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Welcome to Lesson 206 of the Latinum Institute Classical Latin Reading Course. Today's word is oculus, oculī, masculine: "eye." It stands at frequency rank 206 in the Dickinson College Core Latin Vocabulary. Oculus is one of the words of the body that Latin authors use constantly, both literally and in a wide range of idioms.
What does oculus mean in Latin?
Oculus is a second-declension masculine noun meaning "eye." It declines like dominus: oculus, oculī, oculō, oculum, oculō in the singular; oculī, oculōrum, oculīs, oculōs, oculīs in the plural. It means first the physical organ of sight, and from there it covers sight itself, what lies before one's eyes, and anything as precious as an eye. Roman lovers called their darlings by the diminutive ocellus ("little eye"). Gardeners also used oculus for the "eye" or bud of a plant, and that sense survives in the English word inoculate, which first meant to graft a bud into a stock.
Latin handles the eye much as English does, with three differences a reader must learn. First, Latin says "with the eyes" as a plain ablative with no preposition: oculīs vidēre, "to see with the eyes." Second, oculīs follows comparatives as an ablative of comparison, in the Roman lovers' formula plūs oculīs amāre, "to love more than one's eyes." Third, poets use a "Greek" accusative of respect: lacrimīs oculōs suffūsa, "suffused with tears as to her eyes." There are also fixed expressions: ante oculōs pōnere ("to set before the eyes, to present vividly"), ex oculīs ("out of sight"), and oculīs captus ("seized in the eyes," i.e. blind).
Etymology: oculus goes back to the Indo-European root meaning "see" or "eye" (reconstructed as *h₃ekʷ-). It is cognate with Greek ὄσσε ("the two eyes") and ὄψομαι ("I shall see"), with Sanskrit akṣi, with Gothic augō, and, through Germanic, with English eye. Its Romance descendants are Italian occhio, Spanish ojo, Portuguese olho, French œil and Romanian ochi. English has borrowed ocular, oculist, binocular and inoculate.
Key Takeaways - Oculus, oculī m. ("eye") is a regular second-declension masculine noun like dominus; both of its first two vowels are short: ŏcŭlus. - The plain ablative oculīs means "with the eyes" (instrument); no preposition is needed. - Ante oculōs ("before the eyes") and ex oculīs ("out of sight") are two very common phrases; oculīs captus means "blind." - Plūs oculīs ("more than one's eyes") is the Roman lovers' measure of affection, found in Catullus. - The diminutive ocellus ("little eye, darling") is a term of endearment in comedy and in Catullus.
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oculus /ˈɔ.kʊ.lʊs/ — three syllables, O-cu-lus. All three vowels are short. Because the second-to-last syllable (-cu-) is short and open, the stress falls on the third-from-last: Ó-cu-lus. The c is always hard /k/.
oculī /ˈɔ.kʊ.liː/, oculō /ˈɔ.kʊ.loː/, oculīs /ˈɔ.kʊ.liːs/, oculōs /ˈɔ.kʊ.loːs/ — the long final vowels do not move the stress, which stays on the first syllable.
oculōrum /ɔ.kʊˈloː.rʊm/ — in the genitive plural the second-to-last syllable -lō- is long, so it takes the stress: o-cu-LŌ-rum.
ocellus /ɔˈkɛl.lʊs/ — the double l makes the second-to-last syllable heavy, so the stress falls there: o-CEL-lus. Pronounce both l's.
A note on the IPA in this lesson: short vowels are written /a ɛ ɪ ɔ ʊ/ and long vowels /aː eː iː oː uː/; v is /w/, consonantal i is /j/, qu is /kʷ/, and ae and au are the diphthongs /ae̯/ and /au̯/. Final -m is written /m/ for clarity, although in Classical speech it mostly nasalised the vowel before it.
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206.1a Oculus the-eye videt sees.
206.1b Oculus /ˈɔ.kʊ.lʊs/ eye.M.NOM.SG videt /ˈwɪ.dɛt/ see.3SG.PRES
206.2a Oculōs the-eyes claudō I-close.
206.2b Oculōs /ˈɔ.kʊ.loːs/ eye.M.ACC.PL claudō /ˈklau̯.doː/ close.1SG.PRES
206.3a Puella the-girl oculōs the-eyes aperit opens.
206.3b Puella /pʊˈɛl.la/ girl.F.NOM.SG oculōs /ˈɔ.kʊ.loːs/ eye.M.ACC.PL aperit /ˈa.pɛ.rɪt/ open.3SG.PRES
206.4a Ante before oculōs the-eyes est it-is.
206.4b Ante /ˈan.tɛ/ before(+ACC) oculōs /ˈɔ.kʊ.loːs/ eye.M.ACC.PL est /ɛst/ be.3SG.PRES
206.5a Oculī the-eyes meī my dolent ache.
206.5b Oculī /ˈɔ.kʊ.liː/ eye.M.NOM.PL meī /ˈmɛ.iː/ my.M.NOM.PL dolent /ˈdɔ.lɛnt/ ache.3PL.PRES
206.6a Nauta the-sailor terram land oculīs with-the-eyes quaerēbat was-seeking.
