The Poetry of Gaius Valerius Catullus/10

Text and Translation

Meter - Hendecasyllabic

Line	Latin Text	English Translation
1	Varus me meus ad suos amores	My Varus led me, idle,
2	visum duxerat e foro otiosum,	out from the forum to see his love,
3	scortillum (ut mihi tum repente visum est),	a young whore (as it then at once seemed to me)
4	non sane illepidum neque invenustum;	not too unpleasing, nor too unpretty;
5	huc ut venimus, incidere nobis	as we came there, there fell upon us
6	sermones varii, in quibus: quid esset	various conversations, among which: what was
7	iam Bithynia, quo modo se haberet,	Bithynia now, in what way did it hold itself,
8	et quonam mihi profuisset aere.	and how much it was of use to me in bronze.
9	Respondi id quod erat: nihil neque ipsis	I answered that which was: there was no reason--not for they themselves,
10	nec praetoribus esse nec cohorti,	not for the praetors, not for the cohort--
11	cur quisquam caput unctius referret	why anyone might bring back a head more perfumed,
12	praesertim quibus esset irrumator	especially those who had a jerk
13	praetor, nec faceret pili cohortem.	as a praetor, who valued his cohort at less than a hair.
14	"At certe tamen," inquiunt "quod illic	"But still, certainly" they say "that which
15	natum dicitur esse, comparasti	is said to be native there, you got for yourself
16	ad lecticam homines." Ego (ut puellae	men for the litter." I (in order that to the girl
17	unum me facerem beatiorem)	I might make myself out to be one more blessed)
18	"non" inquam "mihi tam fuit maligne	said "it was not so meanly to me
19	ut, provincia quod mala incidisset,	that, though the province that fell to me was bad,
20	non possem octo homines parare rectos."	I was not able to get eight sturdy men."
21	(At mi nullus erat nec hic neque illic	(But to me there was no man neither here nor there
22	fractum qui veteris pedem grabati	who might be able to station on his shoulder
23	in collo sibi collocare posset.)	the broken foot of my old cot.)
24	Hic illa, ut decuit cinaediorem,	Here that woman, as befitted one more slutty,
25	"Quaeso," inquit "mihi, mi Catulle, paulum	said "I ask, my Catullus, for you to lend me those men
26	istos commoda: nam volo ad Serapim	for a little bit: for I'd like to be carried
27	deferri." "Mane," inquii puellae,	to Serapis." "Wait," I said to the girl,
28	"istud quod modo dixeram me habere...	"that which I had just said that I had...
29	fugit me ratio: meus sodalis--	reason fled me: my buddy,
30	Cinna est Gaius--is sibi paravit.	it was Cinna--Gaius--he got them for himself.
31	Verum utrum illius an mei, quid ad me?	Really, though, whether they're his or mine, what's it to me?
32	Utor tam bene quam mihi pararim.	I use them just as well as if I'd gotten them for myself.
33	Sed tu insulsa male et molesta vivis,	But you're a badly unwitty and annoying one,
34	per quam non licet esse neglegentem!"	by whom one is not allowed to be heedless!"

External Links

• Catullus 10 translated into 10 languages
• Another translation of Catullus 10
• Commentary by E.T. Merrill on Catullus 10