Nē tibi sim, mea lūx, aequē iam fervida cūra
ac videor paucōs ante fuisse diēs,
sī quicquam tōtā commīsī stulta iuventā
cuius mē fatear paenituisse magis,
hesternā quam tē sōlum quod nocte relīquī, 5
ārdōrem cupiēns dissimulāre meum.
notes
I have noticed that Cerinthus’s desire for me has cooled. I blame myself for turning him away last night.
1–2 nē tibi sim ... / ... fervida cūra: negative hortatory subjunctive, “let me not be a passionate concern for you.”
1–2 iam aequē … ac: correlatives, “now as… as.” These link how Cerinthus feels about her now to how Cerinthus seems to have felt about her previously (ac videor paucōs ante fuisse diēs).
3 tōtā ... iuventā: “the whole span of my youth”; this does not necessarily suggest that the speaker is no longer young.
3 stulta: nom., in apposition with the subject, “fool that I am.”
4 cuius: the antecedent is quicquam in line 3, “(anything) of which.”
4 fatear: independent potential subjunctive, “I might admit” + indirect statement.
4 magis: adverbial with paenituisse, “that I have regretted more.”
5 hesternā nocte: abl. of time when, “last night.”
5 quam quod: “than the fact that,” looking back to magis from line 4.
6 ārdōrem meum: supply tibi, “my passion for you.” This line nicely echoes the sentiment in the first line of poem 13.
vocabulary
fervidus –a –um: passionate
stultus –a –um: foolish, silly
iuventa –ae f.: youth, the time of youth
paeniteō paenitēre paenituī: (impers.) to cause regret, make sorry; paenitet mē alicuius rei: I repent of something
hesternus –a –um: (adj.) of yesterday, yesterday's
ārdor –ōris m.: passion, burning desire
cupiēns –entis: (adj.) desirous, eager, longing (+ inf. or gen.)
dissimulō dissimulāre dissimulāvī dissimulātum: to conceal, hide