206.6b Nauta /ˈnau̯.ta/ sailor.M.NOM.SG terram /ˈtɛr.ram/ land.F.ACC.SG oculīs /ˈɔ.kʊ.liːs/ eye.M.ABL.PL quaerēbat /kʷae̯ˈreː.bat/ seek.3SG.IMPERF
206.7a Hanc this rem matter ante before oculōs the-eyes vestrōs your pōnō I-place.
206.7b Hanc /haŋk/ this.F.ACC.SG rem /rɛm/ matter.F.ACC.SG ante /ˈan.tɛ/ before(+ACC) oculōs /ˈɔ.kʊ.loːs/ eye.M.ACC.PL vestrōs /ˈwɛs.troːs/ your(PL).M.ACC.PL pōnō /ˈpoː.noː/ place.1SG.PRES
206.8a Nāvis the-ship paulātim little-by-little ex out-of oculīs the-eyes nostrīs our ēvānuit vanished.
206.8b Nāvis /ˈnaː.wɪs/ ship.F.NOM.SG paulātim /pau̯ˈlaː.tɪm/ gradually.ADV ex /ɛks/ out-of(+ABL) oculīs /ˈɔ.kʊ.liːs/ eye.M.ABL.PL nostrīs /ˈnɔs.triːs/ our.M.ABL.PL ēvānuit /eːˈwaː.nʊ.ɪt/ vanish.3SG.PERF
206.9a Senex the-old-man oculīs in-the-eyes captus seized erat was, sed but animō with-the-mind multa many-things vidēbat was-seeing.
206.9b Senex /ˈsɛ.nɛks/ old-man.M.NOM.SG oculīs /ˈɔ.kʊ.liːs/ eye.M.ABL.PL captus /ˈkap.tʊs/ seize.PERF.PASS.PTCP.M.NOM.SG erat /ˈɛ.rat/ be.3SG.IMPERF sed /sɛd/ but animō /ˈa.nɪ.moː/ mind.M.ABL.SG multa /ˈmʊl.ta/ many.N.ACC.PL vidēbat /wɪˈdeː.bat/ see.3SG.IMPERF
206.10a Multōrum of-many tē you oculī the-eyes et and aurēs the-ears speculābuntur will-watch atque and custōdient will-guard.
206.10b Multōrum /mʊlˈtoː.rʊm/ many.M.GEN.PL tē /teː/ you.ACC.SG oculī /ˈɔ.kʊ.liː/ eye.M.NOM.PL et /ɛt/ and aurēs /ˈau̯.reːs/ ear.F.NOM.PL speculābuntur /spɛ.kʊ.laːˈbʊn.tʊr/ watch.3PL.FUT.DEP atque /ˈat.kʷɛ/ and custōdient /kʊsˈtoː.dɪ.ɛnt/ guard.3PL.FUT
206.11a Passer the-sparrow mortuus dead est is meae to-my puellae girl, quem whom plūs more illa she oculīs than-eyes suīs her-own amābat used-to-love.
206.11b Passer /ˈpas.sɛr/ sparrow.M.NOM.SG mortuus /ˈmɔr.tʊ.ʊs/ dead.M.NOM.SG est /ɛst/ be.3SG.PRES meae /ˈmɛ.ae̯/ my.F.DAT.SG puellae /pʊˈɛl.lae̯/ girl.F.DAT.SG quem /kʷɛm/ who.M.ACC.SG plūs /pluːs/ more.ADV.COMP illa /ˈɪl.la/ she.F.NOM.SG oculīs /ˈɔ.kʊ.liːs/ eye.M.ABL.PL suīs /ˈsʊ.iːs/ her-own.M.ABL.PL amābat /aˈmaː.bat/ love.3SG.IMPERF
206.12a Nī if-not tē you plūs more oculīs than-eyes meīs my amārem I-were-loving, iūcundissime most-delightful Calve Calvus, ōdissem I-would-have-hated tē you.
206.12b Nī /niː/ if-not tē /teː/ you.ACC.SG plūs /pluːs/ more.ADV.COMP oculīs /ˈɔ.kʊ.liːs/ eye.M.ABL.PL meīs /ˈmɛ.iːs/ my.M.ABL.PL amārem /aˈmaː.rɛm/ love.1SG.IMPERF.SUBJ iūcundissime /juː.kʊnˈdɪs.sɪ.mɛ/ delightful.SUPERL.M.VOC.SG Calve /ˈkal.wɛ/ Calvus.M.VOC.SG ōdissem /oːˈdɪs.sɛm/ hate.1SG.PLUPERF.SUBJ tē /teː/ you.ACC.SG
206.13a Venus Venus lacrimīs with-tears oculōs as-to-the-eyes suffūsa suffused nitentīs shining Iovem Jupiter adloquitur addresses.
