Lesbia

For other uses, seeLesbia (disambiguation).

Lesbia and Her Sparrow (Catullus 2), by SirEdward John Poynter

Lesbiawas the literary pseudonym used by the RomanpoetGaius Valerius Catullus(c.82–52 BC) to refer to his lover. Lesbia is traditionally identified withClodia,the wife ofQuintus Caecilius Metellus Celerand sister ofPublius Clodius Pulcher;her conduct and motives are maligned inCicero's extant speechPro Caelio,delivered in 56 BC.

Overview

Lesbia is the subject of 25 of Catullus' 116 surviving poems, and these display a wide range of emotions (seeCatullus 85), ranging from tender love (e. g.Catullus 5,Catullus 7), to sadness and disappointment (e.g. Catullus 72), and to bitter sarcasm (e.g. Catullus 8), following the often unsteady course of Catullus' relationship.

The name evokes the poetSappho,who was from the isle ofLesbos.Catullus's poem 35 celebrating his poet friend Caecilius of Novum Comum also mentions the devotion of Caecilius' girlfriend, who is herself accorded a remarkable tribute as "girl more learned than Sappho's Muse" (lines 16–17:Sapphica puella / musa doctior). This could well be Catullus' Lesbia before she became his own lover.

It may be significant that a poem which looks like anenvoito Lesbia (Catullus 11) is written in the Sapphic metre; the only other poem in the collection composed in this metre is poem 51, which looks like it could be the first poem written to her. What makes this more likely is that the poem is an elegant translation of a poem bySapphoherself, which is still extant.

She may have been a poet in her own right, included with Catullus in a list of famous poets whose lovers "often" helped them write their verses.

The name Lesbia was chosen for several reasons, including its metrical match with her real name. The 2nd-century AD oratorApuleius of Madauragave a list of four such identities in court, to defend himself against the charge of hiding names under an alias:

• Catullus's Lesbia: Clodia
• Ticida's Perilla: Metella
• Propertius' Cynthia: Hostia
• Tibullus' Delia: Plania

Apuleius' information is thought to have come fromSuetonius'de poetis,or Suetonius' most important source, a work on late Republican and Augustan period poets byGaius Julius Hyginus.

Thomas draws parallels between Lesbia and one of theMeleager's lovers, Phanion.

Gallery

• 
  LesbiabyJohn Reinhard Weguelin,1878
• 
  Lesbia with the SparrowbyJohn William Godward,1916
• 
  Catullus at Lesbia'sbyLawrence Alma-Tadema,1865
• 
  Favourite Poetby Lawrence Alma-Tadema, 1888
• 
  A Little GembyStefan Bakałowicz
• 
  Lesbia and Sparrowby Lawrence Alma-Tadema, 1886
• 
  LesbiabyJames Sant,1884

References

Ancient sources

• The Catullanlibellusof 116 poems
• Oxford Classical Texts,C. Valerii Catulli Carmina(ed.) R A B Mynors (Oxford University Press, 1958)
• Penguin Classics, English translation,The Poems of CatullusbyPeter Whigham(Penguin Books, 1966)

Modern works

• Wiseman, T Peter:Catullan Questions(Leicester University Press, 1969), especially chapter 5: "Lesbia - When?" (42–49), and chapter 6: "Lesbia - Who?" (50–60)
• Wiseman, T. Peter.Cinna the Poet and other Roman Essays(Leicester University Press, 1974), especially chapter 5: "Lesbia and her Children" (104–118)
• Oxford Latin Reader, Maurice Balme and James Morewood (1997)
• Hallett, Judith P.:"Catullus and Horace on Roman Women Poets",Antichthon40 (Thematic issue:Catullus in Contemporary Perspective,2006), 65–88
• Thomas, Richard F. (1993). "Sparrows, Hares, and Doves: A Catullan Metaphor and its Tradition".Helios.20(2): 131–142.