Love Poems of Catullus

by Gaius Valerius Catullus, Tynan Kogane (Editor)

Overview

Among the most cherished love poems ever written, Catullus’s brilliant, everlasting verses are collected here in a marvelous mix of English translations. 

Catullus was undoubtedly one of the most intimate, witty, vivid, and tender poets of antiquity. Perhaps his greatest gift was his ability to truthfully reveal the fleeting instants of his bare psyche: moments of erotic passion, of scorn and jealousy, of heartfelt devotion, of consuming love. The cycle of poems to his love, “Lesbia,” have entranced poets and translators across the centuries, enriching many different traditions in English-language poetry.

This anthology of Catullus’s love poems showcases translations from many New Directions authors, including James Laughlin, Bernadette Mayer, Muriel Spark, and Louis and Celia Zukofsky, as well as beloved timeless translations, like those of Ben Jonson and Christopher Marlowe, and inimitable modern versions from the likes of Dorothy Parker and Horace Gregory. Also included are several newly commissioned translations from contemporary poets and writers.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780811237499
Publisher:	New Directions Publishing Corporation
Publication date:	11/28/2023
Pages:	80
Sales rank:	595,821
Product dimensions:	3.90(w) x 6.30(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Gaius Valerius Catullus was a Latin poet of the late Roman Republic. His poems—116 in total survive—have been admired by and used as a reference point for countless other writers and artists, including Petrarch, Andrew Marvell, John Milton, William Wordsworth, W. B. Yeats, W. H. Auden, T. S. Eliot, Virginia Woolf, Cy Twombly, and Anne Carson.

Tynan Kogane is an editor at New Directions.

Editorial Reviews

12/18/2023

Catullus’s cycle of poems to his love, “Lesbia,” have been a mainstay with poets and translators across time and languages. This anthology highlights translations of Catullus from New Directions authors (including Bernadette Mayer and Louis and Celia Zukofsky), as well as classic translations by Ben Jonson, Christopher Marlowe, and Lord Byron, and multiple versions by Anne Carson. The volume’s strength lies in the juxtaposition of dissimilar voices and approaches. For example, Lord Byron’s “(To Ellen)” opens: “Oh! might I kiss those eyes of fire,/ A million scarce would quench desire;/ Still would I steep my lips in bliss,/ And dwell an age on every kiss,” drawing a sharp contrast to Bernadette Meyer’s short poem “On Catullus 2”: “I think when/ passion dies/ it’d be good to play/ I don’t know what/ with my bright love/ if only I could/ play with you too/ like she does.” Dorothy Parker’s version of “On Catullus 3 (From A Letter From Lesbia)” features her usual bite and wit: “So, praise the gods, Catullus is away!/ And let me tend you this advice, my dear:/ Take any lover that you will, or may,/ Except a poet. All of them are queer.” This lively compilation highlights one of antiquity’s most tender, witty, and enduring voices. (Nov.)

Publishers Weekly

"Catullus could rub words so hard / together their friction burned a / heat that warms / us now 2000 years away."

James Laughlin

"Catullus wrote the loveliest of lovely things—and also the loathesomest."

Robert Frost