Carmina

Catullus

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

  1. Nor shall the mother's soul for ill-matcht daughter a-grieving
  2. Lose by a parted couch all hopes of favourite grandsons.
  3. Speed ye, the well-spun woof out-drawing, speed ye, 0 Spindles.
  4. Thus in the bygone day Peleus' fate foretelling
  5. Chaunted from breasts divine prophetic verse the Parcae.
  6. For that the pure chaste homes of heroes to visit in person
  7. Oft-tide the Gods, and themselves to display where mortals were gathered,
  8. Wont were the Heavenlies while none human piety spurned.
  9. Often the Deities' Sire, in fulgent temple a-dwelling,
  10. Whenas in festal days received he his annual worship,
  11. Looked upon hundreds of bulls felled prone on pavement before him.
  12. Full oft Liber who roamed from topmost peak of Parnassus
  13. Hunted his howling host, his Thyiads with tresses dishevelled.
  14. Then with contending troops from all their city outflocking
  15. Gladly the Delphians hailed their God with smoking of altars.
  16. Often in death-full war and bravest of battle, or Mavors
  17. Or rapid Triton's Queen or eke the Virgin Rhamnusian,
  18. Bevies of weaponed men exhorting, proved their presence.
  19. But from the time when earth was stained with unspeakable scandals
  20. And forth fro' greeding breasts of all men justice departed,