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Q. VALERII CATULLI

VERONENSIS

CARMIN A.

I.

Quor dono lepidum novum libellum
Arida modo pumice expolitum?
Corneli, tibi: namque tu solebas
Meas esse aliquid putare nugas
Iam tum cum ausus es unus Italorum
Omne aevum tribus explicare chartis
Doctis, Iuppiter, et laboriosis.
Quare habe tibi quicquid hoc libelli,
Qualecunque; quod o patrona virgo,
Plus uno maneat pereune saeclo.

II.

Passer, deliciae meae puellae,

Quicum ludere, quem in sinu tenere,
Quoi primum digitum dare adpetenti
Et acris solet incitare morsus,

1.-1. Quoi] Older form of cui.
2. Arida, &c.] The pumice stone
is still used to give a suitable surface
to parchment. Cf. xxii. 8, pumice
omnia aequata. For arida Lach-
mann reads arido. Cookesley quotes
Servius ad Virg. Aen. xii. 587, li-
cet Catullus dixerit feminino.'
3. Corneli] Cornelius Nepos pro-
bably.

6. tribus-chartis] books.'

'In three

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8. Quare libelli Qualecunque ; quod o] This, which is Ellis's reading, appears preferable. Lachmann supposes a verse to have been lost, and so reads 'Qualecunque quidem... patrona virgo.quicquid-qualecunque. The entire contents, all that there is of it, whatever its value.'

II.-1. deliciae]' Pet,' favourite.' 3. primum digitum] The tip of her finger.

B

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Cum desiderio meo nitenti

Carum nescio quid libet iocari
Ut solatiolum sui doloris,

Credo ut tum gravis acquiescat ardor.
Tecum ludere sicut ipsa possem

Et tristis animi levare curas!

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Tam gratum est mihi quam ferunt puellae
Pernici aureolum fuisse malum,

Quod zonam soluit diu ligatam.

III.

Lugete, o Veneres Cupidinesque,
Et quantum est hominum venustiorum.
Passer mortuus est meae puellae,
Passer, deliciae meae puellae,
Quem plus illa oculis suis amabat:
Nam mellitus erat suamque norat
Ipsam tam bene, quam puella matrem.
Nec sese a gremio illius movebat,

Sed circumsiliens modo huc modo illuc
Ad solam dominam usque pipilabat.
Qui nunc it per iter tenebricosum
Illuc, unde negant redire quenquam.
At vobis male sit, malae tenebrae
Orci, quae omnia bella devoratis:
Tam bellum mihi passerem abstulistis.
O factum male! io miselle passer,
Tua nunc opera meae puellae
Flendo turgiduli rubent ocelli.

5. desiderio] Object of my affec-
tions.'-nitenti, radiant.'-Deside-
rium generally means a longing for
something absent or lost to us.
Quis desiderii sit modus aut pudor
Tam cari capitis.' Hor. Od. i. 24.
7. Ut solatiolum] Lachmann reads
Et.

8.] For ut tum, other readings are ut cum, et cum. For acquiescat, acquiescit and acquiescet.

11. puellae] Atalanta, who, through stopping to pick up the

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golden apples thrown down by Hippomenes, lost her race with him, and so, agreeably to the conditions of running, became his wife.

13. zonam] The badge of maidenhood.

III.-6, mellitus] 'Honey-sweet.' 10. pipilabat] Chirped.'

16. io] Must be pronounced here as yo. So, too, at the beginning of several lines in Carm. Ixi.

