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Original Latin VIII. ad se ipsum Miser Catulle, desinas ineptire, et quod vides perisse perditum ducas. fulsere quondam candidi tibi soles, cum ventitabas quo puella ducebat amata nobis quantum amabitur nulla. ibi illa multa cum iocosa fiebant, quae tu volebas nec puella nolebat, fulsere vere candidi tibi soles. nunc iam illa non vult: tu quoque impotens noli, nec quae fugit sectare, nec miser vive, sed obstinata mente perfer, obdura. vale puella, iam Catullus obdurat, nec te

Gaius Valerius Catullus is widely considered to be one of Ancient Rome’s most influential and innovative poets. Writing in the final decades of the Roman Republic, Catullus immortalized timeless invectives, satires, and intensely personal expressions of desire, love, and grief; he concerned himself with individual experience rather than grand epics or political commentary. One of the most well-preserved and oldest collections of poetry, Catullus’s first book explores a divers

We are back yet again with another Tale of Two Translations. As we continue through Ovid's Metamorphoses , now entering our sixth entry, I will make these intros far briefer; it's high time I let Ovid's seminal work speak for itself. Yet it is still important that I remind you all of the importance of exposing yourselves to different translations of Latin texts. Different translations each have unique styles and can illuminate different broader interpretations of the work as

Welcome to the fifth entry of our first Tale of Two Translations, in which we read translations and formulate our own for Ovid's seminal Latin work cataloguing Roman myth: Metamorphosis . Like always, today we will continue our deep dive into the disparate ways that Latin scholars have translated Ovid's enduring masterpiece. Through these translations, I am to introduce you to a wide variety of translation styles and ideologies; translators differ both in diction and in inter

A brief introduction to the life and work of Latin writer Seneca the Younger (4 BCE–65 CE)

A brief introduction to the life and work of Latin poet Propterius (~50BC - ~15BC)

There is a reason (beyond its immense cultural impact) that the most famous empire in history is the Roman one: its sheer size. For centuries, the Roman Empire was the most extensive social and political structure in Western antiquity. At its zenith, under the reign of Emperor Trajan, it encompassed an enormous and dizzying array of climates, natural resources, peoples, and cultures. Stretching from the cloudy beaches of Britannia to the sun-soaked Arabian sands, the Roman Em

Born in either 61 or 62 CE in Comum (modern-day Como), a town in northern Italy, Gaius Plinius Caecilius Secundus, later known as Pliny the Younger, was exposed early to both privilege and tragedy. While he was still a young child, Pliny's father died, and he was adopted by his maternal uncle (prompting his change of name). His uncle, Pliny the Elder, was known throughout Rome as an esteemed philosopher; Pliny's adoption into his household not only provided Pliny the Younger

A brief introduction to the life and work of Roman speaker Cicero (106 - 43 BCE).

What is Case Usage in Latin? Before we explain what case usage is, first, we need to explain what a case actually is. A case, in its simplest form, refers to a formal marker (in Latin represented by endings added to the ends of nouns or adjectives) that tells you how a noun or adjective relates to other words in a sentence. In Latin, there are 7 distinctive cases: the nominative, genitive, dative, accusative, ablative, vocative, and locative (although this one is slightly ves

We are back yet again with the fourth entry in our first Tale of Two Translations. Today, we will continue exploring the various ways in which Ovid's magnum opus, Metamorphoses , has been translated. Old faces (translators) will be making reappearances, and you can expect to see diversity in terms of interpretation of the text. As always, the goal of this series is threefold: expose readers to different possible translation styles and ideologies, encourage readers to craft t

Two weeks ago, we read the first letter of Pliny the Younger's two-part series detailing his first-hand (and, at times, second-hand) account of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. This first letter functioned one part as history, attempting to crystallize the image of Pompeii's eruption to an audience who had not been present, and another part as a memorialization of the heroism of Pliny the Younger's uncle, Pliny the Elder. Having literally ran into the fire to save and comfort

Happy Valentine's to all who celebrate (yes, I'm including Galentines and all the other iterations), and happy day-of-scorning to those who despise the holiday. While this post will find you one day after the official day of festivities, it coincides perfectly with the Roman equivalent of Valentine's Day (the association of love with February appears to be a millennia-long trend). But how long has this holiday been "swinging"? Although considered a modern, consumerist invent

Today, I am going to tell you another story. If you recall, the last story I relayed to you from the long-deceased Ancient Roman legend Pliny the Younger was Halloween-themed, riddled with ghosts and inexplicable hauntings. Therefore, it is highly debatable whether any of these events occurred (the broad consensus on the existence of ghosts, both then and now, is that there is none). However, the story I am going to tell you now is far more rooted in history. Although Pliny's

Hello everyone! Below, I have attached some of the most common words in Latin. Taken together, they account for almost half the words in a typical prose text. One of the most tiresome parts of translating is constantly looking up the meanings of certain words, so hopefully, having a large amount attached below will make your translation experience far more enjoyable. The definitions given are illustrative, not exhaustive. Many of the following words have a large semantic ra

By this point, I trust you all know the drill for these Tales of Two Translations. I provide the original Latin for a section of an esteemed ancient text first, then translations by two translators with distinct translation styles. As you read through the post, give a translation of the original Latin a shot on your own. Confused? Take a peek at one of the translations below, and try to parse out how the translators concocted the English from the Latin. Then, after you've com

We are back yet again for another "Tale of Two Translations," where, in order to form our own distinct translation styles we turn to esteemed translations throughout history. As we continue to venture through Ovid's Metamorphosis , be sure to take note of how different translations address confusing pieces of Latin grammar. Latin is not a language easily transformed into English, and often translations will disagree over how best to interpret a piece of the original text. The

Despite the joy I take in our traditional poetic and prosaic analyses, I felt something was missing in Aeterna Poesis ; something that the blog has touched upon but never fully explored. That is, the art of translation. Although the minute grammatical details and the complexities of the Latin language cannot be adequately conveyed in short blog posts, another aspect of translation can be: personal style. As a function of how old the Latin language is and, by extension, how ol

Within artistic circles, there is a constant tension between “valuable” and, for lack of a better word, “trashy” art. This bifurcation is pervasive, seeping into cultural discourse whenever an artist’s work finds virality amid the brain-rot-infused algorithms that seemingly only push pretty dancing and “hot takes.” Therefore, when an artist does break through, one would assume that fellow artists would band together on social media to celebrate their success. Unfortunately, t

Today, I am going to tell you a story. Although Halloween was a few months ago, for many, the countdown to spooky season has begun again. And even for the rest of us not as invested in the October 31st festivities, we are entering the season of ghosts as well. As we venture into 2026, we will make many resolutions: eat better, save more money, give more compliments, and other variations on the theme of self-improvement. Will we succeed in those resolutions? Maybe for a month