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| Author | Message | | | Posted on Mon Nov 01, 2004 23:28:43 | |
| | Annals of Velusius, shitty sheets,
absolve a vow on behalf of my girl
For she vowed to holy Venus and Cupids
If I would be restored to her
and cease to fling savage iambs,
she would give the most select writings of the worst poet to the
limping god (Hephestus=tardipedi deo)
to be burned with (or in) unlucky wood.
and the worst girl saw that she
vowed this to the gods jokingly, charmingly
now o [you] created from blue sea,
you who cherish holy Idalium and Urium
and Ancon and reedy Cnidus
and Amathus and Golgi
and Durrachium the tavern of the Adriatic
make it so that the vow is received and paid
if it is not inelegant or uncharming
and/but you meanwhile go into the fire
full of the country and coarse jokes
Annals of Velusius, shitty sheets
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| | | Posted at Fri Dec 10, 2004 22:22:33 | Quote |
| | Nice, I like it. You could always take the view that it doesn't matter how much you modernise the allusions (to limping gods, etc), 90% of people wont get it anyway, and maybe 10% would be bothered to read Catullus in the first place, and thereby have some knowledge what it means. In my humble opinion, limping god is more meaningful than Haephaestos if you dont know all the mythology.
Here's my translation.
Chronicles of Volusius, paper crap,
Redeem this vow for my girl.
For she swore by the sacred Venus’
And Cupids, if I was restored to her
And ceased to hurl thrumming savage iambs,
I would sacrifice the choicest writings of
The worst poet to the lame god,
Torched like funereal timbers.
And by this the worst girl intended the
Goddess’ oath as an amusing joke.
Now, O she borne of the bluest sea,
Who resides in sacred Idalium and exposed Urios
And Ancon and Cnidus, full of reeds
And stems, and Amathus and Golgi
And Durrachium, the Adriatic tavern,
Enter this vow as received and payed back
If it is not uncharming nor ungraceful.
And you in the meantime feed the flames,
You, chock full of farms and crudities,
Chronicles of Volusius, paper crap. | | | | Non cogito ergo non sumus. |
| | | Posted at Wed Dec 15, 2004 22:56:52 | Quote |
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I think that a more proper translation would be "sheets having been shat."  | |
| | | Posted at Fri Jan 25, 2008 02:24:39 | Quote |
| | | I believe the limping god was Vulcan by the way. | |
| | | Posted at Wed Jan 30, 2008 06:26:52 | Quote |
| | | Quote: | | | | | I believe the limping god was Vulcan by the way. |
Vulcan=Haephaestos | |
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