The poems of Catullus

This is a republication of the 1979 limited edition of Martin's versions of all the poems in the Catullan corpus, following Merrill's Latin text, with a few recent emendations. Martin provides the reader with a sensitive, if not complete, introduction to Catullus and his world and to his unique position in ancient poetry. At the outset, one is reminded of differences between our own and earlier ages, as regards poetic criteria and expectations. The introduction ranges through Martin's observations on Catullus' place among Roman lyricists, his virtuosity, acuity, irony, and appeal to modern poets. The translations themselves, while open to inevitable quibbling among Latinists, are remarkably true to the versification, denotations, and connotations of the original texts. Martin is particularly adept at shaping the English into approximations of the Latin meters. Thus, the hendecasyllables of c. 46. 1: Iam ver egelidos refert tepores--"Spring fetches back the days of warming weather." No less accurate are his choliambic equivalents, as at c. 22. 3: idemque longe plurimos facit versus--"Nevertheless, he's written reams of bad verses." In all, a welcome addition to academic collections of classics in translation. E. R. Mix Elmira College