Marrūcīne Asinī, manū sinistrā

nōn bellē ūteris: in iocō atque vīnō

tollis lintea nēglegentiōrum.

Hoc salsum esse putās? Fugit tē, inepte:

quamvīs sordida rēs et invenusta est.  5

Nōn crēdis mihi? Crēde Polliōnī

frātrī, quī tua fūrta vel talentō

mūtārī velit: est enim lepōrum

differtus puer ac facētiārum.

Quārē aut hendecasyllabōs trecentōs 10

exspectā, aut mihi linteum remitte,

quod mē nōn movet aestimātiōne,

vērum est mnēmosynum meī sodālis.

Nam sūdāria Saetaba ex Hibērīs

mīsērunt mihi mūnerī Fabullus  15

et Vērānius: haec amem necesse est

ut Vērāniolum meum et Fabullum.

    Marrūcīnus –a –um: of or belonging to a people living on the east coast of central Italy

    Asinius –a –um: belonging to the Roman gens Asinia, Asinius Marrucinus

    sinister –a –um: left; harmful, perverse, misguided

    bellus –a –um: pretty, nice, fine, charming

    iocus iocī m.: joke, jest

    linteum –ī n.: linen cloth; napkin; sail

    neglegēns neglegentis: careless

    salsus –a –um: salty, briny; witty, clever

    ineptus –a –um: foolish, gauche, awkward

    sordidus –a –um: dirty, squalid, shabby, unbecoming, tacky, sordid 5

    invenustus –a –um: not venustus, unlovely, unattractive

    Polliō –ōnis m.: a Roman cognomen, e.g., of C. Asinius Pollio

    fūrtum fūrtī n.: theft; any sneaky act

    talentum talentī n.: a weight of silver used as a Greek unit of currency; a large sum of money

    lepor lepōris m.: charm, grace, wit; term of endearment

    disertus –a –um: skilled in speaking, articulate

    facētia –ae f.: cleverness, wit

    hendecasyllabus hendecasyllabī m.: eleven-syllable verses of poetry, esp. lines of poetry in the Phalaecian meter; cutting or sarcastic verses 10

    trecentī –ae –a; trecentēsimus –a –um: three hundred

    remittō remittere remīsī remissum: send back, return

    aestimātiō aestimatiōnis f.: price, monetary value

    vērum: adversative conj., assenting to what has been said but adding a qualification: but in fact, but, actually

    mnēmosynum mnēmosynī n.: keepsake, souvenir

    sodālis sodālis m.: crony, buddy, comrade

    sūdārium sūdāri(ī) n.: a cloth carried to wipe off sweat (sudor), also used as a napkin

    Saetabus –a –um: of or made in Saetabis, a town in Hispania Tarraconensis (cf. mod. Tarragona)

    Hibērus –a –um: the Iberians or Spaniards (properly, the inhabitants of the valley of the Hiberius); ex Hiberis = from the country of the Spaniards

    Fabullus –ī m.: a nomen gentile of the Roman gens Fabius (dim. of Fabius) 15

    Verānius –iī m.: friend of Catullus

    Verāniolus –ī m.: dim. of Veranius

    article Nav
    Next
    Previous