The Poetry of Gaius Valerius Catullus/12

Text & Translation Meter - Hendecasyllabic LineLatin TextEnglish Translation 1 Marrucine Asini, manu sinistra Marrucinus Asinius, you do not use becomingly 2 non belle uteris: in ioco atque vino your left hand: in jest and wine 3 tollis lintea neglegentiorum. you carry away the napkins of the more careless. 4 Hoc salsum esse putas? Fugit te, inepte: Do you think this is witty? You're crazy, foolish man: 5 quamvis sordida res et invenusta est. it is a thing ever so mean and inelegant. 6 Non credis mihi? Crede Pollioni You don't believe me? Believe Pollio 7 fratri, qui tua furta vel talento your brother, who would have your thefts 8 mutari velit: est enim leporum exchanged even for a talent: for he is 9 differtus puer ac facetiarum. boy stuffed full of charms and wit. 10 Quare aut hendecasyllabos trecentos Therefore either expect three hundred hendecasyllables 11 exspecta, aut mihi linteum remitte, or send back my napkin to me, 12 quod me non movet aestimatione, which does not move me by its value, 13 verum est mnemosynum mei sodalis. but is a remembrance of my comrade. 14 Nam sudaria Saetaba ex Hiberis For Saetabian napkins from Spain 15 miserunt mihi muneri Fabullus Fabullus and Veranius sent to me 16 et Veranius: haec amem necesse est as a gift: it is necessary that I love these things 17 ut Veraniolum meum et Fabullum. just as I love my dear Veranius and Fabullus. External Links Catullus 12 A Translation of Catullus 12 Catullus 12 Another Translation of Catullus 12