Wednesday, January 12, 2005

Catullus.

I just translated a 2000-year-old lament for a dead sparrow.

...
o factum male! o miselle passer!
tua nunc opera meae puellae
flendo turgiduli rubent ocelli.


"Oh, evil doings! Oh, wretched little sparrow!
Now, because of you, my girl's
Swollen little eyes are red from weeping."

I feel smarter already.

No, but seriously, this ancient poetry stuff is pretty cool; it's good to know that despite technological advances, people are going through the same situations and emotions today as they were in Catullus' time.

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