Part 5 (1/2)

Aureli, pater essuritionum, Non harum modo, sed quot aut fuerunt Aut sunt aut aliis erunt in annis, Pedicare cupis meos amores.

Nec clam: nam simul es, iocaris una, 5 Haeres ad latus omnia experiris.

Frustra: nam insidias mihi instruentem Tangem te prior inrumatione.

Atque id si faceres satur, tacerem: Nunc ipsum id doleo, quod essurire, 10 A me me, puer et sitire discet.

Quare desine, dum licet pudico, Ne finem facias, sed inrumatus.

XXI.

TO AURELIUS THE SKINFLINT.

Aurelius, father of the famisht crew, Not sole of starvelings now, but wretches who Were, are, or shall be in the years to come, My love, my dearling, fain art thou to strum.

Nor privately; for nigh thou com'st and jestest 5 And to his side close-sticking all things questest.

'Tis vain: while lay'st thou snares for me the worst, By ---- I will teach thee first.

An food-full thus do thou, my peace I'd keep: But what (ah me! ah me!) compels me weep 10 Are thirst and famine to my dearling fated.

Cease thou so doing while as modest rated, Lest to thy will thou win--but ----

Aurelius, father of the famished, in ages past in time now present and in future years yet to come, thou art longing to paedicate my love. Nor is't done secretly: for thou art with him jesting, closely sticking at his side, trying every means. In vain: for, instructed in thy artifice, I'll strike home beforehand by irrumating thee. Now if thou didst this to work off the results of full-living I would say naught: but what irks me is that my boy must learn to starve and thirst with thee. Wherefore, desist, whilst thou mayst with modesty, lest thou reach the end,--but by being irrumated.

XXII.

Suffenus iste, Vare, quem probe nosti, h.o.m.ost venustus et dicax et urba.n.u.s, Idemque longe plurimos facit versus.

Puto esse ego illi milia aut decem aut plura Perscripta, nec sic ut fit in palimpseston 5 Relata: chartae regiae, novei libri, Novei umbilici, lora rubra, membrana Derecta plumbo, et pumice omnia aequata.

Haec c.u.m legas tu, bellus ille et urba.n.u.s Suffenus unus caprimulgus aut fossor 10 Rursus videtur; tantum abhorret ac mutat.

Hoc quid putemus esse? qui modo scurra Aut siquid hac re scitius videbatur, Idem infacetost infacetior rure, Simul poemata attigit, neque idem umquam 15 Aequest beatus ac poema c.u.m scribit: Tam gaudet in se tamque se ipse miratur.

Nimirum idem omnes fallimur, nequest quisquam, Quem non in aliqua re videre Suffenum Possis. suus cuique attributus est error: 20 Sed non videmus, manticae quod in tergost.

XXII.

TO VARUS ABUSING SUFFENUS.

Varus, yon wight Suffenus known to thee Fairly for wit, free talk, urbanity, The same who scribbles verse in amplest store-- Methinks he fathers thousands ten or more Indited not as wont on palimpsest, 5 But paper-royal, brand-new boards, and best Fresh bosses, crimson ribbands, sheets with lead Ruled, and with pumice-powder all well polished.

These as thou readest, seem that fine, urbane Suffenus, goat-herd mere, or ditcher-swain 10 Once more, such horrid change is there, so vile.

What must we wot thereof? a Droll erst while, Or (if aught) cleverer, he with converse meets, He now in dullness, dullest villain beats Forthright on handling verse, nor is the wight 15 Ever so happy as when verse he write: So self admires he with so full delight.

In sooth, we all thus err, nor man there be But in some matter a Suffenus see Thou canst: his lache allotted none shall lack 20 Yet spy we nothing of our back-borne pack.

That Suffenus, Varus, whom thou know'st right well, is a man fair spoken, witty and urbane, and one who makes of verses lengthy store. I think he has writ at full length ten thousand or more, nor are they set down, as of custom, on palimpsest: regal paper, new boards, unused bosses, red ribands, lead-ruled parchment, and all most evenly pumiced. But when thou readest these, that refined and urbane Suffenus is seen on the contrary to be a mere goatherd or ditcher-lout, so great and shocking is the change. What can we think of this? he who just now was seen a professed droll, or e'en shrewder than such in gay speech, this same becomes more boorish than a country boor immediately he touches poesy, nor is the dolt e'er as self-content as when he writes in verse,--so greatly is he pleased with himself, so much does he himself admire. Natheless, we all thus go astray, nor is there any man in whom thou canst not see a Suffenus in some one point. Each of us has his a.s.signed delusion: but we see not what's in the wallet on our back.

XXIII.

Furei, quoi neque servos est neque arca Nec cimex neque araneus neque ignis, Verumst et pater et noverca, quorum Dentes vel silicem comesse possunt, Est pulchre tibi c.u.m tuo parente 5 Et c.u.m coniuge lignea parentis.

Nec mirum: bene nam valetis omnes, Pulchre concoquitis, nihil timetis, Non incendia, non graves ruinas, Non furta inpia, non dolos veneni, 10 Non casus alios periculorum.

Atqui corpora sicciora cornu Aut siquid magis aridumst habetis Sole et frigore et essuritione.

Quare non tibi sit bene ac beate? 15 A te sudor abest, abest saliva, Mucusque et mala pituita nasi.

Hanc ad munditiem adde mundiorem, Quod culus tibi purior salillost, Nec toto decies cacas in anno, 20 Atque id durius est faba et lapillis; Quod tu si manibus teras fricesque, Non umquam digitum inquinare possis.

Haec tu commoda tam beata, Furi, Noli spernere nec putare parvi, 25 Et sestertia quae soles precari Centum desine: nam sat es beatus.

XXIII.