M/M: I'm Not Jealous, But... Catullus 81

 So, Juventius,  there’s no one in the whole world

No handsome guy

Whom you’d begin to have feelings for

Except THAT guy from Pisaurum (a dying town for sure),

a guy paler than a gilded statue…

That’s the man in your heart?

You dare to prefer him over ME?

Don’t you know what a terrible mistake you’re making?

Nemone in tanto potuit populo esse, Iuventi,
     bellus homo, quem tu diligere inciperes.
praeterquam iste tuus moribunda ab sede Pisauri
     hospes inaurata pallidior statua,
qui tibi nunc cordi est, quem tu praeponere nobis
     audes, et nescis quod facinus facias?

---Catullus LXXXI

Catullus was a Roman statesman born in Verona  (Cisalpine Gaul, located in northern Italy) who lived during the tumultuous last days of the Roman Republic.  His poetry offers rare insight into the mores of the time period. Like Propertius and Tibullus, Catullus used a pseudonym for the objects of his attention; many of his love poems were addressed to either “Lesbia” or “Juventius.”

M/M: I'm Not Jealous, But... Catullus 24

Name: Catullus Date:  84 – 54 BCE Region:  Verona / Cisalpine Gaul [modern northern Italy] Citation:  Poem 24

Juventius, the tender bud of your family, 

the best there is, 

there ever was, 

or ever will be, 

I would rather you give the wealth of Midas 

to that guy (a man, I might add, who doesn't even have a slave or a bank account!)

than for you to allow yourself to be courted by him. 

"But isn't he just dreamy?" you say.

Sure, he's nice, but he doesn't even have a slave, or a bank account!

Fine. Mock my words and dismiss them, 

but it won't change the fact that he doesn't even have a slave or a bank account!   

O qui flosculus es Iuventiorum,

non horum modo, sed quot aut fuerunt

aut posthac aliis erunt in annis,

mallem divitias Midae dedisses

isti, cui neque servus est neque arca,

quam sic te sineres ab illo amari.

'qui? non est homo bellus?' inquies. est:

sed bello huic neque servus est neque arca.

hoc tu quam lubet abice elevaque:

nec servum tamen ille habet neque arcam.

Catullus [Gaius Valerius Catullus; 84 – 54 BCE, modern Italy] was a Roman statesman born in Verona [modern Italy] who lived during the tumultuous last days of the Roman Republic.  His poetry offers rare insight into the lives of people who lived during his time period. Like Propertius and Tibullus, Catullus used a pseudonym for the objects of his attention; many of his love poems were addressed to either “Lesbia” or “Juventius.”

ISO Gay Friends; I'm Tired of the Competition. Propertius, Eleg. 2.4.16-22

Name:  Propertius Date:  50 – 15 BCE Region:   Assisium [modern Italy] Citation:    Elegies 2.4.16-22

Whatever kind of relationship I'm in now, it's completely baffled me.
Whoever is into girls is my enemy now;
whoever is into guys, is now my friend.
Safely a gay man meanders down the tranquil streams of love,
what harm can such meager waves harm you?
A boyfriend can often change his mind with a single word,
but a girlfriend can scarcely change her feelings even when paid in your blood.

Sic est incautum, quidquid habetur amor.
Hostis si quis erit nobis, amet ille puellas:
gaudeat in puero, si quis amicus erit.
Tranquillo tuta descendis flumine cumba:
quid tibi tam parvi litoris unda nocet?
Alter saepe uno mutat praecordia verbo,
altera vix ipso sanguine mollis erit.

Propertius [Sextus Propertius; 50-15 BCE, modern Italy] was an Italian-born Roman lyric poet whose love poetry provides insight into the customs of Augustan Rome. Like Catullus and Tibullus, Propertius used a pseudonym for the object of his attention; many of his love poems were addressed to “Cynthia.”