Catullus 85

Catullus 85 is a poem by the Roman poet Catullus for his lover Lesbia. Its declaration of conflicting feelings, "I hate and I love", is renowned for its drama, force and brevity.^[1] The meter of the poem is the elegiac couplet.

Text

Ōdī et amō. Quārē id faciam fortasse requīris.
Nesciŏ, sed fierī sentiō et excrucior.^[2]

I hate and I love. Why I do this, perhaps you ask.
I know not, but I feel it happening and I am tortured.^[2]

– u u / – – / – u u / – – / – u u / – – Ōd'et a / mō. Quā / r'id faci / am for / tasse re / quīris.   – u u / – u u / – / – u u / – u u / – Nesciŏ, / sed fie / rī / sen ti' et / ex cru ci / or.[3]

Musical settings

• "Odi et amo", No. 19 of Moralia by Jacobus Gallus
• "Odi et amo", part of Catulli Carmina by Carl Orff
• "Odi et amo" by Jóhann Jóhannsson's album Englabörn^[4]
• "Wrecking Ball" (Miley Cyrus), adaptation with Catullus 85 by Eric Whitacre, performed by Eric Whitacre Singers and Marius Beck;^[5] performed live and recorded at the 2014 iTunes Festival in London
• Iarba & Cox - Keed
• "I Hate and I Love" 1981 cantata for mixed chorus an percussion by Dominick Argento

References

1. "Odi et amo (Catullus 85)", Classical Literature, ancient-literature.com
2. C. Valerius Catullus. "Poem 85". Carmina. Translated by Leonard C. Smithers. Perseus Project. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
3. Kitchell, Kenneth F., Jr.; Smith, Sean (2006). Catullus: A Legamus Transitional Reader. p. xxix. ISBN 978-0-86516-634-9. Retrieved April 17, 2006.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
4. "Odi et amo" by Jóhann Jóhannsson on YouTube
5. "Wrecking Ball" (Eric Whitacre Singers & Marius Beck) on YouTube