The Poems and Fragments of Catullus Translated in the Metres of the Original

Step into the world of Rome’s most vivid lyricist, whose love‑laden verses, bitter invectives and tender elegies are rendered in English while preserving the very rhythmic structures that gave them life. The translator, a seasoned classicist, painstakingly reconstructs the original metres—glyconics, alcaics, hendecasyllables—so that each line breathes with the same pulse that ancient listeners would have felt. Listeners discover the immediacy of Catullus’ passionate voice, now resonating through a rhythm that honors both the poetry’s form and its fierce emotion.

The accompanying introduction explains the challenges of capturing Latin quantity in English, offering insight into why many past attempts fell short and how this version strives for a more authentic cadence. As you hear the verses spoken, the careful attention to vowel length, consonantal positioning and poetic footfall creates a listening experience that feels both scholarly and vividly alive. It invites both newcomers and seasoned classicists to hear the beloved poet’s words as they were meant to be heard—compact, musical, and unapologetically human.