Catullus was a Greek poet who was preserved through time. His Latin poetry is used commonly to teach Latin and the art of poetry. He is known and seen as a father to modern day poetry despite his reputation of being an abnormal poet in his time. Between his use of elegiac couplets you’re able to see the fall of Roman, through Gaius Valerius Catullus eyes. That is what makes Catullus’s poetry worth saving.<!--more-->

I don’t believe any of Catullus’s work should be condensed from his 116 poems we have today but if his work had to be reduced to <a href="http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/catullus.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-291 alignright" style="border: 2px solid black" src="http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/catullus-300x265.jpg" alt="book of catullus's poetry" width="300" height="265" /></a>preserver for the future I think it would be well noted to keep Catullus’s love poems.  These poems I think preserver the charm, angst, and stunning sarcasm of Catullus. They provide a rare looking glass into the past. His work reminds us that history was human, not just text, sculptures, and paints. In this way it is very unique and allows us to see socially what it was like between 84-54 BC in upper class society. There were many other poets of the time of Catullus. Catullus fell deeply in love, probably with Clodia, sister of Cicero's opponent Publius Clodius. She was suspected of murdering her husband. Catullus wrote to his beloved, addressed as Lesbia (to reference Sappho of the Lesbos poems), a series of superb little poems that run from early passion and tenderness to the hatred and disillusionment that overwhelmed him after his mistress was faithless. (Catullus) Also throughout his poems he shows a grudge match against Cicero another poet of his time, whom dismisses Catullus’s poems as abnormal. It is noted that Catullus was never considered a “canonical school author” do to the sexual content of some and the silliness of his other poems, but his work was well appreciated for its uniqueness. He is however now seen as one of the best lyricists of all time despite of being discredited by others in his time. Today he is studied often in poetry and Latin he is seen as a father of modern lyrical poetry although it is understood that he did not invent the meter or the elegiac couplets. His work is widely translated and picked apart in Latin today to understand what he was saying. There are even debates on the ownership of 3 of his poems that are believed to have been written by someone else. To this day scholars debate on his works sarcasm and meaning.

It’s unusual that Catullus’s work was preserved through time, with 116 of his poems are still available today. In the fourteenth century, a single manuscript containing the 116 poems was discovered in the poet’s native Verona. That manuscript disappeared in the following century, but two copies had been made, and one of these survives to the present day, and is housed at Oxford University in England. (Rankin) But Catullus’s work also unique in content specifically Catullus’s blazing sarcasm throughout his work. His work had a flare of emotion that made is work stand out from others throughout history.

The Catullus’s poetry is typical of its era do to its meter and content.  Many love poems were also made during his era the Lesbos Island poems of Sappho.  It was also common to use the hendecasyllabic meter and elegiac couplets. Hendecasyllabic meter comes from a fourth century poet Phalaecus, the name comes from the fact that there are 11 syllables in each line.  Elegiac couplets are dactylic hexameter or dactylic pentameter that where commonly used in roman epics and love poems. (couplet)
<p style="text-align: left">“Asinius Marrucinus, left hand
You do not use well: in joke and wine
You lift the napkins of the more careless.
Do you think that this is witty? It escapes you, foolish man
This thing is utterly sordid and unattractive.
Do you not believe me? Believe you brother Pollio
Who would wish that your acts of stealing
Be changed for even a talent - for the boy
Is full of charm and wit.
Therefore expect either 300 hendecasyllabic verses
Or send back the napkin to me,
Which does not move me by means of price,
But rather it is a souvenir of my friend.
For Fabullus and Veranius sent Saetaban napkins
From the Spaniards to me as a gift;
It is necessary that I love these things
As I love my little Veranius and Fabullus.”( Drudy)</p>
“stop stealing the napkins!: to Asinius Marrucinus, “ Catullus’s 12<sup>th</sup> poem. It shows blazing sarcasm and anger towards his napkin stealing friend Asinius Marrucinus. It’s a very relatable poem and even gives us a look into social customs at the time, by letting us know that it was disgusting to take someone’s napkin at a dinner party and also lets us know Rome had social hygiene standards. Catullus is as insufferable as Simmon from American idol. They both critiquing peoples actions with a stern eye and strong language.

“…I can’t
speak — my tongue is broken;
a thin flame runs under
my skin; seeing nothing,
hearing only my own ears
drumming, I drip with sweat;
trembling shakes my body

and I turn paler than
dry grass…”(Graves)

Compared to a piece of Sappho’s poem (another famous poet at the time) showing that poets of the era were capability of writing a beautiful piece, but doesn’t give us a looking glass into society like Catullus’s works do. She was also well credited in her time even admired by Catullus. She is still noted to be to a great if not the greatest lyric poets of all time today.

I believe what is most meaningful about his work is that when you read his work you become him. There are very few pieces of history that allow you to read about that person’s life it really makes me feel less of disconnect from the time. You become a person in the end of the Roman Empire. For Future generations to truly understand the importance of Catullus one must read his work. Otherwise I don’t believe future generations will understand why his work is beloved and debated about, or see Rome though Catullus’s looking glass.

<strong>Works Cited</strong>

"Catullus." <em>Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th Edition</em> (2010): 1. <em>MasterFILE Premier</em>. EBSCO. Web. 16 Feb. 2011.

Rankin, Thomas. "Catullus." <em>Magill’s Survey of World Literature, Revised Edition</em> (2009): 1-5. <em>MagillOnLiterature Plus</em>. EBSCO. Web. 16 Feb. 2011.

"couplet." (n.d.): <em>Facts on File: Bloom's Literary Reference Online Database</em>. EBSCO. Web. 16 Feb. 2011.

Graves, Roy Neil. "Sappho." <em>Magill’s Survey of World Literature, Revised Edition</em> (2009): 1-5. <em>MagillOnLiterature Plus</em>. EBSCO. Web. 16 Feb. 2011.

Drudy, Greg. “Carmen 12.”<em> Gaius Valerius Catullus</em>. 5 Dec. 1997. 16 Feb. 2010 &lt; http://rudy.negenborn.net/catullus/text2/e12.htm&gt;