Thou diddest deem it suffice: so great is thy pleasure in every
Crime wherein may be found somewhat enormous of guilt.
Crime wherein may be found somewhat enormous of guilt.
Catullus - Carmina
ON GELLIUS.
Born be a Magus, got by Gellius out of his mother
(Marriage nefand! ) who shall Persian augury learn.
Needs it a Magus begot of son upon mother who bare him,
If that impious faith, Persian religion be fact,
So may their issue adore busy gods with recognised verses 5
Melting in altar-flame fatness contained by the caul.
Let there be born a Magian from the infamous conjoining of Gellius and his
mother, and he shall learn the Persian aruspicy. For a Magian from a mother
and son must needs be begotten, if there be truth in Persia's vile creed
that one may worship with acceptable hymn the assiduous gods, whilst the
caul's fat in the sacred flame is melting.
LXXXXI.
Non ideo, Gelli, sperabam te mihi fidum
In misero hoc nostro, hoc perdito amore fore,
Quod te cognossem bene constantemve putarem
Aut posse a turpi mentem inhibere probro,
Sed neque quod matrem nec germanam esse videbam 5
Hanc tibi, cuius me magnus edebat amor.
Et quamvis tecum multo coniungerer usu,
Non satis id causae credideram esse tibi.
Tu satis id duxti: tantum tibi gaudium in omni
Culpast, in quacumque est aliquid sceleris. 10
LXXXXI.
TO GELLIUS.
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.
LXXXXII.
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.
LXXXXII.
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.
