Sorry its a little late;
Catullus 2
Sparrow, delight of my girl 1
With whom she is accustomed to play, whom she is accustomed to hold in her lap
to whom as it is seeking, she is accustomed to give her first finger.
and to put in motion sharp pecks.
when it is pleasing to my gleaming sweetheart 5
to play some dear game
as a small comfort for her heartache
I believe, so that grave passion may find rest then;
If only I could play with you just as she herself does
and lighten the sad worries of the mind. 10
Catullus 2b
it is as pleasing to me as it is said the little 1
golden apple was to the nimble girls
which loosened the girdle bound for a long time. 3
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Catullus 3
Grieve, O Venus' and Cupids 1
and however many more charming people there are:
the Sparrow of my girl is dead,
sparrow, the sweetheart of my girl,
whom she was loving more than her own eyes. 5
For it was honey-sweet, and knew its mistress
so well how a girl knows her mother herself,
and it was not moving itself from her lap
but hopping around, now on this side, now on that,
it was constantly chirping to the mistress alone, 10
who now goes through a gloomy journey
which, from where they say no one returns
but may it be bad for you, evil shadows
of Orcus, you who devour all beautiful things:
for you have taken away so beautiful a bird from me. 15
O thing done badly! O poor little bird!
Now by your deed my girl's
slightly swollen little eyes are red from crying.
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Catullus 4
That yacht, which you see, strangers 1
Says that it was the swiftest of boats,
and that it was not unable to surpass the
speed of any floating beam, whether it was
necessary to fly by oar or by sail. 5
And this denies that the shores of the menacing
Adriatic Sea or Cyclades islands and the
well known Rhodean and the horrible Thracian
Propontis deny this or the savage black sea,
where that, later a yacht was before a 10
long haired forest; for in Cytorian mountain ridge
it often gave out a whistling sound with speaking leaves.
Pontic Amastris and boxwood-bearing Cytorus,
the yacht says that these were and are the most
well known to you: it says that it stood from 15
its earliest beginning on your summit
it dipped its little palms in your water,
and thence it carried its master through so
many violent seas, whether from the left or right
the breeze might call, or if a favorable wind 20
had fallen into each sheet at the same time;
and not any vow were made to the
shore gods by itself, when it was coming from the
latest sea this all the way to clear lake.
But these events were in the past, now in hidden 25
rest it is old and it dedicates itself to you
twin Castor and twin of Castor.
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Catullus 10
Varus my friend, had taken me, seen 1
at leisure from the forum to his girlfriend,
a little tart, as at first glance she was seen to me
certainly not without charm and not without beauty
As we came to this place, various conversations 5
occurred for us: in which, how Bythynia was
now, in what way it was faring;
and by what kind of money Bithynia profited me.
I replied, that which was, neither for the natives,
nor the governor's staff there was anything. 10
as to why anyone will bring back a more oiled head,
especially for those there was a pervert
governor and who was not regarding staff as worth a hair.
"But certain however," they said, "because it is said
to have been born there, you had obtained 15
the people for carrying a litter." I, so that I might
make myself out rather blessed for the girl ('s opinion)
"It," I said, "was not so scanty for me,
that, just because the bad province fell to me,
It was not possible to buy eight straight humans." 20
But none were mine neither here nor there,
who able to place broken foot of a
ancient cot in their own neck.
At this point she, as it befits an opportunistic catamite,
said, "I beg for me, my Catullus, lend those [bearer's] 25
of yours; for I wish to be brought to the temple
of Sempis." "Wait" I said to the girl,
"that which just now I had said that I have,
Reason fled me: my friend–
Cinna, it's Gaius– he got them for himself. 30
But, whether (they) are his or mine, what is it to me?
I use them as well as if I had prepared them for myself
But you live especially witless and annoying
through whom it not permitted to be careless."
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Catullus 12
Ascinius Marrucinus, you don't use your 1
left hand nicely: in joke and wine
you lift a napkin of rather carefree ones.
Do you think this is salt? It escapes you, foolish one;
it is an extremely distressful and unattractive thing. 5
Do you not believe me? Believe your brother
Pollio, who would want your theft even for
a talent undone: for he is boy chock full of
charms and cleverness
Therefore either expect three hundred 10
Hendecasyllables, or send back the napkin to me,
which does not move me by the value,
but it is a keepsake of my friend.
For Fabullus and Veranius sent
Saetabian napkins from the Spaniards 15
to me as a gift; It is necessary that I love these
as my little Veranius and Fabullus.
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Catullus 14a
If i did not love you more than my own eyes, 1
most witty Calvus, I should hate you for that
gift, with Vatinian hatred:
For what did I do, what did I say,
why you would destroy me with so many bad poets? 5
let the gods give much bad to that client,
who sent so many scoundrels to you.
but if, as I suspect, this new and devised
gift grammarian Sulla gave to you,
this is not evil to me, but good and beautiful, 10
because your work is not ruined.
Great gods, you sent a horrible and sacred
little book which you clearly sent to your
Catullus, so that he would die on the following day
of great Saturn! 15
This will not not be allowed to pass for you, thus witty one:
for if there will have been light, I will run
to the bookstore, Cesus, Aquinus
Suffenus, I will gather all poison,
and I will reward you with these punishments. 20
meanwhile you goodbye go from here
from where you brought bad feet,
& poor poets on the troubles of an age.
