We've spent a good deal of time this week reading Carmen 65, which addresses the death of Catullus' brother, and the great sorrow he experiences as a result of it.
In good AP writing style address how Catullus models his message in this poem. Specifically comment on how the poem begins, the transition that takes place in the middle, and his ending. He models his message in a couple of ways. Remember to cite the Latin lines, translate them, and then make your points of discussion.
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Catullus seems to break down Carmen 65 into three different sections in order to express the sorrow he feels over the loss of his brother. The first word of the poem (esti), is used as an adversative so that the poet can express his feelings, then contrast his explanation. In the first section, Catullus explains that he "nec potis est dulcis Musarum expromere fetus mens animi," meaning, "And the mind of the soul is not able to bring out sweet inspirations of the muses." Catullus then continues questioning if he will ever see his beloved brother again.
In response to the adversative proposed in the beginning, Catullus says, "sed tamen in tantis maeroribus, Hortale, mitto haec expressa tibi carmina.." meaning, "but however in such great sorrows, Hortalus, I send these poems pressed out for you.." It is almost as if Catullus is justifying his grief in explaining it to Hortalus.
The poet ends with an extended metaphor about a daugher who is trying to hide a gift from her fiance away from her mother. She forgot she had hidden it under her clothing, so when she stood, it fell to the ground. Catullus compares the girl's forgetfullness claiming that "ut missum sponsi furtivo munere malum procurrit casto virginis e gremio." "So that you don't perchance think your pointlessly trusted words have slipped away from my mind with the wandering winds."
Catullus begins with the adversative "etsi" which means "although." This prepares the readers for the contrast that takes place mid-poem. His message in the beginning of the poem explains the sorrow he has over the loss of his brother when he says "numquam ego te, vita frater amabilior, aspiciam posthac," which translates to "will I never see you hereafter, brother dearer than life?" This shows his sorrow and grief for the lost of his brother.
Mid-poem, Catullus says "sed tamen in tantis maeroribus, Ortale, mitto
haec expressa tibi carminatamen..." which means "but, however in such great sorrows, Hortalus, I send these poems for you..." This is where the contrast begins. In the beginning of the poem, Catullus explained that he was too sad to write. Now he is claiming that he is able to.
The ending to his poem is a metaphor that compares his words to a fiance who has forgotten that a secret apple from her lover was in her shirt.
In carmen 65 Catullus is describing his pain over his brother’s death. At the beginning he says that he is not able to write, and in lines 3-4 he continues with, “nec potis est dulcis Musarum expromere fetus mens animi / the workings of his mind are not able to bring forth the sweet inspirations of the Muses.” By saying that the death of his brother has made him unable to do what it is that he does, he adds gravity to the situation.
In the middle, he begins a comparison between the pain he is feeling over his brother’s death and the pain that would have been felt by Daulias over the death of her son. By making a comparison like this he shows just how much he is grieving over the loss of his brother.
In Carmen 65, Catullus models his message in 3 parts. First he starts out discussing his new pain that prevents him from writing in line 3. "nec potis est dulcis Musarum expromere fetus mens animi" which means, "the working of the mind is not possible to bring forth sweet inspirations of the muses." Nest Catullus moves into a stage where he describes the source of his pain to Hortalus, saying "namque mei nuper Lethaeo gurgite fratris pallidulum manans alluit unda pedem." "For recently in a Lethaean whirlpool a weeping wave washed over the little pale foot of my brother." Catullus then ends his message by stating his point: that Hortalus' words have not slipped away from his mind. He shows this point with a metaphor about a girl who forgets that she has a secret gift under her clothing and jumps up when her mother arrives, and accidently spills the gift out. "ne tua dicta vagis nequiquam credita ventis effluxisse meo forte putes animo" meaning, "so that you dont think your words pointlessly trusted have slipped away from my mind with wandering winds."
