Potatores exquisiti,
licet sitis sine siti,
et bibatis expediti
et scyphorum inobliti,
scyphi crebro repetiti
non dormiant,
et sermones inauditi
prosiliant.
Qui potare non potestis
ite procul ab his festis,
non est locus hic modestis
Inter letos mos agrestis
modestie,
et est sue certus testis
ignavie.
Si quis latitat hic forte,
qui non curat vinum forte
ostendantur illi porte,
exeat ab hac cohorte:
plus est nobis gravis morte,
si maneat,
si recedat a consorte,
tunc pereat.
[ ... ]
Dea deo ne iungatur,
deam deus aspernatur,
nam qui Liber appellatur
libertate gloriatur,
virtus eius adnullatur
in poculis,
et vinum debilitatur
in copulis.
Cum regina sit in mari,
dea potest appellari,
sed indigna tanto pari,
quem presumat osculari,
nunquam Bacchus adaquari
se voluit,
nec se Liber baptizari
sustinuit.
Text Authorship:
- by Anonymous / Unidentified Author, "Potatores exquisiti"
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Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2010-04-04
Line count: 47
Word count: 151
To you, consummate drinkers,
Though little be your drought,
Good speed be to your tankards,
And send the wine about.
Let not the full decanter
Sleep on its round,
And may unheard-of banter
In wit abound.
If any cannot carry
His liquor as he should,
Let him no longer tarry,
No place here for the prude.
No room among the happy
For modesty.
A fashion only fit for clowns,
Sobriety.
If such by chance are lurking
Let them be shown the door ;
He who good wine is shirking,
Is one of us no more.
A death's head is his face to us,
If he abide.
Who cannot keep the pace with us,
As well he died.
...
But between god and goddess,
Let there no marriage be,
For he whose name is Liber
Exults in liberty.
Let none his single virtue
Adulterate,
Wine that is wed with water is
Emasculate.
Queen of the sea we grant her,
Goddess without demur,
But to be bride to Bacchus
Is not for the like of her.
For Bacchus drinking water
Hath no man seen;
Nor ever hath his godship
Baptized been.
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Composition:
- Set to music by Gustav Holst (1874 - 1934), "Drinking song", op. 52 no. 5, H. 186 no. 5 (1931-2), stanzas 1-3,5-6 [ male voices and strings ], from Six Choruses for male voices and string orchestra, no. 5
Text Authorship:
- by Helen Jane Waddell (1889 - 1965), "To you, consummate drinkers", appears in Medieval Latin Lyrics, first published 1929
Based on:
- a text in Latin by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist , "Potatores exquisiti"
Go to the general single-text view
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2010-04-04
Line count: 48
Word count: 224