Catullus' Page will introduce you to some of the best short Latin poems (or perhaps remind you?) - in Latin. If you never learned Latin, or did so a long time ago - this is for you as well. With Horace and Catullus, you'll find the poem in Latin, but the magic of the web will make everything clear! All updated and improved April 2011. Just follow the three simple steps:
* Horace: The Pyrrha Ode (
Catullus: Poem 1 (Qui dono..) Dedication of his ephemera Click on any line for a translation.
* Catullus: Poem 5 (
* Catullus: Poem 7 (
Propertius: Cynthia (Propertius Book 1 Poem 1)- how did I manage to fall in love with such a bitch? Read my version, and compare it with the original.
Sulpicia (Tandem venit amor) - the only woman whose poems have survived (and precious few of those). Being re-evaluated - once dismissed as bad schoolgirl stuff, in 2000 AD she's starting to sound like Madonna! (or better P J (Polly) Harvey - Feb 2001)
* In these poems, If you are trying the Latin, each word has a small superscript number next to it. This will show you the order to take the words in. As you move the mouse over a word, its meaning will appear in the grey status bar at the bottom of your browser page. No need to click. Words in red also have links to pictures. Click to access. You need Sound & Javascript enabled.
Metre: the sound of Latin poetry
Find out how to read Latin poetry - here is a straightforward
introduction to metre and scansion with actual examples to listen
to. [I'm updating sound files at the moment, so may not be available. April 2011]