Catullus 3 Translation Review

Lūgētē, ō Venerēs Cupīdinēsque

et quantum est hominum venustiorum

• Mourn, o Venus Cupid

  and how many is men that are charming

• Mourn, o Venuses and Cupids

  and charming men of whatever number.

• Mourn, Venus, Cupid, and the charming man, which number is

• Mourn, o Venuses and Cupids

  and however many there are of charming men

passer mortuus est meae puellae.

• The sparrow of my girl is dead.

• My girl's sparrow died.

• My sparrow and my girl are dead.

• My girl died for her sparrow.

passer, deliciae meae puellae,

quem plus illa oculis suis amabat.

• sparrow, which delighted my girl,

  who she loved as much as she loved her eyes.

• sparrow, who pleasured my girl,

  whom she loved as much as her eyes.

• sparrow, pleasure of my girl,

  whom she was loving more than her own eyes.

• sparrow, delighting my girl,

  she loved it more than her own eyes.

Nam mellitus erat suamque norat

ipsam tam bene quam puella matrem,

• For he was sweet as honey and he had gotten to know

  herself as well as the girl had gotten to know her own mother,

• For sweet he was and knows her own

  herself as well as the girl mother,

• For he was honey-sweet and knows herself

  as well as the girl's mother knew her,

• For sweet as honey he knew she was

  and got to know the girl's mother

nec sese a gremio illius movebat,

• he didn't move from her lap

• and he was not moving from her bosom

• and he was not moving himself from her lap

• he was moving himself from her lap

sed circumsiliens modo huc modo illuc

ad solam dominam usque pipiabat;

• but jump around now here now there

  to only mistress continually chirp

• but only to his mistress was he leaping and chirping

  here and there and only continually

• but jumping here and there

  he chirped to his only mistress

• but jumping around now here then there

  he was chirping continually to his mistress alone

qui nunc it per iter tenebricosum

illuc, unde negant redire quemquam

• who now goes through the dark journey

  there, from where they deny that anyone returns

• who now goes through the journey that is dark

  there, from where they deny to return anyone

• who now through its dark journey

  goes to return to anyone

• which goes now to that dark place

  where denying anyone will make you return

At vobis male sit, malae tenebrae

Orci, quae omnia bella devoratis:

• But you may suffer, bad shadows

  in Orcus, who devour all beauty:

• But there may be suffering for y'all, evil shadows

  of Orcus, you who devour all beautiful things:

• But you it may suffer, evil dark

  Orcus, where all beauty is swallowed up:

• But let y'all suffer, evil darkness

  from Orcus, who is devoured by all beautiful things:

1. tam bellum mihi passerem abstulistis

• so beautiful from me a sparrow took away

• I take away such beauty from the sparrow

• you have taken away from me such a beautiful sparrow

• you will take from me a so beautiful sparrow

o factum male! O miselle passer!

• o do evil! o miserable sparrow!

• I have done badly! I pity the sparrow!

• o badly done thing! O sad sparrow!

• o evil deed! o poor little sparrow!