The Poetry of Gaius Valerius Catullus/12

Text & Translation

Line	Latin Text	English 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.