Chapter 9

O dulci iocunda viro, iocunda parenti,Salve, teque bona Iuppiter auctet ope,Ianua, quam Balbo dicunt servisse benigneOlim, cum sedes ipse senex tenuit,5Quamque ferunt rursus voto servisse maligno,Postquam es porrecto facta marita sene.Dic agedum nobis, quare mutata ferarisIn dominum veterem deseruisse fidem.'Non (ita Caecilio placeam, cui tradita nunc sum)10Culpa meast, quamquam dicitur esse mea,Nec peccatum a me quisquam pote dicere quicquam:Verum istud populi fabula, Quinte, facit,Qui, quacumque aliquid reperitur non bene factum,Ad me omnes clamant: ianua, culpa tuast.'15Non istuc satis est uno te dicere verbo,Sed facere ut quivis sentiat et videat.'Qui possum? nemo quaerit nec scire laborat.'Nos volumus: nobis dicere ne dubita.'Primum igitur, virgo quod fertur tradita nobis,20Falsumst. non illam vir prior attigerit,Languidior tenera cui pendens sicula betaNumquam se mediam sustulit ad tunicam:Sed pater illius gnati violasse cubileDicitur et miseram conscelerasse domum,25Sive quod inpia mens caeco flagrabat amore,Seu quod iners sterili semine natus erat,Et quaerendus is unde foret nervosius illud,Quod posset zonam solvere virgineam.'Egregium narras mira pietate parentem,30Qui ipse sui gnati minxerit in gremium.Atqui non solum hoc se dicit cognitum habereBrixia Cycneae supposita speculae,Flavos quam molli percurrit flumine Mella,Brixia Veronae mater amata meae.35'Et de Postumio et Corneli narrat amore,Cum quibus illa malum fecit adulterium.'Dixerit hic aliquis: qui tu isthaec, ianua, nosti?Cui numquam domini limine abesse licet,Nec populum auscultare, sed heic suffixa tigillo40Tantum operire soles aut aperire domum?'Saepe illam audivi furtiva voce loquentemSolam cum ancillis haec sua flagitia,Nomine dicentem quos diximus, ut pote quae miSperaret nec linguam esse nec auriculam.45Praeterea addebat quendam, quem dicere noloNomine, ne tollat rubra supercilia.Longus homost, magnas quoi lites intulit olimFalsum mendaci ventre puerperium.'

O dulci iocunda viro, iocunda parenti,

Salve, teque bona Iuppiter auctet ope,

Ianua, quam Balbo dicunt servisse benigne

Olim, cum sedes ipse senex tenuit,

Quamque ferunt rursus voto servisse maligno,

Postquam es porrecto facta marita sene.

Dic agedum nobis, quare mutata feraris

In dominum veterem deseruisse fidem.

'Non (ita Caecilio placeam, cui tradita nunc sum)

Culpa meast, quamquam dicitur esse mea,

Nec peccatum a me quisquam pote dicere quicquam:

Verum istud populi fabula, Quinte, facit,

Qui, quacumque aliquid reperitur non bene factum,

Ad me omnes clamant: ianua, culpa tuast.'

Non istuc satis est uno te dicere verbo,

Sed facere ut quivis sentiat et videat.

'Qui possum? nemo quaerit nec scire laborat.'

Nos volumus: nobis dicere ne dubita.

'Primum igitur, virgo quod fertur tradita nobis,

Falsumst. non illam vir prior attigerit,

Languidior tenera cui pendens sicula beta

Numquam se mediam sustulit ad tunicam:

Sed pater illius gnati violasse cubile

Dicitur et miseram conscelerasse domum,

Sive quod inpia mens caeco flagrabat amore,

Seu quod iners sterili semine natus erat,

Et quaerendus is unde foret nervosius illud,

Quod posset zonam solvere virgineam.'

Egregium narras mira pietate parentem,

Qui ipse sui gnati minxerit in gremium.

Atqui non solum hoc se dicit cognitum habere

Brixia Cycneae supposita speculae,

Flavos quam molli percurrit flumine Mella,

Brixia Veronae mater amata meae.

'Et de Postumio et Corneli narrat amore,

Cum quibus illa malum fecit adulterium.'

Dixerit hic aliquis: qui tu isthaec, ianua, nosti?

Cui numquam domini limine abesse licet,

Nec populum auscultare, sed heic suffixa tigillo

Tantum operire soles aut aperire domum?

'Saepe illam audivi furtiva voce loquentem

Solam cum ancillis haec sua flagitia,

Nomine dicentem quos diximus, ut pote quae mi

Speraret nec linguam esse nec auriculam.

Praeterea addebat quendam, quem dicere nolo

Nomine, ne tollat rubra supercilia.

Longus homost, magnas quoi lites intulit olim

Falsum mendaci ventre puerperium.'

LXVII.

Dialogue concerning Catullus at a Harlot's Door.

Quintus.

O to the gentle spouse right dear, right dear to his parent,Hail, and with increase fair Jupiter lend thee his aid,Door, 'tis said wast fain kind service render to BalbusErst while, long as the house by her old owner was held;5Yet wast rumoured again to serve a purpose malignant,After the elder was stretched, thou being oped for a bride.Come, then, tell us the why in thee such change be reportedThat to thy lord hast abjured faithfulness owèd of old?

O to the gentle spouse right dear, right dear to his parent,

Hail, and with increase fair Jupiter lend thee his aid,

Door, 'tis said wast fain kind service render to Balbus

Erst while, long as the house by her old owner was held;

Yet wast rumoured again to serve a purpose malignant,

After the elder was stretched, thou being oped for a bride.

Come, then, tell us the why in thee such change be reported

That to thy lord hast abjured faithfulness owèd of old?

Door.

Never (so chance I to please Cæcilius owning me now-a-days!)10Is it my own default, how so they say it be mine;Nor can any declare aught sin by me was committed.Yet it is so declared (Quintus!) by fable of folk;Who, whenever they find things done no better than should be,Come to me outcrying all:—"Door, the default is thine own!"

Never (so chance I to please Cæcilius owning me now-a-days!)

Is it my own default, how so they say it be mine;

Nor can any declare aught sin by me was committed.

Yet it is so declared (Quintus!) by fable of folk;

Who, whenever they find things done no better than should be,

Come to me outcrying all:—"Door, the default is thine own!"

Quintus.

15This be never enough for thee one-worded to utter,But in such way to deal, each and all sense it and see.

This be never enough for thee one-worded to utter,

But in such way to deal, each and all sense it and see.

Door.

What shall I do? None asks, while nobody troubles to know.

Quintus.

Willing are we? unto us stay not thy saying to say.

Door.

