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LOEB CLASSICAL M O N O G R A P H S
In Memory of
JAMES C. LOEB
STYLE AND T R A D I T I O N IN
CATULLUS David O. Ross, Jr. ^ ^m
H A R V A R D UNIVERSITY PRESS CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS · 1 9 6 9
© Copyright 1969 by the President and Fellows of Harvard College All rights reserved The Loeb Classical Monographs are published with assistance from the Loeb Classical Library
Foundation.
Distributed in Great Britain by Oxford University Press, London Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 69-18043 SBN 674-85340-7 Printed in Great Britain
D Μ Russell A. Edwards si quicquam mutis gratum acceptumve sepulcris
PREFACE The substance of this book was presented as a doctoral dissertation at Harvard University in the spring of 1966; the summary published then (HSCP 71 [1966] 344-46) will not be misleading. Subsequent revisions have changed the presentation and organization of many parts, and certain entirely new sections have been added. I have thought it best, however, to keep to the original format and purpose. Though I realize only too well the shortcomings of dissertation style and form, and though much of what I have to say will be lost or seem irrelevant to a reader only generally familiar with the history of Latin poetry, the addition of background material and a more complete discussion of the Neoterics and their importance would have obscured the fairly simple conclusions I offer for the consideration of scholars. M y greatest single debt is to the American Academy in Rome, where the original thesis was written; as a Fellow for two years (1964-1966), I enjoyed the luxury of leisure and the stimulation of Rome itself. Without the prospect of two uninterrupted years I could not have indulged myself in following so many blind trails, and so would not have happened upon those few which led somewhere. Among the many friends from whose advice and conversation I profitted directly or indirectly during that time, I can mention here only Miss Berthe Marti and il professore Warren Myers. I am happy to be able to add my name to the long list of those who have acknowledged the patient help of Mrs. Nina Longobardi, the soul and spirit of the Academy's Library, and to offer final thanks to its Director, Frank E. Brown. Many individuals are named in my notes for help on specific problems. Extensive comments and corrections were offered by C. P. Jones; and G. P. Goold produced, with customary delight, a list of "howlers" and many precise suggestions for improvement. M y thanks are due, too, to the scholarly readers of Harvard University Press, and to Mrs. Dorothy Souvaine for her careful editing. I alone, of course, assume full responsibility for whatever blunders and misconceptions remain. vii
viii
PREFACE
Acknowledgment is hereby made to B. G. Teubner Verlag, Stuttgart, for permission to quote extensively from E. Norden, P. Vergilius Maro Aeneis, Buch VI; to C. W . K. Gleerup, Lund, for permission to quote from B. Axelson, Unpoetische Wörter; and to the Clarendon Press for permission to use the text of Catullus of R . A. B. Mynors, C. Valerii Catulli Carmina. It remains to offer inadequate thanks to W . V. Clausen, who read with care the original thesis and each subsequent addition and revision, and whose friendship has meant encouragement at every stage. To his example I owe as much as to his teaching. To my wife, who has long endured, belongs my final word of appreciation; her patience has provided more support than she can realize. D. O. R . , Jr.
New Haven, Connecticut January 1969
CONTENTS INTRODUCTION I· THE POETIC V O C A B U L A R Y Compounds and Diminutives AcjAtque NecjNeque E, Ex O/and A! Adjectives in -osus Adjectives in -eus que-que, que-et Postposition of Particles Oportet, Necesse Subito, Repente Ita (Sic) Enim Iucundusj Suavis L