The Poetry of Gaius Valerius Catullus/113

Text and Translation Meters - Elegiac couplets LineLatin TextEnglish Translation1Consule Pompeio primum duo, Cinna, solebantIn Pompey's first consulship, Cinna,2Maeciliam: facto consule nunc iterumtwo men frequented Maecilia: now appointed consul again,3manserunt duo, sed creverunt milia in unumthe two have remained, but against each one a thousand have grown.4singula. Fecundum semen adulterio.The seed of adultery is fertile. Translation notes Line 1 Consule Pomeio primum: the year of the first consulship of Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus, 70 B.C. Solebant: soleo, meaning "to be used to" or "to be wont", here used euphemistically Line 2 Maeciliam: A well-known Roman name. Possibly a misspelling of Mucillam, a diminutive of Mucia, and therefore a possible reference to Mucia Tertia, the daughter of Quintus Mucius Scaevola and the third wife of Pompey; she was divorced by the latter on accusations of adultery. facto consule nunc iterum: the year of Pompey's second consulship, 55 B.C. Line 3 cereverunt milia in unum/singula: a thousand (rivals) have sprung up against each man, the implication being that between the consulships, Maecilia's lovers have grown from two to two thousand. Line 4 adulterio: dative of possession; est is omitted