| Line |
Latin text |
English translation |
| 1 |
Ille mi par esse deo videtur, |
That fellow seems to me to be equal to a god, |
| 2 |
ille, si fas est, superare divos, |
That fellow, if it is possible, to surpass the gods, |
| 3 |
qui sedens adversus identidem te |
Who sitting opposite you repeatedly |
| 4 |
spectat et audit |
Sees you and hears you |
| 5 |
dulce ridentem, misero quod omnis |
Laughing sweet, which in my wretched state steals |
| 6 |
eripit sensus mihi: nam simul te, |
All senses from me: for as soon as I looked upon you, |
| 7 |
Lesbia, aspexi, nihil est super mi |
Lesbia, nothing is left to me |
| 8 |
vocis in ore |
of the voice in my mouth. |
| 9 |
lingua sed torpet, tenuis sub artus |
My tongue grows numb, A thin flame |
| 10 |
flamma demanat, sonitu suopte |
Seeps beneath my limbs, my ears ring |
| 11 |
tintinant aures, gemina et teguntur |
With their own sound, my eyes are covered |
| 12 |
lumina nocte. |
By a twin night. |
| 13 |
Otium, Catulle, tibi molestum est: |
Leisure, Catullus, is bothersome to you: |
| 14 |
otio exsultas nimiumque gestis: |
In leisure you exult too much and without restraint: |
| 15 |
otium et reges prius et beatas |
Leisure has ruined both former kings |
| 16 |
perdidit urbes. |
And cities once wealthy. |
