Carmina

Catullus

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

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

Youths
  1. Vesper is here, O youths, rise all; for Vesper Olympus
  2. Scales and in fine enfires what lights so long were expected!
  3. Time 'tis now to arise, now leave we tables rich laden,
  4. Now shall the Virgin come; now chaunt we the Hymenaeus.
  5. Hymen O Hymenaeus: Hymen here, O Hymenaeus!
Damsels
  1. View ye the Youths, O Maids unwed? Then rise to withstand them:
  2. Doubtless the night-fraught Star displays his splendour Oetean.