206.13b Venus /ˈwɛ.nʊs/ Venus.F.NOM.SG lacrimīs /ˈla.krɪ.miːs/ tear.F.ABL.PL oculōs /ˈɔ.kʊ.loːs/ eye.M.ACC.PL suffūsa /sʊfˈfuː.sa/ suffuse.PERF.PASS.PTCP.F.NOM.SG nitentīs /nɪˈtɛn.tiːs/ shine.PRES.PTCP.M.ACC.PL Iovem /ˈjɔ.wɛm/ Jupiter.M.ACC.SG adloquitur /adˈlɔ.kʷɪ.tʊr/ address.3SG.PRES.DEP
206.14a Carēre to-be-without mē me aspectū the-sight cīvium of-the-citizens quam than īnfestīs hostile omnium of-all oculīs by-the-eyes cōnspicī to-be-looked-at māllem I-would-prefer.
206.14b Carēre /kaˈreː.rɛ/ lack.PRES.INF mē /meː/ I.ACC.SG aspectū /asˈpɛk.tuː/ sight.M.ABL.SG cīvium /ˈkiː.wɪ.ʊm/ citizen.M.GEN.PL quam /kʷam/ than īnfestīs /iːnˈfɛs.tiːs/ hostile.M.ABL.PL omnium /ˈɔm.nɪ.ʊm/ all.M.GEN.PL oculīs /ˈɔ.kʊ.liːs/ eye.M.ABL.PL cōnspicī /ˈkoːn.spɪ.kiː/ observe.PRES.PASS.INF māllem /ˈmaːl.lɛm/ prefer.1SG.IMPERF.SUBJ
206.15a Quae the-things-which oculīs with-the-eyes vidēmus we-see, ea those-things facilius more-easily crēdimus we-believe quam than quae the-things-which per through aurēs the-ears audīmus we-hear.
206.15b Quae /kʷae̯/ which.N.ACC.PL oculīs /ˈɔ.kʊ.liːs/ eye.M.ABL.PL vidēmus /wɪˈdeː.mʊs/ see.1PL.PRES ea /ˈɛ.a/ that.N.ACC.PL facilius /faˈkɪ.lɪ.ʊs/ easily.ADV.COMP crēdimus /ˈkreː.dɪ.mʊs/ believe.1PL.PRES quam /kʷam/ than quae /kʷae̯/ which.N.ACC.PL per /pɛr/ through(+ACC) aurēs /ˈau̯.reːs/ ear.F.ACC.PL audīmus /au̯ˈdiː.mʊs/ hear.1PL.PRES
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206.1 Oculus videt. → "The eye sees."
206.2 Oculōs claudō. → "I close my eyes."
206.3 Puella oculōs aperit. → "The girl opens her eyes."
206.4 Ante oculōs est. → "It is right in front of your eyes."
206.5 Oculī meī dolent. → "My eyes hurt."
206.6 Nauta terram oculīs quaerēbat. → "The sailor was searching the horizon for land."
206.7 Hanc rem ante oculōs vestrōs pōnō. → "I set this matter vividly before your eyes."
206.8 Nāvis paulātim ex oculīs nostrīs ēvānuit. → "Little by little the ship vanished from our sight."
206.9 Senex oculīs captus erat, sed animō multa vidēbat. → "The old man was blind, but he saw many things with his mind."
206.10 Multōrum tē oculī et aurēs speculābuntur atque custōdient. → "The eyes and ears of many will watch you and keep guard on you." (Adapted from Cicero, In Catilinam 1.6.)
206.11 Passer mortuus est meae puellae, quem plūs illa oculīs suīs amābat. → "My girl's sparrow is dead, which she loved more than her own eyes." (Adapted from Catullus 3.3–5.)
206.12 Nī tē plūs oculīs meīs amārem, iūcundissime Calve, ōdissem tē. → "If I did not love you more than my eyes, most delightful Calvus, I would have hated you." (Adapted from Catullus 14.1–3.)
206.13 Venus lacrimīs oculōs suffūsa nitentīs Iovem adloquitur. → "Venus, her shining eyes brimming with tears, addresses Jupiter." (Adapted from Vergil, Aeneid 1.228–229.)
206.14 Carēre mē aspectū cīvium quam īnfestīs omnium oculīs cōnspicī māllem. → "I would rather do without the sight of my fellow citizens than be gazed at by the hostile eyes of all." (Cicero, In Catilinam 1.17: the closing words of a longer sentence.)
206.15 Quae oculīs vidēmus, ea facilius crēdimus quam quae per aurēs audīmus. → "What we see with our eyes we believe more readily than what we hear through our ears."
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206.1 Oculus videt.
206.2 Oculōs claudō.
206.3 Puella oculōs aperit.
206.4 Ante oculōs est.
206.5 Oculī meī dolent.
206.6 Nauta terram oculīs quaerēbat.
206.7 Hanc rem ante oculōs vestrōs pōnō.
206.8 Nāvis paulātim ex oculīs nostrīs ēvānuit.
206.9 Senex oculīs captus erat, sed animō multa vidēbat.
206.10 Multōrum tē oculī et aurēs speculābuntur atque custōdient.
206.11 Passer mortuus est meae puellae, quem plūs illa oculīs suīs amābat.
206.12 Nī tē plūs oculīs meīs amārem, iūcundissime Calve, ōdissem tē.
206.13 Venus lacrimīs oculōs suffūsa nitentīs Iovem adloquitur.
206.14 Carēre mē aspectū cīvium quam īnfestīs omnium oculīs cōnspicī māllem.
206.15 Quae oculīs vidēmus, ea facilius crēdimus quam quae per aurēs audīmus.
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These are the grammar rules for oculus in Classical Latin:
The paradigm. Oculus is a regular second-declension masculine noun in -us, declined exactly like dominus:
Singular: nominative oculus, genitive oculī, dative oculō, accusative oculum, ablative oculō, vocative ocule.
