Quī modo Nāsōnis fuerāmus quīnque libellī,
trēs sumus: hoc illī praetulit auctor opus.
ut iam nulla tibī nōs sit lēgisse voluptās,
at levior demptīs poena duōbus erit.
notes
Epigram: preface from the author
The three books of the Amores speak on behalf of their author, named as Naso (in full, Publius Ovidius Naso), explaining that they used to be five. They make a joke at their own expense, in a bit of captatio benevolentiae (bid for good will).
1–2: modo: 'only recently, just now'.
3–4: ut iam: "even if." ut can be used, especially with tamen or iam, to introduce a concessive clause (AG §527a); the author is here indulging in some mock modesty.
vocabulary
Nasō -ōnis m.: Naso
libellus -i m.: little book
quīnque: (indecl.) five
praefero -ferre -tuli -lātum: bear before or in front; prefer
dēmō dēmere dēmpsī demptum: take away, subtract