The father of one of my students speaks a number of languages, and he said that the more one studies them, the easier they get. Researching Catullus 3 today, I reread the Zukofskys' version, read another English version, and for the hell of it looked at a German version. Having just read two versions of the poem in English, and with my limited German, the German version made a little sense. However, I couldn't say what I considered Catullus's true mood in the poem. Parts of it sound sarcastic in one English version.
It would not surprise me if I end up teaching Latin for the next 23 years. In that case, I suspect my Latin will greatly improve, which I look forward to. I did find interesting how Catullus observed his girlfriend's great love for her pet two thousand years ago. This theme recurs from culture to culture, from century to century. It made me think of Chekhov's "Lady with a Lapdog."
Right now I have George Harrison's All Things Must Pass playing. I had forgotten how much I love the "Apple Jam" section of that CD.
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