Catullus is self-deprecating about his new little book of poems – but he wants it to last nevertheless.
The poet holding a Roman book in the illustration is Virgil, from a fifth-century manuscript. The text below him is unpunctuated and written in continuous capitals, suggesting that reading poetry to yourself was not as easy then as it is now. The round bin on the left is a bookcase.
Hear the Latin and follow in English here.