First let me note that the maid to us committed (assert they)20Was but a fraud: her mate never a touch of her had,* * * ** * * *But that a father durst dishonour the bed of his firstborn,Folk all swear, and the house hapless with incest bewray;25Or that his impious mind was blunt with fiery passionOr that his impotent son sprang from incapable seed.And to be sought was one with nerve more nervous endowèd,Who could better avail zone of the virgin to loose.

First let me note that the maid to us committed (assert they)

Was but a fraud: her mate never a touch of her had,

* * * *

But that a father durst dishonour the bed of his firstborn,

Folk all swear, and the house hapless with incest bewray;

Or that his impious mind was blunt with fiery passion

Or that his impotent son sprang from incapable seed.

And to be sought was one with nerve more nervous endowèd,

Who could better avail zone of the virgin to loose.

Quintus.

'Sooth, of egregious sire for piety wondrous, thou tellest,30Who in the heart of his son lief was ——!Yet professed herself not only this to be knowing,Brixia-town that lies under the Cycnean cliff,Traversed by Mella-stream's soft-flowing yellow-hued current,Brixia, Vérona's mother, I love for my home.

'Sooth, of egregious sire for piety wondrous, thou tellest,

Who in the heart of his son lief was ——!

Yet professed herself not only this to be knowing,

Brixia-town that lies under the Cycnean cliff,

Traversed by Mella-stream's soft-flowing yellow-hued current,

Brixia, Vérona's mother, I love for my home.

Door.

35Eke of Posthumius' loves and Cornelius too there be tattle,With whom darèd the dame evil advowtry commit.

Eke of Posthumius' loves and Cornelius too there be tattle,

With whom darèd the dame evil advowtry commit.

Quintus.

Here might somebody ask:—"How, Door, hast mastered such matter?Thou that canst never avail threshold of owner to quit,Neither canst listen to folk since here fast fixt to the side-posts40Only one office thou hast, shutting or opening the house."

Here might somebody ask:—"How, Door, hast mastered such matter?

Thou that canst never avail threshold of owner to quit,

Neither canst listen to folk since here fast fixt to the side-posts

Only one office thou hast, shutting or opening the house."

Door.

Oft have I heard our dame in furtive murmurs o'er telling,When with her handmaids alone, these her flagitious deeds,Citing fore-cited names for that she never could fancyEver a Door was endow'd either with earlet or tongue.45Further she noted a wight whose name in public to mentionNill I, lest he upraise eyebrows of carroty hue;Long is the loon and large the law-suit brought they against himTouching a child-bed false, claim of a belly that lied.

Oft have I heard our dame in furtive murmurs o'er telling,

When with her handmaids alone, these her flagitious deeds,

Citing fore-cited names for that she never could fancy

Ever a Door was endow'd either with earlet or tongue.

Further she noted a wight whose name in public to mention

Nill I, lest he upraise eyebrows of carroty hue;

Long is the loon and large the law-suit brought they against him

Touching a child-bed false, claim of a belly that lied.

Catullus.

O dear in thought to the sweet husband, dear in thought to his sire, hail! and may Jove augment his good grace to thee, Door! which of old, men say, didst serve Balbus benignly, whilst the oldster held his home here; and which contrariwise, so 'tis said, didst serve with grudging service after the old man was stretched stark, thou doing service to the bride. Come, tell us why thou art reported to be changed and to have renounced thine ancient faithfulness to thy lord?

Door.

No, (so may I please Caecilius to whom I am now made over!) it is not my fault, although 'tis said so to be, nor may anyone impute any crime to me; albeit the fabling tongues of folk make it so, who, whene'er aught is found not well done, all clamour at me: "Door, thine is the blame!"

Catullus.

It is not enough for thee to say this by words merely, but so to act that everyone may feel it and see it.

Door.

In what way can I? No one questions or troubles to know.

Catullus.

We are wishful: be not doubtful to tell us.

Door.

First then, the virgin (so they called her!) who was handed to us was spurious. Her husband was not the first to touch her, he whose little dagger, hanging more limply than the tender beet, never raised itself to the middle of his tunic: but his father is said to have violated his son's bed and to have polluted the unhappy house, either because his lewd mind blazed with blind lust, or because his impotent son was sprung from sterile seed, and therefore one greater of nerve than he was needed, who could unloose the virgin's zone.

Catullus.

Thou tellest of an excellent parent marvellous in piety, who himself urined in the womb of his son!

Door.

But not this alone is Brixia said to have knowledge of, placed 'neath the Cycnean peak, through which the golden-hued Mella flows with its gentle current, Brixia, beloved mother of my Verona. For it talks of the loves of Postumius and of Cornelius, with whom she committed foul adultery.

Catullus.

Folk might say here: "How knowest thou these things, O door? thou who art never allowed absence from thy lord's threshold, nor mayst hearthe folk's gossip, but fixed to this beam art wont only to open or to shut the house!"

Door.

Often have I heard her talking with hushed voice, when alone with her handmaids, about her iniquities, quoting by name those whom we have spoken of, for she did not expect me to be gifted with either tongue or ear. Moreover she added a certain one whose name I'm unwilling to speak, lest he uplift his red eyebrows. A lanky fellow, against whom some time ago was brought a grave law-suit anent the spurious child-birth of a lying belly.

LXVIII.