The first four lines of Carmen 65 are as follows: "Etsi me assiduo confectum cura dolore sevocat a doctis, Hortale, virginibus, nec potis est dulcis Musarum expromere fetus mens animi, tantis fluctuat ipsa malis" / "Although a care calls aside an exhausted me away from the learned maidens with a relentless sorrow, Hortalus, and the working of the mind is not able to bring out sweet inspirations of the Muses, the mind itself fluctuates with such great evils." Catullus begins the poem with the word "etsi" which means "although." This word is an adversative, and it indicates to us that there will be contrast later in the poem. There is some irony in these lines in that Catullus says he does not have the inspiration to write, yet he is expressing such feelings in a poem. In the beginning of the poem, Catullus expresses that he has experienced a great sorrow, which we find out is his brother's recent death. Catullus expresses despair that he will not be able to write anymore because of the loss of his brother and not being able to see him again.
In lines 11-18, Catullus writes, "at certe semper amabo, semper maesta tua carmina morte canam, qualia sub densis ramorum concinit umbris Daulias, absumpti fata gemens Ityli-- sed tamen in tantis maeroribus, Hortale, mitto haec expressa tibi carmina Battiadae, ne tua dicta vagis nequiquam credita ventis effluxisse meo forte putes animo" / "but indeed I shall always love you, I will always sing sad songs because of your death, Daulias lamenting the fate of wasted Itylus composes these kinds of songs under the dense shadows of the branches. But nevertheless in such great sorrows, Hortalus, I send these poems pressed out for you who live in Cyrene, so that perchance you do not think that your words have slipped away from my mind with the wandering winds." The message of these lines in the middle of the poem contrast with the beginning of the poem, in which Catullus says he cannot write anymore, in that he now says he will write, but he will write only sad poems. Also, he writes because of some words that Hortalus said to him.
Catullus writes in lines 19-24, "ut missum sponsi furtivo munere malum procurrit casto virginis e gremio, quod miserae oblitae molli sub veste locatum, dum adventu matris prosilit, excutitur, atque illud prono praeceps agitur decursu, huic manat tristi conscius ore rubor" / "as an apple sent by a hidden gift of the boyfriend runs from the chaste lap of the young woman, which was placed under the soft garment of the poor girl having forgotten, while she jumps up with the arrival of her mother, it is shaken out, and it is driven headlong in a downward course, for her a conscious blushing pours out from a sad mouth." Catullus ends the poem with this extended metaphor, which serves to lighten the heaviness of the poem's mood. Also by using this extended metaphor, Catullus is imitating Homer, who typically used extended metaphors in his works.
Catullus' Carmen 65 is broken up into three parts.
The poem begins with the word "etsi" or although, which hints that Catullus is trying to get over something that has happened in his life.
In the middle we find out what happened to Catullus-his brother died. We discover this when Catullus says "namque mei nuper Lethaeo in gurgite fratris
pallidulum manans alluit unda pedem" or "and now recently in the Lethean pool a wave washed over the little pale foot of my brother." He also compares his loss with the loss Dalius felt over her son.
Then, the end of the poem involves a metaphor to a girl who forgets about an apple in her shirt that was a gift from her fiance. The apple falls from her shirt when she stands up in front of her mother, which causes embarrassment. Catullus compares his telling of his brother's fate with the forgetfulness experienced by the girl when he says "ut missum sponsi furtivo munere malum procurrit casto virginis e gremio" or "don't, perchance, think that your words, entrusted in vain, have slipped from my mind to the wandering winds."
Catullus expresses his grief over the loss of his brother in three different ways in Carmen 65. First Catullus comments on how he is unable to write because the Muses no longer inspire him. "nec potis est dulcis Musarum expromere fetus mens animi" or "and the working of the mind is not possible to bring out sweet inspirations of the Muses." Catullus tells Hortalus of his relentless sorrows and the tragic story of how his brother died. Second Catullus transitions into how his pain is comparable to that of Daulius grieving over her son. "semper maesta tua carmina morte canam, qualia sub densis ramorum concinit umbris Daulias" or "I will always sing sad songs from your death, Daulias sings these kinds of sad songs under the dense shadows of the branches." Catullus claims to now only be able to write poems as sad as the songs of Daulias. Catullus lost his brother and Daulias lost her son. Third, Catullus expresses his wish to have the words he's written to Hortalus to not be so easily forgotten as the girl who forgets about the apple she has placed in her lap and lets roll away. Catullus wants these words to mean something to Hortalus, because they mean something to Catullus.
