The Carmina of Caius Valerius Catullus Part 28

Not for due cause I hoped to find thee (Gellius!) faithful In this saddest our love, love that is lost and forlore, Or fro' my wotting thee well or ever believing thee constant, Or that thy mind could reject villany ever so vile, But that because was she to thyself nor mother nor sister, 5 This same damsel whose Love me in its greatness devoured.

Yet though I had been joined wi' thee by amplest of usance, Still could I never believe this was sufficient of cause.

Thou diddest deem it suffice: so great is thy pleasure in every Crime wherein may be found somewhat enormous of guilt. 10

Not for other reason, Gellius, did I hope for thy faith to me in this our unhappy, this our desperate love (because I knew thee well nor thought thee constant or able to restrain thy mind from shameless act), but that I saw this girl was neither thy mother nor thy sister, for whom my ardent love ate me. And although I have had many mutual dealings with thee, I did not credit this case to be enough cause for thee. Thou didst find it enough: so great is thy joy in every kind of guilt in which is something infamous.

Lx.x.xXII.

Lesbia mi dicit semper male nec tacet umquam De me: Lesbia me dispeream nisi amat.

Quo signo? quia sunt + totidem mea: deprecor illam Absidue, verum dispeream nisi amo.

Lx.x.xXII.

ON LESBIA.

Lesbia naggeth at me evermore and ne'er is she silent Touching myself: May I die but that by Lesbia I'm loved.

What be the proof? I rail and retort like her and revile her Carefully, yet may I die but that I love her with love.

Lesbia forever speaks ill of me nor is ever silent anent me: may I perish if Lesbia do not love me! By what sign? because I am just the same: I malign her without cease, yet may I die if I do not love her in sober truth.

Lx.x.xXIII.

Nil nimium studeo Caesar tibi belle placere, Nec scire utrum sis albus an ater h.o.m.o.

Lx.x.xXIII.

ON JULIUS CaeSAR.

Study I not o'ermuch to please thee (Caesar!) and court thee, Nor do I care e'en to know an thou be white or be black.

I am not over anxious, Caesar, to please thee greatly, nor to know whether thou art white or black man.

Lx.x.xXIIII.

Mentula moechatur. moechatur mentula: certe.

Hoc est, quod dic.u.n.t, ipsa olera olla legit.

Lx.x.xXIIII.

AGAINST MENTULA (MAMURRA).

Mentula wooeth much: much wooeth he, be a.s.sured.

That is, e'en as they say, the Pot gathers leeks for the pot.

Mentula wh.o.r.es. By the mentule he is be-wh.o.r.ed: certes. This is as though they say the oil pot itself gathers the olives.

Lx.x.xXV.

Zmyrna mei Cinnae nonam post denique messem Quam coeptast nonamque edita post hiemem, Milia c.u.m interea quingenta Hortensius uno * * * *

Zmyrna cavas Satrachi penitus mittetur ad undas, 5 Zmyrnam cana diu saecula pervoluent.

At Volusi annales Paduam morientur ad ipsam Et laxas s...o...b..is saepe dabunt tunicas.

Parva mei mihi sint cordi monumenta _sodalis_, At populus tumido gaudeat Antimacho. 10

Lx.x.xXV.

ON THE "ZMYRNA" OF THE POET CINNA.

"Zmyrna" begun erstwhile nine harvests past by my Cinna Publisht appears when now nine of his winters be gone; Thousands fifty of lines meanwhile Hortensius in single * * * *

"Zmyrna" shall travel afar as the hollow breakers of Satrax, 5 "Zmyrna" by ages grey lastingly shall be perused.

But upon Padus' brink shall die Volusius his annals And to the mackerel oft loose-fitting jacket afford.

Dear to my heart are aye the lightest works of my comrade, Leave I the mob to enjoy tumidest Antimachus. 10

My Cinna's "Zmyrna" at length, after nine harvests from its inception, is published when nine winters have gone by, whilst in the meantime Hortensius thousands upon thousands in one * * * * "Zmyrna" shall wander abroad e'en to the curving surf of Satrachus, h.o.a.ry ages shall turn the leaves of "Zmyrna" in distant days. But Volusius' Annals shall perish at Padua itself, and shall often furnish loose wrappings for mackerel. The short writings of my comrade are gladsome to my heart; let the populace rejoice in bombastic Antimachus.

Lx.x.xXVI.

Si quicquam mutis gratum acceptumve sepulcris Accidere a nostro, Calve, dolore potest, Quo desiderio veteres renovamus amores Atque olim missas flemus amicitias, Certe non tanto mors inmatura dolorist 5 Quintiliae, quantum gaudet amore tuo.

Lx.x.xXVI.

TO CALVUS ANENT DEAD QUINTILIA.

If to the dumb deaf tomb can aught or grateful or pleasing (Calvus!) ever accrue rising from out of our dule, Wherewith yearning desire renews our loves in the bygone, And for long friends.h.i.+ps lost many a tear must be shed; Certes, never so much for doom of premature death-day 5 Must thy Quintilia mourn as she is joyed by thy love.

If aught grateful or acceptable can penetrate the silent graves from our dolour, Calvus, when with sweet regret we renew old loves and beweep the lost friends.h.i.+ps of yore, of a surety not so much doth Quintilia mourn her untimely death as she doth rejoice o'er thy constant love.

Lx.x.xXVII.

Non (ita me di ament) quicquam referre putavi, Vtrumne os an culum olfacerem Aemilio.

Nilo mundius hoc, niloque immundior ille, Verum etiam culus mundior et melior: Nam sine dentibus est: dentes os sesquipedales, 5 Gingivas vero ploxeni habet veteris, Praeterea rictum qualem diffissus in aestu Meientis mulae cunnus habere solet.

Hic futuit multas et se facit esse venustum, Et non pistrino traditur atque asino? 10 Quem siqua attingit, non illam posse putemus Aegroti culum lingere carnificis?

Lx.x.xXVII.

ON aeMILIUS THE FOUL.

Never (so love me the G.o.ds!) deemed I 'twas preference matter Or aemilius' mouth choose I to smell or his ---- Nothing is this more clean, uncleaner nothing that other, Yet I ajudge ---- cleaner and nicer to be; For while this one lacks teeth, that one has cubit-long tushes, 5 Set in their battered gums favouring a muddy old box, Not to say aught of gape like wide-cleft gap of a she-mule Whenas in summer-heat wont peradventure to stale.

Yet has he many a motte and holds himself to be handsome-- Why wi' the baker's a.s.s is he not bound to the mill? 10 Him if a damsel kiss we fain must think she be ready With her fair lips ----

Nay (may the G.o.ds thus love me) have I thought there to be aught of choice whether I might smell thy mouth or thy b.u.t.tocks, O Aemilius. Nothing could the one be cleaner, nothing the other more filthy; nay in truth thy backside is the cleaner and better,--for it is toothless. Thy mouth hath teeth full half a yard in length, gums of a verity like to an old waggon-box, behind which its gape is such as hath the v.u.l.v.a of a she-mule cleft apart by the summer's heat, always a-staling. This object swives girls enow, and fancies himself a handsome fellow, and is not condemned to the mill as an a.s.s? Whatso girl would touch thee, we think her capable of licking the breech of a leprous hangman.

Lx.x.xXVIII.

In te, si in quemquam, dici pote, putide Victi, Id quod verbosis dicitur et fatuis.

Ista c.u.m lingua, si usus veniat tibi, possis Culos et crepidas lingere carpatinas.

Si nos omnino vis omnes perdere, Victi, 5 Hiscas: omnino quod cupis efficies.

Lx.x.xXVIII.