Suffēnus iste, Vāre, quem probē nōstī,
homo est venustus et dicāx et urbānus,
īdemque longē plūrimōs facit versūs.
Putō esse ego illī mīlia aut decem aut plūra
perscrīpta, nec sic ut fit in palimpsēstō 5
relāta: cartae rēgiae, novī librī,
novī umbilīcī, lōra rūbra membrānae,
dērēcta plumbō et pūmice omnia aequāta.
Haec cum legās tū, bellus ille et urbānus
Suffēnus ūnus caprimulgus aut fossor 10
rūrsus vidētur: tantum abhorret ac mūtat.
Hoc quid putēmus esse? Quī modō scurra
aut sī quid hāc rē scītius vidēbātur,
īdem īnfacētō est īnfacētior rūre,
simul poēmata attigit, neque īdem umquam 15
aequē est beātus ac poēma cum scrībit:
tam gaudet in sē tamque sē ipse mīrātur.
Nīmīrum īdem omnēs fallimur, neque est quisquam
quem nōn in aliquā rē vidēre Suffēnum
possīs. suus cuique attribūtus est error; 20
sed nōn vidēmus manticae quod in tergō est.
vocabulary
Suffēnus –ī m. : name of a Roman poet
Vārus –ī m.: friend of Catullus
probē: well
venustus –a –um: lovely, attractive, charming; graceful, pretty, neat
dicāx –ācis: well-spoken, quick with repartee
urbānus –a –um: of the city, esp. Rome; having city manners, urbane
versus versūs m.: a line of verse; verse, poetry
perscrībō perscrībere perscrīpsī perscrīptum: write out in full, finish writing
palimpsēstus palimpsēstī m.: a palimpsest, papyrus recycled by erasure to make a low-cost writing material 5
charta chartae f.: a sheet or roll of papyrus
umbilīcus umbilīcī m.: navel; the ornamental end of the cylinder on which a papyrus roll is wound
lōrum lōrī n. or lorus –ī m.: a leather strap for tying
ruber rubra rubrum: red
membrāna membrānae f.: sheepskin or goatskin used as parchment or as a cover for manuscripts
dīrigō (dērigō) –ere –rēxī –rēctus: align, make straight, aim
plumbum plumbī n.: lead, used for drawing lines
pūmex pūmicis m. (f. in Catullus): pumice or any similar volcanic rock, used to smooth the ends of book-rolls
aequō aequāre aequāvī aequātus: make level, even, or smooth
bellus –a –um: pretty, nice, fine, charming
caprimulgus caprimulgī m.: goat milker 10
fossor –ōris m.: a digger, agricultural laborer, ditchdigger
abhorreō abhorrēre abhoruī: shrink back from; be inconsistent
scurra scurrae f.: a fashionable man about town
trītus –a –um: worn
īnfacētus –a –um: boorish, gauche
poēma –atis n.: poem 15
attingō attingere attigī attāctus: touch; touch upon (in speaking), mention
nīmīrum: part., no wonder, doubtless
attribuō attribuere attribuī attribūtus: assign, allot 20
mantica manticae f.: knapsack