What a ridiculous affair | What a ridiculous affair, Cato, and funny

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by Gaius Valerius Catullus (c84 BCE - 54 BCE)

Translation © by Grant Hicks

O rem ridiculam, Cato, et iocosam

Language: Latin

Our translations: ENG

O rem ridiculam, Cato, et iocosam
dignamque auribus et tuo cachinno.
ride, quidquid amas, Cato, Catullum:
res est ridicula et nimis iocosa.
deprendi modo pupulum puellae
trusantem: hunc ego, si placet Dionae,
pro telo rigida mea cecidi.

About the headline (FAQ)

Text Authorship:

by Gaius Valerius Catullus (c84 BCE - 54 BCE), no title, appears in Carmina, no. 56 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

by Michael Linton , "O rem ridiculam", first performed 2014 [ baritone and piano ], from Carmina Catulli, no. 10 [sung text not yet checked]

Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

ENG English (Grant Hicks) , "What a ridiculous affair", copyright © 2025, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2019-07-15
Line count: 7
Word count: 37

What a ridiculous affair

Language: English after the Latin

What a ridiculous affair, Cato, and funny,
and suitable for your ears and your laughter.
Laugh, Cato, as you love Catullus:
the affair is ridiculous and too funny.
I just discovered a young boy thrusting away
at a girl: if it please Dione, I struck him
using my stiffness as a weapon.

Text Authorship:

Translation from Latin to English copyright © 2025 by Grant Hicks, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you may ask the copyright-holder(s) directly or ask us; we are authorized to grant permission on their behalf. Please provide the translator's name when contacting us.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net

Based on:

a text in Latin by Gaius Valerius Catullus (c84 BCE - 54 BCE), no title, appears in Carmina, no. 56
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2025-06-05
Line count: 7
Word count: 52