Catullus 85

Poem by Catullus

Catullus 85 is a poem by the Roman poet Catullus for his lover Lesbia. Its declaration of conflicting feelings, "I hate and I love", is renowned for its drama, force and brevity.[1] The meter of the poem is the elegiac couplet.

Text

Ōdī et amō. Quārē id faciam fortasse requīris.
Nesciŏ, sed fierī sentiō et excrucior.[2]

I hate and I love. Why I do this, perhaps you ask.
I know not, but I feel it happening and I am tortured.[2]

–  u  u /  –   –  /   –   u u / –   –  /  –  u  u /   – –
Ōd'et a / mō. Quā / r'id faci / am for / tasse re / quīris.
 
 – u u  /  –  u u /  – /  –   u  u  / –   u  u  / –
Nesciŏ, / sed fie / rī / sen ti' et / ex cru ci / or.[3]

Musical settings

  • "Odi et amo", No. 19 of Moralia by Jacobus Gallus
  • "Odi et amo", part of Catulli Carmina by Carl Orff
  • "Odi et amo" by Jóhann Jóhannsson's album Englabörn[4]
  • "Wrecking Ball" (Miley Cyrus), adaptation with Catullus 85 by Eric Whitacre, performed by Eric Whitacre Singers and Marius Beck;[5] performed live and recorded at the 2014 iTunes Festival in London
  • Iarba & Cox - Keed
  • "I Hate and I Love" 1981 cantata for mixed chorus an percussion by Dominick Argento

References

  1. ^ "Odi et amo (Catullus 85)", Classical Literature, ancient-literature.com
  2. ^ a b C. Valerius Catullus. "Poem 85". Carmina. Translated by Leonard C. Smithers. Perseus Project. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
  3. ^ Kitchell, Kenneth F. Jr.; Smith, Sean (2006). Catullus: A Legamus Transitional Reader. p. xxix. ISBN 978-0-86516-634-9. Retrieved April 17, 2006.
  4. ^ "Odi et amo" by Jóhann Jóhannsson on YouTube
  5. ^ "Wrecking Ball" (Eric Whitacre Singers & Marius Beck) on YouTube
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The poems (Carmina) of Catullus
Lesbia poems
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  • 2b
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  • 51
  • 58
  • 68
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  • 75
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  • 79
  • 83
  • 85
  • 86
  • 87
  • 91
  • 92
  • 104
  • 107
  • 109
Invective poems
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  • 12
  • 14
  • 15
  • 16
  • 17
  • 21
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  • 25
  • 28
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  • 69
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  • 84
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  • 116
Unusual poetic meters
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  • 25
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  • 37
  • 39
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  • 51
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  • 59
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  • 64
Hendecasyllabic verse
  • 1
  • 2
  • 2b
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  • 5
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  • 9
  • 10
  • 12
  • 13
  • 14
  • 14b
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  • 46
  • 47
  • 48
  • 49
  • 50
  • 53
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  • 55
  • 56
  • 57
  • 58
  • 58b
Elegiac couplets
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