II
Passer, deliciae meae puellae
quicum ludere, quem in sinu tenere,
cui primum digitum dare appetenti
et acris solet incitare morsus
cum desiderio meo nitenti
carum nescio quid lubet iocare,
et solaciolum sui doloris,
credo, ut tum gravis acquiescat ardor:
tecum ludere sicut ipsa possem
et tristis animi levare curas!
…
tam gratum est mihi quam ferunt puellae
pernici aureolum fuisse malum,
quod zonam soluit diu ligatam.
2
Sparrow, delight of my darling
playing with you at her breast
offering her fingertip
provoking you to bite at it
I’m not sure of the games
my lovely lady needs to play
to comfort her her sorrows
and ease a bit love’s ardor
but I believe if I could play with you as she
my troubled soul would be lifted
gratefully as that swift virgin’s
stooping for a golden apple
undid her dress long tied.
III
Lugete, o Veneres Cupidinesque,
et quantum est hominum venustiorum:
passer mortuus est meae puellae,
passer, deliciae meae puellae,
quem plus illa oculis suis amabat.
nam mellitus erat suamque norat
ipsam tam bene quam puella matrem,
nec sese a gremio illius movebat,
sed circumsiliens modo huc modo illuc
ad solam dominam usque pipiabat.
qui nunc it per iter tenebricosum
illuc, unde negant redire quemquam.
at vobis male sit, malae tenebrae
Orci, quae omnia bella devoratis:
tam bellum mihi passerem abstulistis
o factum male! o miselle passer!
tua nunc opera meae puellae
flendo turgiduli rubent ocelli.
3
Mourn, you Venuses and Cupids
and all men of good heart.
It’s dead, my girlfriend’s little bird
delight of my darling, her little bird
she loved more than her own eyes
her honey who knew her
better than a girl her mother.
It never left her lap
from fold to fold it hopped
singing only for her.
Now it goes on that shadowy road
from which they say no one returns.
Black wicked death, you are the worst
devouring all beautiful things
even little birds.
Look what you’ve done
making my lady cry
swelling red those lovely eyes!
V
Vivamus mea Lesbia, atque amemus,
rumoresque senum severiorum
omnes unius aestimemus assis!
soles occidere et redire possunt:
nobis cum semel occidit brevis lux,
nox est perpetua una dormienda.
da mi basia mille, deinde centum,
dein mille altera, dein secunda centum,
deinde usque altera mille, deinde centum.
dein, cum milia multa fecerimus,
conturbabimus illa, ne sciamus,
aut ne quis malus inuidere possit,
cum tantum sciat esse basiorum.
5
Lesbia, let’s love and live
no matter what old men tell us
it isn’t worth a cent.
Suns rise and fall all that they want
but when our little light goes out
night’s sleep goes on and on.
Give me a thousand kisses, give me a hundred
give me a thousand others followed by two hundred
followed by another thousand then another hundred
until we’ve kissed so often
no one will know, not even us
nor anyone evil who’d want to curse us
with the number of our kisses.
VIII
Miser Catulle, desinas ineptire,
et quod vides perisse perditum ducas.
fulsere quondam candidi tibi soles,
cum ventitabas quo puella ducebat
amata nobis quantum amabitur nulla.
ibi illa multa cum iocosa fiebant,
quae tu volebas nec puella nolebat,
fulsere vere candidi tibi soles.
nunc iam illa non vult: tu quoque impotens noli,
nec quae fugit sectare, nec miser vive,
sed obstinata mente perfer, obdura.
vale puella, iam Catullus obdurat,
nec te requiret nec rogabit invitam.
at tu dolebis, cum rogaberis nulla.
scelesta, vae te, quae tibi manet vita?
quis nunc te adibit? cui videberis bella?
quem nunc amabis? cuius esse diceris?
quem basiabis? cui labella mordebis?
at tu, Catulle, destinatus obdura.
8
Catullus, stop being a fool
admit what’s lost is lost.
Once the sun shone bright for you
where she led and you wanted to go
loving her more than anyone’s been loved
there where your lover games were played
the way you wanted and she never denied.
Truly brightly your suns did shine.
