uiuamus, mea Lesbia, atque amemus,              Let's really live, my Lesbia, and love,

rumoresque senum seueriorum                  and value the unfavorable reports of stern old men

omnes unius aestimemus assis!                  all at a single penny!

soles occidere et redire possunt;                  Suns can set and return;

nobis, cum semel occidit breuis lux,              by us, when once our brief light has set,

nox est perpetua una dormienda.                  one never-ending night must be slept.

da mi basia mille, deinde centum,                  Give me a thousand kisses, then a hundred,

dein mille altera, dein secunda centum,              then another thousand, then a second hundred,

deinde usque altera mille, deinde centum.          then without a break another thousand, then a hundred.

dein, cum milia multa fecerimus,                  Then, when we have reached a total of many thousands,

conturbabimus, illa ne sciamus,                  we'll lose count, so that we may not know the number of them,

aut ne quis malus inuidere possit,                  or so that no evil person can cast the evil eye,

cum tantum sciat esse basiorum.                  when he knows that there is such a quantity of kisses.

by Catullus (84 – 54, BCE)

Join us in a discussion of this poem with Bert Lain, Friday, June 2nd, 4:30pm, main lounge