Catullus 51

“Fragment 31” by Sappho (610-570 B.C.E.)

Sappho is one of the most prolific and well-regarded ancient Greek poets. Though only about 650 of her lines of poetry survive, her lyric and erotic works have inspired poets for thousands of years. “Fragment 31” is a surviving snippet of one of Sappho’s poems; it is the work Catullus adapted for “Catullus 51.” The first three stanzas of the two poems are nearly identical. The different genders of the works’ two speakers, however, lead to different interpretations. In Sappho’s original, it describes her homosexual love for an unidentified young woman. Catullus’s choice of the name “Lesbia” is likely an allusion to Sappho, who was born on the island of Lesbos.

“Catullus 5” by Catullus (64-54 B.C.E.)

“Catullus 5” is another of Catullus’s poems directed toward Lesbia. Written in a more traditional Latin hendecasyllabic verse, or verse organized in lines of 11 syllables, this poem provides a distinct perspective on Catullus’s relationship with Lesbia. Instead of focusing on the speaker’s despair and jealousy, “Catullus 5” depicts the relationship at the height of their mutual affection. Much of the poem, like early relationships, is concerned with the exchange of innumerable kisses.