| VARUS me meus ad suos
amores |
1 |
My dear Varus had taken
me from the Forum, |
| uisum duxerat e foro otiosum, |
2 |
where I was idling, to pay
a visit to his mistress, |
| scortillum, ut mihi tum
repente uisum est, |
3 |
a nice little whore, as
I thought at a first glance, |
| non sane illepidum neque
inuenustum, |
4 |
not at all amiss in manner
or looks. |
| huc ut uenimus, incidere
nobis |
5 |
When we got there, we
fell talking of this and that, |
| sermones uarii, in quibus,
quid esset |
6 |
and amongst other things,
what sort of place |
| iam Bithynia, quo modo
se haberet, |
7 |
Bithynia was now, how
its affairs were going on, |
| et quonam mihi profuisset
aere. |
8 |
whether I had made any
money there. |
| respondi id quod erat,
nihil neque ipsis |
9 |
I answered (what was true)
that neither the people themselves, |
| nec praetoribus esse nec
cohorti, |
10 |
nor the praetors nor their
staff can find any means |
| cur quisquam caput unctius
referret, |
11 |
of coming back fatter
than they went, |
| praesertim quibus esset
irrumator |
12 |
especially as they had
such a clintonizer for a praetor, |
| praetor, nec faceret pili
cohortem. |
13 |
a fellow who did not care
a straw for his subalterns. |
| 'at certe tamen,' inquiunt
'quod illic |
14 |
"Well, but at any rate,"
say they, "you must have got |
| natum dicitur esse, comparasti |
15 |
some bearers for your
chair. I am told that is country |
| ad lecticam homines.'
ego, ut puellae |
16 |
where they are bred."
I, to make myself out to the girl |
| unum me facerem beatiorem, |
17 |
as specially fortunate
above rest, |
| 'non' inquam 'mihi tam
fuit maligne |
18 |
say, "Things did not go
so unkindly with me |
| ut, prouincia quod mala
incidisset, |
19 |
--bad as the province
was which fell to my chance-- |
| non possem octo homines
parare rectos.' |
20 |
to prevent my getting
eight straight-backed fellows." |
| at mi nullus erat nec
hic neque illic |
21 |
Now I had not a single
one, here or there, |
| fractum qui ueteris pedem
grabati |
22 |
Strong enough to hoist
on his shoulder |
| in collo sibi collocare
posset. |
23 |
the broken leg of an old
sofa. |
| hic illa, ut decuit cinaediorem, |
24 |
Says she (just like a
little sodomite), |
| "quaeso" inquit "mihi,
mi Catulle, paulum |
25 |
"I beg you, my dear Catullus,
do lend me those slaves you speak of for a moment; |
| istos commoda: nam uolo
ad Serapim |
26 |
I want just now to be
taken to the temple of Serapis." |
| deferri." "mane" inquii
puellae, |
27 |
"Stop," I say to the girl, |
| "istud quod modo dixeram
me habere, |
28 |
"what I said just now
about those slaves that they were mine, |
| fugit me ratio: meus sodalis-- |
29 |
it was a slip; a friend
of mine-- |
| Cinna est Gaius-- is sibi
parauit. |
30 |
Gaius Cinna it is-- it was he
who bought them; |
| uerum, utrum illius an
mei, quid ad me? |
31 |
but it is all one me whether
they are his or mine, |
| utor tam bene quam mihi
pararim. |
32 |
I use them just if I had
bought them for myself: |
| sed tu insulsa male et
molesta uiuis, |
33 |
but you are a stupid,
tiresome thing, |
| per quam non licet esse
neglegentem." |
34 |
who will never let one
be off one's guard." |