THis poem seems to have three parts to it. The first part tells us that catullus is sad and depressed but we don't know why. It states:Etsi me assiduo confectum cura dolore
sevocat a doctis, Ortale, virginibus,
nec potis est dulcis Musarum expromere fetus
mens animi, tantis fluctuat ipsa malis and this translates to though through remitting pain, Hortalus, oncern draws me,
who am exhausted, from the Muses, and my mind cannot produce
their sweet fruit, my very thoughts surge like waves for such troubles. At this point of the poem none really knows why Catullus is sad, but if you read on to the next part of the poem, if explains everything. The next part says namque mei nuper Lethaeo in gurgite fratris
pallidulum manans alluit unda pedem which translates to for recently a wave flowing from the sea of
Lethe has washed my brother's pale little foot. The Lethe sea is the sea of the dead a passage way. This statement here describes to us that the reason why Catullus is sad is because of the death of his brother. The three part of the poem is a hugh metaphore. It talks about how this one girl recieves an apple from her lover and when her mom happens to suprinsingly come into her room she acciendtly drops it and reveals her secret. In a way Catullus brother's death is like this. He was shock as the girl was shock when her mother walked into the room.
Catullus breaks down this poem into three separate parts. In doing this Catullus models the human life. The beginning of a life, or birth. The middle of the life, the prime and the best part of life, and then the end; the rambling old man who is waiting for his death bed to come and take him away. no harsh feelings for any old people that may be reading this. If however you think you are old, and not over 80, then please rethink your perspective on oldness due to the fact that the average life span is increasing every day
in the begging of the poem Catullus talks about the beginning of the sorrow. The birth of the troubles so to say. In lines 1 and 2, Catullus says "Etsi me assiduo confectum cura dolore servoct a doctis, Horale, virginibus," this translates to "Although care calls and enslaved me away from learned maidens with a relentlessness sorrow, Hortale,". In these lines catullus is describing how the news feels to him when he first finds out. It is the birth of a new beginning.
In the middle of the poem, Catullus describes how his brother dies and where his brother dies. The prime of the sorrow and the start of the passing for this poem. The middle of the sorrows life span. Catullus says "semper maesta tua carmina morete canam," this means that he will awys sing sad songs because of your death. Catullus is seeing that his brother is infact dead and that to pass the time he will write poetry that is sad to portray his feelings for his "vita frater amabilior" (more loving than life) brother.
In the end of the poem, the 'old age' part of the poem. Catullus rambles on about how he did not forget about his sponsor when in fact he really did. The example he uses is that a maiden who is to be married drops an apple from her skirt. The apple symbolic as evil because apple and evil have the same word, malum, shows how Catullus has forgotten but is painfully reminded of his duty and of the death of his brother. This realization is like an old person realizing that he needs to do every last thing in life before he dies.
The poem starts out with Catullus stating the problem that he is not able write or produce anything inspiring, “Etsi me assiduo confectum cura dolore sevocat a doctis, Ortale, virginibus, nec potis est dulcis Musarum expromere fetus”(though through unremitting pain concern draws me, who am exhausted, from the Muses, and my mind cannot produce their sweet fruit). The first part sets up the question in the reader’s mind as to what could be the source of Catullus’s torment. Then Catullus transitions into talking about the grief felt by his brother’s death and later he directly addresses his brother when asking, “numquam ego te, vita frater amabilior, aspiciam posthac?( My brother, dearer than life, will I never look upon you hereafter?). This shows the sorrow that Catullus feels because he knows that he cannot have his brother back, but he assures himself that he will love his brother forever. The next transition that Catullus makes, when he changes to talking about the present, seems unusual at first but is later seen as understandable. When Catullus mentions, “mitto haec expressa tibi carmina Battiadae” (I nevertheless send you these translations of Callimachus) it seems out of place, but this shows that Catullus knows that life has to move on and it shows how Catullus is now thinking about what he has to get done even in through tragedy. This poem shows Catullus’s grieving process and how he goes from the death of his brother, to the surge of emotions and despair, and later to trying to carry out his daily responsibilities.