Quod mihi fortuna casuque oppressus acerboConscriptum hoc lacrimis mittis epistolium,Naufragum ut eiectum spumantibus aequoris undisSublevem et a mortis limine restituam,5Quem neque sancta Venus molli requiescere somnoDesertum in lecto caelibe perpetitur,Nec veterum dulci scriptorum carmine MusaeOblectant, cum mens anxia pervigilat,Id gratumst mihi, me quoniam tibi dicis amicum,10Muneraque et Musarum hinc petis et Veneris:Sed tibi ne mea sint ignota incommoda, Mani,Neu me odisse putes hospitis officium,Accipe, quis merser fortunae fluctibus ipse,Ne amplius a misero dona beata petas.15Tempore quo primum vestis mihi tradita purast,Iocundum cum aetas florida ver ageret,Multa satis lusi: non est dea nescia nostri,Quae dulcem curis miscet amaritiem:Sed totum hoc studium luctu fraterna mihi mors20Abstulit. o misero frater adempte mihi,Tu mea tu moriens fregisti commoda, frater,Tecum una totast nostra sepulta domus,Omnia tecum una perierunt gaudia nostra,Quae tuos in vita dulcis alebat amor.25Cuius ego interitu tota de mente fugaviHaec studia atque omnis delicias animi.Quare, quod scribis Veronae turpe CatulloEsse, quod hic quivis de meliore notaFrigida deserto tepefactet membra cubili,30Id, Mani, non est turpe, magis miserumst.Ignosces igitur, si, quae mihi luctus ademit,Haec tibi non tribuo munera, cum nequeo.Nam, quod scriptorum non magnast copia apud me,Hoc fit, quod Romae vivimus: illa domus,35Illa mihi sedes, illic mea carpitur aetas:Huc una ex multis capsula me sequitur.Quod cum ita sit, nolim statuas nos mente malignaId facere aut animo non satis ingenuo,Quod tibi non utriusque petenti copia factast:40Vltro ego deferrem, copia siqua foret.Non possum reticere, deae, qua me Allius in reIuverit aut quantis iuverit officiis:Nec fugiens saeclis obliviscentibus aetasIllius hoc caeca nocte tegat studium:45Sed dicam vobis, vos porro dicite multisMilibus et facite haec charta loquatur anus* * * *Notescatque magis mortuos atque magis,Nec tenuem texens sublimis aranea telam50In deserto Alli nomine opus faciat.Nam, mihi quam dederit duplex Amathusia curam,Scitis, et in quo me corruerit genere,Cum tantum arderem quantum Trinacria rupesLymphaque in Oetaeis Malia Thermopylis,55Maesta neque adsiduo tabescere lumina fletuCessarent tristique imbre madere genae.Qualis in aerii perlucens vertice montisRivos muscoso prosilit e lapide,Qui cum de prona praeceps est valle volutus,60Per medium sensim transit iter populi,Dulci viatori lasso in sudore levamen,Cum gravis exustos aestus hiulcat agros:Hic, velut in nigro iactatis turbine nautisLenius aspirans aura secunda venit65Iam prece Pollucis, iam Castoris inplorata,Tale fuit nobis Manius auxilium.Is clusum lato patefecit limite campum,Isque domum nobis isque dedit dominam,Ad quam communes exerceremus amores.70Quo mea se molli candida diva pedeIntulit et trito fulgentem in limine plantamInnixa arguta constituit solea,Coniugis ut quondam flagrans advenit amoreProtesilaeam Laudamia domum75Inceptam frustra, nondum cum sanguine sacroHostia caelestis pacificasset eros.Nil mihi tam valde placeat, Rhamnusia virgo,Quod temere invitis suscipiatur eris.Quam ieiuna pium desideret ara cruorem,80Doctast amisso Laudamia viro,Coniugis ante coacta novi dimittere collum,Quam veniens una atque altera rursus hiempsNoctibus in longis avidum saturasset amorem,Posset ut abrupto vivere coniugio,85Quod scirant Parcae non longo tempore adesse,Si miles muros isset ad Iliacos:Nam tum Helenae raptu primores ArgivorumCoeperat ad sese Troia ciere viros,Troia (nefas) commune sepulcrum Asiae Europaeque,90Troia virum et virtutum omnium acerba cinis,Quaene etiam nostro letum miserabile fratriAttulit. ei misero frater adempte mihi,Ei misero fratri iocundum lumen ademptum,Tecum una totast nostra sepulta domus,95Omnia tecum una perierunt gaudia nostra,Quae tuos in vita dulcis alebat amor.Quem nunc tam longe non inter nota sepulcraNec prope cognatos conpositum cineres,Sed Troia obscaena, Troia infelice sepultum100Detinet extremo terra aliena solo.Ad quam tum properans fertursimulundique pubesGraeca penetrales deseruisse focos,Ne Paris abducta gavisus libera moechaOtia pacato degeret in thalamo.105Quo tibi tum casu, pulcherrima Laudamia,Ereptumst vita dulcius atque animaConiugium: tanto te absorbens vertice amorisAestus in abruptum detulerat barathrum,Quale ferunt Grai Pheneum prope Cylleneum110Siccare emulsa pingue palude solum,Quod quondam caesis montis fodisse medullisAudit falsiparens Amphitryoniades,Tempore quo certa Stymphalia monstra sagittaPerculit imperio deterioris eri,115Pluribus ut caeli tereretur ianua divis,Hebe nec longa virginitate foret.Sed tuos altus amor barathro fuit altior illo,Qui durum domitam ferre iugum docuit:Nam nec tam carum confecto aetate parenti120Vna caput seri nata nepotis alit,Qui, cum divitiis vix tandem inventus avitisNomen testatas intulit in tabulas,Inpia derisi gentilis gaudia tollensSuscitat a cano volturium capiti:125Nec tantum niveo gavisast ulla columboConpar, quae multo dicitur inprobiusOscula mordenti semper decerpere rostro,Quam quae praecipue multivolast mulier.Sed tu horum magnos vicisti sola furores,130Vt semel es flavo conciliata viro.Aut nihil aut paulo cui tum concedere dignaLux mea se nostrum contulit in gremium,Quam circumcursans hinc illinc saepe CupidoFulgebat crocina candidus in tunica.135Quae tamen etsi uno non est contenta Catullo,Rara verecundae furta feremus erae,Ne nimium simus stultorum more molesti.Saepe etiam Iuno, maxima caelicolum,Coniugis in culpa flagrantem conquoquit iram,140Noscens omnivoli plurima furta Iovis.Atquei nec divis homines conponier aequomst,* * * ** * * *Ingratum tremuli tolle parentis onus.Nec tamen illa mihi dextra deducta paternaFragrantem Assyrio venit odore domum,145Sed furtiva dedit muta munuscula nocte,Ipsius ex ipso dempta viri gremio.Quare illud satis est, si nobis is datur unis,Quem lapide illa diem candidiore notat.Hoc tibi, qua potui, confectum carmine munus150Pro multis, Alli, redditur officiis,Ne vostrum scabra tangat rubigine nomenHaec atque illa dies atque alia atque alia.Huc addent divi quam plurima, quae Themis olimAntiquis solitast munera ferre piis:155Sitis felices et tu simul et tua vitaEt domus, ipsi in qua lusimus et domina,Et qui principio nobis te tradidit Anser,A quo sunt primo mi omnia nata bona.Et longe ante omnes mihi quae me carior ipsost,160Lux mea, qua viva vivere dulce mihist.

Quod mihi fortuna casuque oppressus acerbo

Conscriptum hoc lacrimis mittis epistolium,

Naufragum ut eiectum spumantibus aequoris undis

Sublevem et a mortis limine restituam,

Quem neque sancta Venus molli requiescere somno

Desertum in lecto caelibe perpetitur,

Nec veterum dulci scriptorum carmine Musae

Oblectant, cum mens anxia pervigilat,

Id gratumst mihi, me quoniam tibi dicis amicum,

Muneraque et Musarum hinc petis et Veneris:

Sed tibi ne mea sint ignota incommoda, Mani,

Neu me odisse putes hospitis officium,

Accipe, quis merser fortunae fluctibus ipse,

Ne amplius a misero dona beata petas.