Plural: nominative oculī, genitive oculōrum, dative oculīs, accusative oculōs, ablative oculīs, vocative oculī.
Since we usually have two eyes, the plural is far more common than the singular. The forms oculōs (accusative) and oculīs (dative/ablative) appear again and again. The vocative ocule is rare, because one seldom addresses an eye. The diminutive ocellus, ocellī m. declines in the same way.
The ablative of means: oculīs vidēre. To say "with the eyes," Latin puts oculīs in the ablative with no preposition (206.6, 206.9, 206.15). English says "with," but Latin never uses cum here, because cum + ablative marks company ("together with"), not the tool you use.
The ablative of comparison: plūs oculīs. After a comparative, the thing compared can stand in the ablative without quam: plūs oculīs amāre means "to love more than one's eyes" (206.11, 206.12). The same thought with quam would be plūs quam oculōs amāre. Catullus uses the ablative form, and it became almost a proverbial measure of love.
The accusative of respect: oculōs suffūsa. In 206.13 oculōs is accusative, but it is not the object of any verb. It tells us in what respect Venus is "suffused": suffūsa lacrimīs oculōs, "suffused with tears as to her eyes," i.e. "her eyes brimming with tears." This is a poetic construction modelled on Greek, found above all with passive participles of the body. In prose, Latin would write oculīs lacrimīs suffūsīs.
Idioms to memorise: ante oculōs (+ esse, pōnere, versārī) — "before the eyes"; ante oculōs pōnere means "to present vividly" (206.4, 206.7). ex oculīs — "out of sight" (206.8). oculīs captus — "blind," literally "seized in the eyes" (206.9); compare mente captus, "mad." in oculīs — "in plain view," "in the public eye." plūs oculīs amāre — "to love more than one's eyes" (206.11, 206.12).
Agreement. Oculus is masculine, so its adjectives are masculine even when the owner is a woman: oculīs suīs (206.11, the girl's eyes), oculōs nitentīs (206.13, Venus' eyes). The reflexive suīs agrees with oculīs, not with illa. Nitentīs is the older accusative plural in -īs of a present participle, equivalent to nitentēs; Vergil prefers it.
Other constructions in Section A: dolent (206.5): intransitive doleō, "ache." The aching body part is its subject. passer mortuus est meae puellae (206.11): meae puellae is best taken as a dative of reference ("dead to my girl" = "my girl's sparrow is dead"); some readers take it as genitive. nī... amārem... ōdissem (206.12): a mixed contrary-to-fact condition. The imperfect subjunctive amārem is a present unreal condition ("if I did not love you now"); the pluperfect ōdissem is past ("I would have hated you," in the original for the gift Calvus has just sent). Nī is an old and emphatic form of nisi. māllem (206.14): the imperfect subjunctive of mālō, "I would prefer," potential. speculābuntur (206.10): the future of the deponent speculor, passive in form and active in meaning.
Common mistakes: Writing oculus with a long o or u. Both vowels are short (ŏcŭlus), so the stress is on the first syllable: Ó-cu-lus, not o-CU-lus. Treating oculus as feminine because of a female owner. The noun's gender never changes: oculī eius pulchrī sunt, not pulchrae. Using cum for the instrument. "He saw it with his eyes" is oculīs vīdit, not cum oculīs vīdit. Confusing oculus with ōs, ōris ("mouth, face") or with os, ossis ("bone"), and confusing the eye (oculus) with the face or look (vultus). Writing oculum for the plural. The accusative plural is oculōs; oculum is singular.
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Frequency and register. Oculus belongs to every register, from comedy and love poetry to oratory, history and medicine. In epic verse poets often prefer the elevated synonym lūmina ("lights") for the eyes, but oculus is never excluded. It is the plain word, and it is the word for the medical organ.
The eye as the measure of love. For Romans the eyes were the dearest thing a person owned, so "dearer than my eyes" became a formula of affection. Catullus uses it in three of the poems quoted in this lesson: of Lesbia's sparrow (poem 3), of his friend Calvus (poem 14), and, playing on the formula until it spins, in poem 82 (Section F). In Plautus' comedies lovers call each other ocellus, "little eye," among their pet names; Catullus calls his beloved peninsula Sirmio "ocelle," "little eye," the jewel of all peninsulas and islands (poem 31).
The watchful eye. In the First Catilinarian (1.6), Cicero tells Catiline that "the eyes and ears of many" will watch and guard him without his knowing, and he returns to the eyes at 1.17: Cicero would rather go without the sight of his fellow citizens than face the hostile eyes of all of them. For the orator, the public eye is both surveillance and judgement, and the phrase ante oculōs pōnere names the orator's favourite technique of making the audience see a scene as if it were present.