This poem is divided into three sections. In the beginning, he starts with "etsi//although." Then he says," nec potis est dulcis Musarum expromere fetus mens animi// the mind of soul is unable to produce sweet inspiration of Muses." In here, he saying that he's in writer's block. However, he proves to everyone that he can still write. In the middle of the poem, he says, "sed tamen in tantis maeroribus, hortale, mitto haec expressa tibi carmina Battiadae//although in such great sorrows, hortallus, i send these poems expressed out to you." These lines justify how he feels toward Hortalus. the poem ends with a metaphor comparing a girl's forgetfulness and from brother's fate.
Carmen 65 certainly focuses on Catullus' brother, but other threads run through the poem as well. The first part is a reference to the Muses and the mention of the grief which plagues his heart and affects his writing. "Etsi me assiduo confectum cura dolore sevocat a doctis, Hortale, virginibus", or "Although a care with unrelenting grief prevents finished me from the learned maidens, Hortalus". It is not arrogant, especially on a Catullan scale, and because it is overshadowed by the serious emotions, but he does call attention to his own ability to produce writing when others might find it impossible. Next, Catullus reminisces over his lost brother, "namque mei nuper Lethaeo gurgite fratris", "for of my brother recently in the Lethaen whirlpool", and the pain he feels. He promises to remember, love, and cherish his memory forever. This is his more selfless section, where the emotion is more raw. He then transitions into a reference to the story of Itylus and Daulias, comparing his grief to that of Daulias over Itylus' destruction. This is Catullus' way of reminding the reader and himself of the common experience of grief, and that it is painful and strong, but not new by any means. Then, in an abrupt change, Catullus talks business by addressing Hortalus (a patron)'s request for poetry. While seemingly out of place, this is a key part of Catullus' message because it demonstrates the crudeness and commonness of everyday life that sometimes interrupts our most poignant moments.
in carmen 65 catullus talks of the death of his brother starting with the first word "esti" which means although. Catullus forms a segway into this poem by means of an adversative. in lines 2 and 3 Catullus states "nec potis est dulcis Musarum expromere fetus
mens animi" which can be translated as "and my mind cannot produce their sweet fruit". This makes claims that Catullus is unable to write poetry because of his disheartened mental state. Towards the middle of the poem, Catullus offers a unique transition by addressing his brother though he is dead. during the middle of teh poem, Catullus starts addressing his brother through his poetry including this english translation "I'll always sing solemn poems about your death". AT the end of the poem Catullus talks about the apple and the secret love affair. Throughout the poem Catullus chooses many differnet approaches in expressing his sorrow for his dead brother but they all are unique and truely "catullan".
Catullus models the message of his grief over the loss of his brother in a couple of very important ways. First, he elaborates on how his brother’s death has exhausted him and has not allowed him to write poetry by removing him from the “learned maidens” or “cura sevocat confectum me a doctis virginibus nec potis est dulcis Musarum expromere fetus” or “care calls an exhausted me from the learned maidens and the workings of the minds is not able to bring out sweet inspirations of the Muses.” This comment shows the depth of Catullus’ love for his brother and how much the loss affected him and is one way in which he expressed his grief by saying that it consumed him so much that he was unable to write any more poetry. Second, Catullus shifts gears and asks questions directed at his dead brother as a means to show his pain and love for his brother like “numquam ego te vita frater amabilior, aspiciam posthac?” or “will I ever see you again, brother more loving than life?” which clearly shows his commitment and desire to be with his brother and the pain he feels as a result of his death. In the beginning of the poem Catullus is clearly overcome by grief and this continues through the middle of the poem past the lost section to line 18 where he shifts and uses the metaphor of the girl with the apple to show his embarrassment at having forgotten to send certain poems to his friend which is an odd transition from the sadness of the beginning, thus ending the sad poem from the beginning through the middle on a somewhat happier note at the end.
