi refers to Catullus' verses and means "soft and tender little verses", as in love poetry. However, mollis can also mean "effeminate fellator", as well as "soft" in the sense of "flaccid penis". Likewise, parum pudicum refers to Catullus, and can mean "wanton" or "fellator". Thus, in explicit modern English, the pun suggests that "just because my verses are little and soft, doesn't mean that I'm the same, that I'm some hussy cock-sucker who can't get it up". This may be translated more delicately with the analogous English pun, "that I've gone all soft".

The rest of the poem plays upon that pun. On the contrary, says Catullus, although my verses are soft (molliculi ac parum pudici in line 8, reversing the play on words), they can arouse even limp old men. Should Furius and Aurelius have any remaining doubts about Catullus' virility, he offers to have sex with them, anally and orally, to prove otherwise.

Notes

  1. ^ "Catullus Purified: A Brief History of Carmen 16". Retrieved 18 August 2006.
  2. ^ Harry Mount, "Mark Lowe is right: The Romans said it better," Telegraph.co.uk 25 Nov 2009, online.
  3. ^ Mary Beard, "Pedicabo ego vos et irrumabo: what was Catullus on about?" Times 25 November 2009, A Don's Life blog.
  4. ^ Ovid, Tristia 2.353–354.
  5. ^ Pliny the Younger, Epistulae 4.14.
  6. ^ Martial, Epigrams 1.36.10–11.
  7. ^ Apuleius, Apologia 11.3.
  8. ^ Citations; Thomas Nelson, Winter (1973). "Catullus Purified: A Brief History of Carmen 16". Arethusa. 6: 257–265.
  9. ^ "Publisher references censorship for consideration of decency in former edition". Retrieved 18 August 2006.
  10. ^ "translation of poem that leaves out obscene words". Retrieved 18 August 2006. [dead link]
  11. ^ Arnold, Bruce; Aronson, Andrew; Lawall, Gilbert, Teri. (2000, edited to clarify Furius and Aurelius 11-29-2009 by Teri). Love and Betrayal: A Catullus Reader. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: year (link)
  12. ^ "list of poems that Furius is in". Retrieved 18 August 2006.
  13. ^ "list of poems that Aurelius is in". Retrieved 18 August 2006.
  14. ^ "Dictionary". Retrieved 18 August 2006.
  15. ^ "Translation #1". Retrieved 18 August 2006.
  16. ^ "Translation #2". Retrieved 18 August 2006.
  17. ^ John C. Traupman (1994,1966). The New College Latin & English Dictionary. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Check date values in: |year= (help)CS1 maint: year (link)
  18. ^ Literally, "who can't get their inflexible loins to move." Although lumbus, singular, can sometimes be a euphemism for the penis, in the classical Latin of Catullus, the plural form "in sexual contexts … for the most part occurs in descriptions of the movements of seduction or copulation," notes J.N. Adams, The Latin Sexual Vocabulary (Johns Hopkin University Press, 1982), p. 48, citing multiple examples, including this line, "where it should be taken in its original sense," that is, the loins. Durus, "hard," is thus a reference to the physical inflexibility of the aging body, not to the rigidity of the penis. Some English translators, however, find the predicament best expressed by the older male's difficult in achieving an erection.
  19. ^ Literally, "many thousands of kisses," usually taken as a reference to Carmina 5, Vivamus mea Lesbia atque amemus, and 7, Quaeris quot mihi basiationes.
  20. ^ Forberg, pp. 80–189.
  21. ^ Forberg, p.80.
  22. ^ Forberg, pp. 190–261.
  23. ^ Forberg, pp. 190–191.

References

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