Jake's Memorial

Catullus Poem 101 ~ Read in both Latin and in translation.





Multās per gentēs et multa per aequora vectus
adveniō hās miserās, frāter, ad īnferiās,
ut tē postrēmō dōnārem mūnere mortis
et mūtam nēquīquam alloquerer cinerem.
quandoquidem fortūna mihī tētē abstulit ipsum.
heu miser indignē frāter adēmpte mihi,
nunc tamen intereā haec, prīscō quae mōre parentum
trādita sunt trīstī mūnere ad īnferiās,
accipe frāternō multum mānantia flētū,
atque in perpetuum, frāter, avē atque valē.

By ways remote and distant waters sped,

Brother, to thy sad grave-side am I come,

That I may give the last gifts to the dead,

And vainly parley with thine ashes dumb:

Since she who now bestows and now denies

Hath taken thee, hapless brother, from mine eyes.

But lo! these gifts, the heirlooms of past years,

Are made sad things to grace thy coffin shell,

Take them, all drenchèd with a brother's tears,

And, brother, for all time, hail and farewell!

We found a book of Harriett's from her Master's class in Catullus poetry where she had scanned and annotated this poem.  Jake read it beautifully!