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by Carl Orff (1895 - 1982)

Praelusio
Language: Latin 
Our translations:  ENG SPA
Choose for Diff
Juvenes, juvenculae, novem senes.
Ante scaenam sinistra juvenes,
dextra juvenculae consederunt retro,
media in parte pulpiti, supra scaenam senes.

Juvenes, juvenculae
Eis aiona
tui sum,
o mea vita,
eis aiona!

Juvenes
Tu mihi cara, 
mi cara amicula
corculum es.

Juvenculae
Corculum es!

Juvenes
Tu mihi corculum!

Juvenculae
Corcule, corcule,
dic mi, dic mi,
a te me amari?

Juvenes
O tui oculi,
ocelli lucidi
fulgurant, efferunt
me velut specula.

Juvenculae
Specula, specula,
tu mihi specula.

Juvenes
O tua blandula
blanda, blandicula,
tua labella.

Juvenculae
Cave, cave,
cave, cavete!

Juvenes
Ad ludum prolectant.

Juvenculae
Cave, cave,
cave, cavete!

Juvenes
O tua lingula
lingula, lingula,
usque perniciter
vibrans ut vipera.

Juvenculae
Cave, cave,
cave, cavete,
cave meam viperam,
nisi te mordet.

Juvenes
Morde me!

Juvenculae
Basia me!

Juvenes, juvenculae
Ha!

Juvenes
O tuae mammulae…

Juvenculae
Mammulae…

Juvenes, juvenculae
…mammae molliculae,
dulciter turgidae,
gemina poma!
Ha!

Juvenes
Mea manus est cupida, 
o vos papillae horridulae!
Mea manus est cupida
illas prensare, vehementer prensare.

Juvenculae
Suave, suave, suave.

Juvenes, juvenculae
Ha!

Juvenculae
O tua mentula, 
mentula, mentula…

Juvenes
Mentula…

Juvenes, juvenculae
Cupide saliens 
peni, peniculus, 
velut pisciculus,
is qui desiderat
tuam fonticulam.
Ha!

Juvenculae
Mea manus est cupida,
coda, codicula, avida, avida!
Mea manus est cupida
illam captare.

Juvenes
Petulanti manicula!
O me felicem!
Tu es Venus,
Venus es!

Juvenculae
O me felicem!

Juvenes
In te 
in te 
in te habitant 
omnia gaudia,
omnes dulcedines,
omnes voluptas.
In te
in te
in tuo amplexu
in tuo ingenti amplexu
tota est
tota est
mihi vita.

Juvenculae
O me felicem!

Juvenes, juvenculae
Eis aiona!

Senes
"Eis aiona,
eis aiona!"
O res ridicula!
Inmensa stultitia.
Nihil durare potest tempore perpetuo.
Cum bene Sol nituit, 
redditur Oceano.
Decrescit Phoebe, 
quam modo plena fuit,
Venerum feritas 
saepe fit aura levis.
Tempus, tempus,
tempus amoris cubiculum non est.
Sublata lucerna 
nulla est fides,
perfida omnia sunt.
O vos brutos, vos stupidos, vos stolidos!

Senex
Lanternari, tene scalam!

Senes
Audite, audite,
audite ac videte:
Catulli carmina.

Juvenes, juvencualae
Audiamus!

Text Authorship:

  • by Carl Orff (1895 - 1982), "Praelusio" [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

  • by Carl Orff (1895 - 1982), "Praelusio", 1940-43, published 1943, from cantata Catulli Carmina, no. 1 [sung text checked 1 time]

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

  • ENG English (Grant Hicks) , "Prologue", copyright © 2026, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • SPA Spanish (Español) (Saúl Botero Restrepo) , "Prólogo", copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Research team for this page: Grant Hicks [Guest Editor] , Saúl Botero Restrepo

This text was added to the website: 2015-10-07
Line count: 143
Word count: 327

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