Shall you betimes each day in luxurious opulence
banquet?
Catullus - Carmina
Now lust my fluttering thoughts for wayfare long,
Now my glad eager feet grow steady, strong.
O fare ye well, my comrades, pleasant throng,
Ye who together far from homesteads flying, 10
By many various ways come homewards hieing.
Now springtide brings back its mild and tepid airs, now the heaven's fury
equinoctial is calmed by Zephyr's benign breath. The Phrygian meadows are
left behind, O Catullus, and the teeming fields of sun-scorched Nicaea: to
the glorious Asian cities let us haste. Now my palpitating soul craves
wander, now my feet grow vigorous with glad zeal. O charming circlet of
comrades, fare ye well, who are together met from distant homes to which
divers sundered ways lead back.
XXXXVII.
Porci et Socration, duae sinistrae
Pisonis, scabies famesque mundi
Vos Veraniolo meo et Fabullo
Verpus praeposuit Priapus ille?
Vos convivia lauta sumptuose 5
De die facitis? mei sodales
Quaerunt in trivio vocationes?
XXXXVII.
TO PORCIUS AND SOCRATION.
Porcius and Socration, pair sinister
Of Piso, scabs and starvelings of the world,
You to Fabullus and my Verianolus,
Hath dared yon snipt Priapus to prefer?
Upon rich banquets sumptuously spread 5
Still gorge you daily while my comrades must
Go seek invitals where the three roads fork?
Porcius and Socration, twins in rascality of Piso, scurf and famisht of the
earth, you before my Veraniolus and Fabullus has that prepuce-lacking
Priapus placed?
Shall you betimes each day in luxurious opulence banquet?
And must my cronies quest for dinner invitations, [lounging] where the
three cross-roads meet?
XXXXVIII.
Mellitos oculos tuos, Iuventi,
Siquis me sinat usque basiare,
Vsque ad milia basiem trecenta,
Nec umquam videar satur futurus,
Non si densior aridis aristis 5
Sit nostrae seges osculationis.
XXXXVIII.
TO JUVENTIUS.
Those honied eyes of thine (Juventius! )
If any suffer me sans stint to buss,
I'd kiss of kisses hundred thousands three,
Nor ever deem I'd reach satiety,
Not albe denser than dried wheat-ears show 5
The kissing harvests our embraces grow.
Thine honey-sweet eyes, O Juventius, had I the leave to kiss for aye, for
aye I'd kiss e'en to three hundred thousand kisses, nor ever should I reach
to future plenity, not even if thicker than dried wheat sheaves be the
harvest of our kisses.
XXXXVIIII.
Disertissime Romuli nepotum,
Quot sunt quotque fuere, Marce Tulli,
Quotque post aliis erunt in annis,
Gratias tibi maximas Catullus
Agit pessimus omnium poeta, 5
Tanto pessimus omnium poeta
Quanto tu optimus omnium patronus.
XXXXVIIII.
TO MARCUS TULLIUS CICERO.
Most eloquent 'mid race of Romulus
That is or ever was (Marc Tullius! )
Or in the coming years the light shall see,
His thanks, the warmest, offers unto thee
Catullus, poet sorriest that be, 5
And by such measure poet sorriest,
As thou of pleaders art the bestest best.
Most eloquent of Romulus' descendancy, who are, who have been, O Marcus
Tullius, and who shall later be in after time, to thee doth give his
greatest gratitude Catullus, pettiest of all the poets,--and so much
pettiest of all the poets as thou art peerless 'mongst all pleaders.
