Amores 2.5

?
nullus amor tanti est (abeas, pharetrate Cupido), ut mihi sint totiens maxima vota mori.
No love is worth so much (away with you, Cupid with your quiver) that I have so many times prayed hard to die.
1 of 31
vota mori mea sunt, cum te peccasse recordor, in mihi, perpetuum nata puella malum.
My prayers are to die, when I remember that you were unfaithful, a girl born to be a never-ending misfortune to me.
2 of 31
non mihi deceptae nudant tua facta tabellae nec data furtive munera crimen habent.
The coded letters do not expose your deeds to me, nor do gifts given in secret, give grounds for accusation.
3 of 31
o utinam arguerem sic, ut non vincere possem! me miserum, quare tam bona causa mea est?
If only I could prove the case, so that I would be unable to win! Poor me, why is my reasoning so good?
4 of 31
felix, qui quod amat defendere fortiter audet, cui sua 'non feci!' dicere amica potest.
He is the lucky one, who dares to defend bravely that which he loves, whose girl can say "I didn't do it!"
5 of 31
ferreus est nimiumque suo favet ille dolori, cui petitur victa palma cruenta rea.
He is hard-hearted and indulges his own grief too much, whose bloodstained palm is sought from a vanquished defendant.
6 of 31
ipse miser vidi, cum me dormire putares, sobrius apposito crimina vestra mero:
I saw your crimes myself, you wretch, while you thought I was asleep, I was sober, although the neat wine was next to me. multa supercilio vidi vibrante loquentes;
7 of 31
multa supercilio vidi vibrante loquentes; nutibus in vestris pars bona vocis erat.
I saw you talking a lot by waggling your eyebrows: a good part of what you said was in your nods.
8 of 31
non oculi tacuere tui conscriptaque vino mensa, nec in digitis littera nulla fuit.
Your eyes were not silent and you wrote in wine on the table, and there was no letter that your fingers didn't make.
9 of 31
sermonem agnovi, quod non videatur, agentem verbaque pro certis iussa valere notis.
I realised that there was a conversation going on, something which was not meant to be seen, and words which were made to have meaning for coded messages.
10 of 31
iamque frequens ierat mensa conviva relicta; compositi iuvenes unus et alter erant:
And now the crowd of guests had gone and left the table - there were one or two youths in a stupor:
11 of 31
inproba tum vero iungentes oscula vidi (illa mihi lingua nexa fuisse liquet)
then I saw you joining in sinful kisses (it's clear to me that they were tongue kisses),
12 of 31
qualia non fratri tulerit germana severo, sed tulerit cupido mollis amica viro;
the sort which a sister never gave to a strict brother, but which a compliant girlfriend gave to a desiring man;
13 of 31
qualia credibile est non Phoebo ferre Dianam, sed Venerem Marti saepe tulisse suo.
the sort which you would never believe that Diana would give to Apollo, but that Venus often gave to her own Mars.
14 of 31
'quid facis?' exclamo, 'quo nunc mea gaudia defers? iniciam dominas in mea iura manus!
"What are you doing?" I exclaim, "where are you taking my joys? I claim my rights of ownership over my girl!
15 of 31
haec tibi sunt mecum, mihi sunt communia tecum: in bona cur quisquam tertius ista venit?'
These joys are for you and me, they are for me shared with you: why does some third person muscle in on the goods?"
16 of 31
haec ego, quaeque dolor linguae dictavit; at illi conscia purpureus venit in ora pudor.
I said this, which pain dictated to my tongue; but a crimson shame came into her guilty face.
17 of 31
quale coloratum Tithoni coniuge caelum subrubet, aut sponso visa puella novo;
It was just like the colour of the sky as it is tinged red by Tithonus' bride, or a girl having been seen by her new fiancé;
18 of 31
quale rosae fulgent inter sua lilia mixtae aut, ubi cantatis, Luna, laborat equis,
like roses shining mixed in with lilies, or when the moon struggles because her horses are enchanted,
19 of 31
aut quod, ne longis flavescere possit ab annis, Maeonis Assyrium femina tinxit ebur:
or the oriental ivory which a Lydian woman stains so that it cannot turn yellow with the long years:
20 of 31
his erat aut alicui color ille simillimus horum, et numquam casu pulchrior illa fuit.
it was the colour of these or something very like them, and by chance she was never more beautiful.
21 of 31
spectabat terram: terram spectare decebat; maesta erat in vultu: maesta decenter erat.
She was gazing at the ground: it was fitting to look at the ground; sadness was in her face: it was appropriate to be sad.
22 of 31
sicut erant (et erant culti) laniare capillos et fuit in teneras impetus ire genas;
There was to me an urge to tear her hair, and just as it was (and it was done up) and go for her tender cheeks;
23 of 31
ut faciem vidi, fortes cecidere lacerti: defensa est armis nostra puella suis.
when I saw her face, my strong arms fell: my girl is protected by her own armour.
24 of 31
qui modo saevus eram, supplex ultroque rogavi, oscula ne nobis deteriora daret.
I who recently was savage, as a suppliant and of my own accord asked her to give me kisses no worse.
25 of 31
risit et ex animo dedit optima, qualia possent excutere irato tela trisulca Iovi:
She laughed, and from her heart gave the best (kisses), such as could knock the three-pronged weapon from an angry Jupiter:
26 of 31
torqueor infelix, ne tam bona senserit alter, et volo non ex hac illa fuisse nota.
Unfortunate as I am, I am in torment, for fear that another should experience such good things, and I wish they were not of this quality coming from her.
27 of 31
haec quoque, quam docui, multo meliora fuerunt, et quiddam visa est addidicisse novi.
And these kisses were much better than I taught her, and she seemed to have learned something new in addition.
28 of 31
quod nimium placuere, malum est, quod tota labellis lingua tua est nostris, nostra recepta tuis.
The fact that they pleased too much is not nice, that your whole tongue was received by my lips, and mine by yours.
29 of 31
nec tamen hoc unum doleo, non oscula tantum iuncta queror, quamvis haec quoque iuncta queror:
But I'm not upset by this one thing, I don't just complain about the joining of lips, although I do complain about this as well;
30 of 31
illa nisi in lecto nusquam potuere doceri; nescio quis pretium grande magister habet.
she could not have been taught this anywhere except in bed; some teacher or other has a great reward.
31 of 31

Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

vota mori mea sunt, cum te peccasse recordor, in mihi, perpetuum nata puella malum.

Back

My prayers are to die, when I remember that you were unfaithful, a girl born to be a never-ending misfortune to me.

Card 3

Front

non mihi deceptae nudant tua facta tabellae nec data furtive munera crimen habent.

Back

Preview of the front of card 3

Card 4

Front

o utinam arguerem sic, ut non vincere possem! me miserum, quare tam bona causa mea est?

Back

Preview of the front of card 4

Card 5

Front

felix, qui quod amat defendere fortiter audet, cui sua 'non feci!' dicere amica potest.

Back

Preview of the front of card 5
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