Carmina

Catullus

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

  1. All be a desolate waste: all makes display of destruction.
  2. Yet never close these eyes in latest languor of dying,
  3. Ne'er from my wearied frame go forth slow-ebbing my senses,
  4. Ere from the Gods just doom implore I, treason-betrayed,
  5. And with my breath supreme firm faith of Celestials invoke I.
  6. Therefore, O you who 'venge man's deed with penalties direful,
  7. Eumenides! aye wont to bind with viperous hairlocks
  8. Foreheads,—Oh, deign outspeak fierce wrath from bosom outbreathing,
  9. Hither, Oh hither, speed, and lend you all ear to my grievance,
  10. Which now sad I (alas!) outpour from innermost vitals
  11. Maugre my will, sans help, blind, fired with furious madness.
  12. And, as indeed all spring from veriest core of my bosom,
  13. Suffer you not the cause of grief and woe to evanish;
  14. But with the Will wherewith could Theseus leave me in loneness,
  15. Goddesses! bid that Will lead him, lead his, to destruction."

  16. E'en as she thus poured forth these words from anguish of bosom,
  17. And for this cruel deed, distracted, sued she for vengeance,
  18. Nodded the Ruler of Gods Celestial, matchless of All-might,
  19. When at the gest earth-plain and horrid spaces of ocean
  20. Trembled, and every sphere rockt stars and planets resplendent.
  21. Meanwhile Theseus himself, obscured in blindness of darkness
  22. As to his mind, dismiss'd from breast oblivious all things
  23. Erewhile enjoined and held hereto in memory constant,
  24. Nor for his saddened sire the gladness-signals uphoisting
  25. Heralded safe return within sight of the Erechthean harbour.
  26. For 'twas told of yore, when from walls of the Virginal Deess
  27. Aegeus speeding his son, to the care of breezes committed,
  28. Thus with a last embrace to the youth spoke words of commandment:

  29. "Son! far nearer my heart (you alone) than life of the longest,
  30. Son, I perforce dismiss to doubtful, dangerous chances,
  31. Lately restored to me when eld draws nearest his ending,
  32. Since such fortune in me, and in you such boiling of valour
  33. Tear you away from me so loath, whose eyes in their languor
  34. Never are sated with sight of my son, all-dearest of figures.
  35. Nor will I send you forth with joy that gladdens my bosom,
  36. Nor will I suffer you show boon signs of favouring Fortune,
  37. But from my soul I'll first express an issue of sorrow,
  38. Soiling my hoary hairs with dust and ashes commingled;
  39. Then will I hang stained sails fast-made to the wavering yard-arms,
  40. So shall our mourning thought and burning torture of spirit
  41. Show by the dark sombre-dye of Iberian canvas spread.
  42. But, grant me the grace Who dwells in Sacred Itone,
  43. (And our issue to guard and ward the seats of Erechtheus
  44. Sware She) that if your right is besprent with blood of the Man-Bull,
  45. Then do you so-wise act, and stored in memory's heart-core
  46. Dwell these mandates of me, no time their traces untracing.
  47. Dip, when first shall arise our hills to gladden your eye-glance,
  48. Down from your every mast the ill-omened vestments of mourning,
  49. Then let the twisten ropes upheave the whitest of canvas,
  50. Wherewith splendid shall gleam the tallest spars of the top-mast,
  51. These seeing sans delay with joy exalting my spirit
  52. Well shall I wot boon Time sets you returning before me."

  53. Such were the mandates which stored at first in memory constant
  54. Faded from Theseus' mind like mists, compelled by the whirlwind,
  55. Fleet from aerial crests of mountains hoary with snow-drifts.
  56. But as the sire had sought the citadel's summit for outlook,
  57. Wasting his anxious eyes with tear-floods evermore flowing,
  58. Forthright e'en as he saw the sail-gear darkened with dye-stain,
  59. Headlong himself flung he from the sea-cliff's pinnacled summit
  60. Holding his Theseus lost by doom of pitiless Fortune.
  61. Thus as he came to the home funest, his roof-tree paternal,
  62. Theseus (vaunting the death), what dule to the maiden of Minos
  63. Dealt with unminding mind so dree'd he similar dolour.
  64. She too gazing in grief at the kelson vanishing slowly,
  65. Self-wrapt, manifold cares revolved in spirit perturbed.
    1. But from the further side came flitting bright-faced Iacchus
    2. Girded by Satyr-crew and Nysa-reared Sileni
    3. Burning with love unto thee (Ariadne!) and greeting thy presence. ---
    4. Who flocking eager to fray did rave with infuriate spirit,
    5. "Evoe" frenzying loud, with heads at "Evoe" rolling.
    6. Brandisht some of the maids their thyrsi sheathed of spear-point,
    7. Some snatcht limbs and joints of sturlings rended to pieces,
    8. These girt necks and waists with writhing bodies of vipers,
    9. Those with the gear enwombed in crates dark orgies ordained—
    10. Orgies that ears profane must vainly lust for o'er hearing—
    11. Others with palms on high smote hurried strokes on the cymbal,
    12. Or from the polisht brass woke thin-toned tinkling music,
    13. While from the many there boomed and blared hoarse blast of the horn-trump,
    14. And with its horrid skirl loud shrilled the barbarous bag-pipe
    15. Showing such varied forms, that richly-decorated couch-cloth
    16. Folded in strait embrace the bedding drapery-veiled.
    17. This when the Thessalan youths had eyed with eager inspection
    18. Fulfilled, place they began to provide for venerate Godheads,
    19. Even as Zephyrus' breath, seas couching placid at dawn-tide,