Catullus 1 · ad Cornelium
Status · Complete
- Text
- Catullus, Carmina 1 (ad Cornelium), lines 1–10
- Latin text
- Catullus, Catulli Veronensis Liber, edited by Elmer Truesdell Merrill (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1893), via Perseus Digital Library
- Translation
- Alexandros Kalogrianitis
- First drafted
- August 2026
- Last revised
- September 2026
Cui dono lepidum novum libellum
arido modo pumice expolitum?
Corneli, tibi; namque tu solebas
meas esse aliquid putare nugas,
iam tum cum ausus es unus Italorum
omne aevum tribus explicare chartis,
doctis, Iuppiter, et laboriosis!
quare habe tibi quidquid hoc libelli
qualecumque, quod, o patrona virgo,
plus uno maneat perenne saeclo.
To whom do I give this charming new little book,
only just now polished by a dry pumice?
To you, Cornelius! For you often thought that my
trifling pieces of work were something.
Now then, when you, the only one of the Italians, dared to
explicate an entire history in these three papyri
learned, Jupiter, and toiled over.
Now seek to have for yourself this little something of a book
whatever it may be, which, oh patron virgin,
may it remain throughout the years for more than one generation.
Cui dono lepidum novum libellum
To whom do I give this charming new little book,
arido modo pumice expolitum?
only just now polished by a dry pumice?
Corneli, tibi; namque tu solebas
To you, Cornelius! For you often thought that my
meas esse aliquid putare nugas,
trifling pieces of work were something.
iam tum cum ausus es unus Italorum
Now then, when you, the only one of the Italians, dared to
omne aevum tribus explicare chartis,
explicate an entire history in these three papyri
doctis, Iuppiter, et laboriosis!
learned, Jupiter, and toiled over.
quare habe tibi quidquid hoc libelli
Now seek to have for yourself this little something of a book
qualecumque, quod, o patrona virgo,
whatever it may be, which, oh patron virgin,
plus uno maneat perenne saeclo.
may it remain throughout the years for more than one generation.