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Catullus 7
How many kisses?
Catullus, Carmina: selections. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in LectitōCat. 7.1Quaeris quot mihi bāsiātiōnēs
tuae, Lesbia, sint satis superque.
You ask how many of your kisses, Lesbia, are enough for me and more than enough.
Note. bāsiātiōnēs: a long, humorous word Catullus coined, 'kissifications'. satis superque: 'enough and more than enough'. quot … sint: indirect question, so subjunctive.
Cat. 7.3Quam magnus numerus Libyssae harēnae
lāserpīciferīs iacet Cȳrēnīs,
5ōrāclum Iovis inter aestuōsī
et Battī veteris sacrum sepulcrum,
aut quam sīdera multa, cum tacet nox,
fūrtīvōs hominum vident amōrēs,
tam tē bāsia multa bāsiāre
10vēsānō satis et super Catullō est,
quae nec pernumerāre cūriōsī
possint nec malā fascināre linguā.
As great as the number of the Libyan sand that lies at silphium-bearing Cyrene, between the oracle of sweltering Jupiter and the sacred tomb of old Battus, or as many as the stars that, when night is silent, see the stolen loves of men: so many kisses for you to kiss are enough and more than enough for mad Catullus, kisses that the curious could not count up, nor an evil tongue bewitch.
Note. quam magnus numerus … tam … multa: 'as great a number as … so many'. lāsarpīciferīs Cȳrēnīs: Cyrene in Libya, famous for silphium (lāsarpīcium), a costly medicinal plant. Cȳrēnīs is locative. ōrāclum Iovis: the oracle of Jupiter Ammon in the desert; Battus founded Cyrene. tē bāsia multa bāsiāre: 'to kiss you with many kisses' is enough for Catullus (dative, vēsānō … Catullō). fascināre: to bewitch with the evil eye, as in poem 5.
Vocabulary
| quaerō, quaerere, quaesīvī, quaesītus | seek; ask, inquire |
| quot (indecl.) | how many |
| ego, meī, pers. pron. | I |
| bāsiātiō, -ōnis f. | kissing; a kiss |
| tuus, -a, -um | thy, thine, your |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| satis, adv. | enough, sufficiently |
| super (prep. + acc. or abl.; also adv.) | over, above, on top of; upon; about, concerning |
| que, enclitic conj. | and |
| quam, adv. | how? as; than; with superl., as ... as possible |
| magnus, -a, -um | large, big, great, mighty; loud |
| numerus, -ī, m. | number |
| Libyssus, -a, -um | Libyan, African |
| harēna, -ae, f. | sand; shore |
| lāsarpīcifer, -a, -um | producing silphium (a prized plant of Cyrene) |
| iaceō, -ēre, -uī | lie, be prostrate |
| ōrāculum, -ī, n. | oracle |
| inter, prep, with acc. | among, between |
| aestuōsus, -a, -um | hot, sweltering; surging, billowy |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| vetus, veteris | old, former |
| sacer, sacra, sacrum | sacred, holy |
| sepulcrum, -ī n. | tomb, grave |
| aut, conj. | or; aut ... aut, either ... or |
| sīdus, -eris n. | star, constellation |
| multus, -a, -um | much, great; plur., many |
| cum, conj. | when, while, after; since; although |
| taceō, -ēre, -uī, -itus | be silent |
| nox, noctis, f. | night |
| fūrtīvus, -a, -um | stolen; secret, stealthy |
| homō, hominis, m. | man |
| videō, vidēre, vīdī, vīsus | see; pass., seem |
| amor, -ōris, m. | love |
| tam, adv. | so |
| tū, tuī, pers. pron. | thou, you |
| bāsium, -ī n. | kiss |
| bāsiō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | kiss |
| vēsānus, -a, -um | mad, insane, frenzied |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| neque or nec, conj. | and not, nor; neque ... neque, neither ... nor; neque enim, for ... not |
| pernumerō, -āre | count out, reckon up in full |
| cūriōsus, -a, -um | careful, inquisitive; prying, nosy |
| possum, posse, potuī | be able, have power, can |
| malus, -a, -um | bad |
| fascinō, -āre | put a spell on, bewitch with the evil eye |
| lingua, -ae f. | tongue; language |