Tantum . . . Quantum in Catullus 87

Written and Researched by Matthew Winter ‡ Latin translations by Matthew Winter   

LXXXVII. ad Lesbiam:

NVLLA POTEST MVLIER TANTVM SE DICERE AMATAM

     VERE QVANTVM A ME LESBIA AMATA MEA EST.
NVLLA FIDES VLLO FVIT VMQVAM FOEDERE TANTA
     QVANTA IN AMORE TVO EX PARTE REPERTA MEA EST.

"No lady can assert that she is as truly loved

as my Lesbia is loved by me.

No greater confidence was ever in any agreement

as was in your love, obtained from my part."

In Catullus 87, we see the repetition of tantum . . . quantum twice in the four lines Catullus dedicates to his mistress, Lesbia. This particular construction is not obscure from Catullus' poems, but the double construction accents the comparisons Catullus was trying to verbalize. Written on losing faith in Lesbia, E.T. Merill commentaries that Catullus 87 could be the completion of Catullus 75, another poem on his affections of Lesbia—Catullus wrote a great volume concerning love in general and this proves to be no exception. 

Tantum and quantum are quantitative adjectives however conveying a sense of what a descriptive adjective would carry. We would most precisely translate tantus (as it, with quantus, can completely decline), as "of such size; so great, so much". Quantus would translate "how great; how much/many; of what size/amount/degree/number/worth/price"—proving to be more descriptive, but never more important than tantus. When tantus and quantus are paired together, however, their literal translation can alter significantly. Basically, tantus . . . quantus translate "as much . . . as". We can dissect the Latin above to achieve a more, literal meaning to what Catullus' was saying.  

"Nulla potest mulier tantum se dicere amatam / vere". Mulier, with nulla, is the subject of the verb potest; with the complementary infinitive dicere, also part of an indirect statement construction; est is implied with amatam, and tantum links to it. "Quantum a me Lesbia amata mea est". Lesbia with mea is the subject of amata . . . est; quantum modifying the phrase. The phrase could be translated, "No lady can assert that she is as truly loved as my Lesbia is loved by me." Through the effect of the perfect passives, the indirect statement and the use of tantum . . . quantum, we are brought to the conclusion that Catullus loves his mistress so much, no other woman could say she is loved.

"Nulla fides ullo fuit umquam foedere tanta".  Nulla fides is the subject of fuit, with tanta modifying it. Ullo foedere can be translated "in any pact/agreement". "Quanta in amore tuo ex parte reperta mea est". Quanta is the subject of reperta . . . est; and the rest comprise prepositional phrases (mea with ex parte). The phrases could be translated together as "No greater confidence was ever in any agreement as was in your love, obtained from my part."

Notice the particular construction of "...tanta / Quanta..." in lines 3-4. It appears in Catullus 37.11-14, although tanta and quanta are in different case, number and gender:

puella nam mi, quae meo sinu fugit,
amata tantum quantum amabitur nulla,
pro qua mihi sunt magna bella pugnata,
consedit istic.

"How I see it, (my) girl, who flees from my lap, (is) loved as much as none will be loved, for which great battles have been fought, she settles there, in this affair." Catullus compares his love for Lesbia as tantus (so much) contrasted with the love some people will never experience. The line is paralleled so carefully (a sort of chiasmus, perhaps?), it is a delicate piece of poetry.

Catullus will forever remain a grand contemporary in Latin literature, as his poems are always beautiful and unique Perhaps this ode tries to attempt the great love Catullus shared with Lesbia, greater than we had expected.

REFERENCES

Catullus, works accessed from The Latin Library. #37 and 87. Accessed September 25, 2012.

E.T. Merill, editor. "Catullus' Carmina". Catullus 37 and 87. Accessed September 25, 2012.

Whitaker, William. "Words". Entry, "tantus" and "quantus". Acessed September 25, 2012.

Ææus, a, um: the Magic Arts and Spells of Circe

Written and Researched by Matthew Winter ‡ Latin translations by Matthew Winter 

Expanding from moly, molyos, the magic herb Ulysses used against Circe, this particular Latin adjective completes Circe's obsession with magic arts: Ææus, a, um. Being the only Latin word starting with "æ" doublets except for Ææa, an island in the Tyrrhenian Sea where Circe abodes, Ææus is one which particularly describes the magic arts and spells of Circe—the Greek goddess of magic and sorcery. But, its translation ability is far from exhausted, as Virgil and Ovid both use the word to describe some aspect of Circe's mischief. Lewis and Short's A Latin Dictionary defines Ææus as "belonging to Æa, in Colchis, Colchian" (as Circe was previously in Colchis) and "belonging to Circe; magic arts, such as Circe practiced; magic words, charms and spells". The Dictionary does list one more definition, this one concerning Calypso, who was much like Circe when it came to magic. It describes Calypso becasue she too took residence in Ææa.

