T. R. Smith, comp. Poetica Erotica: Rare and Curious Amatory Verse. 1921–22.
Epithalamium on the Marriage of Manlius and Julia
By Gaius Valerius Catullus (c. 84c. 54 B.C.)(Translated by George Lamb) O THOU, Urania’s heaven-born son, | |
Whose loved abode is Helicon; | |
Whose power bestows the virgin’s charms | |
To bless the youthful bridegroom’s arms; | |
O Hymen! friend to faithful pairs; | 5 |
O Hymen! hear our fervent prayers! | |
Around thy brow the chaplet bind, | |
Of fragrant marjoram entwined; | |
And bring the veil with crimson dyed, | |
The refuge of the blushing bride. | 10 |
Come, joyous, while thy feet of snow | |
With yellow sandals brightly glow! | |
Arouse thee on this happy day; | |
Carol the hymeneal lay; | |
Raise in the strain thy silver voice, | 15 |
And in the festal dance rejoice; | |
And brandish high the blissful sign, | |
The guiding torch of flaming pine. | |
When Venus claim’d the golden prize, | |
And bless’d the Phrygian shepherd’s eyes; | 20 |
No brighter charms his judgment sway’d | |
Than those that grace this mortal maid; | |
And every sigh and omen fair | |
The nuptials hail, and greet the pair. | |
The myrtle’s sweet on Asia’s ground, | 25 |
Its branches fair with blossoms crown’d; | |
Which oft the Hamadryad crew | |
In frolic nourish with the dew: | |
But not less fair, but not less sweet, | |
Her Manlius now does Julia meet. | 30 |
Then hither speed they course to take: | |
Awhile the Thespian hill forsake; | |
Nor waste awhile the lingering hours | |
Reclining in Aonian bowers, | |
Where Aganippe’s springing fount | 35 |
Refreshes all the sacred mount. | |
Propitiate here the maiden’s vows, | |
And lead her fondly to her spouse; | |
And firm as ivy clinging holds | |
The tree it grasps in mazy folds, | 40 |
Let virtuous love as firmly bind | |
The tender passions of her mind. | |
Ye virgins, whom a day like this | |
Awaits to greet with equal bliss, | |
Oh! join the song, your voices raise | 45 |
To hail the god ye love to praise. | |
O Hymen! god of faithful pairs; | |
O Hymen! hear our earnest prayers! | |
The god, who loves the pure, will hear | |
A virgin’s prayer with willing ear, | 50 |
Will swiftly to his office haste | |
To bless the fond, reward the chaste; | |
The god, who ever feels delight | |
When virtuous hearts in love unite. | |
O ye! who warmly, truly love; | 55 |
Invoke no other god above: | |
To none beside address your sighs | |
Of all enthroned amid the skies. | |
O Hymen! god of faithful pairs; | |
O Hymen! hear our earnest prayers! | 60 |
Invoked by sires, with anxious fear, | |
Their children’s days with bliss to cheer; | |
By maidens, who to thee alone | |
Unloose the chaste, the virgin zone; | |
By fervid bridegrooms, whose delight | 65 |
Is staid till thou hast blest the rite. | |
Thy influence tears, thy fond behest, | |
The damsel from her mother’s breast; | |
And yields her blooming, blushing charms | |
To fiery man’s resistless arms. | 70 |
O Hymen! god of faithful pairs; | |
O Hymen! hear our earnest prayers! | |
Though wanton Venus feed the flame; | |
Nor grateful praise, nor virtuous fame | |
Can wait on those, who loose and free | 75 |
Indulge a love unblest by thee. | |
What other god can mortals dare | |
With genial Hymen to compare? | |
No house can boast a lengthen’d race; | |
No heir can parents’ honours grace; | 80 |
They serve to deck their tombs alone, | |
If parents’ lives thy sway disown. | |
What other god can mortals dare | |
With genial Hymen to compare? | |
In vain the son, if scorn’d thy band, | 85 |
Seeks power or greatness in the land; | |
If blest by thee his natal day, | |
The proudest realm may own his sway. | |
What other god can mortals dare | |
