Catullus 13 Translation

Cenabis bene, mi Fabulle, apud me paucis, si tibi di favent, diebus,

You will dine well, my Fabullus, at my house in a few days if the gods favor you,

Cenabis bene, mi Fabulle, apud me paucis, si tibi di favent, diebus,

ceno, cenare to dine

mi= vocative of meus

paucis...diebus ablative of time within which

tibi=dative with favent

di = dei

You will dine well, my Fabullus, at my house in a few days if the gods favor you,

Si tecum attuleris bonam atque magnam cenam, non sine candida puella et vino et sale et omnibus cachinnis.

If you will have brought with you a good and large dinner, not without a pretty girl and wine and wit (literally "salt") and all manner of laughter.

Si tecum attuleris bonam atque magnam cenam,

tecum = cum te (with you)

attuleris = 2nd person singular future perfect indicative active of adfero, adferre "will have brought"; it is ok to translate this in the present "if you bring"

If you will have brought with you a good and large dinner,

non sine candida puella et vino et sale et omnibus cachinnis.

not without a pretty girl and wine and wit (literally "salt") and all manner of laughter.

non sine candida puella et vino et sale et omnibus cachinnis.

non sine is used here as a stronger term than cum in order to emphasize his own ability to provide the usual components of a dinner party.

candida puella (pretty girl) would have been a woman hired for the evening to entertain the guests -- this responsibility normally fell to the host.

sal, salis m. here means wit; first meaning is salt (derivative = saline)

cachinnus, i M laughter or loud laughter; an unpleasant word for laughter.

cachinnus is related to the Greek kakophōnos which gives us the English words cacophony (loud unpleasant sounds) and cacophonous (harsh sounding).

sine makes sale and omnibus cachinnis ablative

not without a pretty girl and wine and wit (literally "salt") and all manner of laughter.

Haec si, inquam, attuleris, venuste noster, cenabis bene; nam tui Catulli plenus sacculus est aranearum.

If, I say, you will have brought these things, my charming [friend], you will dine well; for the purse of your Catullus is full of cobwebs.

Haec si, inquam, attuleris, venuste noster, cenabis bene; nam tui Catulli plenus sacculus est aranearum.

venuste vocative of venustus (charming) used substantively

sacculus, i m. little purse

aranea, ae f. cobweb

If, I say, you will have brought these things, my charming [friend], you will dine well; for the purse of your Catullus is full of cobwebs.

Sed contra accipies meros amores seu quid suavius elegantiusve est:

contra (adverb) in return

meros amores pure affection (plural used with singular meaning)

seu = vel si = or if

quid=indefinite pronoun "anything"

suavius and elegantius are neuter singular comparative adverbs.

But in return, you will receive pure love or if there is anything more pleasant or more elegant:

Nam unguentum dabo, quod meae puellae donarunt Veneres Cupidinesque,

mea puella a reference to Lesbia/Clodia

Veneres Cupidinesque, a vague expression indicating all powers capable of inciting love and desire" - an aphrodisiac

For I will give [you] a perfume/unguent, which the Venuses and Cupids have given to my girl,

Quod tu cum olfacies, deos rogabis, totum ut te faciant, Fabulle, nasum.

ut te faciant subjunctive: "you will ask that they make you"

Which when you will smell, you will ask the gods to make you, Fabullus, all nose.