Skip to main content

Catullus: Poem 2 "The Sparrow" (From Latin)

Poem 2: The Sparrow
By Gaius Valerius Catullus
Translated by A.Z. Foreman

Sparrow, my dear beloved's darling pet
Which she would pet, and fondle in her lap
Or tease with one slight finger's poke, provoking
You to peck her back with mordant beak.
Many's the time when my beloved, beaming
Girl has a mind to turn to you for comfort,
Hoping, I think, to find escape from sorrow
Or something to relieve her of that ardor. 
If only I could play the way she plays 
With you, and have release from roiling passion.

The Original:

Passer, deliciae meae puellae,
quicum ludere, quem in sinu tenere,
cui primum digitum dare appetenti
et acris solet incitare morsus,
cum desiderio meo nitenti
carum nescio quid lubet iocari
et solaciolum sui doloris,
credo ut tum gravis acquiescat ardor:
tecum ludere sicut ipsa possem
et tristis animi levare curas!

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Lagta Hai

Gwenallt Jones: Wales (From Welsh)

Wales By Gwenallt Jones Translated by A.Z. Foreman Why give us all this misery? The wrack Of pain on flesh and blood like leaden weight, Your language on our shoulders like a sack, And your traditions fetters round our feet? The canker rots your colors everywhere. Your soul is scabbed with boils. Your song a scream. In your own land you are but a nightmare And your survival but a witch's dream. Still, we can't leave you in the filth to stand A generation's laughing-stock and jest. Your former freedom is our sword in hand, Your dignity a buckler at our breast. We'll grip our spears and spur our steeds: go brave Lest we should shame our fathers in their grave.   The Original: Cymru Gwenallt Jones Paham y rhoddaist inni'r tristwch hwn, A'r boen fel pwysau plwm ar gnawd a gwaed? Dy iaith ar ein hysgwyddau megis pwn, A'th draddodiadau'n hual am ein traed? Mae'r cancr yn crino dy holl liw a'th lun, A'th enaid yn gornwydydd ac yn grach, Nid wyt ond...

Zhang Yanghao: Meditating on the Past at Tong Pass (From Chinese)

Meditation on the Past at Tong Pass By Zhang Yanghao Translated by A.Z. Foreman Peaks and ridges mass together River breakers blast in wrath In and out through river and hill Goes the road through old Tong Pass I gaze at the western capital All my thought distraught This is the place that breaks the heart Where Han and Qin marched past Palaces and towers and halls All turned dirt at last Dynasties rise The people suffer Dynasties fall The people suffer The Original, with transcribed Yuan Dynasty pronunciation: ??????? ????, fu? l?n ry dzy ????, pw? daw ry nu ???????? ?an ?? p?w li du? kuan lu ???, wa? si tu   ???? i d?iw d?y  ???????, ?a? sim dzin xan kji? ?ji? t??y ????????? kyu? ky?' wan kjan tu tsaw' l?w t?u ?, xji? ???; paj' si? k?u ?, wa? ???! paj' si? k?u