Catullus 51

This poem Catullus clearly wrote with Sappho's poem in mind. It has a tone to it that is almost like a high school kid in Catullus's position. What I mean by this is that it can speak to us kids in high school and beyond high school and beyond high school. Catullus is watching a seemingly happy couple in a relationship, wishing he could be in that relationship with the girl (Lesbia) instead of the man she's with. At one point or another - whether you've already been in this position or not - you'll feel that way about someone. Maybe you'll like the person who's in a relationship; maybe you'll even fall in love with them. Either way, you'll know someone who blows your mind away - literally, it seems, in Catullus's case. You can't think about anyone else, the way Catullus is describing the feelings toward Lesbia. He found the words to be able to speak to kids centuries and centuries later, like me. Great poets are able to do that, and I believe Catullus is a great poet.