Catullus 63 · Attis
Status · Work in progress
- Text
- Catullus, Carmina 63 (Attis), lines 1–34
- 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
Super alta vectus Attis celeri rate maria
Phrygium ut nemus citato cupide pede tetigit
adiitque opaca silvis redimita loca deae,
stimulatus ibi furenti rabie, vagus animis
devolvit ili acuto sibi pondera silice.
itaque ut relicta sensit sibi membra sine viro,
etiam recente terrae sola sanguine maculans
niveis citata cepit manibus leve typanum,
typanum, tubam Cybelles, tua, mater, initia,
quatiensque terga tauri teneris cava digitis
canere haec suis adorta est tremebunda comitibus
“agite ite ad alta, Gallae, Cybeles nemora simul,
simul ite, Dindymenae dominae vaga pecora,
aliena quae petentes velut exsules loca
sectam meam exsecutae duce me mihi comites
rapidum salum tulistis truculentaque pelagi
et corpus evirastis Veneris nimio odio,
hilarate erae citatis erroribus animum.
mora tarda mente cedat; simul ite, sequimini
Phrygiam ad domum Cybelles, Phrygia ad nemora deae,
ubi cymbalum sonat vox, ubi tympana reboant,
tibicen ubi canit Phryx curvo grave calamo,
ubi capita maenades vi iaciunt hederigerae,
ubi sacra sancta acutis ululatibus agitant,
ubi suevit illa divae volitare vaga cohors,
quo nos decet citatis celerare tripudiis.”
simul haec comitibus Attis cecinit notha mulier,
thiasus repente linguis trepidantibus ululat,
leve tympanum remugit, cava cymbala recrepant,
viridem citus adit Idam properante pede chorus.
furibunda simul anhelans vaga vadit animam agens
comitata tympano Attis per opaca nemora dux,
veluti iuvenca vitans onus indomita iugi:
rapidae ducem secuntur Gallae properipedem.
When Attis, carried on a speedy raft across the deep sea,
eagerly reached the Phrygian grove with a hurried foot
and approached the goddess’s shaded places, wreathed with woods,
there, goaded by a raging frenzy, wandering in his mind,
he ripped off the weight of his groin with a sharp flint,
and when he noticed that his parts were left apart from him without manliness,
still staining the soils of the earth with fresh blood,
driven on, she took up a light tambourine with her snowy hands,
your tambourine, Cybele, your initiations, mother,
shaking the hollow bull’s hide with her delicate fingers,
she began to sing thusly, trembling, to her companions.
“Come on and go together, Gallae, to the high groves of Cybele,
you wandering cattle of the mistress of Dindymus,
who, just like wanderers seeking foreign lands,
having followed my path as companions, with me as your leader,
have borne the fierce salty sea and the savagery of the ocean,
and have unmanned yourselves through an excessive hatred of Venus;
make the soul of your mistress happy with your swift wanderings.
Let the thought of tardy reluctance fall away, and come together, follow me
to the home of Cybele, to the goddess’s Phrygian groves,
where the voice of the cymbals rings out, where the tambourines sound out,
where the Phrygian flute player plays a deep note with his curved pipe,
where the ivy-bearing Maenads violently throw about their heads,
where they perform sacred rites with sharp ululations,
where the goddess’s wandering cohort is accustomed to fluttering around,
to where we must hasten with hurried dances.”
As soon as the false woman Attis sang these things to her companions,
suddenly the dance procession broke out with trembling tongues,
the light tambourine bellows out, the hollow cymbals resound.
The swift chorus approached green Ida with hurrying feet.
At the same time, their leader, wandering Attis, driving out her breath, breathless
and raging, and accompanied by the tambourine, wanders ahead through the shaded groves
just like an untamed heifer shirking the burden of the yoke;
and the swift Gallae follow their quickfooted leader.
Super alta vectus Attis celeri rate maria
When Attis, carried on a speedy raft across the deep sea,
Phrygium ut nemus citato cupide pede tetigit
eagerly reached the Phrygian grove with a hurried foot
adiitque opaca silvis redimita loca deae,
and approached the goddess’s shaded places, wreathed with woods,
stimulatus ibi furenti rabie, vagus animis
there, goaded by a raging frenzy, wandering in his mind,
devolvit ili acuto sibi pondera silice.
he ripped off the weight of his groin with a sharp flint,
itaque ut relicta sensit sibi membra sine viro,
and when he noticed that his parts were left apart from him without manliness,
etiam recente terrae sola sanguine maculans
still staining the soils of the earth with fresh blood,
niveis citata cepit manibus leve typanum,
driven on, she took up a light tambourine with her snowy hands,
typanum, tubam Cybelles, tua, mater, initia,
your tambourine, Cybele, your initiations, mother,
quatiensque terga tauri teneris cava digitis
shaking the hollow bull’s hide with her delicate fingers,
canere haec suis adorta est tremebunda comitibus
she began to sing thusly, trembling, to her companions.
“agite ite ad alta, Gallae, Cybeles nemora simul,
“Come on and go together, Gallae, to the high groves of Cybele,
simul ite, Dindymenae dominae vaga pecora,
you wandering cattle of the mistress of Dindymus,
aliena quae petentes velut exsules loca
who, just like wanderers seeking foreign lands,
sectam meam exsecutae duce me mihi comites
having followed my path as companions, with me as your leader,
rapidum salum tulistis truculentaque pelagi
have borne the fierce salty sea and the savagery of the ocean,
et corpus evirastis Veneris nimio odio,
and have unmanned yourselves through an excessive hatred of Venus;
hilarate erae citatis erroribus animum.
make the soul of your mistress happy with your swift wanderings.
mora tarda mente cedat; simul ite, sequimini
Let the thought of tardy reluctance fall away, and come together, follow me
Phrygiam ad domum Cybelles, Phrygia ad nemora deae,
to the home of Cybele, to the goddess’s Phrygian groves,
ubi cymbalum sonat vox, ubi tympana reboant,
where the voice of the cymbals rings out, where the tambourines sound out,
tibicen ubi canit Phryx curvo grave calamo,
where the Phrygian flute player plays a deep note with his curved pipe,
ubi capita maenades vi iaciunt hederigerae,
where the ivy-bearing Maenads violently throw about their heads,
ubi sacra sancta acutis ululatibus agitant,
where they perform sacred rites with sharp ululations,
ubi suevit illa divae volitare vaga cohors,
where the goddess’s wandering cohort is accustomed to fluttering around,
quo nos decet citatis celerare tripudiis.”
to where we must hasten with hurried dances.”
simul haec comitibus Attis cecinit notha mulier,
As soon as the false woman Attis sang these things to her companions,
thiasus repente linguis trepidantibus ululat,
suddenly the dance procession broke out with trembling tongues,
leve tympanum remugit, cava cymbala recrepant,
the light tambourine bellows out, the hollow cymbals resound.
viridem citus adit Idam properante pede chorus.
The swift chorus approached green Ida with hurrying feet.
furibunda simul anhelans vaga vadit animam agens
At the same time, their leader, wandering Attis, driving out her breath, breathless
comitata tympano Attis per opaca nemora dux,
and raging, and accompanied by the tambourine, wanders ahead through the shaded groves
veluti iuvenca vitans onus indomita iugi:
just like an untamed heifer shirking the burden of the yoke;
rapidae ducem secuntur Gallae properipedem.
and the swift Gallae follow their quickfooted leader.