We know that his poem will deal with some kind of adversity from his first word "etsi" And IF. This is confirmed with the phrase " sed tamen" But HOWEVER. He sets up a huge if clause, only to let us know that the IF didnt come true, so however...Then he concludes his poem addressing Hortalus' "need" for more poems. He basically says i havent forgotten your request, ive just been a little preoccupied with my brother's death...sorry for the inconvience
The first word of the poem (esti), is used as an adversative so that the poet can express his feelings, then contrast his explanation. In the first section, Catullus explains that he "nec potis est dulcis Musarum expromere fetus mens animi," meaning, "And the mind of the soul is not able to bring out sweet inspirations of the muses." Catullus then continues questioning if he will ever see his beloved brother again.
In response, Catullus says, "sed tamen in tantis maeroribus, Hortale, mitto haec expressa tibi carmina.." meaning, "but however in such great sorrows, Hortalus, I send these poems pressed out for you.." The poet ends with an extended metaphor about a daugher who is trying to hide a gift from her fiance away from her mother. She forgot she had hidden it under her clothing, so when she stood, it fell to the ground. Catullus compares the girl's forgetfullness claiming that "ut missum sponsi furtivo munere malum procurrit casto virginis e gremio." "So that you don't perchance think your pointlessly trusted words have slipped away from my mind with the wandering winds."
Catullus 65, read all the way through, can seem like an advertisement for the fact that Catullus does not have a poem for Hortalus. This is not saying that Catullus was not sincere about being upset for his brothers death he referes to his brother “vita frater amabilior” (My brother, dearer than life), but when he abruptly switches in the middle to telling Hortalus it is a little bizarre at first.
Catullus 65 starts out talking about the death of his brother and how it has deeply affected his writing and everything else: “Etsi me assiduo confectum cura dolore
sevocat a doctis, Ortale, virginibus, nec potis est dulcis Musarum expromere fetus
mens animi” (Hortalus, though through unremitting pain concern draws me, who am exhausted, from the Muses, and my mind cannot produce their sweet fruit). Then, in the middle he says” Ortale, mitto haec expressa tibi carmina Battiadae” (Hortalus, I nevertheless send you these translations of Hallimachus).
This structure is possibly mirroring his life and how he just wants to have time to gain composure, but people like Hortalus are bugging him. At the end of the sad poem Catullus could be sticking it to Hortalus saying are you happy now, quit bugging me.
Catullus starts the poem in a tone that is greatly grieved and he says that he is incapable of being inspired because of the degree of emotion he is suffering, as seen in lines 1-4 “Etsi me assiduo confectum cura dolore sevocat a doctis, Hortale, virginibus, nec potis est dulcis Musarum expromere fetus mens animi, tantis fluctuat ipsa malis--/ “Hortalus, although care calls an exhausted me away from the learned maidens with relentless sorrow and the workings of the mind is not possible to bring forth the sweet inspirations of the Muses, the mind itself fluctuates with such great evils.” In lines 5-9, “namque mei nuper Lethaeo in gurgite fratris pallidulum manans alluit unda pedem, Troia Rhoeteo quem subter litore tellus ereptum nostris obterit ex oculis.”/ “for recently in the Lethaean whirlpool a weeping wave washed over the somewhat pale foot of my brother, which Trojan land tramples under Rhoetean shore ripped from our eyes.” Catullus emphasizes his tortured emotions by using dark and violent language, like “obterit” and “ereptum.” The middle of the poem transitions from grief to pondering as Catullus wonders whether or not he will ever see his brother again, lines 10-11 “numquam ego te, vita frater amabilior, aspiciam posthac?”/ “Will I never look at you again, brother more loveable than life, after this?” The ending of the poem is mainly an elegant apology to a friend that may have been feeling forgotten (making me think that perhaps Catullus’s grief caused him to seclude himself for a while). He assures his friend that he has not forgotten him, as a poor maiden may have forgotten a hidden gift, lines 15-20, “sed tamen in tantis maeroribus, Hortale, mitto haec expressa tibi carmina Battiadae, ne tua dicta vagis nequiquam credita ventis effluxisse meo forte putes animo, ut missum sponsi furtivo munere malum procurrit casto virginis e gremio,” / but nevertheless in such great mourning, Hortalus, you who live in Cyrene, I send these poems pressed out for you, so that you don’t think perhaps that your words carelessly believed have flown away from my mind with the wandering winds as an apple sent by a secret gift of the fiancé rolls forth from the pure lap of the young woman.”
