Nūlla potest mulier tantum sē dīcere amātam
vērē, quantum ā mē Lesbia amāta mea est.
Nūlla fidēs ūllō fuit umquam foedere tanta,
quanta in amōre tuō ex parte reperta meā est.
notes
Catullus swears that he has loved Lesbia to a greater extent than any other man has ever loved a woman. Each couplet is centered around a correlative expression; the first and third lines both begin with nūlla and the second and fourth lines both end with mea est (although Catullus uses mea in two different cases). As with some of his other elegiac poems, Catullus hopes to convey to the reader, and perhaps to Lesbia or even himself, that he holds a greater than romantic love for Lesbia; his devotion to her is a unique, trusted loyalty that implies a more lasting pact between them.
Meter: elegiac couplets
1: Nūlla…mulier: “no woman” or even “no wife” Cf. Poem 70. tantum… quantum: “as greatly…as” or “to such a great extent…as.” amātam: supply esse.
2: vērē: “truly, really.”
3: ūllō…foedere: “in any pact”; the adjective ūllus is used mainly in negative and hypothetical sentences; the noun foedus is often used for an agreement between states or political parties. fidēs: “trust, belief, faith”; nominative singular.
4: in amōre tuō: “in love of you.” ex parte…meā: “on my part.”reperta … est: “was discovered”; 3rd singular perfect passive of reperiō.