Now she doesn’t want to and you must be resigned
not to follow where she goes or lead a sorry life
but be resolved with a firm hard mind.
Goodbye, girl. Catullus is resolved
not to seek or need your invitation.
What will you do when you’re miserable
on the day that nobody wants you?
Who’ll love you then or find you beautiful?
Who will you love? Whose will you be?
Who will you kiss, biting whose lip?
You, Catullus, be obdurate.
XI
Furi et Aureli, comites Catulli,
sive in extremos penetrabit Indos,
litus ut longe resonante Eoa
……….tunditur unda,
sive in Hyrcanos Arabasve molles,
seu Sacas sagittiferosve Parthos,
sive quae septemgeminus colorat
……….aequora Nilus,
sive trans altas gradietur Alpes
Caesaris visens monimenta magni,
Gallicum Rhenum, horribile aequor, ulti-
……….mosque Britannos,
omnia haec, quaecumque feret voluntas
caelitum, temptare simul parati,
pauca nuntiate meae puellae
……….non bona dicta.
cum suis vivat valeatque moechis,
quos simul complexa tenet trecentos,
nullum amans vere, sed identidem omnium
……….ilia rumpens;
nec meum respectet, ut ante, amorem,
qui illius culpa cecidit velut prati
ultimi flos, praetereunte postquam
……….tactus aratro est.
11
Furius and Aurelius, friends of Catullus,
whether he penetrates faraway India
where the ocean beats the shoreline of the East
……….at the world’s end endlessly
or whether he ends with soft Arabians
or softer Syrians or keen-arrowed Iranians
or whether where the seven-mouthed Nile
……….muddies the sea with silt
or crossing the high Alps seeing
monuments of our great Caesar
Gallic Rhine, and those ferocious
……….British far off in the distance
all of this or what else Fate may have
in store for us to try together
would you please tell my girlfriend
……….something unpleasant.
May she live and be well with her adulterers
all three hundred, loving none
embracing them all at once, one by one crushed
……….spewing out their balls and guts.
She can’t count on my love like she did once;
it’s her fault that it’s cut
like a flower that lived on the field’s edge
……….a passing plow has touched.
XIII
Cenabis bene, mi Fabulle, apud me
paucis, si tibi di favent, diebus,
si tecum attuleris bonam atque magnam
cenam, non sine candida puella
et vino et sale et omnibus cachinnis.
haec si, inquam, attuleris, venuste noster
cenabis bene; nam tui Catulli
plenus sacculus est aranearum.
sed contra accipies meros amores
seu quid suavius elegantiusve est:
nam unguentum dabo, quod meae puellae
donarunt Veneres Cupidinesque,
quod tu cum olfacies, deos rogabis
totum ut te faciant, Fabulle, nasum.
13
You’ll have a good time at my place
Gods willing in a few days, Fabullus
if you bring the food, the wine, the laughs
and all of the pretty guests
then you’ll dine well, Fabullus.
My purse is full of cobwebs
but I will put my love against
all that you’ve brought and spent.
Still you will find I’ve provided the best
because my love’s perfume’s given by Venus
and Cupid, and when you smell its essence
you’ll pray to heaven to make the whole
of you, Fabullus, nose.
LI
ille mi par esse deo uidetur.
ille si fas est superare dios.
qui sedens aduersus identidem te
……….spectat et audit.
dulce ridentem misero quod omnes
eripit sensus mihi. nam simul te
Lesbia aspexi nihil est super mi
……….uocis in ore.
lingua sed torpet. tenuis sub artus
flamma demanat. sonitu suopte
tintinant aures. gemina teguntur
……….lumina nocte.
otium Catulle tibi molestum est.
otio exsultas. nimiumque gestis.
otium et reges prius et beatas
……….perdidit urbes.
51
That man seems like a god to me
or even greater if that’s not blasphemy
because he can sit beside you
……….and simply watch you laugh
while I can’t even talk.
At the first sight of you
my tongue is ripped out
……….by its roots
shot through every limb
with hot shivering
Lesbia, my ears ring
……….my burning eyes see nothing.
You leave no peace
Peace would be bad for me
Peace has destroyed formerly
……….cities of fortunate royalty.