Catullus 86

Catullus, unlike in poem 43, takes on a different tone to compare a girl by the name of Quintia and Lesbia. In the other poem, he was quick to use negative comments such as calling her a girl with "neither a small nose, beautiful feet, long finger..." However, in this poem, Catullus starts the poem off by naming off more positive attributes of the Quintia, such as her being "fair skinned (which indicates her wealth, due to her lack working in the sun), tall, and stately." In this poem, Catullus is generous in his compliments, before leaving a subtle 'but...' towards the middle, to compare Lesbia and her, and to show what she is missing that Lesbia has. Catullus was able to get his main message across of Lesbia being the more beautiful of the two, but this time, he opted to write it without as much of a scornful tone.