Vivanus, mea Lesbia, atque amemus,
rumeresque senum severiorum
omnes unius aestimemus assis!
Soles occidere et redire possunt:
nobis, cum semel occidit brevis lux,
nox est perpetua una dormienda.
Da mi basia mille, deinde centum,
dein mille altera, dein secunda centum,
deinde usque altera mille, deinde centum.
Dein, cum milia multa fecerimus,
conturbabimus illa, ne sciamus,
aut ne quis malus invidere possit,
cum tantum sciat esse basiorum.

About the headline (FAQ)

Text Authorship:

• by Gaius Valerius Catullus (c84 BCE - 54 BCE) [author's text checked 1 time 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):

[ None yet in the database ]

Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:

• Also set in English, a translation by Rennell Rodd (1858 - 1941) ; composed by Maude Valérie White.
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Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

• ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , copyright © 2025, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Ferdinando Albeggiani , Joost van der Linden [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2025-07-16
Line count: 13
Word count: 66