Carmina

Catullus

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

  1. Cupid, should I return to her anon
  2. And cease to brandish iamb-lines accurst,
  3. The writ selected erst of bards the worst
  4. She to the limping Godhead would devote
  5. With slowly-burning wood of illest note.
  6. This was the vilest which my girl could find
  7. With vow facetious to the Gods assigned.
  8. Now, 0 Creation of the azure sea,
  9. Holy Idalium, Urian havenry
  10. Haunting, Ancona, Cnidos' reedy site,
  11. Amathus, Golgos, and the tavern hight
  12. Durrachium-thine Adrian abode—
  13. The vow accepting, recognize the vowed
  14. As not unworthy and unhandsome naught.
  15. But do ye meanwhile to the fire be brought,
  16. That teem with boorish jest of sorry blade,
  17. Volusius' Annals, paper scum-bewrayed.
  1. Salacious Tavern and ye taverner-host,
  2. From Pileate Brothers the ninth pile-post,
  3. D'ye claim, you only of the, mentule boast,
  4. D'ye claim alone what damsels be the best
  5. To swive: as he-goats holding all the rest?
  6. Is't when like boobies sit ye incontinent here,
  7. One or two hundred, deem ye that I fear
  8. Two hundred . . . . at one brunt?
  9. Ay, think so, natheless all your tavern-front
  10. With many a scorpion I will over-write.
  11. For that my damsel, fro' my breast took flight,
  12. By me so lovèd, as shall loved be none,
  13. Wherefor so mighty wars were waged and won,
  14. Does sit in public here. Ye fain, rich wights,
  15. All woo her: thither too (the chief of slights !)
  16. All pitiful knaves and by-street wenchers fare,
  17. And thou, (than any worse), with hanging hair,
  18. In coney-breeding Celtiberia bred,
  19. Egnatius! bonnified by beard full-fed,
  20. And teeth with Spanish urine polishèd.
  1. Cornificius! 'Tis ill with thy Catullus,
  2. 'Tis ill (by Hercules) distressfully:
  3. Iller and iller every day and hour.
  4. Whose soul (as smallest boon and easiest)
  5. With what of comfort hast thou deign'd console?
  6. Wi' thee I'm angered! Dost so prize my love?
  7. Yet some consoling utterance had been well
  8. Though sadder 'twere than Simonídean tears.
  1. Egnatius for that owns he teeth snow-white,
  2. Grins ever, everywhere. When placed a wight
  3. In dock, when pleader would draw tears, the while
  4. He grins. When pious son at funeral pile
  6. Mourns, or lone mother sobs for sole lost son,
  7. He grins. Whate'er, whene'er, howe'er is done,
  8. Of deed he grins. Such be his malady,
  9. Nor kind, nor courteous-so beseemeth me—
  10. Then take thou good Egnatius, rede of mine!
  11. Wert Thou Corrupt Sabine Or A Tiburtine,
  12. Stuffed Umbrian or Tuscan overgrown
  13. Swarthy Lanuvian with his teeth-rows shown,