Catullus’ Reception of Caesar: Left-to-Right Translations
Translator’s Note
This project’s goal was to produce a left-to-right translation of Catullus’ carmina about Gaius Julius Caesar. As the name implies, a left-to-right translation intends to preserve the original Latin word order in English translation. In certain instances, the resulting translation is quite jarring. Such a discordant example is found at Cat. 11.10 “Caesaris visens monimenta magni”. Literally, this is translated as “always seeing the monuments of great Caesar”. In left-to-right translation, I translate it as “Caesar’s – always seeing – monuments of that great man”. Undoubtedly, the resulting English language is clunky. But, what we gain from this translation is what Catullus meant to emphasize – the plethora of Caesar’s monuments first and Casear’s greatness last. It further retains the hint of sarcasm implied through the placement of magni at the end of the line – Caesar failed to invade Britain, so how great could his exploits have been? We also maintain the symbolic enthesis of Caesar and magni surrounding monimenta. Thus, the point of a left-to-right translation is to engage with a Latin text in English as the Roman audience would have engaged with Catullus’ Latin performance; traditional methods, though, at times more eloquent, can lose the poetic aspects of poetry. Take, for example, “Mamurrae pathicoque Caesarique” (Cat. 57.2). Catullus’ application of the -que enclitic to pathico – not Mamurrae as is typical – strongly suggests that pathico refers to both Mamurra and Caesar. Literal translation might take this as “the pathic Mamurra and Caesar”; however, this loses Catullus’ intentional ambiguity that my translation, “Mamurra, the pathic, and Caesar”, affords.
I should note that my translations are not entirely literal. For instance, Cat. 11.9 “sive trans altas gradietur Alpes” would be traditionally translated as “or if he will walk across the high Alps”; an entirely literal left-to-right translation would be “or if across the tall he will walk the Alps”. There is no clear way to preserve the separation of altas and Alpes without confusion in English. Thus, I translate the line as follows: “or if across on high he will walk the Alps”. By taking altas in this way, I can retain Catullus’ word order and provide English clarity. Another example is my translation of the phrases “imperator unice” (Cat. 29.11) and “unice imperator” (Cat. 54.7). I chose not to translate the word imperator because the title takes on a very special role for Caesar that is lost through translation to “commander.” I also add the interjection o to my translation to create a reverential atmosphere that heightens the sarcasm of Catullus’ words. Thus, my left-to-right translations are “o imperator one of a kind” and “o one of a kind imperator.”
Finally, please note that I use the Latin text from Daniel Garrison’s The Student’s Catullus (4th Edition).
Left-to-Right Translation
or if across on high he will walk the Alps,
Caesar’s – always seeing – reminders of that great man,
the Gallic Rhine, a horrible sea and
the furthest Britons,
Original Latin
sive trans altas gradietur Alpes,
Caesaris visens monimenta magni,
Gallicum Rhenum, horribile aequor ulti-
mosque Britannos, (Cat. 11.9-12)
Left-to-Right Translation
Who this can see, who can endure,
unless immodest and voracious and a gambler,
that Mamurra has what Transalpine Gaul
used to have in wealth and the furthest Britannia?
Catamite Romulus, these things will you see and bear?
And that man – now arrogant and superfluous –
will walk through everyone’s bedrooms,
like a little white pigeon or Adonis?
Catamite Romulus, these things will you see and bear?
You are immodest and voracious and a gambler.
With this purpose, o imperator one of a kind,
were you in the furthest – of the west – island
so that your tired little phallus
two hundred times could squander or three hundred times [its worth]?
What is this else if not wicked liberty?
Too little has he squandered or too little has he overspent?
Fatherly things, first, were mangled – those good things,
second, the booty of Pontus, thence third
Hibera, as knows the river, the gold-bearing Tagus:
now for Gaul there is fear and for Britannia.
Why this evil do you cherish? Or what this man can do
except rich devour patrimonies?
With this purpose, the city’s most pious
father-in-law and son-in-law, do you destroy everything?
Original Latin
Quis hoc potest videre, quis potest pati,
nisi impudicus et vorax et aleo,
Mamurram habere quod Comata Gallia
habebat uncti et ultima Britannia?
Cinaede Romule haec videbis et feres?
Et ille nunc superbus et superfluens
perambulabit omnium cubilia,
ut albulus columbus aut Adoneus?
Cinaede Romule, haec videbis et feres?
Es impudicus et vorax et aleo.
Eone nomine, imperator unice,
fuisti in ultima occidentis insula,
ut ista vestra diffututa mentula
ducenties comesset aut trecenties?
Quid est alid sinistra liberalitas?
Parum expatravit an parum elluatus est?
Paterna prima lancinata sunt bona,
secunda praeda Pontica, inde tertia
Hibera, quam scit amnis aurifer Tagus:
nunc Galliae timetur et Britanniae.
Quid hunc malum fovetis? Aut quid hic potest
nisi uncta devorare patrimonia?
Eone nomine urbis piissimi
socer generque, perdidistis omnia? (Cat. 29)
Left-to-Right Translation
Otho’s head utterly is puny:
Hirrus’ uncouth, half-washed legs,
the delicate and light fart of Libo,
if not all that; to displease I would wish
you and Fufidius, an old-man renewed…
anger again at my iambs
undeserving, o one of a kind imperator.
Original Latin
Othionis caput oppido est pusillum:
Hirri rustica, semilauta crura,
subtile et leve peditum Libonis,
si non omnia; displicere vellem
tibi et Fufidio seni recocto…
irascere iterum meis iambis
inmerentibus, unice imperator. (Cat. 54)
Left-to-Right Translation
Beautifully, are matched the wicked catamites,
Mamurra, the pathic, and Caesar.
No wonder: the stains are equal for both,
urbane is one and that (other) is of Formiae,
So ingrained, they reside nor will they be washed out:
full of disease equally, twins are both men,
one in the little bed of learning are the pair,
not (is) this man than that man more a voracious adulterer,
the romantic-rivals (are) allies even of little girls.
Beautifully, are matched the wicked catamites.
Original Latin
Pulcre convenit improbis cinaedis,
Mamurrae pathicoque Caesarique.
Nec mirum: maculae pares utrisque,
urbana altera et illa Formiana,
impressae resident nec eluentur:
morbosi pariter, gemelli utrique,
uno in lecticulo erudituli ambo,
non hic quam ille magis vorax adulter,
rivales socii et puellularum.
Pulcre convenit improbis cinaedis. (Cat. 57)
Left-to-Right Translation
Not really am I eager, Caesar, you to try to please,
nor to know whether you are a white or black man.
Original Latin
Nil nimium studeo, Caesar, tibi velle placere,
nec scire utrum sis albus an ater homo. (Cat. 93)