Carmina

Catullus

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

  1. Nor aught issue allows begirt by billows of Ocean:
  2. Nowhere is path for flight: none hope shows: all things are silent:
  3. All be a desolate waste: all makes display of destruction.
  4. Yet never close these eyes in latest languor of dying,
  5. Ne'er from my wearied frame go forth slow-ebbing my senses,
  6. Ere from the Gods just doom implore I, treason-betrayed,
  7. And with my breath supreme firm faith of Celestials invoke I.
  8. Therefore, O you who 'venge man's deed with penalties direful,
  9. Eumenides! aye wont to bind with viperous hairlocks
  10. Foreheads,—Oh, deign outspeak fierce wrath from bosom outbreathing,
  11. Hither, Oh hither, speed, and lend you all ear to my grievance,
  12. Which now sad I (alas!) outpour from innermost vitals
  13. Maugre my will, sans help, blind, fired with furious madness.
  14. And, as indeed all spring from veriest core of my bosom,
  15. Suffer you not the cause of grief and woe to evanish;
  16. But with the Will wherewith could Theseus leave me in loneness,
  17. Goddesses! bid that Will lead him, lead his, to destruction."

  18. E'en as she thus poured forth these words from anguish of bosom,
  19. And for this cruel deed, distracted, sued she for vengeance,
  20. Nodded the Ruler of Gods Celestial, matchless of All-might,
  21. When at the gest earth-plain and horrid spaces of ocean
  22. Trembled, and every sphere rockt stars and planets resplendent.
  23. Meanwhile Theseus himself, obscured in blindness of darkness
  24. As to his mind, dismiss'd from breast oblivious all things
  25. Erewhile enjoined and held hereto in memory constant,
  26. Nor for his saddened sire the gladness-signals uphoisting
  27. Heralded safe return within sight of the Erechthean harbour.
  28. For 'twas told of yore, when from walls of the Virginal Deess
  29. Aegeus speeding his son, to the care of breezes committed,
  30. Thus with a last embrace to the youth spoke words of commandment:

  31. "Son! far nearer my heart (you alone) than life of the longest,
  32. Son, I perforce dismiss to doubtful, dangerous chances,
  33. Lately restored to me when eld draws nearest his ending,
  34. Since such fortune in me, and in you such boiling of valour
  35. Tear you away from me so loath, whose eyes in their languor
  36. Never are sated with sight of my son, all-dearest of figures.
  37. Nor will I send you forth with joy that gladdens my bosom,
  38. Nor will I suffer you show boon signs of favouring Fortune,
  39. But from my soul I'll first express an issue of sorrow,
  40. Soiling my hoary hairs with dust and ashes commingled;
  41. Then will I hang stained sails fast-made to the wavering yard-arms,
  42. So shall our mourning thought and burning torture of spirit
  43. Show by the dark sombre-dye of Iberian canvas spread.
  44. But, grant me the grace Who dwells in Sacred Itone,
  45. (And our issue to guard and ward the seats of Erechtheus
  46. Sware She) that if your right is besprent with blood of the Man-Bull,
  47. Then do you so-wise act, and stored in memory's heart-core
  48. Dwell these mandates of me, no time their traces untracing.
  49. Dip, when first shall arise our hills to gladden your eye-glance,
  50. Down from your every mast the ill-omened vestments of mourning,
  51. Then let the twisten ropes upheave the whitest of canvas,
  52. Wherewith splendid shall gleam the tallest spars of the top-mast,
  53. These seeing sans delay with joy exalting my spirit
  54. Well shall I wot boon Time sets you returning before me."

