Sīqua recordantī benefacta priōra voluptās
est hominī, cum sē cōgitat esse pium,
nec sānctam violāsse fidem, nec foedere nūllō
dīvum ad fallendōs nūmine abūsum hominēs,
multa parāta manent in longā aetāte, Catulle, 5
ex hōc ingrātō gaudia amōre tibī.
Nam quaecumque hominēs bene cuiquam aut dīcere possunt
aut facere, haec ā tē dictaque factaque sunt.
Omnia quae ingrātae periērunt crēdita mentī.
quārē iam tē cūr amplius excruciēs? 10
Quīn tū animō offirmās atque istinc tēque redūcis,
et dīs invītīs dēsinis esse miser?
Difficile est longum subitō dēpōnere amōrem,
difficile est, vērum hoc quā lubet efficiās:
ūna salūs haec est. Hoc est tibi pervincendum, 15
hoc faciās, sīve id nōn pote sīve pote.
Ō
extrēmam iam ipsā in morte tulistis opem,
mē miserum aspicite et, sī vītam pūriter ēgī,
ēripite hanc pestem perniciemque mihī, 20
quae mihi subrēpēns īmōs ut torpor in artūs
expulit ex omnī pectore laetitiās.
Nōn iam illud quaerō, contrā mē ut dīligat illa,
aut, quod nōn potis est, esse pudīca velit:
ipse valēre optō et taetrum hunc dēpōnere morbum. 25
ō dī, reddite mī hoc prō pietāte meā.
vocabulary
recordor recordārī recordātus sum: call to mind, remember
benefactum benefactī n.: benefit, good deed
violō violāre violāvī violātus: violate, defile
foedus foederis n.: any formal agreement or bond, incl. marriage and (sometimes) other sexual unions
abūtor abutī abūsus: use up; squander, exploit, abuse
parātus –a –um: ready, prepared 5
Catullus –ī m.: cognomen of Gaius Valerius Catullus
excruciō excruciāre excruciāvī excruciātus: torture, torment 10
offirmō offirmāre offirmāvī offirmātus: make firm; get tough
istinc: from the place you are in, from this situation of yours
redūcō redūcere redūxī reductus: bring back
invītus –a –um: unwilling
dēpōnō dēpōnere dēposuī dēpositus: put down, lay down (in birth), put away
vērum: adversative conj., assenting to what has been said but adding a qualification: but in fact, but, actually
quālubet: by any means at all; somehow or other
pervincō pervincere pervīcī pervictus: prevail over, overcome 15
ō: interjection, expressing grief, pleasure, indignation, or adjuration
misereor –ērī miseritus sum: impers., feel sorry for; dep., have pity
exter extera exterum: farthest, the farthest part of; final
pūriter: in a pure manner
pestis pestis f.: physical destruction; plague, affliction, bane 20
perniciēs pernicieī f.: ruin, bane
subrēpō –rēpere –rēpsī –rēptum: creep up to, steal upon
torpor torpōris m.: numbness, paralysis
artus artūs m.: joint; limb; part of the body, member
expellō expellere expulī expulsus: drive out
laetitia laetitiae f.: happiness
pudīcus –a –um: chaste, decent, sexually modest
taeter –tra –trum: foul, vile, horrible 25