Poem 51

As we have discussed in class, Catullus's 52nd poem is mainly composed of his descriptions of a woman he has feelings for. Even though Catullus is not able to be close to the woman, emotionally, he envies a man that is capable of simply sitting with her. He declares that man a God, or one that may even surpass the Gods, if it possible; though all he is doing is sitting across from her, watching her laugh and listening to her speak.
The central theme of this poem, I believe, is the purity and innocence of true love. Catullus deeply desires to win the affection of the woman, but he speaks of another man. He loves this woman, though she is with another man; however, suprisingly the tone of Catullus never comes off as extremely bitter. He is able to demonstrate that if you truly, passionately love someone, though it may hurt you, you can endure them being with another. The tone of the poem is mainly just passionate, jealous, and lovestruck, but in the last stanza, there is somewhat of a drastic change. It seems as if Catullus is brought back to reality, recognizing the fact that his love belongs to another man.