Carmina

Catullus

Catullus, Gaius Valerius. The Carmina of Caius Valerius Catullus. Burton, Sir Richard Francis, translator. London, Printed for the Translators, 1894.

  1. Indited not as wont on palimpsest,
  2. But paper-royal, brand-new boards, and best
  3. Fresh bosses, crimson ribbands, sheets with lead
  4. Ruled, and with pumice-powder all well polished.
  5. These as thou readest, seem that fine, urbane
  6. Suffenus, goat-herd mere, or ditcher-swain
  7. Once more, such horrid change is there, so vile.
  8. What must we wot thereof? a Droll erst while,
  9. Or (if aught) cleverer, he with converse meets,
  10. He now in dullness, dullest villain beats
  11. Forthright on handling verse, nor is the wight
  12. Ever so happy as when verse he write:
  13. So self admires he with so full delight.
  14. In sooth, we all thus err, nor man there be
  15. But in some matter a Suffenus see
  16. Thou canst: his lache allotted none shall lack
  17. Yet spy we nothing of our back-borne pack.
  1. Furius ! Nor chest, nor slaves can claim,
  2. Bug, Spider, nor e'e n hearth aflame,
  3. Yet thine a sire and step-dame who
  4. Wi' tooth can ever flint-food chew!
  5. So thou, and pleasant happy life
  6. Lead wi' thy parents wooden wife.
  7. Nor be this marvel: hale are all,
  8. Well ye digest; no fears appal
  9. For household-arsons, heavy ruin,
  10. Plunderings impious, poison-brewin'
  11. Or other parlous case forlorn.
  12. Your frames are hard and dried like horn,
  13. Or if more arid aught ye know
  14. By suns and frosts and hunger-throe.
  15. Then why not happy as thou'rt hale?
  16. Sweat's strange to thee, spit fails, and fail
  17. Phlegm and foul snivel from the nose.
  18. Add cleanness that aye cleanlier shows
  19. A bum than salt-pot cleanlier,
  20. Nor ten times cack'st in total year,
  21. And harder 'tis than pebble or bean
  22. Which rubbed in hand or crumbled, e'en
  23. On finger ne'er shall make unclean.