| ORAMUS, SI FORTE NON MOLESTUM EST... | PLEASE TELL ME - THAT'S IF YOU DON'T MIND... |
| Catullus (Gaius Valerius Catullus) | tr. James Michie |
|
Oramus, si forte non molestum est, demonstres ubi sint tuae tenebrae. te campo quaesivimus minore, te in circo, te in omnibus libellis, te in templo summi Iovis sacrato. in Magni simul ambulatione femellas omnes, amice, prendi, quas vultu vidi tamen serenas. A velte sic ipse flagitabam: "camerium mihi, pessimae puellae!" quaedam inquit nudum reduc "en hic in roseis latet papillis." sed te iam ferre Herculi labos est: tanto ten fastu negas, amice? dic nobis ubi sis futurus, ede audacter, committe, crede luci. nunc te lacteolae tenent puellae? si linguam clauso tenes in ore, fructus proicies amoris omnes: verbosa gaudet Venus loquella. vel vi vis, licet obseres palatum, dum veri sis particeps amoris. |
Please tell me - that's if you don't mind Me asking - how am I to find The holes and corners where you hide? I searched the Lesser Campus, tried The Circus Maximus and shrine Of Jupiter on the Capitoline, Combed all the bookshops, then waylaid The girls in Pompey's colonnade, Begging for you, but met wide-eyed, Innocent looks on every side. Desperate, I asked, "What have you done, You bad girls, with Camerius?" One, Teasing me, flaunted a bare breast: "Here he is, in this rosy nest!" You keep such a stand-offish distance That one needs Hercules' persistence To track you down these days, my friend. Divulge, disclose where you intend To be in future; come, commit Yourself, be reckless, out with it! Is it that you've spent all day sleeping Snug in those creamy girls' safe-keeping? If lips and tongue stay locked and chained, You waste the whole crop love has gained: Venus likes speech to be loose-reined. By all means be discreet - providing That I'm the one you confide in. |
Transl. Copyright © James Michie, 1969 - publ. Penguin Classics