Carmina

Catullus

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

  1. Longing the Golden Fleece of the Colchis-region to harry,
  2. Dared in a poop swift-paced to span salt seas and their shallows,
  3. Sweeping the deep blue seas with sweeps a-carven of fir-wood.
  4. She, that governing Goddess of citadels crowning the cities,
  5. Builded herself their car fast-flitting with lightest of breezes,
  6. Weaving plants of the pine conjoined in curve of the kelson;
  7. Foremost of all to imbue rude Amphitrite with ship-lore.
  8. Soon as her beak had burst through wind-rackt spaces of ocean,
  9. While the oar-tortured wave with spumy whiteness was blanching,
  10. Surged from the deep abyss and hoar-capped billows the faces
  11. Seaborn, Nereids eyeing the prodigy wonder-smitten.
  12. There too mortal orbs through softened spendours regarded
  13. Ocean-nymphs who exposed bodies denuded of raiment
  14. Bare to the breast upthrust from hoar froth capping the sea-depths.
  15. Then Thetis Peleus fired (men say) a-sudden with love,
  16. Then Thetis nowise spurned to mate and marry with mortal,
  17. Then Thetis' Sire himself her yoke with Peleus sanctioned.