Date of Award

2024

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Humanities

First Advisor

Rohrbacher, David

Area of Concentration

Classics

Abstract

This thesis investigates the context of Catullus’ love poetry through a translation in the style of the pre-19th century philological tradition of poetic translation in the mode of English Iambic verse. The shortfalls of the earlier centuries are in their dilution of vulgarity for the sake of propriety, not for the form of the translation. This Thesis examines the possibility of translation Catullus’ love poetry accurately and in an analogous and metrical form. This thesis uses the Iamb as the primary foot of translation, not just because of its long-lasting impact on English verse but also due to its origins, having been invented by Chaucer as analogous to Boccaccio’s hendecasyllables, a direct descendant of Catullus’ own Hendecasyllables. The poetry of Catullus contains a medley of recurring and recombinating themes: ridicule, political satire, masculinity, the nature of artistry, mythological themes, but most of all interpersonal confession of love and friendship. Catullus models himself after Sappho, being the first poet in a language to focus primarily in the contemporary location of writing, discussing non mythological love, albeit often in mythological terms. This thesis focuses on the theme of Love poetry as those poems which deal with it run the gamut of Height, depth, complexity and simplicity.

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