Quis deus magis est amā-
tīs petendus amantibus?
quem colent hominēs magis
caelitum, Ō Hymenaee Hymēn,
Ō Hymēn Hymenaee? 50
Tē suīs tremulus parēns
invocat, tibi virginēs
zōnulā soluunt sinūs,
tē timēns cupidā novōs
captat aure marītus. 55
Tū ferō iuvenī in manūs
flōridam ipse puellulam
dēdis ā gremiō suae
mātris, Ō Hymenaee Hymēn,
Ō Hymēn Hymenaee. 60
Nīl potest sine tē Venus,
fāma quod bona comprobet,
commodī capere, at potest
tē volente. Quis huic deō
comparārier ausit? 65
vocabulary
amāns –antis: sweetheart, lover
caeles caelitis m.: heavenly; as subst., god or goddess
ō: interjection, expressing grief, pleasure, indignation, or adjuration
Hymenaeus –ī m.: the Greek wedding refrain, hymeneal; personified as god of marriage; pl. marriage
Hymēn Hymenis m.: refrain chanted at Greek weddings; personified as god of marriage
tremulus –a –um: shaky, trembling; shaking (voluntarily, as one dandling an infant)
invocō invocāre invocāvī invocātus: call upon, invoke
zonula –ae f.: a girdle or belt; as worn by unmarried girls, its removal signified loss of virginity (dim. of zona)
cupidus –a –um: desirous, eager
captō captāre captāvī captātus: try to catch; w/ aure, try to hear
iuvenis iuvenis m.: youth, young man
floridus –a –um: full of flowers, flowery
puellula –ae f.: little girl; by extension, a maiden of marriageable age (dim. of puella)
dēdō dēdere dēdidī dēditus: give up, deliver, hand over; reflexive, devote oneself to
gremium gremi(ī) n.: lap
Venus –eris f.: Venus or Aphrodite, goddess of love and charm
comprobō comprobāre comprobāvī comprobātus: demonstrate the goodness of
commodum commodī n.: advantage, benefit