Catullus famous quotes

It is difficult to lay aside a confirmed passion.
-- Catullus

#Love #Passion #Difficult

Better a sparrow, living or dead, than no birdsong at all.
-- Catullus

#Bird #Sparrows #Birdsong

I hate and love. You ask, perhaps, how can that be? I know not, but I feel the agony.
-- Catullus

#Hate #Love You #Agony

The vows that woman makes to her fond lover are only fit to be written on air or on the swiftly passing stream.
-- Catullus

#Air #Lovers #Fit

We see not our own backs.
-- Catullus

What woman says to fond lover should be written on air or the swift water. [Lat., Mulier cupido quod dicit amanti, In vento et rapida scribere oportet aqua.]
-- Catullus

#Love #Air #Aqua

Who now travels that dark path from whose bourne they say no one returns. [Lat., Qui nunc it per iter tenebricosum Illue unde negant redire quemquam.]
-- Catullus

#Death #Dark #Path

I hate and I love. Perchance you ask why I do that. I know not, but I feel that I do and I am tortured. [Lat., Odi et amo. Quare id faciam, fortasse requiris. Nescio, sed fieri sentio et excrucior.]
-- Catullus

#Love #Hate #Hatred

Nothing is more silly than silly laughter.
-- Catullus

#Laughter #Silly

There is nothing more foolish than a foolish laugh. Risu inepto res ineptior nulla est
-- Catullus

#Laughter #Laughing #Foolish

To whom do I give my new elegant little book? Cui dono lepidum novum libellum?
-- Catullus

#Book #Giving #Littles

Stop wishing to merit anyone's gratitude or thinking that anyone can become grateful.
-- Catullus

#Thank You #Gratitude #Grateful

There is nothing more silly than a silly laugh.
-- Catullus

#Silly #Laughing

Brother, hello and good-bye. Frater, ave atque vale
-- Catullus

#Brother #Bye #Good Bye

It is difficult to suddenly give up a long love. Difficile est longum subito deponere amorem
-- Catullus

#Love #Giving Up #Long

Let us live, my Lesbia, and let us love. Vivamus, mea Lesbia, atque amemus
-- Catullus

#Love

Give up wanting to deserve any thanks from anyone, or thinking anybody can be grateful.
-- Catullus

#Gratitude #Giving Up #Grateful

Now Spring restores the balmy heat, now Zephyr's sweet breezes calm the rage of the equinoctial sky.
-- Catullus

#Sweet #Spring #Sky

The confounding of all right and wrong, in wild fury, has averted from us the gracious favor of the gods.
-- Catullus

#Favors #Gracious #Fury

Every one has his faults: but we do not see the wallet on our own backs.
-- Catullus

#Faults #Wallets

My lady's sparrow is dead, the sparrow which was my lady's delight
-- Catullus

#Delight #Sparrows

What a woman says to an eager lover, write it on running water, write it on air.
-- Catullus

#Running #Women #Writing

Give me a thousand kisses, then a hundred, then a thousand more.
-- Catullus

#Kissing #Giving #Hundred

Godlike the man who sits at her side, who watches and catches that laughter which (softly) tears me to tatters: nothing is left of me, each time I see her...
-- Catullus

#Laughter #Men #Tears

I hate and love. And why, perhaps you’ll ask. I don’t know: but I feel, and I’m tormented.
-- Catullus

#Hate #And Love #Feels

I hate and I love. And if you ask me how, I do not know: I only feel it, and I am torn in two.
-- Catullus

#Love #Hate #Two

So a maiden, while she remains untouched, remains dear to her own; but when she has lost her chaste flower with sullied body, she remains neither lovely to boys nor dear to girls.
-- Catullus

#Girl #Flower #Boys

I write of youth, of love, and have access by these to sing of cleanly wantonness.
-- Catullus

#Writing #Youth

My mind's sunk so low, Claudia, because of you, wrecked itself on your account so bad already, that I couldn't like you if you were the best of women, -or stop loving you, no matter what you do.
-- Catullus

#Loving You #Mind #Matter

Oh, this age! How tasteless and ill bred it is!
-- Catullus

#Age #Ill

Away with you, water, destruction of wine!
-- Catullus

#Wine #Water #Destruction