  55. Such were the mandates which stored at first in memory constant
  56. Faded from Theseus' mind like mists, compelled by the whirlwind,
  57. Fleet from aerial crests of mountains hoary with snow-drifts.
  58. But as the sire had sought the citadel's summit for outlook,
  59. Wasting his anxious eyes with tear-floods evermore flowing,
  60. Forthright e'en as he saw the sail-gear darkened with dye-stain,
  61. Headlong himself flung he from the sea-cliff's pinnacled summit
  62. Holding his Theseus lost by doom of pitiless Fortune.
  63. Thus as he came to the home funest, his roof-tree paternal,
  64. Theseus (vaunting the death), what dule to the maiden of Minos
  65. Dealt with unminding mind so dree'd he similar dolour.
  66. She too gazing in grief at the kelson vanishing slowly,
  67. Self-wrapt, manifold cares revolved in spirit perturbed.
    1. But from the further side came flitting bright-faced Iacchus
    2. Girded by Satyr-crew and Nysa-reared Sileni
    3. Burning with love unto thee (Ariadne!) and greeting thy presence. ---
    4. Who flocking eager to fray did rave with infuriate spirit,
    5. "Evoe" frenzying loud, with heads at "Evoe" rolling.
    6. Brandisht some of the maids their thyrsi sheathed of spear-point,
    7. Some snatcht limbs and joints of sturlings rended to pieces,
    8. These girt necks and waists with writhing bodies of vipers,
    9. Those with the gear enwombed in crates dark orgies ordained—
    10. Orgies that ears profane must vainly lust for o'er hearing—
    11. Others with palms on high smote hurried strokes on the cymbal,
    12. Or from the polisht brass woke thin-toned tinkling music,
    13. While from the many there boomed and blared hoarse blast of the horn-trump,
    14. And with its horrid skirl loud shrilled the barbarous bag-pipe
    15. Showing such varied forms, that richly-decorated couch-cloth
    16. Folded in strait embrace the bedding drapery-veiled.
    17. This when the Thessalan youths had eyed with eager inspection
    18. Fulfilled, place they began to provide for venerate Godheads,
    19. Even as Zephyrus' breath, seas couching placid at dawn-tide,
    20. Roughens, then stings and spurs the wavelets slantingly fretted—
    21. Rising Aurora the while 'neath Sol the wanderer's threshold—
    22. Tardy at first they flow by the clement breathing of breezes
    23. Urged, and echo the shores with soft-toned ripples of laughter,
    24. But as the winds wax high so waves wax higher and higher,
    25. Flashing and floating afar to outswim morn's purpurine splendours,—
    26. So did the crowd fare forth, the royal vestibule leaving,
    27. And to their house each wight with vaguing paces departed.
    28. After their wending, the first, foremost from Pelion's summit,
    29. Chiron came to the front with woodland presents surcharged:
    30. Whatso of blooms and flowers bring forth Thessalian uplands
    31. Mighty with mountain crests, whate'er of riverine lea flowers
    32. Reareth Favonius' air, bud-breeding, tepidly breathing,
    33. All in his hands brought he, unseparate in woven garlands,
    34. Whereat laughed the house as soothed by pleasure of perfume.
    35. Presently Péneus appears, deserting verdurous Tempe—
    36. Tempe girt by her belts of greenwood ever impending,
    37. Left for the Mamonides with frequent dances to worship—
    38. Nor is he empty of hand, for bears he tallest of beeches
    39. Deracinate, and bays with straight boles lofty and stately,
    40. Not without nodding plane-tree nor less the flexible sister
    41. Fire-slain Phaëton left, and not without cypresses airy.
    42. These in a line wide-broke set he, the Mansion surrounding,
    43. So by the soft leaves screened, the porch might flourish in verdure.
    44. Follows hard on his track with active spirit Prometheus,
    45. Bearing extenuate sign of penalties suffer'd in by-gones.
    46. Paid erewhiles what time fast-bound as to every member,
    47. Hung he in carkanet slung from the Scythian rocktor.
    48. Last did the Father of Gods with his sacred spouse and his offspring,
    49. Proud from the Heavens proceed, thee leaving (Phoebus) in loneness,
    50. Lone wi' thy sister twin who haunteth mountains of Idrus:
    51. For that the Virgin spurned as thou the person of Peleus,
    52. Nor Thetis' nuptial torch would greet by act of her presence.
    53. When they had leaned their limbs upon snowy benches reposing,
    54. Tables largely arranged with various viands were garnisht.
    55. But, ere opened the feast, with infirm gesture their semblance
    56. Shaking, the Parcae fell to chaunting veridique verses.
    57. Robed were their tremulous frames all o'er in muffle of garments
    58. Bright-white, purple of hem enfolding heels in its edges;
    59. Snowy the fillets that bound heads aged by many a year-tide,
    60. And, as their wont aye was, their hands plied labour unceasing.
    61. Each in her left upheld with soft fleece clothed a distaff,
    62. Then did the right that drew forth thread with upturn of fingers
    63. Gently fashion the yarn which deftly twisted by thumb-ball
    64. Speeded the spindle poised by thread-whorl perfect of polish;
    65. Thus as the work was wrought, the lengths were trimmed wi' the fore-teeth,
    66. While to their thin, dry lips stuck wool-flecks severed by biting,
    67. Which at the first outstood from yarn-hanks evenly fine-drawn.