Tempore quo primum vestis mihi tradita purast,

Iocundum cum aetas florida ver ageret,

Multa satis lusi: non est dea nescia nostri,

Quae dulcem curis miscet amaritiem:

Sed totum hoc studium luctu fraterna mihi mors

Abstulit. o misero frater adempte mihi,

Tu mea tu moriens fregisti commoda, frater,

Tecum una totast nostra sepulta domus,

Omnia tecum una perierunt gaudia nostra,

Quae tuos in vita dulcis alebat amor.

Cuius ego interitu tota de mente fugavi

Haec studia atque omnis delicias animi.

Quare, quod scribis Veronae turpe Catullo

Esse, quod hic quivis de meliore nota

Frigida deserto tepefactet membra cubili,

Id, Mani, non est turpe, magis miserumst.

Ignosces igitur, si, quae mihi luctus ademit,

Haec tibi non tribuo munera, cum nequeo.

Nam, quod scriptorum non magnast copia apud me,

Hoc fit, quod Romae vivimus: illa domus,

Illa mihi sedes, illic mea carpitur aetas:

Huc una ex multis capsula me sequitur.

Quod cum ita sit, nolim statuas nos mente maligna

Id facere aut animo non satis ingenuo,

Quod tibi non utriusque petenti copia factast:

Vltro ego deferrem, copia siqua foret.

Non possum reticere, deae, qua me Allius in re

Iuverit aut quantis iuverit officiis:

Nec fugiens saeclis obliviscentibus aetas

Illius hoc caeca nocte tegat studium:

Sed dicam vobis, vos porro dicite multis

Milibus et facite haec charta loquatur anus

* * * *

Notescatque magis mortuos atque magis,

Nec tenuem texens sublimis aranea telam

In deserto Alli nomine opus faciat.

Nam, mihi quam dederit duplex Amathusia curam,

Scitis, et in quo me corruerit genere,

Cum tantum arderem quantum Trinacria rupes

Lymphaque in Oetaeis Malia Thermopylis,

Maesta neque adsiduo tabescere lumina fletu

Cessarent tristique imbre madere genae.

Qualis in aerii perlucens vertice montis

Rivos muscoso prosilit e lapide,

Qui cum de prona praeceps est valle volutus,

Per medium sensim transit iter populi,

Dulci viatori lasso in sudore levamen,

Cum gravis exustos aestus hiulcat agros:

Hic, velut in nigro iactatis turbine nautis

Lenius aspirans aura secunda venit

Iam prece Pollucis, iam Castoris inplorata,

Tale fuit nobis Manius auxilium.

Is clusum lato patefecit limite campum,

Isque domum nobis isque dedit dominam,

Ad quam communes exerceremus amores.

Quo mea se molli candida diva pede

Intulit et trito fulgentem in limine plantam

Innixa arguta constituit solea,

Coniugis ut quondam flagrans advenit amore

Protesilaeam Laudamia domum

Inceptam frustra, nondum cum sanguine sacro

Hostia caelestis pacificasset eros.

Nil mihi tam valde placeat, Rhamnusia virgo,

Quod temere invitis suscipiatur eris.

Quam ieiuna pium desideret ara cruorem,

Doctast amisso Laudamia viro,

Coniugis ante coacta novi dimittere collum,

Quam veniens una atque altera rursus hiemps

Noctibus in longis avidum saturasset amorem,

Posset ut abrupto vivere coniugio,

Quod scirant Parcae non longo tempore adesse,

Si miles muros isset ad Iliacos:

Nam tum Helenae raptu primores Argivorum

Coeperat ad sese Troia ciere viros,

Troia (nefas) commune sepulcrum Asiae Europaeque,

Troia virum et virtutum omnium acerba cinis,

Quaene etiam nostro letum miserabile fratri

Attulit. ei misero frater adempte mihi,

Ei misero fratri iocundum lumen ademptum,

Tecum una totast nostra sepulta domus,

Omnia tecum una perierunt gaudia nostra,

Quae tuos in vita dulcis alebat amor.

Quem nunc tam longe non inter nota sepulcra

Nec prope cognatos conpositum cineres,

Sed Troia obscaena, Troia infelice sepultum

100

Detinet extremo terra aliena solo.

Ad quam tum properans fertursimulundique pubes

Graeca penetrales deseruisse focos,

Ne Paris abducta gavisus libera moecha

Otia pacato degeret in thalamo.

105

Quo tibi tum casu, pulcherrima Laudamia,

Ereptumst vita dulcius atque anima

Coniugium: tanto te absorbens vertice amoris

Aestus in abruptum detulerat barathrum,

Quale ferunt Grai Pheneum prope Cylleneum

110

Siccare emulsa pingue palude solum,

Quod quondam caesis montis fodisse medullis

Audit falsiparens Amphitryoniades,

Tempore quo certa Stymphalia monstra sagitta

Perculit imperio deterioris eri,

115

Pluribus ut caeli tereretur ianua divis,

Hebe nec longa virginitate foret.

Sed tuos altus amor barathro fuit altior illo,

Qui durum domitam ferre iugum docuit:

Nam nec tam carum confecto aetate parenti

120

Vna caput seri nata nepotis alit,

Qui, cum divitiis vix tandem inventus avitis

Nomen testatas intulit in tabulas,

Inpia derisi gentilis gaudia tollens

Suscitat a cano volturium capiti:

125

Nec tantum niveo gavisast ulla columbo

Conpar, quae multo dicitur inprobius

Oscula mordenti semper decerpere rostro,

Quam quae praecipue multivolast mulier.

Sed tu horum magnos vicisti sola furores,

130

Vt semel es flavo conciliata viro.

Aut nihil aut paulo cui tum concedere digna

Lux mea se nostrum contulit in gremium,

Quam circumcursans hinc illinc saepe Cupido

Fulgebat crocina candidus in tunica.

135

Quae tamen etsi uno non est contenta Catullo,

Rara verecundae furta feremus erae,

Ne nimium simus stultorum more molesti.

Saepe etiam Iuno, maxima caelicolum,

Coniugis in culpa flagrantem conquoquit iram,

140

Noscens omnivoli plurima furta Iovis.

Atquei nec divis homines conponier aequomst,

* * * *

Ingratum tremuli tolle parentis onus.

Nec tamen illa mihi dextra deducta paterna

Fragrantem Assyrio venit odore domum,

145

Sed furtiva dedit muta munuscula nocte,

Ipsius ex ipso dempta viri gremio.

Quare illud satis est, si nobis is datur unis,

Quem lapide illa diem candidiore notat.

Hoc tibi, qua potui, confectum carmine munus

150

Pro multis, Alli, redditur officiis,

Ne vostrum scabra tangat rubigine nomen

Haec atque illa dies atque alia atque alia.

Huc addent divi quam plurima, quae Themis olim

Antiquis solitast munera ferre piis:

155

Sitis felices et tu simul et tua vita

Et domus, ipsi in qua lusimus et domina,

Et qui principio nobis te tradidit Anser,

A quo sunt primo mi omnia nata bona.

