| PAENE INSULARUM, SIRMIO ... | SIRMIO, THE BRIGHTEST JEWEL |
| Catullus (Gaius Valerius Catullus) | tr. Humphrey Clucas |
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Paene insularum, Sirmio, insularumque ocelle, quascumque in liquentibus stagnis marique vasto fert uterque Neptunus, quam te libenter quamque laetus inviso, vix mi ipse credens Thyniam atque Bithynos liquisse campos et videre te in tuto! o quid solutis est beatius curis, cum mens onus reponit, ac peregrino labore fessi venimus larem ad nostrum desideratoque adquiescimus lecto? hoc est quod unum est pro laboribus tantis. salve, o venusta Sirmio, atque ero gaude; gaudete vosque, o Lydiae lacus undae; ridete, quidquid est domi cachinnorum. |
Sirmio, the brightest jewel Of all peninsulas and islands That Neptune throws up in limpid lakes Or the vast ocean, with what joy Have I disembarked, hardly believing I've left Thynia and flat Bithynia And am here, safe. Nothing more sweet Than to put cares beside us, let The mind lay down its load, tired with the trouble Of long miles, and come again To our own homes, sink in the beds Our limbs ached for. This pays all the rest. Welcome, wonderful Sirmio; Enjoy my happiness. And you, Lapping waters of the Lydian lake, Ripple with all the laughter of my home. |
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Transl. Copyright © Humphrey Clucas 1985 - publ. Agenda Editions & Hippopotamus Press
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