Sul testo di Catullo 2, 5-8

There have been many interpretations of Catullus’ poem 2 (on his girl’s sparrow) and especially of verses 5-8. The first part of this study presents a status quaestionis, listing the main interpretations and conjectures (but omitting those which alter the transmitted text unnecessarily). In the second part two new interpretations of vv. 5-8 are advanced, without modifying the text of manuscripts OGR. According to the first, the words cum desiderio meo ... lubet iocari are understood as a substantive clause dependent on the verb credo, which also governs et solaciolum as a predicative. Alternatively, solaciolum may be taken as predicative of an understood object te (also dependent on credo) referring to passer in the first verse. In either case, ut cum (which occurs in Quintilian, but with the subjunctive and in a causal sense) with the transmitted future acquiescet can have temporal force, as recently argued by Paul Claes (see also Boeth. cons. 2,2,10: ... ne uti cum ludicri mei ratio poscet descendere iniuriam putes)