Commentary on C. Valerii Catulli Carmen 7
This poem is generally viewed as a sequel to Carmen 5, Vivamus, Lesbia, where, in lines 7-11, Catullus urges:
Da mi basia mille, deinde centum,
Dein mille altera, dein secunda centum,
Deinde usque altera mille, deinde centum,
Dein, cum milia multa fecerimus,
Conturbabimus illa, ne sciamus
Carmen 7 appears to be Catullus' wild response to Lesbia's question, posed indirectly in the poem's opening lines, asking how many kisses would satisfy him.
Quaeris quot ... : introduces an indirect question whose verb is sint.
basiationes: is a word that Catullus seems to have created for this
poem; he uses it only this once and it doesn't appear again until Martial.
A translation which imitates the coyness of the word is "kissifications."
satis superque: translate "enough and more than enough."
quam magnus numerus: correlative with tam on line 9, it may be translated "as great a quantity ... so many kisses."
laserpiciferis is a reference to the silphium plant (belonging to the family of the native Roman asafoetida); these herbs were valued as seasoning in cooking and for medical purposes. In antiquity silphium was the
major export of Cyrene, a trading center on the North African coast.
Cyrenis: Cyrenae, the capital of Libya, also known as Cyrenaica, bordering Egypt in North Africa.
oraclum Iovis: that is, oraculum. This is the Ammonium, the famous temple and oracle of Ammon located in in Siwah, in the Libyan desert, which Alexander the Great visited. In Catullus' time it was sacred to Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans, its deity worshiped by all under the names Zeus Ammon and Jupiter Ammon.
aestuosi: a reference to the torrid temperatures of the desert, the epithet is transferred to Iovis. Choose a translation that effectively captures this poetic effect.
Battus: originally from the island of Thera, he was the founder of Cyrenae in mid-7th century BCE; after his death, he became the city's patron deity and his tomb was reverenced.
quam: parallel with quam in line 3 and correlative with tam in line 9.
tam ... basia multa: concludes the equation introduced in line 3 by quam magnus numerus.
te: opinions differ as to whether this is most appropriately translated as the subject of basiare or as the object of basiare. The question is not settled by referring to tuae basiationes in line 2, but your translation there should determine your decision here -- are they "kisses from you" (as suggested by Carmen 5: "Da me basia mille) or are they "kisses of you"?
vesano: that is, "mad with passion."
pernumerare curiosi: a reference to the ancient belief that to cast a spell on someone or something, one needed to know every detail; in the presence of so many kisses, no one would be able to hex them. These lines echo the closing lines of Carmen 5 .
.