Poem 5

Poem Five by Catullus reminds me of Poem Seven. Within the first two lines of Poem Five, Catullus mentions rumors, as he did previously, in Poem Seven, referring to the "curious eyes/evil tongues." This reoccuring theme of gossip and rumors is prevalent in two of his poems, both of which speak of the great, never-ending affection and desire he has for Lesbia. Ironically, of his two most light-hearted, sincere, loving poems, Catullus mentions gossip and rumors from other "eyes"/curious, and quite potentially, jealous people, in both poems.
Poem Five makes Catullus's audience sympathize and understand his point of view, further. We begin to not see him as such a creepy, stalker, but more of a man who is head over heels in love with this woman, who he wants nothing more than to show his affection for. However, once again, as we have seen in previous poems, Catullus's usually light-hearted, loving poems are stained by the theme of jealousy, among the last few lines. In Poem Five, Catullus makes it more clear that people are jealous of the relationship that he shares with Lesbia, however we, as the audience, are still unsure of why exactly others are jealous. Perhaps it is because Lesbia is considered one of the greatest beauties in all the providence, compared to the friend of the playboy in Poem 43, well according to Catullus.
I especially like the light/dark imagery Catullus utilizes in this poem, in lines four and five. The brief light represents the short lifespan we each obtain, and the one, everlasting night, is fast-approaching death. Catullus's use of light/dark imagery adds to his message, that take a firm grasp on love and cherish every moment of it, because it is undecided when things may end. Catullus's use of light/dark imagery reminds me of another author who was notorious for utlizing the same imagery, Nathaniel Hawthorne. Author of the Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne mainly used light/dark imagery to compare good versus evil, while Catullus uses the light to symbolize life, and the darkness to symbolize death and the speed at which opportunities are taken away from us.