Ille mi par (Catullus 51)
Clodia and a friend are discussing
the new Roman poets in a garden of sparrows. The leads to a recitation
of Clodia’s favorite poem, Sappho’s Fortunate as the Gods.
Clodia offers it as a fine example of lyric sentiment, while
her friend uses it as a pretext to a sexual pass. Clodia responds
to this violation of her modesty by lamenting the fact that neither
Roman poets nor their language are capable of such delicacy of
feeling. Catullus, looking in as the third point in this triangle,
begins a surreptitous wooing of Clodia with his own earnest Latin
translation of the poem, to accompaniment of guitar, flute, and
chorus.