In Carmen 65, Catullus beautifully forges his writing to mirror his life and feelings. For the first 16 lines, Catullus pours out his grief over the loss of his "vita frater amabilior" (brother more loved than life - Line 16). Then, quite suddenly, these lines of beautiful tragedy are broken up by an interjection to Hortalus about his request for poetry. At first, this interruption seems to ruin the poem in its exquisite grief, but in truth, it shows to Hortalus and others like him how unwanted and rude their own interruptions are - he breaks up the elegy to mirror how they have broken into his personal grief. However, Catullus does not want Hortalus to think that he has forgotten his request - "ne tua dicta vagis nequiquam credita ventis effluxisse meo forte putes animo" / "lest perchance you should think that your words, entrusted in vain, have slipped from my mind to the wandering winds" - In the end of the carmen, Catullus contrasts the request to a forgotten apple, a gift from a lover, that has slipped out of a maiden's lap. Such mastery, even in grief, goes to show how skilled Catullus was (even though he says he is driven from the Muses by unrelenting care).
The poem begins with Catullus' cry for the loss of his dear brother. "numquam ego te, vita frater amabilior,
aspiciam posthac?/will I, my brother who I hold closer than life, never see you again-after?" In the first eight lines or so, he beautifully describes what has left with his brother: Catullus' muse for thoughts that now "tantis fluctuat ipsa malis/flow like waves for troubles."
The construction of the intermediate lines speaks of how Catullus entrusts his brother's life to his memory by modeling his poems thereafter from his grief of his loss.
The brief body of the poem is cut short when Catullus contrasts his love for his brother with the love a woman, probably Catullus' former lover, whose love for anyone is less than her love for herself. He describes the apple falling from the girl's lap as the love that falls from her heart when she sees a man she thinks lovely (the 'mother' could be thought of as that man). And so, she loses the apple as carelessly as she loses her care for someone,"huic manat tristi conscius ore rubor,/ as a self-centered flush runs across her forlorn face" insinuates that her care is but for her own self image, unlike Catullus' care for the love he and his brother once shared.
The message in Carmen 65 is clearly divided into three parts. The
beginning is an adversative clause mourning the death of Catullus's
brother- "namque mei nuper Lethaeo in gurgite fratris
pallidulum manans alluit unda pedem," or "For recently a weeping wave
washed over the pale little foot of my brother in the Lethean
whirlpool." Catullus' message in this beginning is clear; he is
saddened over the loss of his brother. The second part is an
interruption in his grief, the "sed tamen" that complements the
"etsi." Specifically, "sed tamen in tantis maeroribus, Hortale, mitto
haec expressa tibi carmina Battiadae," or "but however, Hortalus, I
send these poems in such great sorrows pressed out for you who live in
Cyrene." Catullus interrupts his grief by saying - but you know what
Hortalus, I'm really suffering, but hey, I'll send you what you want.
On the surface it's an interruption of his grief, and it really is
that- and the way that Catullus says that, with the purposeful
adversitive, lends itself to the interpretation that Catullus is
trying to escape the grief. The final part of the poem is an extended
metaphor about a young maiden who has forgetfully dropped an apple and
is embarassed. Catullus is telling Hortalus that he has not dropped
the apple- it lightens the mood and distracts from the grief. Catullus
is trying to hide his grief in his life even as he says it aloud.
