Carmina

Catullus

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

  1. The raging surge of salty sea and ocean's tyrant hand
  2. As your hate of Venus' hest your manly forms unmann'd,
  3. Gladden your souls, ye mistresses, with sense of error bann'd.
  4. Drive from your spirits dull delay, together follow ye
  5. To hold of Phrygian goddess, home of Phrygian Cybebe,
  6. Where loud the cymbal's voice resounds with timbrel-echoes blending,
  7. And where the Phrygian piper drones grave bass from reed a-bending,
  8. Where toss their ivy-circled heads with might the Maenades
  9. Where ply mid shrilly lullilooes the holiest mysteries,
  10. Where to fly here and there be wont the she-god's vaguing train,
  11. Thither behoves us lead the dance in quick-step hasty strain."
  12. Soon as had Atys (bastard-she) this lay to comrades sung
  13. The Chorus sudden lulliloos with quivering, quavering tongue,