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Catullus 22
That Suffenus, Varus, whom you have come to know well, 1
is a charming and witty and sophisticated man,
and the same makes far too many verses.
I think thousands, either ten or more have been written
by him, and not as is usual related 5
in palimpsest: but expensive papyrus, new books,
new knobs, red straps for the wrapper,
all is lined with lead and smoothed with a pumice stone.
When you read this, charming and sophisticated Suffenus
that is contrarily seen as an ordinary goat herder 10
or ditch digger: so much he shrinks back and changes.
What should we think this is? The man who just now
was seen as a wit, or if anything is sharper than this,
the same man is more witless than a witless country side,
as soon as the same man puts his hand to poems, and is never 15
equally happy as when he is writing poetry
so he takes joy in himself, and so marvels at himself.
Without a doubt we all are deceived the same, and nor is there anyone
whom you may not be able to see as a Suffenus in some
thing. Each has his own error assigned to him; 21
but we do not see the part of our knapsack that is on the back.
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Catullus 35
To a tender poet, to my friend, 1
to Caecilius, I would like you to tell, Papyrus,
to come to Verona, leaving the walls of Novum
Comum and the Larian shore:
For I wish him to accept a certain 5
thoughts of a friend of his and mine.
Therefore, if wise, he will devour the road
although a pretty girl calls him back a thousand times
as he goes, and throwing both hands
on his neck asks him to delay. 10
And she now, if true things are announced to me
is madly in love with him, with raging love:
for from that time at which she read the begun
Mistress Dindymon from then
fire eats the inner marrow of the bones of the poor little girl. 15
I forgive you, girl more learned
than the Sapphic muse: for the great
mother charmingly begun by Caecilius. 18
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Catullus 36
The Annuls of Volusis, papyrus having been defecated 1
Fulfill a vow for my girl.
For, she promised holy Venus
and Cupid, if I had been restored to her
and had stopped hurling vicious iambs, 5
that she would give the choice writings of
the worst poet to the slow-footed god
to be burned in unproductive firewood.
and the worst girl saw that she was vowing this
vow playfully & wittily to the gods. 10
Now, o goddess born from the blue sea,
who cherished her sacred Idalium & Urii exposed to the elements
and who cherished Ancona and Cnidus full of reeds
and who cherishes Amanthus and Golgi
and who cherishes Dyrrachium the shop of the Adriatic Sea. 15
make the votive offering recieved and fulfilled
if it is not unwitty or uncharming.
But meanwhile you, come into fire
full of countryside and coarseness
Annuls of Vousus, defecated scrolls. 20
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Catullus 44
O our farm whether Sabine or Tiburtian 1
(for they assert you are Tiburtian, those for whom it is not
to the heart to hurt Catullus; and for whom it is to the heart
they contend that you are Sabine),
But either Sabine, or more truly Tiburtian, 5
I was glad to be in your suburban
country house, and I drove out a bad cough from my chest,
which my stomach gave to me not undeserving,
while I hungered after costly meals:
for while I wanted to be a Sestan guest 10
I read a speech against the candidate Antius
full of poison and plague.
Then cold and frequent disease
shook me constantly, until I fled into your bosom
and I cured myself with leisure and stinging bottles. 15
Therefore having been restored, I do great thanks
to you, that did not punish my error.
And I offer no prayer now, if I take up the awful
writings of Sestius, to prevent the chill from bringing
the cold & cough, not to me but to Sestius himself,
who then calls me, when I had read his bad book. 20
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Catullus 45
Septimus, holding his own lover 1
Acme in his lap, "My" he says "Acme,
If I do not love you desperately and I am
prepared to love hereafter unceasingly through all years,
as much as anyone is able to be very much madly in love, 5
alone i LIbya and toasted India
may I come face to face with a grey-eyed lion."
As he said this, Love on the left as before on the
right sneezed approval.
But Acme gently bending her head back 10
and kissed the drunken little eyes of the sweet boy
with that deep red mouth,
"Thus," she says, "my life little Septimius,
for this one master let us constantly serve,
as for me a much larger and more violent fire 15
burns in soft marrow."
As she said this, Love on the left as before on the
right sneezed approval.
Now from a good sign having set out
with mutual minds they love, they are loved. 20
Poor little Septimius wants one Acme more
than the Syrias and Britains:
in Septimius alone, faithful Acme
find her delight & desire
Who has seen any happier people 25
who a more fortunate love?
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Catulus 46
Now spring brings back no longer cold warmth 1
now the fury of the equinoctial clouds
becomes quiet with the pleasant breeze of the Zephyr
may the Phrygian fields be left behind, Catullus
and fertile fields of sweltering Nicea: 5
let us go quickly to the famous cities of Asia.
Now the trembling mind longs to wander
now happy feet come alive with eagerness.
O sweet groups of companions, farewell
whom having journeyed far from home together 10
diverse roads bring back by different routes.
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Catullus 49
Most eloquent, grandson of Romulus 1
however many there are & however many there were, Marcus Tulius
and as many others as were in years after,
Catullus the worst poet of all
does great thanks to you, 5
as much all bad poets
as you are the best patron of all. 7
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cynical
contemplative
*yawn*
crazy
calm
curious