CL25 recitations, round 1

(E)

in-class recitations Thursday, November 5

Friday, November 6 (F)

1. The opening sentence of Julius Caesars Commentaries on the Gallic War

Gallia est omnis divisa in partes tres,
quarum unam incolunt Belgae,
All of Gaul is divided into three parts, one of which the Belgae inhabit;
aliam Aquitani,
tertiam qui ipsorum lingu Celtae, nostr
Galli appellantur.
another [part] the Aquitani [inhabit]; those, who are called Celts in the language
of them themselves [and] in ours Gauls, [inhabit]
the third [part].
2. Martial, epigram [a short jokey poem] about an eye doctor-turned-gladiator
Oplomachus nunc es.
line 1
You are now a gladiator.

Fueras opthalmicus ante.

You had been an eye-doctor previously.

Fecisti medicus quod facis oplomachus.

line 2
You did as a doctor what you do as a gladiator.
This poem follows a meter called elegiac couplet. Lines of poetry are made up of
short and long syllables (twice the duration of a short), with some long syllables
also being STRESSED. In the schematic below, dum = 1 long, ditty = 2 shorts
(always in a pair in this meter).
OPLomachUS nunc ES.
DUM-ditty-DUM-dum-DUM

FuerAS opTHALmicus ANte.

ditty-DUM-dum-DUM-ditty-DUM-dum

FECisTI mediCUS
QUOD facis OPLomachUS.
DUM-dum-DUM-ditty-DUMDUM-ditty-DUM-ditty-DUM
3. Catullus, poem # 85 (same meter as Martials epigram)
Odi et amo. Quare id faciam, fortasse requiris.
line 1
I hate and I love. Perhaps you ask why I do it.
Nescio, sed fieri sentio et excrucior.
line 2
I dont know, but I feel it happening and I am tortured.

* A special feature of Latin poetry is elision, skipping the final vowel of a word when
the next word begins with a vowel. The poem is correctly pronounced as follows:
OD et amO.
DUM-ditty-DUM

Quar ID faciAM, forTASse reQUIris.

dum-DUM-ditty-DUM-dum-DUM-ditty-DUM-dum

NEScio,
SED fierI
SENti et EXcruciOR.
DUM-ditty-DUM-ditty-DUMDUM-ditty-DUM-ditty-DUM