Poem 8, 45, 49, 84

Miser Catulle, desinas ineptire,

et quod vides perisse perditum ducas,

Sad Catullus may you stop playing the fool and may you consider that what you see has died has died,

fulsere quondam candidi tibi soles,

cum bentitabas quo puella ducebat

amatas nobis quantum amabitur nulla.

once upon a time the sunshone bright for you, when you used to go where the girl was leading, the girl loved by us as much as no other girl will be loved.

ibi illa multa cum iocosa fiebant,

quae tu volebas nec puella nolebat,

fulsere vere candidi tibi soles.

there when many joking things were happening, those things which you wish and the girl was not unwanting, indeed suns shone for you.

nunc iam illa non vult; tu quoque inpote<ns noli>,

nec quae fugit sectare, nec miser vive,

sed obstinata mente perfer, obdura.

no longer does she want; but now you also don’t be so powerless, don’t keep following the one who leaves, and don’t live miserably but rather endure with a tought mind, be strong.

vale, puella. iam Catullus obdurat,

nec te requiret nec rogabit invitam.

at tu dolebis, cum ragaberis nulla.

goodbye girl. Catullus is being tough, he neither will ask for you nor will he seek you nor will he ask about you. but when you will grieve when you will be asked after by no one.

scelesta, vae te! quae tibi manet vita?

quis nunc te adibit? cui videberis bella?

quem nunc amabis? cuius esse diceris?

quem basiabis? cui labela mordebis?

at tu, Catulle, destinatus obdura.

to whom will you seem beautiful? whom will you love? whose will you be said to be? whom will you kiss? whose lips will you peck? and you Catullus, having been toughened, will endure.

Acmen Septimius suos amores

tenens in gremio “mea” inquit “Acme,

ni te peridte amo atque amare porro

omnes sum assidue paratus annos,

Septemius holding his love in his lap he says “my Acme if I don’t love you to the point of desperation and if I’m not prepared to love you continually for all my years,

quantum qui pote plurimum perire,

solus in Libya Indiaque tosta

caesio veniam obvius leoni.”

further as much as she is able to love you much then may I come alone into Lybia or toast hot India in the way of a grey-eyed lion.”

hoc ut dixit, Amor sinistra ut ante

dextra sternuit approbationem.

as he said these things, love sneezes on the left and as before he sneezes on the right. 

at Acme leviter caput reflectens

et dulcus pueri ebrios ocellos

illo purpureo ore saviata, …

inquit

but Acme lightly throwing back her head and having kissed the little eyes of the boy with her rosy mouth, said

“sic, mea vita Septimille,

huic uni domino usque serviamus,

ut multo mihi maior acriorque

ignis mollibus ardet in medullis.”

“little Septimius my life let us serve continuously so let us serve this one master. Just as a flame bigger and sharper by much to me burns in my marrow.”

hoc ut dixit, Amor sinistra ut ante

dextra sternuit approbationem.

as she said these things love sneezed on the left and as before sneezed on the right. 

nunc ab auspicio bono profecti

mutuis animis amant amantur.

unam Septimius misellus Acmen

mavult quam Syrias Britanniasque:

Now having departed from thsi good omen they love and are loved with mutual spirit. Septimius little wretched prefers Acme alone rather than any girl from Syria and Britton:

uno in Septimio fidelis Acme

facit delicias libidinesque.

quis ullos homines beatiores

vidit, quis venerem auspicatiorem"?

Now faithful Acme finds joy and pleasure form Septimius alone. Who has seen any more blessed people, who has seen more auspicious love?

Disertissime Romuli nepotum,

quot sunt quotque fuere, Marce Tulli,

quotque post aliis erunt in annis,

The most eloquent of the grandchildren of Romulus, as many as there are and as many as there have been, Marcus Tullius, and however many there will be in yearsm

gratis tibi maximas Catullus

agit pessimus omnium poeta,

tanto pessimus omnium poeta

quanto tu optimus omnium patronus.

Catullus the worst poet of all gives you greatest thanks to you by as much as he is the worst poet of all, by the amount you are the best patron of all.

Chommoda dicebat, si quando commoda vellet

dicere, et insidias Arrius hinsidias,

et tum mirifice sperabat se esse locutum

cum quantum poterat dixerat hinsidias,

Arrius used to say “Hadvantage” if ever he wanted to say “Advantage,” and he would say “hambush” whenever he wished to say “ambush,” and then when he was hoping that he had spoken marvelously whenever he was able to say “hambush.”

credo, sic mater, sic liber avunculus eius,

sic maternus avus dixerat atque avia.

hoc misso in Syriam requierant omnibus aures:

I believe that thus his mother, thus his free unclue, that his maternal grandmother spoke like this. with him having been sent to Syria all of the ears could finally rest:

audibat eadem haec leniter et leviter, 

nec sibi postilla metuebant talia verba, 

cum subito affertur nuntius horribilis,

Ionios fluctus, postquam illuc Arrius isset,

iam non Ionios esse sed Hionios.

they used to hear those same things gently and lightly, not even after a little while they, hearing such words, when suddenly a horrible announcement was spoken, the Ionia sea, after Arrius had gone there, now no longer was it the Ioniam but the Hionian.