Catullus 4 · de phaselo
Status · Complete
- Text
- Catullus, Carmina 4 (de phaselo), lines 1–27
- 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
- September 2026
- Last revised
- September 2026
Phasellus ille, quem videtis, hospites,
ait fuisse navium celerrimus,
neque ullius natantis impetum trabis
nequisse praeterire, sive palmulis
opus foret volare sive linteo.
et hoc negat minacis Hadriatici
negare litus insulasve Cycladas
Rhodumque nobilem horridamque Thraciam
Propontida trucemve Ponticum sinum,
ubi iste post phasellus antea fuit
comata silva: nam Cytorio in iugo
loquente saepe sibilum edidit coma.
Amastri Pontica et Cytore buxifer,
tibi haec fuisse et esse cognitissima
ait phasellus; ultima ex origine
tuo stetisse dicit in cacumine,
tuo imbuisse palmulas in aequore,
et inde tot per impotentia freta
erum tulisse, laeva sive dextera
vocaret aura, sive utrumque Iuppiter
simul secundus incidisset in pedem;
neque ulla vota litoralibus diis
sibi esse facta, cum veniret a mari
novissimo hunc ad usque limpidum lacum.
sed haec prius fuere: nunc recondita
senet quiete seque dedicat tibi,
gemelle Castor et gemelle Castoris.
That boat, which you see, guests,
says that it was the quickest of the ships,
and that it was not unable to overtake
the charge of any floating timber, whether it was
necessary to fly with its little palms or with a canvas sail.
And it denies that neither the coast of the threatening Adriatic
denies this, nor the Cyclades islands
and noble Rhodes and the rugged Thracian
Propontis nor the savage Pontic gulf,
where it was previously a hairy forest,
and afterwards a boat; for standing Cytorian ridge
it would often speak out a whisper with its nattering hair.
The boat says that these things both were
and still are very well known to you,
Pontic Amastris and boxwood-bearing Cytorus; it says
that from your earliest beginning it stood on your summit,
and that it imbued its little palms into your waters,
and from there it bore its master across
the relentless waves, and whether the breeze called out
from the left or the right, or whether favourable Jupiter
had fallen onto both feet at once;
nor does it say that it made any prayers to
the gods of the shores, when it came from the open sea
all the way up to this clear lake.
But these things happened in the past: now it grows old
in its hidden quiet and it dedicates itself to you,
Castor and Castor’s twin.
Phasellus ille, quem videtis, hospites,
That boat, which you see, guests,
ait fuisse navium celerrimus,
says that it was the quickest of the ships,
neque ullius natantis impetum trabis
and that it was not unable to overtake
nequisse praeterire, sive palmulis
the charge of any floating timber, whether it was
opus foret volare sive linteo.
necessary to fly with its little palms or with a canvas sail.
et hoc negat minacis Hadriatici
And it denies that neither the coast of the threatening Adriatic
negare litus insulasve Cycladas
denies this, nor the Cyclades islands
Rhodumque nobilem horridamque Thraciam
and noble Rhodes and the rugged Thracian
Propontida trucemve Ponticum sinum,
Propontis nor the savage Pontic gulf,
ubi iste post phasellus antea fuit
where it was previously a hairy forest,
comata silva: nam Cytorio in iugo
and afterwards a boat; for standing Cytorian ridge
loquente saepe sibilum edidit coma.
it would often speak out a whisper with its nattering hair.
Amastri Pontica et Cytore buxifer,
The boat says that these things both were
tibi haec fuisse et esse cognitissima
and still are very well known to you,
ait phasellus; ultima ex origine
Pontic Amastris and boxwood-bearing Cytorus; it says
tuo stetisse dicit in cacumine,
that from your earliest beginning it stood on your summit,
tuo imbuisse palmulas in aequore,
and that it imbued its little palms into your waters,
et inde tot per impotentia freta
and from there it bore its master across
erum tulisse, laeva sive dextera
the relentless waves, and whether the breeze called out
vocaret aura, sive utrumque Iuppiter
from the left or the right, or whether favourable Jupiter
simul secundus incidisset in pedem;
had fallen onto both feet at once;
neque ulla vota litoralibus diis
nor does it say that it made any prayers to
sibi esse facta, cum veniret a mari
the gods of the shores, when it came from the open sea
novissimo hunc ad usque limpidum lacum.
all the way up to this clear lake.
sed haec prius fuere: nunc recondita
But these things happened in the past: now it grows old
senet quiete seque dedicat tibi,
in its hidden quiet and it dedicates itself to you,
gemelle Castor et gemelle Castoris.
Castor and Castor’s twin.