Catullus's "Let us live, my Lesbia, let us love"
by Frank Watson
My Translation


Let us live, my Lesbia, let us love,

and value the rumors of dour old men

at just a single penny.

The sun falls and rises again:

but for us, once falls the paltry light,

ours is a sleep that lasts forever.

Give me a thousand kisses, then a hundred,

then another thousand, and a second hundred,

then even another thousand, and a hundred—

then, after so many thousands,

we will throw them in disorder, losing count,

so that no one evil can envy,

knowing the count of our kisses.


Original Latin



Vivamus, mea Lesbia, atque amemus,
rumoresque senum severiorum

omnes unius aestimemus assis.

Soles occidere et redire possunt:

nobis, cum semel occidit breuis lux,

nox est perpetua una dormienda.

Da mi basia mille, deinde centum,

dein mille altera, dein secunda centum,

deinde usque altera mille, deinde centum,

dein, cum milia multa fecerimus,

conturbabimus illa, ne sciamus,

aut ne quis malus inuidere possit,

cum tantum sciat esse basiorum.

All writings and translations are Copyright © by Frank Watson, also writing as "Blue Flute" (2011-2014).
Year: 
2011