Ameana the worn-out whore

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by Gaius Valerius Catullus (c84 BCE - 54 BCE)

Translation © by Grant Hicks

[X]. Ammiana, puella defututa

(Sung text for setting by C. Orff)

See original

Language: Latin

Our translations: ENG SPA

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Ammiana puella defututa
Tota milia me decem poposcit,
Ista turpiculo puella naso,
Decoctoris amica Formiani.
Propinqui, quibus est puella curae,
Amicos medicosque conuocate:
Non est sana puella, nec rogare
Qualis sit solide est imaginosa.

Composition:

Carl Orff

Catulli Carmina

Text Authorship:

by Gaius Valerius Catullus (c84 BCE - 54 BCE), no title, appears in Carmina, no. 41

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Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

ENG English (Grant Hicks) , copyright © 2026, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ITA Italian (Italiano) (Mario Rapisardi) , no title, first published 1889
SPA Spanish (Español) (Saúl Botero Restrepo) , copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this page: Saúl Botero Restrepo

This text was added to the website: 2015-10-07
Line count: 8
Word count: 37

[X]. Ammiana the worn‑out whore

(Sung text translation for setting by C. Orff)

See original

Language: English after the Latin

Choose for Diff

Ammiana the worn-out whore
Demanded of me all of ten thousand, 
Herself a girl with a rather ugly nose, 
A friend of the bankrupt Formian.
You relatives who care for the girl,
Call together friends and doctors:
The girl is not well, and no need to ask
how she is: she's thoroughly delusional.

Note for line 2: An extravagant number of sesterces, equivalent to about 11 years' salary for a Roman legionary of the period.
Note for line 4: The reference is to a certain Mamurra from the city of Formiae, whom Catullus elsewhere charges with squandering his inheritance and considerable income.

Text Authorship:

Translation from Latin to English copyright © 2026 by Grant Hicks, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you may ask the copyright-holder(s) directly or ask us; we are authorized to grant permission on their behalf. Please provide the translator's name when contacting us.
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Based on:

a text in Latin by Gaius Valerius Catullus (c84 BCE - 54 BCE), no title, appears in Carmina, no. 41
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This text was added to the website: 2026-08-07
Line count: 8
Word count: 58