Eyes and belief. Romans held that the eyes are more trustworthy witnesses than the ears. Horace says in the Ars Poetica that what enters by the ear stirs the mind more slowly than what is placed before the faithful eyes. Example 206.15 is a plain-prose sentence composed on that thought; it is not a quotation.
Medicine. Roman doctors took eye disease very seriously. Celsus gives a long section of his sixth book of De Medicina to the diseases of the eyes and their treatment with collyria (eye-salves). Eye-doctors' stamps, used to mark such salves with the doctor's name and the remedy, survive in some numbers from the Roman provinces.
The eye of a plant. Farmers and gardeners called the bud from which a new shoot grows oculus, and grafting by inserting such a bud was called inoculātiō. English inoculate kept that horticultural meaning until the eighteenth century, when it was transferred to the "grafting" of a disease matter against smallpox.
This is a lesson for English speakers learning Classical Latin.
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Source: Catullus, Carmina 82 (complete)
Part F-A: Interlinear Construed Text
F.1a Quīntī O-Quintius sī if tibi to-you vīs you-wish oculōs his-eyes dēbēre to-owe Catullum Catullus
F.1b Quīntī /ˈkʷiːn.tiː/ Quintius.M.VOC.SG sī /siː/ if tibi /ˈtɪ.bɪ/ you.DAT.SG vīs /wiːs/ want.2SG.PRES oculōs /ˈɔ.kʊ.loːs/ eye.M.ACC.PL dēbēre /deːˈbeː.rɛ/ owe.PRES.INF Catullum /kaˈtʊl.lʊm/ Catullus.M.ACC.SG
F.2a aut or aliud something-else sī if quid anything cārius dearer est is oculīs than-eyes
F.2b aut /au̯t/ or aliud /ˈa.lɪ.ʊd/ other.N.ACC.SG sī /siː/ if quid /kʷɪd/ anything.N.NOM.SG cārius /ˈkaː.rɪ.ʊs/ dear.COMP.N.NOM.SG est /ɛst/ be.3SG.PRES oculīs /ˈɔ.kʊ.liːs/ eye.M.ABL.PL
F.3a ēripere to-snatch-away eī from-him nōlī do-not multō by-much quod which cārius dearer illī to-him
F.3b ēripere /eːˈrɪ.pɛ.rɛ/ snatch.PRES.INF eī /ɛi̯/ he.DAT.SG nōlī /ˈnoː.liː/ not-want.2SG.IMPV multō /ˈmʊl.toː/ much.N.ABL.SG quod /kʷɔd/ which.N.NOM.SG cārius /ˈkaː.rɪ.ʊs/ dear.COMP.N.NOM.SG illī /ˈɪl.liː/ he.DAT.SG
F.4a est is oculīs than-eyes seu or-if quid anything cārius dearer est is oculīs than-eyes
F.4b est /ɛst/ be.3SG.PRES oculīs /ˈɔ.kʊ.liːs/ eye.M.ABL.PL seu /sɛu̯/ or-if quid /kʷɪd/ anything.N.NOM.SG cārius /ˈkaː.rɪ.ʊs/ dear.COMP.N.NOM.SG est /ɛst/ be.3SG.PRES oculīs /ˈɔ.kʊ.liːs/ eye.M.ABL.PL
Part F-B: The Text from F-A with Translation
Quīntī, sī tibi vīs oculōs dēbēre Catullum aut aliud sī quid cārius est oculīs, ēripere eī nōlī multō quod cārius illī est oculīs seu quid cārius est oculīs.
→ "Quintius, if you want Catullus to owe you his eyes, or anything else, if anything is dearer than eyes, do not snatch from him what is much dearer to him than his eyes, or than whatever is dearer than eyes."
Part F-C: Original Latin Text Only
Quīntī, sī tibi vīs oculōs dēbēre Catullum aut aliud sī quid cārius est oculīs, ēripere eī nōlī multō quod cārius illī est oculīs seu quid cārius est oculīs.
Part F-D: Grammar and Literary Commentary
The whole epigram is one sentence in two elegiac couplets (four lines, hexameter and pentameter alternating). It is built on a single request: "if you want X, don't do Y." The conditional sī tibi vīs... is followed by the prohibition nōlī + infinitive (nōlī ēripere, "do not snatch"), the standard polite negative command in Latin.
Dēbēre takes two objects of different kinds: the thing owed in the accusative (oculōs) and the creditor in the dative (tibi), with Catullum as the accusative subject of the infinitive after vīs. "You wish Catullus to owe you his eyes" means "you want to put Catullus in your debt for his very eyes," the greatest favour imaginable.
Oculīs appears four times, always as an ablative of comparison after cārius: cārius est oculīs, "is dearer than eyes." Multō is an ablative of the degree of difference ("dearer by much"). Illī is a dative of reference ("dearer to him"). Eī after ēripere is a dative of separation, the regular case after verbs of taking away: ēripere alicui aliquid, "to snatch something from someone." In the verse, eī is pronounced as one syllable (synizesis).
