Catullus CI: Ad Inferias

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to find a third segment of the Iuventius story. However, I picked the following poem, which diverges from the theme of love poetry so far. This is a poem Catullus wrote following the death of his brother, and I picked it because I hoped I might learn something from it. I noticed however, that poetry, more often than not, describes a feeling, rather than offering a solution to one.

Multas per gentes et multa per aequora vectus
     advenio has miseras, frater, ad inferias,
ut te postremo donarem munere mortis
     et mutam nequiquam alloquerer cinerem.
quandoquidem fortuna mihi tete abstulit ipsum.
     heu miser indigne frater adempte mihi,
nunc tamen interea haec, prisco quae more parentum
     tradita sunt tristi munere ad inferias,
accipe fraterno multum manantia fletu,
     atque in perpetuum, frater, ave atque vale.

Having gone through many borders and many seas,

I have arrived at these miserable things, brother,

At these funeral rites in order that at last I may give you the tribute of death

And may speak to silent ashes in vain.

Since fortune bears you yourself away from me—

Alas, poor brother, having been stolen cruelly from me,

Yet now, in the meantime, these things are here,

Which in the ancient customs of parents have been handed over

As a sad gift for the dead, accept many brotherly pouring tears,

And in eternity brother, hail and be well.

The grammar in this poem is not very difficult, the interest comes with the emotion portrayed. It’s a sad poem that talks about the disappointment in death, how sudden it is, and how we give remembrance and offerings to the dead, but never get a response. This was a good poem, I enjoyed it, but I thought it was interesting that the poem’s contents reflected my own disappointment at not finding some profound meaning about death or loss.