Let us live, my Lesbia, and let us love. Vivamus, mea Lesbia, atque amemus
CatullusRead
Brother, hello and good-bye. Frater, ave atque vale
Interpretation
The quote acknowledges both greeting and farewell, emphasizing the bittersweet nature of relationships.
In this brief yet profound quote by Catullus, the speaker expresses a warm yet sorrowful sentiment toward a brotherly figure, highlighting the dual nature of human connection. It signifies the importance of cherishing moments of hello while also acknowledging the sadness that comes with goodbye, reflecting the complexities of camaraderie and emotional bonds.
In practice
This quote can be used at a farewell gathering to honor a departing friend or family member.
Let us live, my Lesbia, and let us love. Vivamus, mea Lesbia, atque amemus
Give me a thousand kisses, then a hundred, then a thousand more.
It is difficult to suddenly give up a long love. Difficile est longum subito deponere amorem
Godlike the man who_x000D_ sits at her side, who_x000D_ watches and catches_x000D_ that laughter_x000D_ which (softly) tears me_x000D_ to tatters: nothing is left of me, each time_x000D_ I see her.
To whom do I give my new elegant little book? Cui dono lepidum novum libellum?
My mind's sunk so low, Claudia, because of you, wrecked itself on your account so bad already, that I couldn't like you if you were the best of women, -or stop loving you, no matter what you do.
So what I say about Tracy is this: Tracy's big challenge is not having a Parkinson's patient for a husband. It's having me for a husband. I happen to be a Parkinson's patient.
The only reason we don't open our hearts and minds to other people is that they trigger confusion in us that we don't feel brave enough or sane enough to deal with. To the degree that we look clearly and compassionately at ourselves, we feel confident and fearless about looking into someone else's eyes.
Once more it was borne in on him that marriage was not the safe anchorage he had been taught to think, but a voyage on uncharted seas.
I like actors very much, but to marry one would be like marrying your brother. You look too much alike in the mirror.
It takes your enemy and your friend, working together, to hurt you to the heart: the one to slander you and the other to get the news to you.
Some of our loves and attachments are elemental and beyond our choosing, and for that very reason they come spiced with pain and regret and need and hollowness and a feeling as close to anger as I will ever be able to manage.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.