In Catullus VIII, Catullus struggles with his conflict between his heart and his mind. He simply is not able to decide whether to end his affair, or to continue chasing after Lesbia. I must agree with Catullus, he needs to stop being a fool.
At first, Catullus's will seems to overpower his emotions."tu quoque impotens noli, nec quae fugit sectare, nec miser vive, sed obstinata mente perfer, obdura." he says. He tells himself what he must do to get over Lesbia and even finishes out by wishing her well (Vale, puella.). He calls her wicked and starts shooting harsh questions her way. But then the tone changes, and Catullus starts to question what he will be missing and who Lesbia will now belong to. "Quem nunc amabis? Cuius esse diceris? Quem basiabis? Cui labella mordebis?" Catullus starts to see just what he will be losing, and I believe that he will not be able to let her go.
Ultimately, the questions flooding through Catullus's mind are what prevent him from ending the affair. He is afraid of losing Lesbia (and from the way he made her sound in Poem V, he should not want that woman to leave!). He wants to be strong, to be able to let her go. The problem is that Catullus is enamored; he is in love and does not want to lose that love. The fear that Lesbia will belong to someone else seems to terrify this man, and personally, I think he'll go and chase her down.
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