Let us live, my Lesbia, and let us love. Vivamus, mea Lesbia, atque amemus
CatullusRead
I hate and love. You ask, perhaps, how can that be? I know not, but I feel the agony.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote expresses the complex nature of love, highlighting how one can simultaneously feel deep affection and intense pain.
Catullus articulates the paradox of love, where contradictory emotions coexist. This quote conveys the struggle between love and hate, suggesting that true affection can bring both joy and anguish, leaving the speaker perplexed yet emotionally aware of their feelings. It underlines the idea that love is not merely a source of happiness but can also lead to profound emotional turmoil.
Themes
LoveHateEmotionAgonyParadox
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be shared during a literary discussion about the complexities of romantic relationships.
More from Catullus
All quotes βGive me a thousand kisses, then a hundred, then a thousand more.
CatullusRead
It is difficult to suddenly give up a long love. Difficile est longum subito deponere amorem
CatullusRead
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.
CatullusRead
Brother, hello and good-bye. Frater, ave atque vale
CatullusRead
To whom do I give my new elegant little book? Cui dono lepidum novum libellum?
CatullusRead
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