Catullus 76 · ad deos
Status · Complete
- Text
- Catullus, Carmina 76 (ad deos), lines 1–26
- 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
Si qua recordanti benefacta priora voluptas
est homini, cum se cogitat esse pium,
nec sanctam violasse fidem, nec foedere in ullo
divum ad fallendos numine abusum homines,
multa parata manent in longa aetate, Catulle,
ex hoc ingrato gaudia amore tibi.
nam quaecumque homines bene cuiquam aut dicere possunt
aut facere, haec a te dictaque factaque sunt:
omnia quae ingratae perierunt credita menti.
quare cur tu te iam amplius excrucies?
quin tu animo offirmas atque istinc teque reducis
et dis invitis desinis esse miser?
difficile est longum subito deponere amorem;
difficile est, verum hoc qua libet efficias.
una salus haec est, hoc est tibi pervincendum;
hoc facias, sive id non pote sive pote.
o di, si vestrum est misereri, aut si quibus unquam
extremam iam ipsa in morte tulistis opem,
me miserum adspicite et, si vitam puriter egi,
eripite hanc pestem perniciemque mihi!
hei mihi subrepens imos ut torpor in artus
expulit ex omni pectore laetitias.
non iam illud quaero, contra ut me diligat illa,
aut, quod non potis est, esse pudica velit:
ipse valere opto et taetrum hunc deponere morbum.
o di, reddite mi hoc pro pietate mea.
If there is any satisfaction for a man looking back at his
good deeds of the past, when he thinks that he is pious,
and that he has not violated any sanctified allegiance, nor abused
the power of the gods, in any pact, to deceive other men,
then many joys remain prepared for you, Catullus, in your
long life, from an ungrateful love.
For whatever kinds of things men can say or do well to someone,
you have said and done them.
But entrusted to an ungrateful mind, all these things have died.
So why now torture yourself relentlessly?
Why not stand firm in your heart and lead yourself away from there
and stop being wretched, with the Gods unwilling.
It is difficult to set aside a long-term love.
It is difficult, but truly you should do it however you can.
This is your only salvation. You must achieve this.
You must do it, whether it is possible or not.
Oh Gods, if it is in your nature to feel pity or if you have ever
brought help to anyone at the final point of death,
then look upon wretched me, and if I have led my life purely,
snatch this pestilence and destruction away from me,
which, like when a numbness creeps into my innermost depths,
it has driven out joy from my whole heart.
Now I do not ask this – that she should love me again –
or, which is not possible, that she would want to be chaste:
I myself choose to be strong and set aside this loathsome disease.
Oh Gods, give me this in exchange for my piety.
Si qua recordanti benefacta priora voluptas
If there is any satisfaction for a man looking back at his
est homini, cum se cogitat esse pium,
good deeds of the past, when he thinks that he is pious,
nec sanctam violasse fidem, nec foedere in ullo
and that he has not violated any sanctified allegiance, nor abused
divum ad fallendos numine abusum homines,
the power of the gods, in any pact, to deceive other men,
multa parata manent in longa aetate, Catulle,
then many joys remain prepared for you, Catullus, in your
ex hoc ingrato gaudia amore tibi.
long life, from an ungrateful love.
nam quaecumque homines bene cuiquam aut dicere possunt
For whatever kinds of things men can say or do well to someone,
aut facere, haec a te dictaque factaque sunt:
you have said and done them.
omnia quae ingratae perierunt credita menti.
But entrusted to an ungrateful mind, all these things have died.
quare cur tu te iam amplius excrucies?
So why now torture yourself relentlessly?
quin tu animo offirmas atque istinc teque reducis
Why not stand firm in your heart and lead yourself away from there
et dis invitis desinis esse miser?
and stop being wretched, with the Gods unwilling.
difficile est longum subito deponere amorem;
It is difficult to set aside a long-term love.
difficile est, verum hoc qua libet efficias.
It is difficult, but truly you should do it however you can.
una salus haec est, hoc est tibi pervincendum;
This is your only salvation. You must achieve this.
hoc facias, sive id non pote sive pote.
You must do it, whether it is possible or not.
o di, si vestrum est misereri, aut si quibus unquam
Oh Gods, if it is in your nature to feel pity or if you have ever
extremam iam ipsa in morte tulistis opem,
brought help to anyone at the final point of death,
me miserum adspicite et, si vitam puriter egi,
then look upon wretched me, and if I have led my life purely,
eripite hanc pestem perniciemque mihi!
snatch this pestilence and destruction away from me,
hei mihi subrepens imos ut torpor in artus
which, like when a numbness creeps into my innermost depths,
expulit ex omni pectore laetitias.
it has driven out joy from my whole heart.
non iam illud quaero, contra ut me diligat illa,
Now I do not ask this – that she should love me again –
aut, quod non potis est, esse pudica velit:
or, which is not possible, that she would want to be chaste:
ipse valere opto et taetrum hunc deponere morbum.
I myself choose to be strong and set aside this loathsome disease.
o di, reddite mi hoc pro pietate mea.
Oh Gods, give me this in exchange for my piety.