Stormy seas: on Catullus’ carmen 4
Abstract
Of the many interpretations that have been given of Catullus' Carmen IV, the vast majority seek to understand it in light of the author's biography, questioning whether he truly owned a boat and what real journey the verses describe. However, this article prefers to interpret it in the light of mythical experience, not so much as an episode from the author's real life but as a poetic stylization of a universal experience, specifically the feeling of drifting and being lost. In support of this thesis, Catullus' poem is contrasted with others by Ovid (mainly from Book I of the Tristia), and its connection to universal metaphors related to the sea and water, such as those analyzed by Gaston Bachelard and Hans Blumenberg, is examined.
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