| | Posted on Wed Mar 21, 2007 04:37:59 | |
| | | In line eight, this translation translates "guttis" as tears. I think this is adding very subjective meaning into the poem, which leads to a false understanding. "Guttae" are not tears, but drops of liquid. That Iuventus wipes them from his mouth until "quicquam nostro contractum ex ore maneret" (lit. nothing remains which had been contracted from my mouth), clearly shows that "guttis" should be translated as "saliva", however poetically you want to put it. This meaning is further backed up because the whole scene takes place just after a kiss, not after Iuventus positioned his face under Catullus', so that any tear would fall on his lips, should Catullus cry. Missing this point, I think, misses a good amount of meaning from this poem - that Iuventus spurns Catullus by wiping his mouth dry after a kiss, the ultimate insult. Otherwise there is not reason for Catullus' emotion and conclusion. Please change this translation. | |
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