AC1119, your thoughts on silphium are exactly on target, and thanks for the illustration. It was believed to be a contraceptive, and was a very sought-after commodity in antiquity. From a Greek or Roman point of view, to be in a love affair with a woman who can't bear you any legitimate children (for whatever reason-- she may be a slave or non-citizen or married to someone else) is to be in a sterile relationship--hence the emphasis on the sands of the desert and the heat in Egypt and Libya. Torrid affair = sterility, yet it is still exotic and attractive. Lots of conflicting emotions in Catullus.
As for poem 9, yes, your translation after 'ut mos est tuus" is correct.
N.B.: henDECAsyllabics.
Gratias Thetis!
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