411 REFERENCE · Wikibooks
The Poetry of Gaius Valerius Catullus/24
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O qui flosculus es Iuuentiorum,
non horum modo, sed quot aut fuerunt
aut posthac aliis erunt in annis,
mallem diuitias Midae dedisses
isti, cui neque seruus est neque arca,
quam sic te sineres ab illo amari.
'qui? non est homo bellus?' inquies. est:
sed bello huic neque seruus est neque arca.
hoc tu quam lubet abice eleuaque:
nec seruum tamen ille habet neque arcam.
Iuventius, lovely flower of the young men,
not only of these here, but also of those who were
or later will be,
I'd prefer if you were giving the treasure of Midas
to that one, who doesn't have neither a slave nor a chest,
than allowing him love you so much.
What? Isn't he a beautiful man? You ask. He is:
but this beautiful man has neither a slave nor a chest.
Think about him whatever you wish:
but he has neither a slave nor a chest.