Catullus 5

1. Vivamus, mea Lesbia, atque amemus

2. rumoresque senum severiorum

3. omnes unius aestimemus assis.

4. Soles occidere et redire possunt;

5. nobis cum semel occidit brevis lux

6. nox est perpetua una dormienda.

Let us live, my Lesbia, and let us live and let us value all the rumors of strict old men to be worth one cent. The suns are able to fall and return; when the shirt light falls once and for all we must sleep through one everlasting night.

7. da mille altera, deinde centum,

8. dein mille altera, dein secunda centum,

9. deinde usque altera mille, deinde centum.

give me a thousand kisses, then a hundred then another thousand then a second hundred, then immediately another thousand then a hundred

10. dein cum milia multa fecerimus

11. conturabimus illa, ne sciamus

12. aut ne quis malus invidere possit,

13. cum tantum sciat esse basiorum.

then when we will have made many thousands, we will stir them up, lest we know or lest any evil person is able to be jealous when he knows there is such a great number of kisses

A command

Da —» give

Three horatory (jussive) subjunctives

• vivamus —» let us live

• amemus —» let us love

• aestimemus —» let us value

A complimentary infinitive construction

occidere/redire possunt —» the suns are able to fall/return

A negative purpose clause

ne sciamus —» lest we know

A passive periphrastic (gerundive + est)

dormienda est —» we must be slept

An indirect statement

sciat tantum esse —» they know there is such a great number

Noun-adjective agreement

• severiorum → old men

• perpetua nox → everlasting night

• brevis lux → short right

• mille basia → thousand kisses

• tantum basiorum → great number of the kisses

• mea Lesbia → my Lesbia

• unius assis → one penny

Chiasmus

brevis (A) lux (B) nox (B) est perpetua (A)