Neither the thing Catullus fears to lose nor its taker is named. Most readers assume the thing is Catullus' beloved and that Quintius is a rival; he is probably the Quintius of poem 100, a young man of Verona. Catullus takes the lovers' formula "dearer than my eyes" and pushes it up one level ("dearer than whatever is dearer than eyes"), so the poem ends on the very word it has been repeating. The last line both echoes and outbids the second line, which ends with the same two words, cārius est oculīs. It is a small masterpiece of pressure through repetition.
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This is a short informational text composed for this lesson (it is not a quotation). It describes the human eye, its care and its place in Roman medicine and poetry, in the plain style of a Roman handbook. The facts about Celsus and the eye-salves are historical; the sentences are pedagogical.
Part A: Interlinear Construed Text
206.16a Homō a-human-being duōs two oculōs eyes habet has.
206.16b Homō /ˈhɔ.moː/ human.M.NOM.SG duōs /ˈdʊ.oːs/ two.M.ACC.PL oculōs /ˈɔ.kʊ.loːs/ eye.M.ACC.PL habet /ˈha.bɛt/ have.3SG.PRES
206.17a Oculī the-eyes in in capite the-head sub below fronte the-forehead positī placed sunt are.
206.17b Oculī /ˈɔ.kʊ.liː/ eye.M.NOM.PL in /ɪn/ in(+ABL) capite /ˈka.pɪ.tɛ/ head.N.ABL.SG sub /sʊb/ under(+ABL) fronte /ˈfrɔn.tɛ/ forehead.F.ABL.SG positī /ˈpɔ.sɪ.tiː/ place.PERF.PASS.PTCP.M.NOM.PL sunt /sʊnt/ be.3PL.PRES
206.18a Palpebrae the-eyelids oculōs the-eyes tegunt cover et and dēfendunt protect.
206.18b Palpebrae /ˈpal.pɛ.brae̯/ eyelid.F.NOM.PL oculōs /ˈɔ.kʊ.loːs/ eye.M.ACC.PL tegunt /ˈtɛ.ɡʊnt/ cover.3PL.PRES et /ɛt/ and dēfendunt /deːˈfɛn.dʊnt/ protect.3PL.PRES
206.19a Oculus the-eye lūmine light eget needs; in in tenebrīs darkness nihil nothing cernit it-discerns.
206.19b Oculus /ˈɔ.kʊ.lʊs/ eye.M.NOM.SG lūmine /ˈluː.mɪ.nɛ/ light.N.ABL.SG eget /ˈɛ.ɡɛt/ need.3SG.PRES(+ABL) in /ɪn/ in(+ABL) tenebrīs /ˈtɛ.nɛ.briːs/ darkness.F.ABL.PL nihil /ˈnɪ.hɪl/ nothing.N.ACC.SG cernit /ˈkɛr.nɪt/ discern.3SG.PRES
206.20a Per through oculōs the-eyes imāginēs the-images rērum of-things ad to animum the-mind perveniunt arrive.
206.20b Per /pɛr/ through(+ACC) oculōs /ˈɔ.kʊ.loːs/ eye.M.ACC.PL imāginēs /ɪˈmaː.ɡɪ.neːs/ image.F.NOM.PL rērum /ˈreː.rʊm/ thing.F.GEN.PL ad /ad/ to(+ACC) animum /ˈa.nɪ.mʊm/ mind.M.ACC.SG perveniunt /pɛrˈwɛ.nɪ.ʊnt/ arrive.3PL.PRES
206.21a Oculī the-eyes saepe often animī of-the-mind affectūs the-feelings ostendunt show.
206.21b Oculī /ˈɔ.kʊ.liː/ eye.M.NOM.PL saepe /ˈsae̯.pɛ/ often.ADV animī /ˈa.nɪ.miː/ mind.M.GEN.SG affectūs /afˈfɛk.tuːs/ feeling.M.ACC.PL ostendunt /ɔsˈtɛn.dʊnt/ show.3PL.PRES
206.22a Īrātī of-an-angry hominis person oculī the-eyes ārdent blaze; maestī of-a-sad-one lacrimīs with-tears madent are-wet.
206.22b Īrātī /iːˈraː.tiː/ angry.M.GEN.SG hominis /ˈhɔ.mɪ.nɪs/ person.M.GEN.SG oculī /ˈɔ.kʊ.liː/ eye.M.NOM.PL ārdent /ˈaːr.dɛnt/ blaze.3PL.PRES maestī /ˈmae̯s.tiː/ sad.M.GEN.SG lacrimīs /ˈla.krɪ.miːs/ tear.F.ABL.PL madent /ˈma.dɛnt/ be-wet.3PL.PRES
206.23a Medicī the-doctors Rōmānī Roman multōs many oculōrum of-the-eyes morbōs diseases cūrābant used-to-treat.
206.23b Medicī /ˈmɛ.dɪ.kiː/ doctor.M.NOM.PL Rōmānī /roːˈmaː.niː/ Roman.M.NOM.PL multōs /ˈmʊl.toːs/ many.M.ACC.PL oculōrum /ɔ.kʊˈloː.rʊm/ eye.M.GEN.PL morbōs /ˈmɔr.boːs/ disease.M.ACC.PL cūrābant /kuːˈraː.bant/ treat.3PL.IMPERF
206.24a Celsus Celsus in in librō book sextō the-sixth dē about oculōrum of-the-eyes vitiīs the-ailments dīligenter carefully scrīpsit wrote.
