by Gaius Valerius Catullus (c84 BCE - 54 BCE)
Translation by Dominick Argento (1927 - 2019)
Wretched Catullus, put an end to this...
Language: English  after the Latin
Wretched Catullus, put an end to this madness! That which is over and lost, you must count lost forever: Those radiant days that once shone upon you When you hastened to follow the girl wherever she led you That same girl whom you loved as no other woman will ever be loved -- (Wretched Catullus, put an end to this madness!) The countless delights in the sports of love, When what you desired, she desired and desired just as much. (Wretched Catullus!) O, radiant indeed were the days that once shone upon you! Now suddenly she no longer wants your love, and you, being helpless must Give up this longing, cease to pursue her, Put an end to this torment and madness! (Wretched Catullus!) O immortal gods, if you truly have pity, Tear out from my heart this pestilence, this plague Whose insidious gnawing has driven all joy from my breast. I no longer ask that this woman should love me. Nor do I ask the impossible, that she be chaste; My only wish now is that I be healed, and this Terrible pain be assuaged.
About the headline (FAQ)
Authorship:
- by Dominick Argento (1927 - 2019) [an adaptation] [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in Latin by Gaius Valerius Catullus (c84 BCE - 54 BCE), no title, appears in Carmina, no. 8
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Dominick Argento (1927 - 2019), "Wretched Catullus, put an end to this madness!", 1981 [mixed chorus and percussion], from I Hate and I Love (Odi et Amo), no. 7. [ sung text checked 1 time]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2010-12-17
Line count: 29
Word count: 185