The Carmina of Caius Valerius Catullus, by Catullus : xvi.

xvi.

Pedicabo ego vos et inrumabo,

Aureli pathice et cinaede Furi,

Qui me ex versiculis meis putastis,

Quod sunt molliculi, parum pudicum.

Nam castum esse decet pium poetam 5

Ipsum, versiculos nihil necessest,

Qui tum denique habent salem ac leporem,

Si sunt molliculi ac parum pudici

Et quod pruriat incitare possunt,

Non dico pueris, sed his pilosis, 10

Qui duros nequeunt movere lumbos.

Vos, quom milia multa basiorum

Legistis, male me marem putatis?

Pedicabo ego vos et inrumabo.

xvi.

To Aurelius and Furius in Defence of His Muse’s Honesty.

I’ll —— you twain and ——

Pathic Aurélius! Fúrius, libertines!

Who durst determine from my versicles

Which seem o’er softy, that I’m scant of shame.

For pious poet it behoves be chaste 5

Himself; no chastity his verses need;

Nay, gain they finally more salt of wit

When over softy and of scanty shame,

Apt for exciting somewhat prurient,

In boys, I say not, but in bearded men 10

Who fail of movements in their hardened loins.

Ye who so many thousand kisses sung

Have read, deny male masculant I be?

You twain I’ll —— and ——

I will paedicate and irrumate you, Aurelius the bardache and Furius the cinaede, who judge me from my verses rich in love-liesse, to be their equal in modesty. For it behoves your devout poet to be chaste himself; his verses—not of necessity. Which verses, in a word, may have a spice and volupty, may have passion’s cling and such like decency, so that they can incite with ticklings, I do not say boys, but bearded ones whose stiffened limbs amort lack pliancy in movement. You, because of many thousand kisses you have read, think me womanish. I will paedicate and irrumate you!