Carmina

Catullus

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

  1. With your light budgets packt to hand,
  2. Veránius best! Fabúllus mine!
  3. What do ye? Bore ye enough, in fine
  4. Of frost and famine with yon sot?
  5. What loss or gain have haply got
  6. Your tablets? so, whenas I ranged
  7. With Praetor, gains for loss were changed.
  8. "O Memmius! thou did'st long and late
  9. . . me supine slow and . . . "
  10. But (truly see I) in such case
  11. Diddled you were by wight as base
  12. Sans mercy. Noble friends go claim!
  13. Now god and goddess give you grame
  14. Disgrace of Romulus! Remus' shame!
  1. Who e'er could witness this (who could endure
  2. Except the lewdling, dicer, greedy-gut)
  3. That should Mamurra get what hairy Gaul
  4. And all that farthest Britons held whilòme?
  5. (Thou bardache Romulus!) this wilt see and bear?
  6. Then art a lewdling, dicer, greedy-gut!
  7. He now superb with pride superfluous
  8. Shall go perambulate the bedrooms all
  9. Like white-robed dovelet or Adonis-love.
  10. Romulus thou bardache! this wilt see and bear?
  11. Then art a lewdling, dicer, greedy-gut!
  12. Is't for such like name, sole Emperor thou!
  13. Thou soughtest extreme Occidental Isle?
  14. That this your . . . . Mentula
  15. Millions and Milliards might at will absorb?
  16. What is't but Liberality misplaced?
  17. What trifles wasted he, small heirlooms spent?
  18. First his paternal goods were clean dispersed;
  19. Second went Pontus' spoils and for the third,—
  20. Ebro-land,—weets it well gold-rolling Tage.
  21. Fear him the Gallias? Him the Britons' fear?
  22. Why cherish this ill-wight? what 'vails he do?
  23. Save fat paternal heritage devour?
  24. Lost ye for such a name, o puissant pair
  25. (Father and Son-in-law), our all-in-all?
  1. Alfénus! short of memory, false to comrades dearest-dear,
  2. Now hast no pity (hardened Soul!) for friend and loving fere?
  3. Now to betray me, now to guile. thou (traitor!) ne'er dost pause?
  4. Yet impious feats of fraudful men ne'er force the Gods' applause:
  5. When heed'st thou not deserting me (Sad me!) in sorest scathe,
  6. Ah say whate'er shall humans do? in whom shall man show faith?