Circe Offering the cup to Odysseus by John William William Waterhouse

Dissecting the first example we see this magical adjective used, Virgil incorporates the word to describe the residence of Circe, as it pairs up with Circae (as seen below) to describe insula. Because of the insertation of the word Circae, we should not translate Æææque "belonging to Circe", but more in a rather ambiguous sense, like "magical", which still describes some aspects of Circe. 

ante et Trinacria lentandus remus in unda
et salis Ausonii lustrandum nauibus aequor
infernique lacus Aeaeaeque insula Circae,
quam tuta possis urbem componere terra. (Virgil, Æneid, 3.384-387)

"And before the oar, bending under strain, in the Trinacrian wave

and the sea of Ausonii fit to be purified, in boats on the high seas

and of the infernal lake and Circe's magical island,

which you can construct (your) city on its safe soil." 

Although this is a small excerpt from Book Three of the Æneid, much happens before and after that will tie together the meaning of this sentence. After Caelano threatens Aeneas, he has nothing left to do but consul a prophet, and Helenus is a prime option; he is the son of king Priam and Queen Hecuba of Troy and not surprisingly the twin brother of Cassandra, the prophetess. Although it is only speculation, Cassandra taught everything she knew concerning prophecy from Apollo to her brother and he, therefore, became a prophet and was always correct in predictions. However, everyone believed him unlike Cassandra. For those who appreciate Latin word trivia, this example of Ææus is rather special: it is the one of the rare instances which any Latin word begins with three "æ" diphthongs (as it is seen here in genitive singular)! In fact, the entire word (pardon the enclitic -que) is comprised of the symbol, repeated three times respectively.

Like Virgil, Ovid uses Ææus in the same manner that he did—relating it Circe and her magical abilities. Without the enclitic however (like Virgil's), Ææus here is comprised of only three diphthongs, and is parallels the usage of Virgil in this manner.

diligis hanc unam, nec te Clymeneque Rhodosque
nec tenet Aeaeae genetrix pulcherrima Circes
quaeque tuos Clytie quamvis despecta petebat
concubitus ipsoque illo grave vulnus habebat . . . (Ovid, Metamorphoses, 4.204-207)

"You esteem this one; neither yourself and Clymene and Rhode nor

the most beautiful mother of the magical Circe of each holds yours, 

Clytie, although having been despised, kept on seeking

to lie with you and was holding a painful wound of love there."

Held within the story directly after the famous one of Pyramus and Thisbe, this passage is included in a story Leuconoë shares. Preceding this passage of text reprinted and translated above, Leuconoë is speaking of the adultery of Venus and Mars, and after she is finished, Venus revenges and speaks her mind. She is speaking about Sol, god of the sun, and his affairs (for it was he who was the first immortal to have claimed the "illegal" intimacy between Venus and Mars). Thanks to Leuconoë's story, we have another use of "Circe's adjective".

From Ovid's Amores, we develop the sense of Circe's magic, her "magic arts". Ovid is digressing about his lover and how he wished he [himself] could be a present for her—rather than the ring he gave as the present instead. It is quite an interesting parallel Ovid achieves as he wishes, through the magical arts of Circe, he [himself] could become a present for his girlfriend.

o utinam fieri subito mea munera possem
    artibus Aeaeae Carpathiive senis! (Ovid, Amores, 2.15.9-10)

"Oh, if only I could unexpectedly be made my gift
    by the the magic arts, as Circe practiced, or of an old man of Carpathos!"  

In this next elegy, Ovid is writing to literally 'curse' an old woman who he overhears to be instructing his mistress in courtesan arts. He is describing here what this woman is able to do, and it is easy to see that she is very conversant in the arts of Circe. Peculiarly named Dipsas after a venomous snake which venom provokes thirst after its bite, perhaps this woman was "questionable", making Ovid concerned for his mistress.

"Ornate snail-eating snake (Dipsas catesbyi) in Yasuni National Park, Ecuador." An example of a snake which belongs to the genus Dipsas. (Wikimedia Commons)

illa magas artes Aeaeaque carmina novit
inque caput liquidas arte recurvat aquas;
scit bene, quid gramen, quid torto concita rhombo
licia, quid valeat virus amantis equae. (Ovid, Amores, 1.8.5-8)

"This woman is conversant of the magic arts and incantations of Circe

and by her skill, a mouth [of a river] bends back the flowing water;
she knows well, which herb, which excited thread to the winded 
magician's circle, which poison of a mare having affection, might be powerful." 

Concerning the fluidity of such arts in Roman Culture (like Dipsas here), William B. Batstone writes on the passage, "Ancient magic was frequently, if not predominantly, used for amatory and aphrodisiac purposes. It was a fairly conventional theme in Roman poetry, and the powers here attributed to Dipsas are the standard ones." Not only was sorcery and magic arts practiced, but many were quite fluent in its manners; hence Ææus was a good investment for word-choice as it quickly spoke what the author wanted.  

References Sited 

Batstone, William W. "Notes [for Ovid's Amores 1.8]. Accessed May 25, 2012 from Diotima.

Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles. A Latin Dictionary from Perseus Digital Library. Entry: ææus. Accessed May 24, 2012.
 

Publius Ovidius Naso. Amores. 2.15.9-10. Accessed May 24, 2012 from the Latin Library. 

Publius Ovidius Naso. Metamorphoses. 4.204-207. Accessed May 24, 2012 from the Latin Library.

 

P. Vergili Maronis. Æneid, 3.384-387. Accessed May 24, 2012 from the Latin Library.