206.24b Celsus /ˈkɛl.sʊs/ Celsus.M.NOM.SG in /ɪn/ in(+ABL) librō /ˈlɪ.broː/ book.M.ABL.SG sextō /ˈsɛks.toː/ sixth.M.ABL.SG dē /deː/ about(+ABL) oculōrum /ɔ.kʊˈloː.rʊm/ eye.M.GEN.PL vitiīs /ˈwɪ.tɪ.iːs/ ailment.N.ABL.PL dīligenter /diː.lɪˈɡɛn.tɛr/ carefully.ADV scrīpsit /ˈskriːp.sɪt/ write.3SG.PERF
206.25a Medicī the-doctors collyria collyria id that est is medicāmenta medicines oculōrum of-the-eyes parābant used-to-prepare.
206.25b Medicī /ˈmɛ.dɪ.kiː/ doctor.M.NOM.PL collyria /kɔlˈly.rɪ.a/ eye-salve.N.ACC.PL id /ɪd/ that.N.NOM.SG est /ɛst/ be.3SG.PRES medicāmenta /mɛ.dɪ.kaːˈmɛn.ta/ medicine.N.ACC.PL oculōrum /ɔ.kʊˈloː.rʊm/ eye.M.GEN.PL parābant /paˈraː.bant/ prepare.3PL.IMPERF
206.26a Quī whoever oculīs in-the-eyes captus seized est is, caecus blind appellātur is-called.
206.26b Quī /kʷiː/ who.M.NOM.SG oculīs /ˈɔ.kʊ.liːs/ eye.M.ABL.PL captus /ˈkap.tʊs/ seize.PERF.PASS.PTCP.M.NOM.SG est /ɛst/ be.3SG.PRES caecus /ˈkae̯.kʊs/ blind.M.NOM.SG appellātur /ap.pɛlˈlaː.tʊr/ call.3SG.PRES.PASS
206.27a Caecus the-blind-man oculīs with-the-eyes nihil nothing videt sees, sed but saepe often aurēs ears acūtās sharp habet he-has.
206.27b Caecus /ˈkae̯.kʊs/ blind.M.NOM.SG oculīs /ˈɔ.kʊ.liːs/ eye.M.ABL.PL nihil /ˈnɪ.hɪl/ nothing.N.ACC.SG videt /ˈwɪ.dɛt/ see.3SG.PRES sed /sɛd/ but saepe /ˈsae̯.pɛ/ often.ADV aurēs /ˈau̯.reːs/ ear.F.ACC.PL acūtās /aˈkuː.taːs/ sharp.F.ACC.PL habet /ˈha.bɛt/ have.3SG.PRES
206.28a Poētae the-poets oculōs the-eyes puellārum of-girls stellīs to-stars comparābant used-to-compare.
206.28b Poētae /pɔˈeː.tae̯/ poet.M.NOM.PL oculōs /ˈɔ.kʊ.loːs/ eye.M.ACC.PL puellārum /pʊ.ɛlˈlaː.rʊm/ girl.F.GEN.PL stellīs /ˈstɛl.liːs/ star.F.DAT.PL comparābant /kɔm.paˈraː.bant/ compare.3PL.IMPERF
206.29a Amantēs lovers amīcam girlfriend suam their-own ocellum little-eye vocābant used-to-call, id that est is oculum an-eye parvum small.
206.29b Amantēs /aˈman.teːs/ lover.M.NOM.PL amīcam /aˈmiː.kam/ girlfriend.F.ACC.SG suam /ˈsʊ.am/ their-own.F.ACC.SG ocellum /ɔˈkɛl.lʊm/ little-eye.M.ACC.SG vocābant /wɔˈkaː.bant/ call.3PL.IMPERF id /ɪd/ that.N.NOM.SG est /ɛst/ be.3SG.PRES oculum /ˈɔ.kʊ.lʊm/ eye.M.ACC.SG parvum /ˈpar.wʊm/ small.M.ACC.SG
206.30a Nihil nothing enim for hominī to-a-human-being cārius dearer est is oculīs than-the-eyes.
206.30b Nihil /ˈnɪ.hɪl/ nothing.N.NOM.SG enim /ˈɛ.nɪm/ for.CONJ hominī /ˈhɔ.mɪ.niː/ human.M.DAT.SG cārius /ˈkaː.rɪ.ʊs/ dear.COMP.N.NOM.SG est /ɛst/ be.3SG.PRES oculīs /ˈɔ.kʊ.liːs/ eye.M.ABL.PL
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Part B: Natural Sentences
206.16 Homō duōs oculōs habet. → "A human being has two eyes."
206.17 Oculī in capite sub fronte positī sunt. → "The eyes are set in the head, below the forehead."
206.18 Palpebrae oculōs tegunt et dēfendunt. → "The eyelids cover and protect the eyes."
206.19 Oculus lūmine eget; in tenebrīs nihil cernit. → "The eye needs light; in darkness it makes out nothing."
206.20 Per oculōs imāginēs rērum ad animum perveniunt. → "Through the eyes the images of things reach the mind."
206.21 Oculī saepe animī affectūs ostendunt. → "The eyes often reveal the feelings of the mind."
206.22 Īrātī hominis oculī ārdent; maestī lacrimīs madent. → "An angry person's eyes blaze; a sad person's are wet with tears."
