Catulli Carmina - Actus I

I- ODI ET AMO

Odi et amo. quare id faciam, fortasse requiris? (I hate and I love. Wherefore I do this, perhaps you ask?
nescio, sed fieri sentio et excrucior. I don't know, but I feel that happens and I'm tortured.)

II- VIVAMUS MEA LESBIA

vivamus mea Lesbia atque amemus. (Let us live, my Lesbia, and let us love
rumoresque senum severiorum and let us think all the rumours
omnes unius aestimemus assis. of the old men worth just one penny

soles occidere et redire possunt. suns are able to rise and to set
nobis cum semel occidit brevis lux, once that brief light of day fades away
nox est perpetua una dormienda. it's a neverending night we sleep

soles occidere et redire possunt. suns are able to rise and to set

da mi basia! Give me kisses!
da mi basia mille, deinde centum, give me thousands of kisses,
dein mille altera, dein secunda centum, then another hundred, then another thousand
deinde usque altera mille, deinde centum. then a second hundred, then more thousand...
dein, cum milia multa fecerimus, then when we make it thousands and thousands
conturbabimus illa, ne sciamus, till we can't count the number of kisses
aut ne quis malus inuidere possit, and so noone will be jealous of us
cum tantum sciat esse basiorum. when they know how many kisses we shared

da mi basia Give me kisses )

III- ILLE MI PAR ESSE

ille mi par esse deo videtur. (That man seems to me like a god
ille si fas est superare divos. that man, more seem to me, superior than gods
qui sedens adversus identidem who's sitting opposite you,
te spectat et audit. spectates and hears you
dulce ridentem your sweet laughter
misero quod omnes eripit sensus mihi which robs me of all feelings
nam simul te me miserable, when I look at you
Lesbia aspexi nihil est super mi Lesbia, there is no voice
vocis in ore. in my mouth
lingua sed torpet. tenuis sub artus but my tongue is numbed
flamma demanat. sonitu suopte a tender flame is burning inside of me
tintinant aures. gemina et teguntur my ears rings with sounds
lumina nocte. light has hidden in the night (?)

otium Catulle tibi molestum est. Faineance, Catullus, is your trouble
otio exsultas. nimiumque gestis. Idleness pleases you and impulses you
otium et reges prius et beatas Idleness destroyed the kings
perdidit urbes. and the flourished cities aforetime )

IV- CAELI, LESBIA NOSTRA

Caeli. Lesbia nostra. Lesbia illa. (Caelius! Our Lesbia, that Lesbia
illa Lesbia quam Catullus unam that Lesbia whom Catullus loved
plus quam se atque suos amavit omnes more than himself and his own
nunc in quadruuiis et angiportis now at backstreets and crossroads
glubit magnanimi Remi nepotes. robs the grandsons of great Remus)

V- NULLI SE DICIT MULIER MEA NUBERE MALLE

Ah mea Lesbia! (Ah, my Lesbia!
nulli se dicit mulier mea nubere my lover says to me that
malle quam mihi. there's noone else with whom she
would marry, but me, she says
non si se Iuppiter ipse petat. dicit. even if Jupiter tries to win her

sed mulier cupido quod dicit amanti but what a woman tells a desirous lover
in vento et rapida scribere oportet aqua. should be written in the wind
and in the rapid water )

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