Et longe ante omnes mihi quae me carior ipsost,

160

Lux mea, qua viva vivere dulce mihist.

LXVIII.

To Manius on Various Matters.

When to me sore opprest by bitter chance of misfortuneThis thy letter thou send'st written wi' blotting of tears,So might I save thee flung by spuming billows of ocean,Shipwreckt, rescuing life snatcht from the threshold of death;5Eke neither Venus the Holy to rest in slumber's refreshmentGrants thee her grace on couch lying deserted and lone,Nor can the Muses avail with dulcet song of old writersEver delight thy mind sleepless in anxious care;Grateful be this to my thought since thus thy friend I'm entitled,10Hence of me seekest thou gifts Muses and Venus can give:But that bide not unknown to thee my sorrows (O Manius!)And lest office of host I should be holden to hate,Learn how in Fortune's deeps I chance myself to be drownèd,Nor fro' the poor rich boons furthermore prithee require.15What while first to myself the pure-white garment was given,Whenas my flowery years flowed in fruition of spring,Much I disported enow, nor 'bode I a stranger to GoddessWho with our cares is lief sweetness of bitter to mix:Yet did a brother's death pursuits like these to my sorrow20Bid for me cease: Oh, snatcht brother! from wretchedest me.Then, yea, thou by thy dying hast broke my comfort, O brother;Buried together wi' thee lieth the whole of our house;Perisht along wi' thyself all gauds and joys of our life-tide,Douce love fostered by thee during the term of our days.25After thy doom of death fro' mind I banishèd whollyStudies like these, and all lending a solace to soul;Wherefore as to thy writ:—"Verona's home for CatullusBringeth him shame, for there men of superior markMust on a deserted couch fain chafe their refrigerate limbs:"30Such be no shame (Manius!): rather 'tis matter of ruth.Pardon me, then, wilt thou an gifts bereft me by grievingThese I send not to thee since I avail not presènt.For, that I own not here abundant treasure of writingsHas for its cause, in Rome dwell I; and there am I homed,35There be my seat, and there my years are gathered to harvest;Out of book-cases galore here am I followed by one.This being thus, nill I thou deem 'tis spirit malignantActs in such wise or mind lacking of liberal moodThat to thy prayer both gifts be not in plenty supplièd:40Willingly both had I sent, had I the needed supply.Nor can I (Goddesses!) hide in what things Allius sent meAid, forbear to declare what was the aidance he deigned:Neither shall fugitive Time from centuries ever obliviousVeil in the blinds of night friendship he lavisht on me.45But will I say unto you what you shall say to the manyThousands in turn, and make paper, old crone, to proclaim* * * *And in his death become noted the more and the more,Nor let spider on high that weaves her delicate webbing50Practise such labours o'er Allius' obsolete name.For that ye weet right well what care Amathúsia two-facedGave me, and how she dasht every hope to the ground,Whenas I burnt so hot as burn Trinacria's rocks orMallia stream that feeds Œtéan Thermopylæ;55Nor did these saddened eyes to be dimmed by assiduous weepingCease, and my cheeks with showers ever in sadness be wet.E'en as from aëry heights of mountain springeth a springletLimpidest leaping forth from rocking felted with moss,Then having headlong rolled the prone-laid valley downpouring,60Populous region amid wendeth his gradual way,Sweetest solace of all to the sweltering traveller wayworn,Whenas the heavy heat fissures the fiery fields;Or, as to seamen lost in night of whirlwind a-gloomingGentle of breath there comes fairest and favouring breeze,65Pollux anon being prayed, nor less vows offered to Castor:—Such was the aidance to us Manius pleased to afford.He to my narrow domains far wider limits laid open,He too gave me the house, also he gave me the dame,She upon whom both might exert them, partners in love deeds.70Thither graceful of gait pacing my goddess white-huedCame and with gleaming foot on the worn sole of the thresholdStood she and prest its slab creaking her sandals the while;E'en so with love enflamed in olden days to her helpmate,Laodamía the home Protesiléan besought,75Sought, but in vain, for ne'er wi' sacrificial bloodshedVictims appeasèd the Lords ruling Celestial seats:Never may I so joy in aught (Rhamnusian Virgin!)That I engage in deed maugrè the will of the Lords.How starved altar can crave for gore in piety pourèd,80Laodamia learnt taught by the loss of her man,Driven perforce to loose the neck of new-wedded help-mate,Whenas a winter had gone, nor other winter had come,Ere in the long dark nights her greeding love was so satedThat she had power to live maugrè a marriage broke off,85Which, as the Parcæ knew, too soon was fated to happenShould he a soldier sail bound for those Ilian walls.For that by Helena's rape, the Champion-leaders of ArgivesUnto herself to incite Troy had already begun,Troy (ah, curst be the name) common tomb of Asia and Europe,90Troy to sad ashes that turned valour and valorous men!Eke to our brother beloved, destruction ever lamentedBrought she: O Brother for aye lost unto wretchedmost me,Oh, to thy wretchedmost brother lost the light of his life-tide,Buried together wi' thee lieth the whole of our house:95Perisht along wi' thyself forthright all joys we enjoyèd,Douce joys fed by thy love during the term of our days;Whom now art tombed so far nor 'mid familiar pavestonesNor wi' thine ashes stored near to thy kith and thy kin,But in that Troy obscene, that Troy of ill-omen, entombèd100Holds thee, an alien earth-buried in uttermost bourne.Thither in haste so hot ('tis said) from allwhere the Youth-hoodGrecian, farèd in hosts forth of their hearths and their homes,Lest with a stolen punk with fullest of pleasure should ParisFairly at leisure and ease sleep in the pacific bed.105Such was the hapless chance, most beautiful Laodamia,Tare fro' thee dearer than life, dearer than spirit itself,Him, that husband, whose love in so mighty a whirlpool of passionWhelmed thee absorbèd and plunged deep in its gulfy abyss,E'en as the Grecians tell hard by Phenéus of Cylléne110Drained was the marish and dried, forming the fattest of soils,Whenas in days long done to delve through marrow of mountainsDarèd, falsing his sire, Amphtryóniades;What time sure of his shafts he smote Stymphalian monstersSlaying their host at the hest dealt by a lord of less worth,115So might the gateway of Heaven be trodden by more of the godheads,Nor might Hébé abide longer to maidenhood doomed.Yet was the depth of thy love far deeper than deepest of marishWhich the hard mistress's yoke taught him so tamely to bear;Never was head so dear to a grandsire wasted by life-tide120Whenas one daughter alone a grandson so tardy had reared,Who being found against hope to inherit riches of forbearsIn the well-witnessed Will haply by name did appear,And 'spite impious hopes of baffled claimant to kinshipStartles the Vulturine grip clutching the frost-bitten poll.125Nor with such rapture e'er joyed his mate of snowy-hued plumageDove-mate, albeit aye wont in her immoderate heatSaid be the bird to snatch hot kisses with beak ever billing,As diddest thou:—yet is Woman multivolent still.But thou 'vailedest alone all these to conquer in love-lowe,130When conjoinèd once more unto thy yellow-haired spouse.Worthy of yielding to her in naught or ever so littleCame to the bosom of us she, the fair light of my life,Round whom fluttering oft the Love-God hither and thitherShone with a candid sheen robed in his safflower dress.135She though never she bide with one Catullus contented,Yet will I bear with the rare thefts of my dame the discreet,Lest over-irk I give which still of fools is the fashion.Often did Juno eke Queen of the Heavenly hostBoil wi' the rabidest rage at dire default of a husband140Learning the manifold thefts of her omnivolent Jove,Yet with the Gods mankind 'tis nowise righteous to liken,* * * ** * * *Rid me of graceless task fit for a tremulous sire.Yet was she never to me by hand paternal committedWhenas she came to my house reeking Assyrian scents;145Nay, in the darkness of night her furtive favours she deigned me,Self-willed taking herself from very mate's very breast.Wherefore I hold it enough since given to us and us onlyBoon of that day with Stone whiter than wont she denotes.This to thee—all that I can—this offering couched in verses150(Allius!) as my return give I for service galore;So wi' the seabriny rust your name may never be sulliedThis day and that nor yet other and other again.Hereto add may the Gods all good gifts, which Themis erewhilesWont on the pious of old from her full store to bestow:155Blest be the times of the twain, thyself and she who thy life is,Also the home wherein dallied we, no less the Dame,Anser to boot who first of mortals brought us together,Whence from beginning all good Fortunes that blest us were born.Lastly than every else one dearer than self and far dearer,160Light of my life who alive living to me can endear.

