CATULLUS 68 - Scuola Normale Superiore

some sort of practical contribution to Catullus’ love-life, generally to assistance with amorous adventures or
to an introduction to a girl who is available. 113 Vahlen takes munera Musarum to indicate that Manlius asked
Catullus to let him become one of Lesbia’s lovers – but this rests on an interpretation of lines 27-30 that is
almost certainly wrong. 114 Others believe that Manlius must have asked Catullus to reconcile him with his
beloved, 115 while others still believe that Manlius is asking sexual favours from Catullus himself. 116
The interpretation of munera Musarum is only slightly less controversial: some believe that Manlius has
asked Catullus for poetry of any sort, others that he has asked for poems by Catullus that Catullus has
already written, and a third group believes that he has asked Catullus to write something especially for
him. 117
Let us look at the evidence for each request, starting with that for the munera Musarum. In Greek poetry,
‘the gifts of the Muses’ is a standard term either for ‘the poetic art’ or for ‘song(s)’ or ‘poetry’ (see line
10n.). Here the former possibility can be ruled out straight away, as the distraught Manlius can hardly have
wanted to start a new career as a poet. He is unable to distract himself on his sleepless nights with ‘the sweet
song (carmine) of the writers of old’ (lines 7f.), while Catullus apologizes that he does not have many books
with him (lines 33-36): evidently he has asked Catullus for some sort of reading-matter. So munera Musarum
must refer to poetry – but of what sort?
113 Thus Birt 1890 & 1904, F. Skutsch 1892, Kroll 1923, Barwick 1947, Horváth 1960, Fordyce 1961, Wiseman 1974,
Woodman 1983, Courtney 1985, Fear 1992 and Prescott 1940, who however notes that Catullus could grant the two
favours “by the single act of composing a sensual love-poem in the modern contemporary style” (p. 500).
114 Vahlen 1902, who takes lines 27-29 to contain a direct quotation, with hic (line 28) referring to Rome, where
Manlius is, and where all the fashionable young men warm themselves in a deserted bed (deserto … cubili, line 29) –
that is, in the bed of Lesbia, deserted by Catullus. However, it is almost certain that this difficult passage contains no
direct quotation, so that hic must refer to Verona, where Catullus is: see ad loc.
115 Godel 1965, Levine 1976, Shipton 1978 and Tuplin 1981.
116 Kinsey 1967, Most 1981, Forsyth 1987 and Morgan 2008.
117 Poetry of any sort: Westphal 1867, Magnus 1875, Birt 1890 & 1904, F. Skutsch 1892, Kinsey 1967, Most 1981,
Woodman 1983, Courtney 1985, Forsyth 1987 and Fear 1992. Alexandrian poetry by Catullus, in part already
written: Lenchantin de Gubernatis 1928. Poetry to be written by Catullus: Schöll 1880, von Mess 1908, Guglielmino
1915, Kroll 1923, Jachmann 1925, Perrotta 1927, Barwick 1947, Salvatore 1949, Prescott 1940, Horváth 1960, Fordyce
1961, Fraenkel 1962, Godel 1965, Cremona 1967, Wiseman 1974, Levine 1976, Sarkissian 1977 and 1983, Shipton
1978, Citroni 1979 and Tuplin 1981. Greek poetry in translation: Levine 1976.
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