17. Tua-opera] On your account.'

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Negare litus insulasve Cycladas

Rhodumque nobilem horridamque Thraciam

Propontida trucemve Ponticum sinum,
Ubi iste post phaselus antea fuit
Comata silva: nam Cytorio in iugo
Loquente saepe sibilum edidit coma.
Amastri Pontica et Cytore buxifer,
Tibi haec fuisse et esse cognitissima
Ait phaselus: ultima ex origine
Tuo stetisse dicit in cacumine,
Tuo imbuisse palmulas in aequore,
Et inde tot per impotentia freta
Herum tulisse, laeva sive dextera
Vocaret aura, sive utrunque Iuppiter
Simul secundus incidisset in pedem ;
Neque ulla vota litoralibus diis
Sibi esse facta, cum yeniret a marei

IV. 1. Phaselus] pάonλos, a light bark or skiff. It seems to have been Catullus's own yacht. Inf. 19.

2. Ait fuisse navium celerrimus] For Ait se fuisse navium celerrimum.' This Greek construction is employed by Virgil and other poets. 'Sensit medios delapsus in hostes.' Virg. Aen. ii. 377.

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13. Amastri Pontica] Quamvis Pontica pinus, Silvae filia nobilis, iactes et genus et nomen inutile.' Hor. Od. i. 14. 11.

15. ultima ex origine] Ex antiquissima nobilissimaque stirpe.' Doering.

18. impotentia] Impotens = aκpaTs, 'violent,' lit. 'uncontrollable.'

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'Victoria impotentiores reddit.' Cic. ad Div. iv. 9. Note the lengthening of a in impotentia before fr. So que is lengthened before tr in Virg. Ecl. iv. 51. Terrasque tractusque maris.'

21.] pedem

Tóda, the sheet or rope fastening down the lower corner of the sail. Hence, for the wind to strike both sheets, the sail must be set square to it, and the wind be right astern.

22. ulla vota] When in distress at sea, sailors made vows to the gods. It appears that this Phaselus had had no occasion for this act of piety on its last voyage. Cf. Horace, Od. i. 5. 15, 'Uvida suspendisse potenti vestimenta maris Deo.'

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Novissime hunc ad usque limpidum lacum.

Sed haec prius fuere: nunc recondita
Senet quiete seque dedicat tibi,
Gemelle Castor et gemelle Castoris.

V.

Vivamus, mea Lesbia, atque amemus,
Rumoresque senum severiorum
Omnes unius aestimemus assis.
Soles occidere et redire possunt:
Nobis, cum semel occidit brevis lux,
Nox est perpetua una dormienda.
Da mi basia mille, deinde centum,

Dein mille altera, dein secunda centum,

Deinde usque altera mille, deinde centum
Dein, cum milia multa fecerimus,
Conturbabimus illa, ne sciamus,

Aut ne quis malus invidere possit,
Cum tantum sciat esse basiorum.

IX.

Veranni, omnibus e meis amicis

Antistans mihi milibus trecentis,
Venistine domum ad tuos Penates

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Fratresque unanimos senemque matrem?
Venisti. O mihi nuntii beati !

Visam te incolumem audiamque Hiberum

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24. Novissime] Lachmann. For but not by the best Augustan the last time,' finally.' Doering writers. reads novissimo, agreeing with marei, which may be rendered 'most distant' or 'remote.'

27. Gemelle, &c.] The twins Castor and Pollux were the tutelary deities of sailors. 'Sic fratres Helenae lucida sidera.' Hor. Od. i. 3. 2.

V.-2. Rumores] 'Talk about us.' 4. Soles occidere] Similiter, Hor. Od. iv. 7. 13, 'Damna tamen celeres reparant coelestia lunae, nos ubi decidimus,' &c. Doering.

7.] basia suavia or oscula. Used also by Martial and Phaedrus,

11. Conturbabimus] Throw the account into disorder,' used of a bankrupt in Martial ix. 4. 5. and Juv. vii. 129, Conturbabit Atlas et non erit uncia tota.' Supply rationes.

IX.-2. milibus trecentis] Doering paraphrases this by longè, apparently supplying passuum, taking precedence in my estimation by 300 miles.' [It might also mean 'taking precedence in value by 300,000 sesterces.' A. H. W.]

5. nuntii beati] Happy news.'
6. incolumem] 'Safe and sound.'

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