With genial Hymen to compare? | 90 |
Unbar the door, the gates unfold! | |
The bashful virgin comes.—Behold, | |
How red the nuptial torches glare; | |
How bright they shake their splendid hair! | |
Come, gentle bride!—The waning day | 95 |
Rebukes thy lingering, cold delay. | |
We will not blame thy bashful fears, | |
Reluctant step, and gushing tears, | |
That chide the swift approach of night | |
To give thy bridegroom all his right. | 100 |
Yet come, sweet bride!—The waning day | |
Rebukes thy lingering, cold delay. | |
Daughter of Cotta, cease to weep, | |
For love shall watch, and falsehood sleep. | |
The sun, at dawn that lifts his blaze | 105 |
From ocean, and the world surveys, | |
Shall never look, shall never shine | |
On beauties that shall rival thine. | |
Thus blooms, amid the gay parterre, | |
Some wealthy owner’s pride and care, | 110 |
Thy hyacinth with colours proud, | |
The loveliest of the varied crowd. | |
Come, gentle bride!—The waning day | |
Rebukes thy lingering, cold delay. | |
Then come, sweet bride, and bless thy spouse, | 115 |
And sanction love by nuptial vows. | |
At length our friendly numbers hear: | |
The torches high their brilliance rear, | |
And richly shake with glowing pride | |
Their golden hair.—Then come, sweet bride! | 120 |
No profligate, no faithless swain, | |
No follower of the wanton train, | |
No rake, who joys in wild excess, | |
Now woos thee to his warm caress. | |
He ne’er will taste of welcome rest, | 125 |
But pillow’d on thy tender breast. | |
As round the husband elm entwine | |
The tendrils of the clinging vine, | |
Thus will he woo thee still to place | |
Round him a fondling close embrace. | 130 |
Come, gentle bride!—The waning day | |
Rebukes thy lingering, cold delay. | |
O festal couch! with garlands sweet, | |
What joys thy happy lord will greet! | |
What joys in many a sleepless night! | 135 |
What joys in day’s inspiring light! | |
Come, gentle bride!—The waning day | |
Rebukes thy lingering, cold delay. | |
Raise, boys, the beaming torches high! | |
She comes—but veil’d from every eye; | 140 |
The deeper dyes her blushes hide: | |
With songs, with pæans greet the bride! | |
Hail, Hymen! god of faithful pairs! | |
Hail, Hymen! who hast heard our prayers! | |
Now pour the warm Fescennine lays, | 145 |
And all the bridegroom’s passion raise: | |
Now let his pure, his plighted hand | |
Throw nuts to all the youthful band, | |
Base emblems of the looser joys | |
He henceforth leaves to wanton boys. | 150 |
Throw, bridegroom, throw thy nuts away! | |
Enough in joy’s voluptuous day | |
Hast thou beguiled thy youthful time; | |
But now thy manhood’s riper prime | |
Let pure, let bless’d Thalassus sway: | 155 |
Then throw thy mystic nuts away. | |
’Tis whisper’d, that the wanton’s charms | |
Will yet allure thee to her arms; | |
Oh! let no shameless rival’s pride | |
Degrade and pain thy gentle bride. | 160 |
Hail, Hymen! god of faithful pairs! | |
Hail, Hymen! who hast heard our prayers! | |
Unloved, unwedded youths and boys | |
May freely sport in wanton joys: | |
Let him, that’s blest by wedlock’s rite, | 165 |
In wedlock seek his sole delight. | |
Hail, Hymen! god of faithful pairs! | |
Hail, Hymen! who hast heard our prayers! | |
And let no coldness damp his fire, | |
Fair bride, nor coyness check desire. | 170 |
Oh! make his heart less sweet confess | |
All lawless love, than thy caress. | |
Hail, Hymen! god of faithful pairs! | |
Hail, Hymen! who hast heard our prayers! | |
Riches, and power, and rank, and state, | 175 |
With Manlius’ love thy days await: | |
These all thy youth shall proudly cheer, | |
And these shall nurse thy latest year. | |
Hail, Hymen! god of faithful pairs! | |
