Carmina

Catullus

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

  1. Lives, and a sister so boon, bonny and buxom to boot,
  2. Uncle so kindly good and all things full of his lady-
  3. Cousins, how can he cease leanest of lankies to be?
  4. Albeit, touch he naught save that whose touch is a scandal,
  5. Soon shall thou find wherefor he be as lean as thou like.
  1. Born be a Magus, got by Gellius out of his mother
  2. (Marriage nefand!) who shall Persian augury learn.
  3. Needs it a Magus begot of son upon mother who bare him,
  4. If that impious faith, Persian religion be fact,
  5. So may their issue adore busy gods with recognised verses
  6. Melting in altar-flame fatness contained by the caul.
  1. Not for due cause I hoped to find thee (Gellius!) faithful
  2. In this saddest our love, love that is lost and forlore,
  3. Or fro' my wotting thee well or ever believing thee constant,
  4. Or that thy mind could reject villany ever so vile,
  5. But that because was she to thyself nor mother nor sister,
  6. This same damsel whose Love me in its greatness devoured.
  7. Yet though I had been joined wi' thee by amplest of usance,
  8. Still could I never believe this was sufficient of cause.
  9. Thou diddest deem it suffice: so great is thy pleasure in every
  10. Crime wherein may be found somewhat enormous of guilt.
  1. Lesbia naggeth at me evermore and ne'er is she silent
  2. Touching myself: May I die but that by Lesbia I'm loved.
  3. What be the proof? I rail and retort like her and revile her
  4. Carefully, yet may I die but that I love her with love.
  1. Study I not o'ermuch to please thee (Caesar!) and court thee,
  2. Nor do I care e'en to know an thou be white or be black.
  1. Mentula wooeth much: much wooeth he, be assurèd.
  2. That is, e'en as they say, the Pot gathers leeks for the pot.
  1. "Zmyrna" begun erstwhile nine harvests past by my Cinna
  2. Publisht appears when now nine of his winters be gone;
  3. Thousands fifty of lines meanwhile Hortensius in single
  4. ---
  5. "Zmyrna" shall travel afar as the hollow breakers of Satrax,
  6. "Zmyrna" by ages grey lastingly shall be perused.
  7. But upon Padus' brink shall die Volusius his annals
  8. And to the mackerel oft loose-fitting jacket afford.
  9. Dear to my heart are aye the lightest works of my comrade,
  10. Leave I the mob to enjoy tumidest Antimachus.
  1. If to the dumb deaf tomb can aught or grateful or pleasing
  2. (Calvus!) ever accrue rising from out of our dule,
  3. Wherewith yearning desire renews our loves in the bygone,
  4. And for long friendships lost many a tear must be shed;
  5. Certès, never so much for doom of premature death-day
  6. Must thy Quintilia mourn as she is joyed by thy love.
  1. Never (so love me the Gods!) deemed I 'twas preference matter
  2. Or Aemilius' mouth choose I to smell or his . . . .
  3. Nothing is this more clean, uncleaner nothing that other,
  4. Yet I ajudge . . . . cleaner and nicer to be;
  5. For while this one lacks teeth, that one has cubit-long tushes,
  6. Set in their battered gums favouring a muddy old box,
  7. Not to say aught of gape like wide-cleft gap of a she-mule
  8. Whenas in summer-heat wont peradventure to stale.