Catullus in Wheelock

For the last few months I've been teaching an online adult Latin class, using Wheelock. It has been many years since I have taken a look at my well-loved old textbook. (I've had to tape the binding together because it was falling apart.) It has been enjoyable going through the book again and reading the passages from literature that Wheelock has chosen for beginners to translate. After many years of study in college and outside of college I have learned to look deeper into the text. Translation is not just translation. In Chapter 7 of Wheelock's Latin, he asks the student to translate some Catullus. I read this passage, thoroughly analyzing the text by asking the question: Why did Catullus choose that word order? This piece of Catullus is not just for beginners. Catullus writes with true meaning. I have transcribed the passage below, excluding the commas:

Cornelio viro magnae sapientiae dabo pulchrum librum novum. Corneli mi amice libros meos semper laudabas et es magister doctus litterarum! Quare habe novum laborem meum: fama libri et tua fama erit perpetua.

In the first sentence Cornelius, the man Catullus is dedicating the book to, comes first. Then three words describing Cornelius come after and then Catullus mentions himself. Then another three words describing the type of book Catullus is giving to Cornelius. Catullus places himself between the man and the book. His book is lovely and new. Cornelius is great and wise. Catullus is between wisdom and beauty. Catullus may be saying that his book is beautiful because it is dedicated to someone wise. Everything that Catullus does is new, but he learned everything from his learned friend, Cornelius. Since their lives have been intermingled, his book will increase Cornelius' fame. Catullus hopes that the fame of his book will spread to Cornelius and give his friend perpetual fame. At the end meum agrees with the novum laborem but also refers to the fama libri. He could have written mea fama libri, but instead he avoids upstaging Cornelius with fama libri et tua fama. Catullus ingeniously places perpetua at the end, focusing on the fact that the fame will last forever.