When to me sore opprest by bitter chance of misfortune

This thy letter thou send'st written wi' blotting of tears,

So might I save thee flung by spuming billows of ocean,

Shipwreckt, rescuing life snatcht from the threshold of death;

Eke neither Venus the Holy to rest in slumber's refreshment

Grants thee her grace on couch lying deserted and lone,

Nor can the Muses avail with dulcet song of old writers

Ever delight thy mind sleepless in anxious care;

Grateful be this to my thought since thus thy friend I'm entitled,

Hence of me seekest thou gifts Muses and Venus can give:

But that bide not unknown to thee my sorrows (O Manius!)

And lest office of host I should be holden to hate,

Learn how in Fortune's deeps I chance myself to be drownèd,

Nor fro' the poor rich boons furthermore prithee require.

What while first to myself the pure-white garment was given,

Whenas my flowery years flowed in fruition of spring,

Much I disported enow, nor 'bode I a stranger to Goddess

Who with our cares is lief sweetness of bitter to mix:

Yet did a brother's death pursuits like these to my sorrow

Bid for me cease: Oh, snatcht brother! from wretchedest me.

Then, yea, thou by thy dying hast broke my comfort, O brother;

Buried together wi' thee lieth the whole of our house;

Perisht along wi' thyself all gauds and joys of our life-tide,

Douce love fostered by thee during the term of our days.

After thy doom of death fro' mind I banishèd wholly

Studies like these, and all lending a solace to soul;

Wherefore as to thy writ:—"Verona's home for Catullus

Bringeth him shame, for there men of superior mark

Must on a deserted couch fain chafe their refrigerate limbs:"

Such be no shame (Manius!): rather 'tis matter of ruth.

Pardon me, then, wilt thou an gifts bereft me by grieving

These I send not to thee since I avail not presènt.

For, that I own not here abundant treasure of writings

Has for its cause, in Rome dwell I; and there am I homed,

There be my seat, and there my years are gathered to harvest;

Out of book-cases galore here am I followed by one.

This being thus, nill I thou deem 'tis spirit malignant

Acts in such wise or mind lacking of liberal mood

That to thy prayer both gifts be not in plenty supplièd:

Willingly both had I sent, had I the needed supply.

Nor can I (Goddesses!) hide in what things Allius sent me

Aid, forbear to declare what was the aidance he deigned:

Neither shall fugitive Time from centuries ever oblivious

Veil in the blinds of night friendship he lavisht on me.

But will I say unto you what you shall say to the many

Thousands in turn, and make paper, old crone, to proclaim

* * * *

And in his death become noted the more and the more,

Nor let spider on high that weaves her delicate webbing

Practise such labours o'er Allius' obsolete name.

For that ye weet right well what care Amathúsia two-faced

Gave me, and how she dasht every hope to the ground,

Whenas I burnt so hot as burn Trinacria's rocks or

Mallia stream that feeds Œtéan Thermopylæ;

Nor did these saddened eyes to be dimmed by assiduous weeping

Cease, and my cheeks with showers ever in sadness be wet.

E'en as from aëry heights of mountain springeth a springlet

Limpidest leaping forth from rocking felted with moss,

Then having headlong rolled the prone-laid valley downpouring,

Populous region amid wendeth his gradual way,

Sweetest solace of all to the sweltering traveller wayworn,

Whenas the heavy heat fissures the fiery fields;

Or, as to seamen lost in night of whirlwind a-glooming

Gentle of breath there comes fairest and favouring breeze,

Pollux anon being prayed, nor less vows offered to Castor:—

Such was the aidance to us Manius pleased to afford.

He to my narrow domains far wider limits laid open,

He too gave me the house, also he gave me the dame,

She upon whom both might exert them, partners in love deeds.

Thither graceful of gait pacing my goddess white-hued

Came and with gleaming foot on the worn sole of the threshold

Stood she and prest its slab creaking her sandals the while;

E'en so with love enflamed in olden days to her helpmate,

Laodamía the home Protesiléan besought,

Sought, but in vain, for ne'er wi' sacrificial bloodshed

Victims appeasèd the Lords ruling Celestial seats:

Never may I so joy in aught (Rhamnusian Virgin!)

That I engage in deed maugrè the will of the Lords.

How starved altar can crave for gore in piety pourèd,

Laodamia learnt taught by the loss of her man,

Driven perforce to loose the neck of new-wedded help-mate,

Whenas a winter had gone, nor other winter had come,

Ere in the long dark nights her greeding love was so sated

That she had power to live maugrè a marriage broke off,

Which, as the Parcæ knew, too soon was fated to happen

Should he a soldier sail bound for those Ilian walls.

For that by Helena's rape, the Champion-leaders of Argives

Unto herself to incite Troy had already begun,

Troy (ah, curst be the name) common tomb of Asia and Europe,

Troy to sad ashes that turned valour and valorous men!

