Ceveant versiculi. Per l’esegesi di Catull. 16,9-11

No one of the current interpretations of Catull. 16 can convincingly explain the opposition between the pueri and the mysterious pilosi at l. 10 non dico pueris sed his pilosis. They have to be interpreted as causal ablatives or, alternatively, final datives, governed by quod pruriat at l. 9: they do not refer to the excited readers of Catullian versiculi, but to the object of the passion of the same readers. If so interpreted, pueri and pilosi get a fully satisfying meaning (the ‘small boys’ in childish age vs the ‘young people’, which already have hairy and hard limbs), in line with ancient representations and language of the pederast love. By consequence, other details of the poem can be better explained, as well as of the long Nachleben of the poem (Martial 1,35 and 11,6 and Ausonius Cento nupt. epil. p. 153,5 Green are fully reexamined).