The Poetry of Gaius Valerius Catullus/106

Text & Translation LineLatin TextEnglish Translation 1 Cum puero bello praeconem qui videt esse, What should one who sees an auctioneer with a fair boy, 2 quid credat, nisi se vendere discupere? believe, but that he is intending to sell himself? Connotations of The Text Line 1 praeconem - auctioneer The joke here is that Juventius is selling himself to an auctioneer. i.e. at the best price he can get for his services. Line 2 vendere - to sell [himself] Catullus suspects that his friend Juventius has been eloping with other men, as is mentioned in Poem 24 and Poem 81. Young boys were permitted to satisfy older men but a boy who sold himself was nothing more than a whore. External Links Catullus 106 A Translation of Catullus 106 Catullus 106 Another Translation of Catullus 106