Eke to our brother beloved, destruction ever lamented

Brought she: O Brother for aye lost unto wretchedmost me,

Oh, to thy wretchedmost brother lost the light of his life-tide,

Buried together wi' thee lieth the whole of our house:

Perisht along wi' thyself forthright all joys we enjoyèd,

Douce joys fed by thy love during the term of our days;

Whom now art tombed so far nor 'mid familiar pavestones

Nor wi' thine ashes stored near to thy kith and thy kin,

But in that Troy obscene, that Troy of ill-omen, entombèd

100

Holds thee, an alien earth-buried in uttermost bourne.

Thither in haste so hot ('tis said) from allwhere the Youth-hood

Grecian, farèd in hosts forth of their hearths and their homes,

Lest with a stolen punk with fullest of pleasure should Paris

Fairly at leisure and ease sleep in the pacific bed.

105

Such was the hapless chance, most beautiful Laodamia,

Tare fro' thee dearer than life, dearer than spirit itself,

Him, that husband, whose love in so mighty a whirlpool of passion

Whelmed thee absorbèd and plunged deep in its gulfy abyss,

E'en as the Grecians tell hard by Phenéus of Cylléne

110

Drained was the marish and dried, forming the fattest of soils,

Whenas in days long done to delve through marrow of mountains

Darèd, falsing his sire, Amphtryóniades;

What time sure of his shafts he smote Stymphalian monsters

Slaying their host at the hest dealt by a lord of less worth,

115

So might the gateway of Heaven be trodden by more of the godheads,

Nor might Hébé abide longer to maidenhood doomed.

Yet was the depth of thy love far deeper than deepest of marish

Which the hard mistress's yoke taught him so tamely to bear;

Never was head so dear to a grandsire wasted by life-tide

120

Whenas one daughter alone a grandson so tardy had reared,

Who being found against hope to inherit riches of forbears

In the well-witnessed Will haply by name did appear,

And 'spite impious hopes of baffled claimant to kinship

Startles the Vulturine grip clutching the frost-bitten poll.

125

Nor with such rapture e'er joyed his mate of snowy-hued plumage

Dove-mate, albeit aye wont in her immoderate heat

Said be the bird to snatch hot kisses with beak ever billing,

As diddest thou:—yet is Woman multivolent still.

But thou 'vailedest alone all these to conquer in love-lowe,

130

When conjoinèd once more unto thy yellow-haired spouse.

Worthy of yielding to her in naught or ever so little

Came to the bosom of us she, the fair light of my life,

Round whom fluttering oft the Love-God hither and thither

Shone with a candid sheen robed in his safflower dress.

135

She though never she bide with one Catullus contented,

Yet will I bear with the rare thefts of my dame the discreet,

Lest over-irk I give which still of fools is the fashion.

Often did Juno eke Queen of the Heavenly host

Boil wi' the rabidest rage at dire default of a husband

140

Learning the manifold thefts of her omnivolent Jove,

Yet with the Gods mankind 'tis nowise righteous to liken,

* * * *

Rid me of graceless task fit for a tremulous sire.

Yet was she never to me by hand paternal committed

Whenas she came to my house reeking Assyrian scents;

145

Nay, in the darkness of night her furtive favours she deigned me,

Self-willed taking herself from very mate's very breast.

Wherefore I hold it enough since given to us and us only

Boon of that day with Stone whiter than wont she denotes.

This to thee—all that I can—this offering couched in verses

150

(Allius!) as my return give I for service galore;

So wi' the seabriny rust your name may never be sullied

This day and that nor yet other and other again.

Hereto add may the Gods all good gifts, which Themis erewhiles

Wont on the pious of old from her full store to bestow:

155

Blest be the times of the twain, thyself and she who thy life is,

Also the home wherein dallied we, no less the Dame,

Anser to boot who first of mortals brought us together,

Whence from beginning all good Fortunes that blest us were born.

Lastly than every else one dearer than self and far dearer,

160

Light of my life who alive living to me can endear.

