Carmina

Catullus

Catullus, Gaius Valerius. The Carmina of Caius Valerius Catullus. Burton, Sir Richard Francis, translator. London, Printed for the Translators, 1894.

  1. The perfect rule we ne'er shall see
  2. Reach Earth's far bourne; yet such we sight,
  3. Thou willing:—with such Deity
  4. Whoe'er shall dare compare?
  5. Your folds ye gateways wide-ope swing!
  6. The maiden comes. Seest not the sheen
  7. Of links their splendent tresses fling?
  8. Let shame retard the modest mien.
  9. ---
  10. ---
  11. Who more she hears us weeps the more,
  12. That needs she must advance.
  13. Cease raining tear-drops! not for thee,
  14. Aurunculeia, risk we deem,
  15. That fairer femininety
  16. Clear day outdawned from Ocean stream
  17. Shall ever more behold.
  18. Such in the many-tinted bower
  19. Of rich man's garden passing gay
  20. Upstands the hyacinthine flower.
  21. But thou delayest, wanes the day:
  22. “Prithee, come forth new Bride.”
  23. Prithee, come forth new Bride! methinks,
  24. Drawing in sight, the talk we hold
  25. Thou haply hearest. See the Links!
  26. How shake their locks begilt with gold:
  27. Prithee, new Bride come forth.
  28. Not lightly given thy mate to ill
  29. Joys and adulterous delights
  30. Foul fleshly pleasures seeking still
  31. Shall ever choose he lie o' nights
  32. Far from thy tender paps.
  33. But as with pliant shoots the vine
  34. Round nearest tree-trunk winds her way,
  35. He shall be ever twined in thine
  36. Embraces:— yet, lo! wanes the day:
  37. Prithee, come forth new Bride!
  38. Couchlet which to me and all
  39. ---
  40. With bright white bedstead foot.
  41. What joys the lord of thee betide!
  42. What love-liesse on vaguing way
  43. 0' nights! What sweets in morning tide
  44. For thee be stored! Yet wanes the day:
  45. Prithee, come forth fresh Bride!
  46. Your lighted links, 0 boys, wave high:
  47. I see the flamey veil draw nigh:
  48. Hie, sing in merry mode and cry
  49. "0 Hymen Hymenaeus io,
  50. 0 Hymen Hymenaeus!"
  51. Lest longer mute tongue stays that joys
  52. In festal jest, from Fescennine,
  53. Nor yet denay their nuts to boys,
  54. He-Concubine! who learns in fine
  55. His lordling's love is fled.
  56. Throw nuts to boys thou idle all
  57. He-Concubine! wast fain full long
  58. With nuts to play: now pleased as thrall
  59. Be thou to swell Talasios' throng:
  60. He-Concubine throw nuts.
  61. Wont thou at peasant-girls to jape
  62. He-whore! Thy Lord's delight the while:
  63. Now shall hair-curling chattel scrape
  64. Thy cheeks: poor wretch, ah! poor and vile:—
  65. He-Concubine, throw nuts.
  66. 'Tis said from smooth-faced ingle train
  67. (Anointed bridegroom!) hardly fain
  68. Hast e'er refrained; now do refrain!
  69. O Hymen Hymenaeus io,
  70. O Hymen Hymenaeus!
  71. We know that naught save licit rites
  72. Be known to thee, but wedded wights
  73. No more deem lawful such delights.
  74. O Hymen Hymenaeus io,
  75. O Hymen Hymenaeus.
  76. Thou too, 0 Bride, whatever dare
  77. Thy groom, of coy rebuff beware,
  78. Lest he to find elsewhither fare.
  79. O Hymen Hymenaeus io,
  80. O Hymen Hymenaeus.
  81. Lo! here the house of high degree
  82. Thy husband's puissant home to be,
  83. Which ever shall obey thy gree.
  84. O Hymen Hymenaeus io,
  85. O Hymen Hymenaeus!
  86. Till Time betide when eld the hoar
  87. Thy head and temples trembling o'er
  88. Make nod to all things evermore.
  89. O Hymen Hymenaeus io,
  90. 0 Hymen Hymenaeus.
  91. O'erstep with omen meetest meet
  92. The threshold-stone thy golden feet
  93. Up, past the polisht panels fleet.
  94. O Hymen Hymenaeus io,
  95. O Hymen Hymerneus.
  96. Within bestrewn thy bridegroom see
  97. On couch of Tyrian cramoisy
  98. All imminent awaiting thee.
  99. O Hymen Hymenaeus io,
  100. O Hymen Hymenaeus.
  101. For in his breast not less than thine
  102. Burn high the flames that deepest shrine,
  103. Yet his the lowe far deeper lien.
  104. O Hymen Hymemeus io,
  105. O Hymen Hymenaeus.
  106. Let fall the maid's soft arms, thou fair
  107. Boy purple-hem'd: now be thy care
  108. Her bridegroom's couch she seek and share.
  109. O Hymen Hymenaeus io,
  110. 0 Hymen Hymenaeus.
  111. Ye wives time-tried to husbands wed,
  112. Well-known for chastity inbred,
  113. Dispose the virginette a-bed.
  114. O Hymen Hymenaeus io,
  115. 0 Hymen Hymenaeus.
  116. Groom, now 'tis meet thou hither pace,
  117. With bride in genial bed to blend,
  118. For sheenly shines her flowery face
  119. Where the white chamomiles contend
  120. With poppies blushing red.
  121. Yet bridegroom (So may Godhead deign
  122. Help me!) nowise in humbler way
  123. Art fair, nor Venus shall disdain
  124. Thy charms, but look! how wanes the day:
  125. Forward, nor loiter more!
  126. No longer loitering makest thou,
  127. Now comest thou. May Venus good
  128. Aid thee when frankly takest thou
  129. Thy wishes won, nor true Love woo'd
  130. Thou carest to conceal.
  131. Of Afric's wolds and wilds each grain,
  132. Or constellations glistening,
  133. First reckon he that of the twain
  134. To count alone were fain to bring
  135. The many thousand joys.
  136. Play as ye please: soon prove ye deft
  137. At babying babes,—'twere ill design'd
  138. A name thus ancient should be left
  139. Heirless, but issue like of kind
  140. Engendered aye should be.
  141. A wee Torquaitus fain I'd see
  142. Encradled on his mother's breast
  143. Put forth his tender puds while he
  144. Smiles to his sire with sweetest gest
  145. And liplets half apart.
  146. Let son like father's semblance show
  147. (Manlius!) so with easy guess
  148. All know him where his sire they know,
  149. And still his face and form express
  150. His mother's honest love.
  151. Approve shall fair approof his birth
  152. From mother's seed-stock generous,
  153. As rarest fame of mother's worth
  154. Unique exalts Telemachus
  155. Penelope's own son.
  156. Fast close the door-leaves, virgin band:
  157. Enow we've played. But ye the fair
  158. New-wedded twain live happy, and
  159. Functions of lusty married pair
  160. Exercise sans surcease.

Youths
  1. Vesper is here, O youths, rise all; for Vesper Olympus