by Gaius Valerius Catullus (c84 BCE - 54 BCE)
Language: Latin
Our translations: ENG
Passer, deliciae meae puellae,
quicum ludere, quem in sinu tenere,
cui primum digitum dare appetenti
et acris solet incitare morsus,
cum desiderio meo nitenti
carum nescio quid libet iocari,
et solaciolum sui doloris,
credo, ut tum gravis acquiescat ardor:
tecum ludere sicut ipsa possem
et tristis animi levare curas !
...
Note: some text has been lost from the original as indicated by "[...]".
Note for the final line: Beckett's setting seems to use the spelling "ligitam" but this may be a typo.
Composition:
- Set to music by Jan Novák (1921 - 1984), "Passer", lines 1-10, from Cantica latina, no. 7
Text Authorship:
- by Gaius Valerius Catullus (c84 BCE - 54 BCE), no title, appears in Carmina, no. 2
See other settings of this text.
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Grant Hicks) , copyright © 2025, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ITA Italian (Italiano) (Mario Rapisardi) , no title, first published 1889
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Grant Hicks [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 14
Word count: 66