206.23 Medicī Rōmānī multōs oculōrum morbōs cūrābant. → "Roman doctors treated many diseases of the eyes."
206.24 Celsus in librō sextō dē oculōrum vitiīs dīligenter scrīpsit. → "Celsus wrote carefully about the ailments of the eyes in his sixth book."
206.25 Medicī collyria, id est medicāmenta oculōrum, parābant. → "Doctors prepared collyria, that is, medicines for the eyes."
206.26 Quī oculīs captus est, caecus appellātur. → "Anyone who has lost the use of his eyes is called blind."
206.27 Caecus oculīs nihil videt, sed saepe aurēs acūtās habet. → "A blind man sees nothing with his eyes, but often has sharp ears."
206.28 Poētae oculōs puellārum stellīs comparābant. → "Poets used to compare girls' eyes to stars."
206.29 Amantēs amīcam suam ocellum vocābant, id est oculum parvum. → "Lovers used to call their sweetheart 'ocellus,' that is, 'little eye.'"
206.30 Nihil enim hominī cārius est oculīs. → "For nothing is dearer to a human being than the eyes."
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Part C: Latin Text Only
206.16 Homō duōs oculōs habet.
206.17 Oculī in capite sub fronte positī sunt.
206.18 Palpebrae oculōs tegunt et dēfendunt.
206.19 Oculus lūmine eget; in tenebrīs nihil cernit.
206.20 Per oculōs imāginēs rērum ad animum perveniunt.
206.21 Oculī saepe animī affectūs ostendunt.
206.22 Īrātī hominis oculī ārdent; maestī lacrimīs madent.
206.23 Medicī Rōmānī multōs oculōrum morbōs cūrābant.
206.24 Celsus in librō sextō dē oculōrum vitiīs dīligenter scrīpsit.
206.25 Medicī collyria, id est medicāmenta oculōrum, parābant.
206.26 Quī oculīs captus est, caecus appellātur.
206.27 Caecus oculīs nihil videt, sed saepe aurēs acūtās habet.
206.28 Poētae oculōs puellārum stellīs comparābant.
206.29 Amantēs amīcam suam ocellum vocābant, id est oculum parvum.
206.30 Nihil enim hominī cārius est oculīs.
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Part D: Grammar Notes for Genre Section
The informational text uses almost every case form of oculus: nominative plural oculī (206.17, 206.21, 206.22), accusative plural oculōs (206.16, 206.18, 206.20, 206.28), genitive plural oculōrum (206.23, 206.24, 206.25), ablative plural oculīs (206.26, 206.27, 206.30), nominative singular oculus (206.19) and accusative singular oculum (206.29), as well as the diminutive ocellum.
Verbs of need take the ablative: lūmine eget, "needs light" (206.19). Egeō, like careō in 206.14, takes an ablative of the thing lacking or needed.
Id est ("that is") introduces an explanation in apposition (206.25, 206.29). The explained noun and its explanation stand in the same case: collyria... medicāmenta (both accusative), ocellum... oculum parvum (both accusative). Id stays neuter singular whatever it explains.
Ellipsis of the noun: in 206.22 maestī means maestī hominis [oculī], "(the eyes) of a sad (person)." Latin readily leaves out a noun already understood from the first clause.
Comparāre with the dative: oculōs stellīs comparāre, "to compare eyes to stars" (206.28). Cum + ablative is also possible (cum stellīs).
The generalising relative in 206.26 (quī... captus est, caecus appellātur) has no antecedent: "(he) who is seized in the eyes is called blind." The antecedent is understood from the main clause. In 206.26 oculīs captus is the same idiom as in 206.9.
Sentence 206.30 closes the text with the ablative of comparison from Catullus: cārius est oculīs, "is dearer than the eyes." Nihil is neuter, so the comparative adjective is neuter as well: cārius.
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Vowel length. The macrons in this lesson mark long vowels. They are editorial aids: Romans did not write them. Oculus has no long vowels in its stem, so every macron in its paradigm falls on an ending: oculī, oculō, oculōrum, oculīs, oculōs. Say those endings long, because they distinguish the cases: oculō (dative/ablative singular) against oculus (nominative) and oculum (accusative).
Stress. Latin stress falls on the second-to-last syllable if that syllable is heavy, and otherwise on the third-from-last. That gives Ó-cu-lus, Ó-cu-lī and Ó-cu-līs, but o-cu-LŌ-rum and o-CEL-lus.
Consonants. C is always /k/: oculus is O-ku-lus, never "O-su-lus" or "O-chu-lus." Double consonants are held: ocellus has a long l, collyria a long l, puella a long l.
Greek words. Collyrium (Greek κολλύριον) keeps the Greek y, pronounced /y/ like French u or German ü by educated Romans.
Spelling. Quīntius (in Catullus 82) is also spelled Quinctius. The vocative of names in -ius ends in -ī: Quīntī, not Quīntie (compare Vergilī, fīlī).
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