That when, opprest by fortune and in grievous case, thou didst send me this epistle o'erwrit with tears, that I might bear up shipwrecked thee tossed by the foaming waves of the sea, and restore thee from the threshold of death; thou whom neither sacred Venus suffers to repose in soft slumber, desolate on a a lonely couch, nor do the Muses divert with the sweet song of ancient poets, whilst thy anxious mind keeps vigil:—this is grateful to me, since thou dost call me thy friend, and dost seek hither the gifts of the Muses and of Venus. But that my troubles may not be unknown to thee, O Manius, nor thou deem I shun the office of host, hear how I am whelmed in the waves of that same fortune, nor further seek joyful gifts from a wretched one. In that time when the white vestment was first handed to me, and my florid age was passing in jocund spring, much did I sport enow: nor was the goddess unknown to us who mixes bitter-sweet with our cares. But my brother's death plunged all this pursuit into mourning. O brother, taken from my unhappy self; thou by thy dying hast broken my ease, O brother; all our house is buried with thee; with thee have perished the whole of our joys, which thy sweet love nourished in thy lifetime. Thou lost, I have dismissed wholly from mind these studies and every delight of mind. Wherefore, as to what thou writest, "'Tis shameful for Catullus to be at Verona, for there anyone of utmost note must chafe his frigid limbs on a desolate couch;" that, Manius, is not shameful; rather 'tis apity. Therefore, do thou forgive, if what grief has snatched from me, these gifts, I do not bestow on thee, because I am unable. For, that there is no great store of writings with me arises from this, that we live at Rome: there is my home, there is my hall, thither my time is passed; hither but one of my book-cases follows me. As 'tis thus, I would not that thou deem we act so from ill-will or from a mind not sufficiently ingenuous, that ample store is not forthcoming to either of thy desires: both would I grant, had I the wherewithal. Nor can I conceal, goddesses, in what way Allius has aided me, or with how many good offices he has assisted me; nor shall fleeting time with its forgetful centuries cover with night's blindness this care of his. But I tell it to you, and do ye declare it to many thousands, and make this paper, grown old, speak of it * * * * And let him be more and more noted when dead, nor let the spider aloft, weaving her thin-drawn web, carry on her work over the neglected name of Allius. For you know what anxiety of mind wily Amathusia gave me, and in what manner she overthrew me, when I was burning like the Trinacrian rocks, or the Malian fount in Oetaean Thermopylae; nor did my piteous eyes cease to dissolve with continual weeping, nor my cheeks with sad showers to be bedewed. As the pellucid stream gushes forth from the moss-grown rock on the aerial crest of the mountain, which when it has rolled headlong prone down the valley, softly wends its way through the midst of thepopulous parts, sweet solace to the wayfarer sweating with weariness, when the oppressive heat cracks the burnt-up fields agape: or, as to sailors tempest-tossed in black whirlpool, there cometh a favourable and a gently-moving breeze, Pollux having been prayed anon, and Castor alike implored: of such kind was Manius' help to us. He with a wider limit laid open my closed field; he gave us a home and its mistress, on whom we both might exercise our loves in common. Thither with gracious gait my bright-hued goddess betook herself, and pressed her shining sole on the worn threshold with creaking of sandal; as once came Laodamia, flaming with love for her consort, to the home of Protesilaus,—a beginning of naught! for not yet with sacred blood had a victim made propitiate the lords of the heavens. May nothing please me so greatly, Rhamnusian virgin, that I should act thus heedlessly against the will of those lords! How the thirsty altar craves for sacrificial blood Laodamia was taught by the loss of her husband, being compelled to abandon the neck of her new spouse when one winter was past, before another winter had come, in whose long nights she might so glut her greedy love, that she could have lived despite her broken marriage-yoke, which the Parcae knew would not be long distant, if her husband as soldier should fare to the Ilian walls. For by Helena's rape Troy had begun to put the Argive Chiefs in the field; Troy accurst, the common grave of Asia andof Europe, Troy, the sad ashes of heroes and of every noble deed, that also lamentably brought death to our brother. O brother taken from unhappy me! O jocund light taken from thy unhappy brother! in thy one grave lies all our house, in thy one grave have perished all our joys, which thy sweet love did nurture during life. Whom now is laid so far away, not amongst familiar tombs nor near the ashes of his kindred, but obscene Troy, malign Troy, an alien earth, holds thee entombed in its remote soil. Thither, 'tis said, hastening together from all parts, the Grecian manhood forsook their hearths and homes, lest Paris enjoy his abducted trollop with freedom and leisure in a peaceful bed. Such then was thy case, loveliest Laodamia, to be bereft of husband sweeter than life, and than soul; thou being sucked in so great a whirlpool of love, its eddy submerged thee in its steep abyss, like (so folk say) to the Graian gulph near Pheneus of Cyllene with its fat swamp's soil drained and dried, which aforetime the falsely-born Amphitryoniades dared to hew through the marrow of cleft mountains, at the time when he smote down the Stymphalian monsters with sure shafts by the command of his inferior lord, so that the heavenly portal might be pressed by a greater number of deities, nor Hebe longer remain in her virginity. But deeper than that abyss was thy deep love which taught [thy husband] to bear his lady's forceful yoke. For not so dear to the spent age of the grandsire is the late borngrandchild an only daughter rears, who, long-wished-for, at length inherits the ancestral wealth, his name duly set down in the attested tablets; and casting afar the impious hopes of the baffled next-of-kin, scares away the vulture from the whitened head; nor so much does any dove-mate rejoice in her snow-white consort (though, 'tis averred, more shameless than most in continually plucking kisses with nibbling beak) as thou dost, though woman is especially inconstant. But thou alone didst surpass the great frenzies of these, when thou wast once united to thy yellow-haired husband. Worthy to yield to whom in naught or in little, my light brought herself to my bosom, round whom Cupid, often running hither thither, gleamed lustrous-white in saffron-tinted tunic. Still although she is not content with Catullus alone, we will suffer the rare frailties of our coy lady, lest we may be too greatly unbearable, after the manner of fools. Often even Juno, greatest of heaven-dwellers, boiled with flaring wrath at her husband's default, wotting the host of frailties of all-wishful Jove. Yet 'tis not meet to match men with the gods, * * * * bear up the ungrateful burden of a tremulous parent. Yet she was not handed to me by a father's right hand when she came to my house fragrant with Assyrian odour, but she gave me her stealthy favours in the mute night, withdrawing of her own will from the bosom of her spouse. Wherefore that is enough if to us alone she gives that day which shemarks with a whiter stone. This gift to thee, all that I can, of verse completed, is requital, Allius, for many offices, so that this day and that, and other and other of days may not tarnish your name with scabrous rust. Hither may the gods add gifts full many, which Themis aforetimes was wont to bear to the pious of old. May ye be happy, both thou and thy life's-love together, and thy home in which we have sported, and its mistress, and Anser who in the beginning brought thee to us, from whom all my good fortunes were first born, and lastly she whose very self is dearer to me than all these,—my light, whom living, 'tis sweet to me to live.

LXVIIII.

Noli admirari, quare tibi femina nulla,Rufe, velit tenerum supposuisse femur,Non si illam rarae labefactes munere vestisAut perluciduli deliciis lapidis.5Laedit te quaedam mala fabula, qua tibi ferturValle sub alarum trux habitare caper.Hunc metuunt omnes. neque mirum: nam mala valdestBestia, nec quicum bella puella cubet.Quare aut crudelem nasorum interfice pestem,10Aut admirari desine cur fugiunt.

Noli admirari, quare tibi femina nulla,

Rufe, velit tenerum supposuisse femur,

Non si illam rarae labefactes munere vestis

Aut perluciduli deliciis lapidis.

Laedit te quaedam mala fabula, qua tibi fertur

Valle sub alarum trux habitare caper.

Hunc metuunt omnes. neque mirum: nam mala valdest

Bestia, nec quicum bella puella cubet.

Quare aut crudelem nasorum interfice pestem,

Aut admirari desine cur fugiunt.

LXVIIII.

To Rufus the Fetid.

Wonder not blatantly why no woman shall ever be willing(Rufus!) her tender thigh under thyself to bestow,Not an thou tempt her full by bribes of the rarest garments,Or by the dear delights gems the pellucidest deal.5Harms thee an ugly tale wherein of thee is recordedHorrible stench of the goat under thine arm-pits be lodged.All are in dread thereof; nor wonder this, for 'tis evilBeastie, nor damsel fair ever thereto shall succumb.So do thou either kill that cruel pest o' their noses,10Or at their reason of flight blatantly wondering cease.

Wonder not blatantly why no woman shall ever be willing

(Rufus!) her tender thigh under thyself to bestow,

Not an thou tempt her full by bribes of the rarest garments,

Or by the dear delights gems the pellucidest deal.

Harms thee an ugly tale wherein of thee is recorded

Horrible stench of the goat under thine arm-pits be lodged.

All are in dread thereof; nor wonder this, for 'tis evil

Beastie, nor damsel fair ever thereto shall succumb.

So do thou either kill that cruel pest o' their noses,

Or at their reason of flight blatantly wondering cease.

Be unwilling to wonder wherefore no woman, O Rufus, is wishful to place her tender thigh 'neath thee, not even if thou dost tempt her by the gift of a rare robe or by the delights of a crystal-clear gem. A certain ill tale injures thee, that thou bearest housed in the valley of thine armpits a grim goat. Hence everyone's fear. Nor be marvel: for 'tis an exceeding ill beast, with whom no fair girl will sleep. Wherefore, either murder that cruel plague of their noses, or cease to marvel why they fly?

LXX.

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