Poem 7 (Haiku)

Kiss me Lesbia
never ever stop kissing
i'm under your spell

Poem 43

Poem 43 is different from any of the previous poem I have read by Catullus so far because in this poem we see Catullus verbally attack another person because she is compared to Lesbia. First of all, a woman can’t help if other people compare her to someone else or if other’s think she is pretty. Catullus has no right to attack he physical features and make fun of her because he is offended that someone would think her as pretty to Lesbia. Through this poem however, it is clear that Catullus is obsessed with Lesbia and has an unhealthy relationship with her if he is that defensive. Perhaps he feels that if he insults other woman she will like him better or it will somehow bring him closer to Lesbia. One interesting aspect of the poem however is that Catullus uses sarcasm or a 'double negative' to get his points across. For example, he does not say the other woman has a big nose but rather that "she does not have a small nose"; which implies she has a big nose. The fact that Catullus would right a whole poem insulting an innocent woman just because she was compared to Lesbia is still a little disturbing. In previous poems, some of Catullus's obsessive behavior has come out like when he was pleased that Lebia was mad at him but this poem really crosses a line.

Poem 109

In this poem, there is a major shift from the other three poems. In the other poems, Catullus often seems like a lover whom is obsessed with Lesbia in a very romantic way. In this poem, however, Catullus describes the relationship between him and Lesbia as a sacred friendship rather than a forbiden love; which is what i personally was picturing after reading the first three poems. Another difference this poem shows from the rest is that in this poem, Catullus is praying to the gods and asking them to make his wish come true and allow him and lesbia to be friends forever. There is a very positive connotation and as a reader, it makes you want to be on Catullus's side because you feel for him. As humans we have all wished for things or hoped for a good outcome in uncertain times; therefore it is only natural to empathise with Catullus. In previous poems however like poem 83, Catullus portrays himself as a creepy stalker who is pleased with the fact Lesbia hates him and call's the husband a 'mule'. In that poem i do not sympathise with Catullus at all; he seems more like a villain or a Hannibal Lector. In poem 109 the tone is completely different and Catullus seems like a good guy who just wants his friendship to last.

Poem 83

This poem is very inportant to the string of poems concerning Lesbia because in it we learn that the speaker (or writter/Catullus) actually knows Lesbia and has made contact with her. In the poem she is talking bad about him to her husband which up until this point we did not know she had. The interesting thing is that Catullus does not seem to be angry with the fact that she is trash talking him but rather is happy that she is even talking about him. To him the important thing is that she remembers him and his main concern is that she thinks enough about him to be mad at him. He would rather have her be mad at him than not mention him or talk about him. In this poem he is passionate about the fact that she speaks of him and states that the husband is a 'mule' for not realizing that by his wife speaking of another man, that means she thinks of the other man.

Catullus 51

This poem by catullus is actually an adaption of a greek pom written by Sapho. Both peoms however hold the same idea. Basically, the poem is about a man who is in love with a woman and is jelous of the other man she is with. In the poem he is watching them on a date together and compares the man to a god because he is with the woman he loves. The two themes of the poem are defidently jelousy and love. The tone of the poem is kind of sad because as a reader you feel bad for the writter who can't be with the woman he loves. Everyone has at one point really wanted something they couldn't have and for most, there has been someone they have liked who didn't like them back. That makes this poem very relatable because as a reader, you sympthise with the writter and can feel the emotions the writter wants you to feel. Love can make even the mst confident of people jelous and this poem really hits the nail on the head with that idea.

Poem II

Poem II which was printed on the sheet, beginning with 'SPARROW' was a bit of an odd poem but is defidently considered a classic in my eyes. The thing that makes the poem so classic is that it was written by Catullus thousands of years ago yet can still be applied to modern day. The poem is timeless and so that plays a big role in considering it a classic. in the poem, the writter describes a pet sparrow who belongs to the women he loves. Personally, it seemed to me that he was envious of the pet sparrow because it was loved so much by the woman. this idea of being in love with somebody and feeling envious of the things they love is a timeless theme that everyone to this day can relate with. The poem remided me alot of the song 'Jesse's Girl' in which the singer is envous of his friend Jesse because he is in love with Jesse's girlfriend.