Carmen 65 is an interesting poem. The way Catullus structures the lines to match what is happening in his life is unique. At the beginning, Catullus is addressing Hortalus about the death of his dearly loved brother, but then interrupts the grieving to tell Hortalus that he will send him the poems he requested (sed tamen in tantis maeroribus, Ortale, mitto haec expressa tibi carmina Battiadae.) This interruption of the poem coincides with the interruption of Catullus' grieving for his brother.
Perhaps Catullus saw this interruption as a rude gesture, and was offended by it, or possibly it brought him back into reality, showed him he had to go on with his life and his work by telling Hortalus he had not forgotten his request. (ne tua dicta vagis nequiquam credita ventis effluxisse meo forte putes animo)
Carmen 65 addresses the death of Catullus' brother, and the great sorrow he experiences as a result of it. Carmen 65 is divided into three sections. There are transitions that Catullus makes in this poem that are in the beginning, middle, and the end. Catullus opens the poem saying the word etsi (although), and he follows by saying nec potis est dulcis Musarum expromere fetus mens animi (who am exhausted, from the sweet Muses, and my mind cannot produce). This shows that Catullus is suffering from writer’s block due to his brother’s death. In the middle of the poem, Catullus expresses the sorrow he is going through by saying, Troia Rhoeteo quem subter litore tellus ereptum nostris obterit ex oculis numquam ego te, vita frater amabilior, aspiciam posthac? (shore of Rhoeteum, My brother, dearer than life, will I never look upon you hereafter?). Catullus expresses the sorrow he is going through, and compares himself losing a brother to Daulis losing a son. At the end of the poem, Catullus talks to Hortalus and tell him that he can send him he poem that he asked for. He compares his to a girl dropping an apple out of her skirt which is revealed to her mother. ne tua dicta vagis nequiquam credita ventis effluxisse meo forte putes animo, ut missum sponsi furtivo munere malum procurrit casto virginis e gremio (so that you don’t think perhaps that your words carelessly believed have flown away from my mind with the wandering winds as an apple sent by a secret gift of the fiancé rolls forth from the pure lap of the young woman).
The first section of Carmen 65 outlines the loss of Catullus' brother. He writes, "namque mei nuper Lethaeo in gurgite fratris
pallidulum manans alluit unda pedem" or, "for recently in the Lethanian whirlpool a wave flowed over the little pale feet of my brother." This is a very poetic way of saying that his brother died, and it carries with it undertones of death by drowning.
The second section specifically describes Catullus' feelings for his dead brother. He writes, "numquam ego te, vita frater amabilior, aspiciam posthac" or "Brother more loving than life, will I never see you hereafter?" More than anything, this section continues the description of Catullus' own deep sorrow.
This sets the scene for the last section, which reveals the purpose for Catullus writing to Hortalus. He writes, "sed tamen in tantis maeroribus, Hortale, mitto haec expressa tibi carmina Battiadae" or, "but however, in such sorrows, Hortalus, I send to you these written poems of Callimachus." The ending metaphor simply means that Catullus hasn't forgotten the words of Hortalus, even through the sorrow of his brother's death. This is where the first word of the poem, esti, or although, comes in. Without the actual words of Hortalus, it's hard to understand what Catullus means here, but the metaphor is effective nevertheless.
In the beginning of Carmen 65, we learn about his brother's death. He is facing remorse for his brother, like in line 1 "cura dolore/ unremitting pain." He rejoices that he will never forget his brother and will always think about him. Line 9 says, "semper maesta tua carmina morte canam/I'll always sing solemn poems about your death." But most importantly, at the end of the poem he uses the example of girl with an apple in her lap who upon her mother's arrival frightenly stands up and it falls to the ground. Since it is a metaphor for a dreary poem, he uses it to amuse Homer.
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