Hail, Hymen! who hast heard our prayers! | 180 |
Till dotage, with enfeebling sway, | |
Shall tremble in thy temples grey; | |
And shake the brow, as if it meant | |
To nod perpetual assent. | |
Hail, Hymen! god of faithful pairs! | 185 |
Hail, Hymen! who hast heard our prayers! | |
Let not the threshold, omen blest! | |
Be with thy golden slipper prest; | |
But swiftly spring with lightness o’er, | |
And swiftly pass the polish’d door. | 190 |
Hail, Hymen! god of faithful pairs! | |
Hail, Hymen! who hast heard our prayers! | |
See, on the Tyrian couch reclining, | |
The bridegroom for thy summons pining: | |
By thee are all his senses fired; | 195 |
By thee is all his frame inspired. | |
Hail, Hymen! god of faithful pairs! | |
Hail, Hymen! who hast heard our prayers! | |
As warm as thine, his passion’s heat, | |
As strong his rapturous pulses beat; | 200 |
Nay, fiercer flames must still pervade | |
The bridegroom than the timid maid. | |
Hail, Hymen! god of faithful pairs! | |
Hail, Hymen! who hast heard our prayers! | |
Purple-robed boy, whose pleasing care | 205 |
Has been to lead the lingering fair, | |
Release her arm:—By others led | |
She now ascends the bridal bed. | |
Hail, Hymen! god of faithful pairs! | |
Hail, Hymen! who hast heard our prayers! | 210 |
Ye chaster matrons, who have known | |
One honour’d husband’s love alone, | |
Of truth in years long virtuous tried, | |
’Tis yours to place the lovely bride. | |
Hail, Hymen! god of faithful pairs! | 215 |
Hail, Hymen! who hast heard our prayers! | |
Now haste, young bridegroom, swiftly haste; | |
The bride is in the chamber placed: | |
Inspiring blushes warmly streak | |
The fairness of her snowy cheek. | 220 |
So mix’d with poppies’ crimson glow | |
The white parthenium’s flow’rets blow. | |
Nor is thy form, by heaven above! | |
Unworthy such a fair one’s love. | |
Venus in rival charms array’d | 225 |
The manly youth and tender maid. | |
Haste, bridegroom, haste!—One western ray, | |
Still faintly lingering, chides delay. | |
Needs not to chide; thou swift hast sped. | |
Propitious Venus bless thy bed! | 230 |
For sanction’d passion, solemn rites, | |
On thee bestow thy wish’d delights: | |
Not lust perverted, shame supprest, | |
The pure desires that warm thy breast. | |
Whoe’er the number would define | 235 |
Of sports and joys that shall be thine, | |
He first must count the grains of sand | |
That spread the Erythræan strand, | |
And every star and twinkling light | |
That stud the glistening arch of night. | 240 |
Oh! boundless be your love’s excess, | |
And soon our hopes let children bless! | |
Let not this ancient honour’d name | |
Want heirs to guard its future fame; | |
Nor any length of years assign | 245 |
A limit to the glorious line. | |
Soon may we see a baby rest | |
Upon its lovely mother’s breast; | |
Which, feebly playful, stretching out | |
Its little arms to those about, | 250 |
With lips apart a tiny space, | |
Is laughing in its father’s face. | |
Let young Torquatus’ look avow | |
All Manlius’ features in his brow; | |
That those, who know him not, may trace | 255 |
The knowledge of his noble race; | |
And by his lineal brow declare | |
His lovely mother chaste as fair. | |
Then shall maternal virtue claim | |
As splendid praise, as pure a name | 260 |
To deck her child, as erst was known | |
To young Telemachus alone, | |
Whom, then of all most fair and chaste, | |
Penelope with honour graced. | |
Now close the doors, ye maiden friends; | 265 |
Our sports, our rite, our service ends. | |
With you let virtue still reside, | |
O bridegroom grave, and gentle bride! | |
And youth its lusty hours employ | |
In constant love and ardent joy. | 270 |