1, 2a, 2b, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9

10, 11, 12, 13, 14a, 14b, 15, 16, 17

Poem 7:  How many kisses?

Quaeris, quot mihi basiationes

tuae, Lesbia, sint satis superque.

quam magnus numerus Libyssae harenae

lasarpiciferis iacet Cyrenis

oraclum Iouis inter aestuosi

et Batti ueteris sacrum sepulcrum;

aut quam sidera multa, cum tacet nox,

furtiuos hominum uident amores:

tam te basia multa basiare

uesano satis et super Catullo est,

quae nec pernumerare curiosi

possint nec mala fascinare lingua.

You ask, Lesbia, how many

kisses are more than enough for me.

As large as the number of Libyan sands

that lie in silphium-growing Cyrenae

between burning Jove’s oracle                                         5

and the sacred tomb of ancient Battus;

as many as the stars which see

men’s secret loves when night is still –

so many kisses to kiss you with

are more than enough for crazy Catullus                       10

(kisses which meddlers cannot compute,

nor can an evil tongue enchant).

Notes
Silphium was a fennel-like plant used for cooking and medicine. It was a key export of Cyrene in antiquity (they even depicted it on their coins). Battus was the legendary first king and founder of Cyrene.

The Latin metre is hendecasyllables; the English metre is iambic tetrameters.