CATULLUS 68 - Scuola Normale Superiore

the island of the cattle of the Sun in the Odyssey, after that was identified with Sicily: see RE s.v.
‘Thrinakia’).
The word rupes already appears in the language of high poetry at Accius trag. 505, where it still means
‘cliff’, as at Cat. 61.28 and 64.154; its metonymical use (‘cliff’, i.e. ‘mountain’) is first attested here, but
becomes common in the Augustan poets: compare Prop. 1.1.14 Arcadiis rupibus, Verg. Ecl. 6.29 Parnasia
rupes, etc.
There may be an echo of the present passage in the Panegyricus Messallae = [Tib.] 3.7.56 Aetnaeae
Neptunius incola rupis.
54 This line contains an extraordinary accumulation of Grecisms, real (Oetaeis, Malia and Thermopylis) or
perceived (lympha); only the humble prefix –que and the preposition in would have come across as genuine
Latin words. On the subject see the section ‘Geographical and Mythological Proper Names’ in Ross (1969:
95-104).
Here Catullus describes the warm springs that gave the Pass of Thermopylae its name. The pass consists of a
narrow strip of level ground between Mt Oeta and the Gulf of Malis; in a feat of erudition Catullus crams all
these natural features into this line. The pass is described in detail by Herodotus in Book 7 of his Histories,
and he could well be Catullus’ source here: compare 7.176.3 τ∫ δ′ τ∩ν Ψερμοπυλϒϖν τ∫ μ′ν πρ∫! ∞!πϒρη!
⎞ρο! βατ〉ν τε κα⇐ π〉κρημνον, ⎢χηλ〉ν, νατε⇑νον ⁄! τ↓ν Ο◊την ... ƒ!τι δ′ ⁄ν τ°ι ⁄!〉δϖι τα⎛τηι ψερμ
λουτρ , τ Ξ⎛τρου! καλϒου!ι ο⇓ ⁄πιξ⊕ριοι .... Though Herodotus does not locate the pass explicitly in
the land of Malis, he associates it with this territory, not only because of several references to Malis and the
Malians (7.196, 7.198.1, 7.201) but also when he calls the traitor Ephialtes who helped the Persians in the
famous battle a Malian (7.213-216).
lymphaque The word is attested in poetry already in Pacuvius trag. 244f. lymphis flauis fuluum ut
puluerem … abluam, cfr. ibid. 422 lymphata, while Lucilius 1196 Marx has inpermixtum limporem. It is the
question whether lympha arose from Greek ν⎛μφα and subsequently underwent dissimulation (thus Varro
L.L. 7.87, the TLL 7.2.1941.76-80, quoting Wackernagel, and the OLD) or it has a different origin but was
assimilated to the Greek word (thus Varro L.L. 5.71 ab aquae lapsu lubrico lympha and Ernout-Meillet s.v.,
who compare limpidus and Oscan Diumpais). In any case it came to be closely associated with ν⎛μφα. It
occurs regularly in inscriptions with the religious meaning ‘sweet-water nymph’ (for references see TLL
7.2.1943.40-53) and on wine amphorae indicating their contents to be as clear as water (TLL 7.2.1943.54-
68), but in the sense ‘water’ it is restricted to poetry of the Classical period (TLL 7.2.1942.21-1943.5).
Catullus has a penchant for the word: note 27.5f. lymphae, / uini pernicies, 64.162 candida permulcens
liquidis uestigia lymphis, and also 64.254 lymphata mente furebant.
Malia The nonsensical form maulia in the principal MSS can only come from manlia, which must have
arisen under the influence of Manli in lines 11 and 30 (see the Introduction, pp. 37f.). In the original there
must have stood Malia, as no other candidates fit the metre. The corresponding Greek adjectives have
167