Ōdī et amō. Quārē id faciam, fortasse requīris.
Nescio, sed fierī sentiō et excrucior.
notes
Catullus explores the conflicting emotions of being in love. As Garrison notes in his introduction to 85, the vitality of the poem, and perhaps of Catullus’ emotions, is emphasized by having eight verbs (four in each line) occur within this single couplet. Cf. Ovid, Amores 2.4 and Martial 1.32.
Meter: Elegiac couplets.
1: Quārē: interrogative “why." requīris: “you ask”; introduces an indirect question (AG §586) (Quārē id faciam: “why I do it”).
2: fierī sentiō: “I feel that it happens”; sentiō introduces one word indirect statement (AG §577) with fierī. excrucior: “I am tortured”; present passive.
vocabulary
fortasse or fortassis: perhaps
requīrō requīrere requīsīvī requīsītus: try to find, seek, look for, ask about; need, miss
excruciō excruciāre excruciāvī excruciātus: torture, torment